We still go to games... honest.
Seems kind of silly to make this announcement now (we've posted 2 things in the last 7 months), but I thought it'd be polite in case of you have been hitting the refresh button or checking your news feed only to be saddened by the lack of new material on this blog.
The reality is that both Curry and I are still cheering loudly in row 2 of section 325 (check out the photo) and contributing our thoughts to other sites in the Hornet's blogosphere, but we are also in the process of applying to graduate programs. Something had to give, and it looks like (for now) it will be this blog. I will continue to recap home games (and throw in the occasional statistical breakdown or rant) for At the Hive and Curry will continue doing field reporting (or something) for the folks down at Hornet's Report.
We may one day resurrect this site, but for now it shall continue to lay dormant as we move on to bigger and better things. Until then, folks, thanks for reading and Geaux Bees!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Welcome Back!
Hey, remember when I ran a blog about the Hornets? Yeah, those were fun times.
So, all sarcasm aside, I suppose its time we jumped back in to this whole "basketball" thing. Curry and I are extremely sorry about disappearing for the playoffs (but so did the rest of the team, so no big deal right?... too soon?), but we are back and fired up for another off season of (hopefully useful) drafting/trades/acquisitions and the like.
Before we jump into things, I've got a couple of good links for you. If, for some reason, you've been mentally checked out as long as we have, and somehow managed to miss these nuggets, now would be an opportune time to catch up on some great writing:
* Great @TH post on Posey and his contributions.
* Another piece on our good ol' boy Pargo.
* Hey, there was a draft last night... who knew? Ok, we did. But since our draft recap won't be up until Sunday, you'll just have live with @TH's Draft Day Thread for now.
* Even though the draft's over, Ryan down at Hornets247 has a great piece on the value of a draft pick
* A slightly older piece from Ryan about possible trade scenarios and rumors. We'll be sure to pick up where he left off with a little more insight from last night's shenanigans.
--
See you Sunday. Peace.
So, all sarcasm aside, I suppose its time we jumped back in to this whole "basketball" thing. Curry and I are extremely sorry about disappearing for the playoffs (but so did the rest of the team, so no big deal right?... too soon?), but we are back and fired up for another off season of (hopefully useful) drafting/trades/acquisitions and the like.
Before we jump into things, I've got a couple of good links for you. If, for some reason, you've been mentally checked out as long as we have, and somehow managed to miss these nuggets, now would be an opportune time to catch up on some great writing:
* Great @TH post on Posey and his contributions.
* Another piece on our good ol' boy Pargo.
* Hey, there was a draft last night... who knew? Ok, we did. But since our draft recap won't be up until Sunday, you'll just have live with @TH's Draft Day Thread for now.
* Even though the draft's over, Ryan down at Hornets247 has a great piece on the value of a draft pick
* A slightly older piece from Ryan about possible trade scenarios and rumors. We'll be sure to pick up where he left off with a little more insight from last night's shenanigans.
--
See you Sunday. Peace.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Weezy Showing Some Love
Looks like Lil Wayne might be a bit of a Hornets fan after all. Of course, maybe this shouldn't come as such a shock, given his most recent mailbag on ESPN the mag:
Jeff (Birmingham): Wayne -- I know you are a huge Hornets fan and I was wondering about your reaction to the whole saga of Tyson Chandler getting traded and then coming back?
Lil Wayne: Tyson Chandler and Chris Paul are becoming one of the greatest, most-unstoppable dynamic duos in the league and it would have been horrible to split them up. Just atrocious. But I'm glad it happened so they could feel that kick in the gut when they thought he wasn't going to be on the team no more. They needed that push, and now they know what they've got to do, so it's a good thing.
***
Special thanks to the guys down at Hornets 24/7 who had the video in their Lagniappe section which, by the by, is an awesome aggregator of Hornets links from all over the interwebs. There's also a pretty robust News section. Both are definitely worth a look.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
CP Playoff Commercial: Sneak Peak
Video: Chris Paul NBA Playoffs promo |
Thanks to Hornets Beat over at NOLA.com for posting and sharing.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Head-to-Head: CP3 vs DW8
Thousands upon thousands of words have been devoted to the CP3/D Will debate, and truthfully, it's likely we won't see the death of this subject until one of the two hoists the Larry O'Brien trophy. Until that fateful day arrives, we will continue to argue, debate, punch, kick, and bite in this oft polarizing argument.
The reason I'm chiming in today is because J.A. Adande wrote something that caught my attention a few days ago:
Hmmm. Interesting. As of today, the Jazz are 41-25 and the Hornets are 41-24. I suppose he could be referencing the Jazz's recent winning streak of 11, but both teams are 8-2 over their last 10, so I'm not sure that really settles anything.
On the other hand, if the Hornets were doing worse (record-wise) than the Jazz, how could you penalize Paul for this? Most of our losses this season have resulted from a thin bench and declining numbers from a few of our starters (none of whom are named Paul, Chris). Is there really an argument for CP being the inferior player if he's stuck on a team with significantly less depth? I'm not sure there is.
It's Adande's second statement that really prompted this post. For most fans of either team, it's generally accepted that Deron outperforms Chris when the Jazz square off against the Hornets, but, despite the fact this has become "common knowledge," I've never actually seen any numbers that back up the argument.
Is there really a sharp drop in Chris' (or Deron's) production? Or are we maybe remembering a handful of only the most recent contests that may have favored Deron? Let's star by looking at these guys career stats. Then, we'll look at some composite stats for the 12 games in which these guys have faced off*:
Career per game totals
Head to Head per game totals
Difference in production per game
A quick look at the tables reveals that almost all of Paul's statistical contributions see a drop (the exception being FT attempted and FT%), while Williams' numbers seem to shift in both directions. What's interesting is that I wouldn't call either stat line from the head-to-heads amazing (which both players are) or terrible (which both players are not). It seems that they both affect the other's numbers pretty significantly, and why not? After all, they're pretty worthy adversaries.
The real story that these numbers tell is that Williams' size (he's got 3 inches and 30 pounds on Paul) and the Jazz's strong interior defense give him an edge over Paul. The former allows Deron to penetrate in the paint much easier, prompting an increase in points and FG% (and likely explaining the drop in AST). Similarly, the size advantage (and the defensively superior Jazz) prevent Paul from effectively running the pick and roll for easy floaters or even kick-outs to the the open man during a double-team. As a result, we see a sharp drop in points and FG% from Paul. Though he is able to make up some of his scoring ground by going to the stripe much more often – another instance of the Jazz's aggression in the paint – it's hard to argue that Paul performs at the same level against this team as he does against the rest of the league.
From these tables, we might assume that Williams is in fact the better player, since beating your opponent head-on seems to be the ultimate competition. But the problem with that assumption is that it ignores one pretty crucial fact: the Jazz are better than the Hornets. Plain and simple. Their starters match up well against the Bees and their bench is something like a gajillion times better than ours. As a result, Paul is forced to carry the load for a team of under-achievers and gets burned because he's matching up against a larger version of himself.
So there you have it: we've seen that Paul is probably the better individual player**, but that's not much consolation to Hornets fans who have watched their team go 2-10*** in the games featuring both point guards. It will be even less of a consolation if we draw them in the playoffs.
In sum, both of these guys are phenomenal basketball players, and they're both a pleasure to watch (yes, I secretly enjoy watching Williams). But they will continue to be locked into this debate until someone is able to assemble a better team around Paul. Let's just hope that team is the Hornets.
--
* Unfortunately, the above tables ignore pace, something that might swing the results more to CP's favor, since he has amassed his per game stats playing a much slower game than Deron's Jazz ever play. While the disparities between career and h2h might have been a little less significant if we accounted for pace, it probably would not be enough to change the story.
** My cohort from At the Hive did a pretty thorough examination of both players and their career numbers. Call it biased if you want, but it's a pretty irrefutable argument that Paul is the better player.
*** Though our record sucks against the Jazz, it's worth noting that both times we've played Utah on the road this year, it was a back-to-back with the Lakers as the previous night's opponent. At the Staples Center. Thanks, David Stern.
--
If you're interested, check out the Basketball-Reference info I used on Paul and on Williams for the tables. You can also download a pdf of the spreadsheet I used to compile the totals and averages.
The reason I'm chiming in today is because J.A. Adande wrote something that caught my attention a few days ago:
I like Paul as much as the next guy... But it's hard to ignore what Williams and the Jazz have done. And you can't forget the way Williams has dominated Paul in their head-to-head matchups.
Hmmm. Interesting. As of today, the Jazz are 41-25 and the Hornets are 41-24. I suppose he could be referencing the Jazz's recent winning streak of 11, but both teams are 8-2 over their last 10, so I'm not sure that really settles anything.
On the other hand, if the Hornets were doing worse (record-wise) than the Jazz, how could you penalize Paul for this? Most of our losses this season have resulted from a thin bench and declining numbers from a few of our starters (none of whom are named Paul, Chris). Is there really an argument for CP being the inferior player if he's stuck on a team with significantly less depth? I'm not sure there is.
It's Adande's second statement that really prompted this post. For most fans of either team, it's generally accepted that Deron outperforms Chris when the Jazz square off against the Hornets, but, despite the fact this has become "common knowledge," I've never actually seen any numbers that back up the argument.
Is there really a sharp drop in Chris' (or Deron's) production? Or are we maybe remembering a handful of only the most recent contests that may have favored Deron? Let's star by looking at these guys career stats. Then, we'll look at some composite stats for the 12 games in which these guys have faced off*:
Career per game totals
PTS | FGM | FG% | FTM | FT% | REB | AST | STL | TO | |
PAUL | 18.9 | 6.7 | 46.6 | 4.8 | 84.4 | 4.7 | 9.8 | 2.4 | 2.6 |
WILLIAMS | 15.9 | 6.0 | 46.6 | 3.0 | 78.6 | 2.9 | 8.5 | 1.0 | 2.9 |
Head to Head per game totals
PTS | FGM | FG% | FTM | FT% | REB | AST | STL | TO | |
PAUL | 12.5 | 5.1 | 40.7 | 5.0 | 85.7 | 3.0 | 8.7 | 2.3 | 2.6 |
WILLIAMS | 16.1 | 6.4 | 53.5 | 2.0 | 70.6 | 3.2 | 8.0 | 0.8 | 3.1 |
Difference in production per game
PTS | FGM | FG% | FTM | FT% | REB | AST | STL | TO | |
PAUL | -5.4 | -1.6 | -5.9 | +0.2 | +1.2 | -1.7 | -1.1 | -0.1 | 0 |
WILLIAMS | +1.1 | +0.4 | +6.9 | -1.0 | -8.6 | +0.3 | -0.5 | -0.2 | +0.2 |
A quick look at the tables reveals that almost all of Paul's statistical contributions see a drop (the exception being FT attempted and FT%), while Williams' numbers seem to shift in both directions. What's interesting is that I wouldn't call either stat line from the head-to-heads amazing (which both players are) or terrible (which both players are not). It seems that they both affect the other's numbers pretty significantly, and why not? After all, they're pretty worthy adversaries.
The real story that these numbers tell is that Williams' size (he's got 3 inches and 30 pounds on Paul) and the Jazz's strong interior defense give him an edge over Paul. The former allows Deron to penetrate in the paint much easier, prompting an increase in points and FG% (and likely explaining the drop in AST). Similarly, the size advantage (and the defensively superior Jazz) prevent Paul from effectively running the pick and roll for easy floaters or even kick-outs to the the open man during a double-team. As a result, we see a sharp drop in points and FG% from Paul. Though he is able to make up some of his scoring ground by going to the stripe much more often – another instance of the Jazz's aggression in the paint – it's hard to argue that Paul performs at the same level against this team as he does against the rest of the league.
From these tables, we might assume that Williams is in fact the better player, since beating your opponent head-on seems to be the ultimate competition. But the problem with that assumption is that it ignores one pretty crucial fact: the Jazz are better than the Hornets. Plain and simple. Their starters match up well against the Bees and their bench is something like a gajillion times better than ours. As a result, Paul is forced to carry the load for a team of under-achievers and gets burned because he's matching up against a larger version of himself.
So there you have it: we've seen that Paul is probably the better individual player**, but that's not much consolation to Hornets fans who have watched their team go 2-10*** in the games featuring both point guards. It will be even less of a consolation if we draw them in the playoffs.
In sum, both of these guys are phenomenal basketball players, and they're both a pleasure to watch (yes, I secretly enjoy watching Williams). But they will continue to be locked into this debate until someone is able to assemble a better team around Paul. Let's just hope that team is the Hornets.
--
* Unfortunately, the above tables ignore pace, something that might swing the results more to CP's favor, since he has amassed his per game stats playing a much slower game than Deron's Jazz ever play. While the disparities between career and h2h might have been a little less significant if we accounted for pace, it probably would not be enough to change the story.
** My cohort from At the Hive did a pretty thorough examination of both players and their career numbers. Call it biased if you want, but it's a pretty irrefutable argument that Paul is the better player.
*** Though our record sucks against the Jazz, it's worth noting that both times we've played Utah on the road this year, it was a back-to-back with the Lakers as the previous night's opponent. At the Staples Center. Thanks, David Stern.
--
If you're interested, check out the Basketball-Reference info I used on Paul and on Williams for the tables. You can also download a pdf of the spreadsheet I used to compile the totals and averages.
Labels:
Chris Paul,
CP,
CP3,
Deron Williams,
J.A. Adande
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Next Magic Johnson?
Is Chris Paul as a good (or better) of a point guard as Magic Johnson?
John Hollinger addresses this question one of his latest PER Diems, and he seems to think that the answer is probably "yes." (Though Dave Berri did say it first.) Hollinger admits that both players come from remarkably different eras of play, but this doesn't deter him from making a case for Paul:
Yes, it's easier for a small guard to dominate today's game than it was for John Stockton and Isiah Thomas to dominate in the '80s, and it's true that we don't know whether Paul will have the longevity that the players above enjoyed.
Nonetheless, compare Paul's first four seasons to the first four seasons of any point guard from the postmerger era, and one conclusion becomes evident really fast: The only player who can even plausibly compare to him is Magic Johnson.
This suggestion will obviously set off a bomb of "no ways" and "impossibles" and "don't even bothers" from Laker fans everywhere, but I have yet to find anyone who has written a comprehensive defense of Magic. In fact, most fans think the suggestion is so outrageous that they would rather just dismiss the discussion as opposed to engaging in it.
Fans like J.A. Adande. Mr. Adande not only disagrees with the comparison, but his sole remark on the subject was a terse dismissal of the argument (in his "CP3 vs D Will" article). Here's the mini-rant on why it is "sacrilege" to compare Paul (or anyone probably) to Magic Johnson:
Tell any aspirants to the throne to fill in at center in a Finals game, win five championships and set the career assists record ... maybe after all that we can hold a discussion.
So, apparently CP is out of the running to ever fill Magic's shoes since he probably won't be playing center anytime soon. Never mind the fact that Magic has the height edge by 8 inches (that's right, Magic was a 6'8" point guard) and Paul is probably finished growing. (I suppose it also doesn't matter that Paul, despite his height, is averaging over 5 rebounds a game this season which is only 2 off from Magic's career average.)
But what if we took height out of the argument? Now Paul has to win at least 5 rings and break the assists record. Let's be honest here, the former is not happening. Though I expect Paul will retire with at least 1 ring, he probably won't amass 5. I think it's worth mentioning, though, that Paul doesn't have the same squad of legends playing with him. Who would you rather: Kareem, Worthy, and McAdoo or West, Chandler, and Peja? Neither option is terrible, but the Showtime crew is light years ahead of the Bees.
Ok, so he's too short and he won't win 5 championships. What's left? Oh yeah, the assists record. This is probably the most ridiculous statement of all. While it's no small feat that Magic broke the assists record (his 10,141 edged out the Big O's 9,887), it's preposterous to suggest that Paul has to accomplish the same feat in order to be considered on Magic's level. This is primarily due to the fact that a man named John Stockton came in and beat out Magic's record by 50%. Magic's total: 10,141. Stockton's: 15,806. So now, CP has to amass almost 16K assists just to be in the discussion.
While I agree that putting Paul on the same level as Magic is a bit premature, I don't think it's even remotely sacrilege to make comparisons. Dave Berri said it best:
Chris Paul in 2008-09 compares favorably to Magic Johnson. And that is a point I would emphasize. Chris Paul is developing into one of the all-time great players in NBA history. It’s not a stretch to start thinking of him in terms of players like Magic, MJ, and Bird. Yes, Paul is that good.
"Developing" is the key word in that sentence. Mr. Adande should just be happy that a point guard as exciting as CP (and possibly the most exciting since Magic) is in the league right now. Not to mention that he gets to watch that player's "development" unfold. He should also try watching more than 2 or 3 Hornets' games a season. It might help.
***
Ok, so having the best point guard in the league (and arguably ever) is a small consolation if this team can't bring home a championship. These arguments that circulate through the blogosphere are ostensibly meaningless since we really have no way of be 100% certain about something as subjective as how "good" a player is/was, never mind the fact that some of these comparisons are made between players who were stars in totally different eras.
In the end, these discussions are just a way of biding our time until our respective teams take home a championship. We don't like to admit it, but it's the truth all the same.
Labels:
Chris Paul,
CP,
CP3,
Dave Berri,
Hollinger,
J.A. Adande
Friday, March 6, 2009
Highlight of the Season
Ladies and gentlemen, this is air traffic control. We regret to inform you that while the JET may in fact be on the runway, he has been grounded due to the awesomeness that is Chris Paul. Thank you for your understanding.
Roger that. Over and out.
Labels:
Chris Paul,
CP,
CP3,
Dallas,
highlights,
Mavericks
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
New Orleans Hornets + Tyson Chandler = Good.
Who knew?
Some very flattering articles about Tyson's return have been published today.
JA Adande at ESPN.com offers his take.
And John Schuhmann of NBA.com gives an analysis.
Consensus? This 5-0 record over the five games Tyson has played is no coincidence.
Why stop at five? The Mavs come to town on Thursday. Let's keep it going.
Some very flattering articles about Tyson's return have been published today.
JA Adande at ESPN.com offers his take.
And John Schuhmann of NBA.com gives an analysis.
Consensus? This 5-0 record over the five games Tyson has played is no coincidence.
Why stop at five? The Mavs come to town on Thursday. Let's keep it going.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Wake Up, Mr. West
You've just been named Player of the Week.
Congratulations to D-West, who was just named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from February 23 to March 1. Over that stretch, West has put up great numbers in four games. Per game, he's averaging 28.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1 steal. Certainly not by coincidence, the Hornets are on a four-game win streak.
Big ups to David and the Hornets. Now, let's keep it rolling in Philly.
Congratulations to D-West, who was just named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from February 23 to March 1. Over that stretch, West has put up great numbers in four games. Per game, he's averaging 28.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1 steal. Certainly not by coincidence, the Hornets are on a four-game win streak.
Big ups to David and the Hornets. Now, let's keep it rolling in Philly.
Friday, February 27, 2009
New Dirty Coast Hornets Shirt
Ticktock6 beat me to the punch on this, but I'm posting it anyway.
Despite having three shirts devoted to Saints fandom, Dirty Coast -- a nifty little shirt shop down on Magazine Street -- had yet to produce any shirts for those of us that bleedteal creole blue and purple.
But now that's all changed. Check out the new tee, which is cleverly titled Horn.Net.Fan.
Here's what their site has to say about it:
Word. Now if they'd only return my emails about the "Chef Paul" shirt Curry and I had in mind.
Despite having three shirts devoted to Saints fandom, Dirty Coast -- a nifty little shirt shop down on Magazine Street -- had yet to produce any shirts for those of us that bleed
But now that's all changed. Check out the new tee, which is cleverly titled Horn.Net.Fan.
Here's what their site has to say about it:
It used to be when Saints season had ended folks would wonder what to do with all that fan energy? Well now we have a real reason to make some noise.
Word. Now if they'd only return my emails about the "Chef Paul" shirt Curry and I had in mind.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Tyson Chandler Non-Trade
Disclaimer: a lot of friends have asked for my take on the Tyson-to-OKC-and-back-again non-trade that has been the NBA's big drama of the week. Not wanting to repeat myself, I cancelled a lunch date (who am I kidding? I got stood up) and wrote this earlier today. I hope my thoughts can help put the whole ordeal in perspective.
Tuesday morning, I heard strong rumors -- and eventually learned -- that the Hornets were planning on shipping Tyson Chandler to the Oklahoma City Thunder (please get a better name) in exchange for Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox, and the draft rights to a kid whose chances of making the NBA seem about as good as my own. My intial thoughts? Let me transcribe a text message I sent to HH founder and my good friend Lee:
No no no. F**k no.
I, like many in the Hornets Blog-o-sphere, believed this team's core to be made up of three individuals: Chris "The Chef" Paul, David West, and the aforementioned Chandler. Seeing the team part with one of those three -- only to return with spare parts in his place -- hurt.
I've admitted that the Hornets' chances of making the NBA Finals (much less winning the championship) are pretty slim this year. But I always thought they'd be able to tweak the roster and make a strong run at a title next season. Or the next. When I got the news of the Tyson trade, all those hopes were gone. The trade with OKC didn't do enough to improve the Hornets this year, and it didn't necessarily put the team in a better position over the next two or three years. All I could do was hope that the move was setting up the team for another trade further down the road. Meanwhile, all sports analysts and their mothers were painting the trade as nothing more than a salary dump that was a great basketball move by the Thunder and an unfortunate one by the Hornets.
As the day went on, I heard whispers that Tyson's injury might be more serious than we thought. That got me thinking. Over the course of his career, he has had a few toe/ankle/foot injuries that have kept him out of the lineup. The only time his toe was a major issue was when it prevented him from playing with Team USA. What if the injury was keeping him off the floor for the rest of the season? What if this most recent diagnosis had discovered that he would never be the same? What if all the waiting and hoping for Tyson to regain his status as a dominant center were in vain? Yes, he put up nearly 12 points and 12 rebounds a game last season. But he's managed just under 9 points and just over 8 rebounds a game this season. A contract paying a player $24.6 million over the next two years? It's worth it for those first stats. Not so much for the latter. Especially if a recurring injury is keeping said player out of the lineup on a regular basis. What if his career is shortened?
Taking these concerns and playing the eternal optimist, I figured the team was making the best out of a bad situation. Sure the Hornets brass would want to keep their young core intact. But they definitely wouldn't want to be saddled with a big contract for a player who might not be able to perform on the court. They did what (they thought) they had to do: get the best value for damaged goods. When the trade went through, I wished Tyson the best, lamented the fact that we'd have no more Crescent | City | Connection, and did my best to look forward to the depth that Wilcox and Smith would provide.
I went to last night's game against the Magic, finally starting to accept that the Hornets were living post-Tyson. I was treated to a big surprise when the Hornets, playing without Tyson or the newly acquired Wilcox and Smith, absolutely dominated the Magic. And dominated them in the post: a stunning 44-18 Hornets edge on points in the paint and a 46-35 margin on rebounds. As soon as I got home from that game, I logged into my email and saw the following subject line: Chandler Re-joins Hornets.
As we now know, Ty failed his physical for the trade, putting some stock in those whispers about his injury being fairly serious. And the result of the failed physical is that the Hornets will keep their core three guys for at least the remainder of this season. Beyond that, who knows? But we know who we've got for the stretch run and the playoffs. And I'm happy with it. That said, I am, without a doubt, concerned about Tyson's longterm health (see: all the above "What ifs").
However, I can't post those hypotheticals without thinking about the flip side. What if Tyson re-joins a team that shows the sort of hustle from last night on a regular basis? What if his numbers improve to last season's levels? This Hornets team defeated Orlando (home of the best center in the league) 117-85... add a 7'1" defensive post presence to the mix, and you have to like it. Maybe Tyson's career doesn't succumb to the injury. After all, he has been playing with it since the Spring of 2007. Those 12 points and 12 rebounds a game? He put those numbers up during the 2007-08 season -- after the original diagnosis of the injury. Who's to say he can't do it again? And if he does do it again, I'd love to have him on my home team. For the forseeable future, he will be. And I can't complain about that.
Tuesday morning, I heard strong rumors -- and eventually learned -- that the Hornets were planning on shipping Tyson Chandler to the Oklahoma City Thunder (please get a better name) in exchange for Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox, and the draft rights to a kid whose chances of making the NBA seem about as good as my own. My intial thoughts? Let me transcribe a text message I sent to HH founder and my good friend Lee:
No no no. F**k no.
I, like many in the Hornets Blog-o-sphere, believed this team's core to be made up of three individuals: Chris "The Chef" Paul, David West, and the aforementioned Chandler. Seeing the team part with one of those three -- only to return with spare parts in his place -- hurt.
I've admitted that the Hornets' chances of making the NBA Finals (much less winning the championship) are pretty slim this year. But I always thought they'd be able to tweak the roster and make a strong run at a title next season. Or the next. When I got the news of the Tyson trade, all those hopes were gone. The trade with OKC didn't do enough to improve the Hornets this year, and it didn't necessarily put the team in a better position over the next two or three years. All I could do was hope that the move was setting up the team for another trade further down the road. Meanwhile, all sports analysts and their mothers were painting the trade as nothing more than a salary dump that was a great basketball move by the Thunder and an unfortunate one by the Hornets.
As the day went on, I heard whispers that Tyson's injury might be more serious than we thought. That got me thinking. Over the course of his career, he has had a few toe/ankle/foot injuries that have kept him out of the lineup. The only time his toe was a major issue was when it prevented him from playing with Team USA. What if the injury was keeping him off the floor for the rest of the season? What if this most recent diagnosis had discovered that he would never be the same? What if all the waiting and hoping for Tyson to regain his status as a dominant center were in vain? Yes, he put up nearly 12 points and 12 rebounds a game last season. But he's managed just under 9 points and just over 8 rebounds a game this season. A contract paying a player $24.6 million over the next two years? It's worth it for those first stats. Not so much for the latter. Especially if a recurring injury is keeping said player out of the lineup on a regular basis. What if his career is shortened?
Taking these concerns and playing the eternal optimist, I figured the team was making the best out of a bad situation. Sure the Hornets brass would want to keep their young core intact. But they definitely wouldn't want to be saddled with a big contract for a player who might not be able to perform on the court. They did what (they thought) they had to do: get the best value for damaged goods. When the trade went through, I wished Tyson the best, lamented the fact that we'd have no more Crescent | City | Connection, and did my best to look forward to the depth that Wilcox and Smith would provide.
I went to last night's game against the Magic, finally starting to accept that the Hornets were living post-Tyson. I was treated to a big surprise when the Hornets, playing without Tyson or the newly acquired Wilcox and Smith, absolutely dominated the Magic. And dominated them in the post: a stunning 44-18 Hornets edge on points in the paint and a 46-35 margin on rebounds. As soon as I got home from that game, I logged into my email and saw the following subject line: Chandler Re-joins Hornets.
As we now know, Ty failed his physical for the trade, putting some stock in those whispers about his injury being fairly serious. And the result of the failed physical is that the Hornets will keep their core three guys for at least the remainder of this season. Beyond that, who knows? But we know who we've got for the stretch run and the playoffs. And I'm happy with it. That said, I am, without a doubt, concerned about Tyson's longterm health (see: all the above "What ifs").
However, I can't post those hypotheticals without thinking about the flip side. What if Tyson re-joins a team that shows the sort of hustle from last night on a regular basis? What if his numbers improve to last season's levels? This Hornets team defeated Orlando (home of the best center in the league) 117-85... add a 7'1" defensive post presence to the mix, and you have to like it. Maybe Tyson's career doesn't succumb to the injury. After all, he has been playing with it since the Spring of 2007. Those 12 points and 12 rebounds a game? He put those numbers up during the 2007-08 season -- after the original diagnosis of the injury. Who's to say he can't do it again? And if he does do it again, I'd love to have him on my home team. For the forseeable future, he will be. And I can't complain about that.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Psyche!
Sooo... 24 hours ago, we were all wondering what life post-Tyson would be like. About one hour ago, news broke that Tyson did not pass the physical for the Thunder and that -- due to that -- the trade was rescinded, keeping Ty with the Hornets and leaving Wilcox/Smith in OKC.
I'm a little worried about Tyson's injury (turf toe), which has to have been a major reason the Hornets made this trade in the first place. Seeing a team ship away a big man (capable of putting up a double-double on a nightly basis) for two expiring contracts leaves observers wondering what they don't know. Of course, the move was chalked up as being financially driven (a "salary dump"). But there were other ways for the Hornets to reduce their payroll.
With the trade of Tyson, there seemed to be more. Turns out, there was. The Hornets were trying to protect themselves from being stuck with a $12 million contract for a player who might not return to that nightly double-double form. I welcome Tyson back to the team, and I'm excited to have the Crescent City Connection live on. But I'm anxious that his history of foot injuries might hamper his future. If that's the case, it puts this team at a serious disadvantage.
Obviously, only time will tell if Tyson will be able to get back to the dominant inside force and solid finisher of the past two years. But I don't want to hold my breath for too long. He's been on the sideline for a full month. I can only hope that time has done something to help his injuries.
Either way, once again, welcome back, Tyson. On a personal note, it's great to have the core of CP-DWest-Ty together again. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that Tyson can still show us the type of play that made us believe in that core to begin with.
I'm a little worried about Tyson's injury (turf toe), which has to have been a major reason the Hornets made this trade in the first place. Seeing a team ship away a big man (capable of putting up a double-double on a nightly basis) for two expiring contracts leaves observers wondering what they don't know. Of course, the move was chalked up as being financially driven (a "salary dump"). But there were other ways for the Hornets to reduce their payroll.
With the trade of Tyson, there seemed to be more. Turns out, there was. The Hornets were trying to protect themselves from being stuck with a $12 million contract for a player who might not return to that nightly double-double form. I welcome Tyson back to the team, and I'm excited to have the Crescent City Connection live on. But I'm anxious that his history of foot injuries might hamper his future. If that's the case, it puts this team at a serious disadvantage.
Obviously, only time will tell if Tyson will be able to get back to the dominant inside force and solid finisher of the past two years. But I don't want to hold my breath for too long. He's been on the sideline for a full month. I can only hope that time has done something to help his injuries.
Either way, once again, welcome back, Tyson. On a personal note, it's great to have the core of CP-DWest-Ty together again. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that Tyson can still show us the type of play that made us believe in that core to begin with.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Done Deal?
According to Darnell Mayberry at The Oklahoman, the Hornets have officially traded Tyson to the Thunder. Looks like he'll be riding the bench tonight at the other end of the court.
I'll wait to give my thoughts until the move is confirmed.
I'll wait to give my thoughts until the move is confirmed.
Peace, Tyson.
It appears the Hornets are closing in on a deal to ship Tyson to the OKC Thunder in exchange for Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox, and (possibly) a draft pick. I hope the talks are just rumors, but ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting that a deal is expected to be complete by the end of the day.
In related news, David West said that he would not favor any trade that sent Tyson away. I guess we'll know by tip off tonight, as the Hornets visit the Thunder for the third meeting of these teams.
Getting past the initial shock of breaking up our core three players, this move would make no sense basketball-wise and would only even come close to being justifiable with regards to finances. And that sucks. I'll have more as I find it.
In related news, David West said that he would not favor any trade that sent Tyson away. I guess we'll know by tip off tonight, as the Hornets visit the Thunder for the third meeting of these teams.
Getting past the initial shock of breaking up our core three players, this move would make no sense basketball-wise and would only even come close to being justifiable with regards to finances. And that sucks. I'll have more as I find it.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Sean Marks: All Sexy Like
So, by now, everyone should be familiar with the Peja topless and hairy-like-animal photo that has found its way around the internet and back again. In the extremely rare case that you haven't seen it, well, you're in luck my friend.
TA-DA! I don't know if the world will ever get a proper explanation for why that picture exists. But don't act like you're not happy it exists. I mean, that's six feet, ten inches, and 229 pounds of pure Serbian sex appeal. And you're all quite welcome. But the reason we're here today is not Peja. No, my friends, we gather together to honor that other tall white foreign dude who puts on the Creole Blue pinstripes night after night.
That's right. Sean Marks (with his late-game heroics against the Timberwolves on Sunday) has his own glamour shot lurking this series of tubes known as the "world wide web." And some savvy member of the New Zealand press recently brought that gem to the forefront of the national news. Well, NZ's national news, anyway. Without further ado, I give you the Kiwi in all his masculine glory...
Mr. Marks, thank you for stepping it up on Sunday to give the team 18 pts, 5 rebs, 1 blk, and 1 ast in a winning effort that remained in doubt until the closing seconds. Thanks to some outstanding play from Sean, Rasual Butler, and Devin Brown, the Hornets were able to take the lead at the end of the game... after trailing for three quarters. Unfortunately, that formula probably won't work tonight against Boston. So let's hope for some help from our big three, all of which could possibly return to the lineup to take on the defending champs in their only visit to the New Orleans Arena.
TA-DA! I don't know if the world will ever get a proper explanation for why that picture exists. But don't act like you're not happy it exists. I mean, that's six feet, ten inches, and 229 pounds of pure Serbian sex appeal. And you're all quite welcome. But the reason we're here today is not Peja. No, my friends, we gather together to honor that other tall white foreign dude who puts on the Creole Blue pinstripes night after night.
That's right. Sean Marks (with his late-game heroics against the Timberwolves on Sunday) has his own glamour shot lurking this series of tubes known as the "world wide web." And some savvy member of the New Zealand press recently brought that gem to the forefront of the national news. Well, NZ's national news, anyway. Without further ado, I give you the Kiwi in all his masculine glory...
Mr. Marks, thank you for stepping it up on Sunday to give the team 18 pts, 5 rebs, 1 blk, and 1 ast in a winning effort that remained in doubt until the closing seconds. Thanks to some outstanding play from Sean, Rasual Butler, and Devin Brown, the Hornets were able to take the lead at the end of the game... after trailing for three quarters. Unfortunately, that formula probably won't work tonight against Boston. So let's hope for some help from our big three, all of which could possibly return to the lineup to take on the defending champs in their only visit to the New Orleans Arena.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Chris Paul Is Apparently Awesome
If you haven't heard of Dave Berri, please check out his amazing blog which houses his ongoing research, the grounds of which were firmly laid in his fantastic book, The Wages of Wins. For those of you who follow basketball and feebly attempt to make heads or tails out of statistical significance (one of my favorite pastimes), Dave is a godsend who always has a very interesting take on the world of sports.
Similar to other more experimental statisticians like Dean Oliver and John Hollinger, Berri has devised his own method of determining player value. His is known as "wins produced." I couldn't find a breakdown of the stat online, but the basic premise is that by applying a certain juju to the statistics of any NBA player, Berri computes the amount of wins that said player will produce. He often presents the statistic as a wins per 48 minutes (WP48). For the purposes of comparison, an average NBA player posts a .100 WPA.
Interestingly enough (though certainly not surprising), CP3 ranks among the highest in the league when it comes to wins produced. In fact, in Berri's recent midseason analysis of the Hornets, he details just how special Paul and his contributions truly are to this team:
Not surprisingly, Berri attributes the Hornets' general struggles to the lack of rebounding by both West and Chandler. As suggested above, Paul's production has actually increased, so if West and Chandler see a return to form over the second half of the season the Hornets could be looking at a true return (or entry?) into the NBA's elite. Here's to hoping.
Additionally, Berri takes the time to compare Paul to another great point guard:
Quite a statement, indeed. True, us Hornets' fans have been hawking this point for quite some time, but it's nice to see other folks recognizing what's lying in plain sight.
Who knows, perhaps a rejuvenated front-court and a strong second half will put the Hornets back on top in the West. If not, though, we can always rest easy knowing that our insanely awesome point guard will not rest until he has reached that zenith. And the scary part is that he might just be good enough to do it all by himself.
***
In case you have any interest, check out Berri's midseason reports for the remaining 29 teams, and be sure to check the blog next week as he's promised a league-wide analysis for the halfway point.
In case you missed it, At the Hive did a Hornets-themed interview with Berri before the season.
And while we're shouting out to cool stuff on the interwebs, be sure to swing by Hornets 24/7 for a cool article about the Hornet's shot charts through the halfway point.
Peace out.
Similar to other more experimental statisticians like Dean Oliver and John Hollinger, Berri has devised his own method of determining player value. His is known as "wins produced." I couldn't find a breakdown of the stat online, but the basic premise is that by applying a certain juju to the statistics of any NBA player, Berri computes the amount of wins that said player will produce. He often presents the statistic as a wins per 48 minutes (WP48). For the purposes of comparison, an average NBA player posts a .100 WPA.
Interestingly enough (though certainly not surprising), CP3 ranks among the highest in the league when it comes to wins produced. In fact, in Berri's recent midseason analysis of the Hornets, he details just how special Paul and his contributions truly are to this team:
From Table One we see that Paul - after 41 games in 2008-09 - has already produced 15.9 wins. In 2007-08, only ten players produced more wins for the entire season (and one of these was Paul). If Paul continues at this pace in 2008-09 he will finish with 31.8 Wins Produced. And if he eclipses the 30 win mark he will be first player to do this since Kevin Garnett (30.7 wins) did this in 2002-03.
Not surprisingly, Berri attributes the Hornets' general struggles to the lack of rebounding by both West and Chandler. As suggested above, Paul's production has actually increased, so if West and Chandler see a return to form over the second half of the season the Hornets could be looking at a true return (or entry?) into the NBA's elite. Here's to hoping.
Additionally, Berri takes the time to compare Paul to another great point guard:
Chris Paul in 2008-09 compares favorably to Magic Johnson. And that is a point I would emphasize. Chris Paul is developing into one of the all-time great players in NBA history. It’s not a stretch to start thinking of him in terms of players like Magic, MJ, and Bird. Yes, Paul is that good.
Quite a statement, indeed. True, us Hornets' fans have been hawking this point for quite some time, but it's nice to see other folks recognizing what's lying in plain sight.
Who knows, perhaps a rejuvenated front-court and a strong second half will put the Hornets back on top in the West. If not, though, we can always rest easy knowing that our insanely awesome point guard will not rest until he has reached that zenith. And the scary part is that he might just be good enough to do it all by himself.
***
In case you have any interest, check out Berri's midseason reports for the remaining 29 teams, and be sure to check the blog next week as he's promised a league-wide analysis for the halfway point.
In case you missed it, At the Hive did a Hornets-themed interview with Berri before the season.
And while we're shouting out to cool stuff on the interwebs, be sure to swing by Hornets 24/7 for a cool article about the Hornet's shot charts through the halfway point.
Peace out.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
There is a God
The Hornets just sent out a press release announcing that our very own Chris Paul has been voted in as a starter for the 2009 NBA All-Star Game.
Congratulations to CP3 who certainly deserves the starting nod. It would've been a shame for the best point guard in the NBA to come off the bench in Phoenix. Here's to many more years with him as the starting point guard in the West.
Woooooooooooooooo!
Congratulations to CP3 who certainly deserves the starting nod. It would've been a shame for the best point guard in the NBA to come off the bench in Phoenix. Here's to many more years with him as the starting point guard in the West.
Woooooooooooooooo!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
NBA Heat Maps
The boys down at BDL linked to a great site the other day called Obsessionism. It's not entirely devoted to basketball, but one particular article was quite intriguing: a feature entitled 2009 NBA Heat Maps
At first glance, the group of them looks a little like a strange tribute to the old Houston Astros or Denver Nuggets logo. But upon closer inspection, we see that they are more than just quirky eye candy. I'll quote them, so you get the whole picture:
So, with that in mind, we can see at a glance which teams have a history of winning (lots of green and red) and which teams are typically on the losing side (lots of blue). The Knicks (top) and the Spurs (bottom) are the most extreme examples of a good v. bad franchise. Similarly, you can also see which teams are trending up (see: Celtics, Boston), trending down (see: Kings, Sacramento), or are just totally unpredictable (see: Bulls, Chicago). All in all, it's an interesting way to visualize the winning tendencies of teams. Or maybe I'm just totally geeking out since I'm a graphic designer.
Finally, we come to the Hornets map. And for this one, I'll let you make your own extrapolations... enjoy:
Peace out.
At first glance, the group of them looks a little like a strange tribute to the old Houston Astros or Denver Nuggets logo. But upon closer inspection, we see that they are more than just quirky eye candy. I'll quote them, so you get the whole picture:
Each color is a point range that the team won or lost by in that year. Green to Red bars are wins. Blues are losses... The key [on the right] shows the average share of games won and lost by each 3 point range over the last 5 years of the NBA.
So, with that in mind, we can see at a glance which teams have a history of winning (lots of green and red) and which teams are typically on the losing side (lots of blue). The Knicks (top) and the Spurs (bottom) are the most extreme examples of a good v. bad franchise. Similarly, you can also see which teams are trending up (see: Celtics, Boston), trending down (see: Kings, Sacramento), or are just totally unpredictable (see: Bulls, Chicago). All in all, it's an interesting way to visualize the winning tendencies of teams. Or maybe I'm just totally geeking out since I'm a graphic designer.
Finally, we come to the Hornets map. And for this one, I'll let you make your own extrapolations... enjoy:
Peace out.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Thoughts on All-Star Game Voting
The Times Picayune posted a video report with interviews from Byron Scott, Tyson Chandler, and David West. The paper asked them what they thought about Chris Paul being only the third vote getter for Western Conference guards, behind Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady (whom I won't even dignify with a link).
Listen up, NBA. You really need to change your system in the very near future. Turns out many of your fans *cough*CHINA*cough* don't know much about basketball.
Listen up, NBA. You really need to change your system in the very near future. Turns out many of your fans *cough*CHINA*cough* don't know much about basketball.
Video: New Orleans Hornets react to All Star Voting |
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