HoopWatch

For the past two seasons, New Orleans General Manager Jeff Bower has done a lot of tinkering in the Hornets line-up. First, he acquired Desmond Mason, Marc Jackson, Linton Johnson III and Aaron Williams last season. He also drafted eventual Rookie of the Year Chris Paul. The result was a plus-20 win improvement from an 18-win season a year before. They almost cracked the play-offs, except for a breakdown in the second half of the season. The Hornets were the sixth seed in the West during the All-Star break. Their major problem was their inability to execute in their half-court sets. Mason was dismal, and their only consistent offensive producers were surprisingly unknown forward David West and then-rookie Chris Paul.

That gave Bower the go-signal to shake his line-up a “little bit more” during the summer to the liking and needs of Coach Byron Scott. He signed three-time All-Star Peja Stojakovic and another former King in Bobby Jackson. Then he traded for underachieving big man Tyson Chandler and fellow Bull Jannero Pargo. He then drafted three big men in Connecticut’s Hilton Armstrong, North Carolina’s Cedric Simmons and 6-8 Brazilian forward Marcus Vinicius. The Hornets had the biggest roster change in the league coming into this season.

And the result, the Hornets are currently second in the Southwest Division, with an 8-4 record, just behind perennial play-off contenders, the San Antonio Spurs (10-2). So far, so good, huh?

The secrets to New Orleans early triumph are their defense, good transition attacks, and an improved half-court offense.

Seven-feet-one center Tyson Chandler is the anchor of New Orleans’ vaunted defense and transition offense. Chandler is a proven shotblocker. He is long and extremely hardworking. He intimidates shooters with his length and quickness. He tirelessly run into perimeter threats, putting his hands on their faces, and still could run back to the rim to grab the defensive board. His caroms then lead to their fastbreak attacks. He has grabbed 18 rebounds twice this season, this early. He also had a 16-rebound night against the Phoenix Suns. When your team controls the boards, you control the tempo. And the Hornets have done just that, thanks to Chandler’s rebounding. They have outrun their opponents in their wins. And they have good finishers in Paul, Mason, Bobby J and even Chandler himself. All of them are high-above-the-rim finishers.

Stojakovic, on the other hand, is the vital cog to their half-court offense. He is a legitimate outside threat. He has been shooting a lot of threes and perimeter jump shots this season. This is what New Orleans lack last year. Stojakovic has scored 20 points or more for more than thrice this season. And Pargo and Rasual Butler have also helped the Hornets from the outside.

Then there’s Bobby Jackson. He has been superb off the bench. “Super-sub” Bobby J has energized New Orleans with a 14 point, six rebound performance in demolishing the defending champions Miami Heat, 101-86, on 5-of-9 shooting.

So far, Coach Scott has consistently started with Chandler, Stojakovic, Mason and Paul. The starting power forward role has been assumed by either veteran Marc Jackson or sophomore Brandon Bass. Bobby J, Butler, Pargo and rookie Simmons provide the boost from the bench. Armstrong and Johnson have played sparingly.

Last year’s biggest scoring surprise David West is still currently out due to an injury. He may reclaim the starting forward role when he comes back.

Upon Scott’s summons, the Hornets have adhered to their commitment to defending and rebounding. If they continue to do this, they are in good shape. They are one of only two teams to remain unscathed at their home floor, with a 4-0 slate (the other team being the league leading Utah Jazz). They have a four game winning streak going into their game against the Suns.

The Suns, however, beat them in their own game. The Suns relied on their “rarely present” defense to subdue the Hornets, 92-83, on a bad shooting night. The bright side to that loss is the 16-rebound output of Chandler. Stojakovic and Mason both fired 18 points, while Paul added 16. They were still consistent in their production, as what is expected from them. They were just unable to stop two-time MVP Steve Nash, who had 24 points and 7 assists. And the struggling Boris Diaw had an almost perfect night, scoring 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting. It could have gone either way if not for Diaw’s stellar game.

The Hornets are hoping to reach the upper echelon of the Western Conference by the end of the season. They have not gone to the play-offs for the past two years, and they remain optimistic that their fate will change this coming postseason. They are improving in every year they have been in the West. And seeing their focus and renewed spirit, I believe they will make it to the play-offs. And upon the return of West, they will have another scoring threat and additional firepower. They won’t fall short this time around. (pics courtesy of yahoonba.com)

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