Why not?

In the continuing tradition of amazing commercials from Phoenix players...

Team Blog Rankings

So, a Lakers blog called L.A. Ball Talk published the results of a poll they had been conducting. I don't know how the nomination and voting process worked but we made the cut, so... go us. Here are the Hornet blog rankings:

1. At the Hive (woot!)
2. Hornets 24/7
3. Hornets Hype
4. Big Easy Buzz Blog
5. Hometown Hornets
6. Hornets Report
7. Swarming the Ball
8. Blog of New Orleans

I'm actually going to lop the list down to 6 entries since number 4 is actually a blog run by the Hornets' organization and number 8 is run by an independent paper (it's actually only a small section in a site dedicated to the entire publication). So, with minor adjustment, we ranked 4 out of 6 in fan blogs. Not a bad showing since we started this thing about a year ago and never really thought anyone but a few close friends would even read it. I'd say it's unlikely that we'll overtake the top 3, but I like being nestled in at the 4. Guess that makes us David West. Ok fine, we're Tyson Chandler for the time being. Shut up.

Looking at the results more globally, we find a few interesting trends. For starters, the following teams only had 3 blogs listed: Rockets, Suns, Bulls. Teams with less than 3 blogs listed: Miami, Orlando, Pacers. Teams with 8 blogs listed: The OKC Kevin Durants. 8 blogs? Seriously? How many ways can you describe losing? Honestly.

The answer to that questions is "not very many." I took a quick perusal of some of the latest posts in these blogs and one has already taken to previewing next season's draft. Nice.

(Oh, and if you haven't already perused the "number 1" OKC blog, Bend It Like Bennet, read it immediately. You will never see a more scathing and perfect impersonation in your life. If you haven't cried from laughter lately, you might want to check out his review of their beautiful logo.)

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If this post hasn't satisfied your Hornets fix yet, may I present a video: Channel 4 News sits down to lunch with Mo Pete and Posey. Not a whole lot of basketball talk, but if you're interested in which superlatives these guys garnered in high school, this is the video for you.

peace.

Chris Paul Interview

GQ will feature an interview with Chris Paul in its "Men of the Year" issue. In addition to some nice one-on-one banter with The Chef, the online version of the article includes a slide show that has convinced me to buy a vest.

Highlight of the interview...

Is there anyone in the NBA you don’t like?
[silence.]

I think Bruce Bowen is a cheap player, too.
I didn’t say that.

I'm at a Loss

I certainly don't lack any words at the moment. What I do lack is a general understanding for what's happening to this team right now.

Chris Paul + David West + Tyson Chandler + Peja Stojakovic + James Posey + Julian Wright should be enough to post wins on Atlanta, Charlotte, and Sacramento. Yet, in these early few weeks of the season, we've seen losses to all three of those teams. Worse still, two of the losses were at the Arena.

After a 3-0 start (over Golden State, Phoenix, and Cleveland), the Hornets looked good. Not great. Not dominant. But damn good. In those three games, they either held a lead or stayed within 5 points for the first three quarters. Then, they'd push the lead in the fourth and put the game away with some solid defensive stops and smooth offensive sets. In the two weeks following that start, the Hornets have gone 2-5. Not exactly what we were expecting. Even in those two wins, the team just hasn't looked as good as they were last year. And that's perplexing.

One common thread I can trace in the losses is the team's 3-point shooting. In those five games, the Hornets are a combined 28/88 (a whopping 31.8%) from behind the arc. Compare that to 38.9% 3-pt shooting last season. With that aspect of their offense missing, the Hornets will have a hard time in this league. Especially when there's no go-to slasher other than Chris Paul. This team is starting to show an inability to win games when its long range shots aren't dropping. And those shots won't always drop... as evidenced in depressing fashion recently. Time for a new game plan. November's almost over, and this team hasn't impressed me much. Never thought I'd say that.

Granted, the season is far from over. But it's also far from what I expected to see 10 games into the schedule.

We've Been Discovered!

Great news. People are reading this blog. And they like it.

Curry and I have each been tapped by different blogs/online communities to contribute to their cause. Curry will be writing news stories for the online forum Hornets Report, and I will be joining forces with the guys down at At the Hive.

Don't worry your pretty little heads, though. We will continue to run HH. And it will be awesome all the same. But now more people get to read our rants, railings, praises, and musings. I think this is a good thing.

Curry will post a post a link to his first article after it's published. Meanwhile, I've already begun logging time with @TH. Check out my Southwest Division Preview and my recap from last night's home-opener win against Cleveland.

(Quick note: @TH is part of a larger blogging community called Sports Blogs Nation. They have a blog setup for each professional franchise and many universities as well. They're all fan run and worth checking out.)

Get ready world. We're coming for you. One blog at a time.

peace.

Man Crush: Steve Nash Edition

Check out Steve Nash doing his best Derek Zoolander for Vitamin Water. Big shout out to the crew down at Ball Don't Lie for posting these first.




steve nash “the spokesman” – photo shoot from Bill Connely on Vimeo.


steve nash “the spokesman” – training from Bill Connely on Vimeo.