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| The Hornets May Be An NBA Power Next Year
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It happens some time around the middle of October; on the cover of your Sports Illustrated, the front page of ESPN.com, the sports section of your local newspaper, there is a common thread. Somebody is telling you - with varying levels of success - exactly how things will shake out in the NBA this year.
Often, reading the predictions of the veritable gaggle of pro pundits, it's hard to believe they've been watching the same league - how can that website put the Lakers in the playoffs when my favorite columnist put them dead last in the Pacific Division? Then again, there always seem to be some common threads.
This year, the New Orleans Hornets were one of those threads. Everyone had the same opinion: their future is considerably brighter with Chris Paul, but the UConn Huskies are more likely to make the NBA playoffs this season. Oops.
Looking back, it's hard to find fault in that prediction. This was a team without any stars, with only one player (Milwaukee import Desmond Mason) who had ever averaged more than 15 pts/gm for a full season, led by a coach who was pushed out of his last job by his star PG, amidst accusations of incompetence. Not to mention their home city had just been devastated by a hurricane.
In the end, the Hornets may very well miss the playoffs; but the fact that they are still within striking distance after three-quarters of a season (in fact, they're still even in the loss column) is a spectacular success for a consensus pre-season doormat. How have they done it? Let's dig a little deeperÉ
ROTY
Chris Paul has been the popular pick for top rookie since he entered the draft pool; at this point, anyone voting otherwise is just a contrarian. It's not just that he's seventh in the league in assists and assist-turnover ratio. Sure, he leads rookies in scoring at 16.3 ppg, and he rebounds surprisingly well for a 6-foot-nothing PG (5.4 per game), but that's not what does it either.
CP3, as his growing fan base affectionately refers to him, is simply the most determined, focused, leadership-oriented youngster to emerge from the college ranks since the storied draft of 2003 (Wade, Carmelo, LeBron, etc.) Need a big assist? Give it to CP3. Want someone to take it to the hoop in the closing seconds? Find Chris. The Hornets really need this reboundÉ WHOA! Where did he come from on that play?!
Paul's leadership ability is accented by his spectacular floor vision. He seems to see the court from a bird's-eye view. Most coaches flinch when their rookie PG tosses a no-look, cross-court pass in the middle of their half-court offense. Hornets' coach Byron Scott now knows better - he just waits for the open 3-pointer to drop.
His seemingly comprehensive field of vision also makes him one of the most dangerous defenders in the passing lanes, and has helped him stay among the league-leaders in steals (currently 3rd with 2.21 per game). Unlike many smaller guards, this skill is not accompanied by poor 1-on-1 defense.
Rather, Paul is the anchor of the Hornets hustling, in-your-face defense. Against the track-meet offense of the Phoenix Suns, it's CP3 that's asked to pick up MVP Steve Nash in the backcourt and deny the outlet pass. Against New Jersey, the rookie is given a reprieve from his duty on triple-double machine Jason Kidd with a little time checking 6'7Ó scoring machine Vince Carter.
When CP3 has the ball, he often seems to be gliding around, biding his time, until he suddenly explodes past his defender. He has an Iverson-like ability to penetrate and finish, and is even more adept at finding the open shooter when he's well defended.
He also possesses a deadly mid-range jumper with a quick release to rival Steve Kerr, and if you sleep on him at the 3-point line, you'll hear the swish before you can get a hand up. In fact, if forced to complain about Paul, one would probably argue that he could stand to take more than 11 or 12 shots per game.
The fact that he limits himself to a dozen or so attempts is a testament to his team-first attitude, which has benefited every member of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. No player has taken more to the new floor leader more thanÉ
David West - Mr. Clutch
After two completely underwhelming seasons, third-year PF David West has exploded onto the scene. Surely nobody - not even West himself - could have predicted that after starting a mere 9 of his 101 NBA games in years 1-and-2, he would be his team's leading scorer and earn the label ÒMr. ClutchÓ by midway through the season.
West is scoring at thrice his career pace (17 ppg), nearly doubling his previous rebounding output and has established new career highs in virtually every statistical category. It helps, naturally, that he is the perfect complement to Chris Paul.
He moves spectacularly well for a big mane, and has as good a shot from 15-20 ft as any PF in the league. He's also capable of going inside, and has cat-quick moves - though not dominant power - in the low post.
Still, his game is based around his mid-range jumper - a fact that makes his 51% field goal percentage all the more impressive. When CP3 glides rimward, he knows he can find West spotting up at the elbow. Mr. Clutch has hit two game-winning shots from that spot this season.
He will be a leading candidate for the NBA's Most Improved Player of the Year, but the 25 year-old Xavier product still has a lot to learn. He struggles to defend power in the paint - watching Seattle's Chris Wilcox dominate him down low makes that clear enough.
As a result, West is often in early foul trouble. Although he has fouled out of only one game this year, it has often limited his first-half minutes and contributed to the Hornets' tendency to fall behind early.
On the offensive side, you love a big with a good jumper, but you'd like him to get inside a little more often. He's not exactly small - at 6'9Ó and 240 lbs - but he seems reluctant to bang in the mosh pit that is the NBA key. He would be much more dangerous if he went to the free throw line more than three times a game.
If West can toughen up a bit and develop some power post moves, the sky is the limit. Think Chris Webber with some added end-of-game grit. He can certainly expect to be pushed to reach those heights by a man who has played a big part in his recent developmentÉ
Byron Scott: King Bee
Hornets' Coach Byron Scott was much maligned on his way out of New Jersey, where his teams seemed to be getting worse and worse after his tenure began with unexpected success. Jason Kidd, in particular, was a vocal critic of Scott, and that led to questions of whether he'd be able to coexist with his next star point guard, CP3.
In retrospect, perhaps we should have questioned Kidd's work ethic. Another coach he had run off and labeled an overbearing, spectacularly harsh taskmaster - Bulls' Coach Scott Skiles, from Phoenix - is also doing reasonably well, leading a team of hard-nosed overachievers in Chicago.
Scott's success in New Orleans has followed much the same pattern. He realizes he has a team that needs to work hard to win. There simply isn't enough firepower for them to glide through games and turn it on when necessary.
To his credit, they usually appear to be a well-coached team. Their defensive execution is tremendous for a young team. The press he installed to defend Phoenix in their recent matchup - a defense he seemingly designed specifically for Nash - is a great example.
Some would say it's easy to coach when you're handed a floor leader with the ability of CP3, and to a certain extent they're right. But past Paul and West this team is really just role players, and in leading a team unanimously predicted to finish in the cellar to playoff contention he has vaulted himself into Coach of the Year contention.
Scott has done a good job of tailoring his gameplan to fit his personnel, where so many coaches today would be struggling to squeeze a square peg into a round hole (Larry Brown's Knicks jump to mind). Though nobody beyond Mr. Clutch and CP3 are likely to achieve cool-nickname-status, Scott has managed to unearth some gems among theÉ
Worker Bees
The rest of the Hornets' rotation is essentially split into two categories. First, the athletic wing players - second-year guard Kirk Snyder (an escapee from Jerry Sloan's doghouse in Utah), former dunk champ Desmond Mason, and a 6'7Ó SF with a microwave jumper in Rasual Butler. Another dunk contest participant, JR Smith, has found himself at the end of the bench.
Snyder is a talented young player with surprisingly quick hops that allow him to challenge shots around the basket at 6'6Ó, though they're usually reserved for high-flying dunks. He shoots an impressive 46 cents from the field, largely because of his dunking ability and Paul's dime-dropping.
Mason may, at 6'5Ó, be the best low post scorer on the team. You know about his athleticism, but the dunk contest didn't tell show you how hard he works. His scoring isn't always there, but he brings the effort on a daily basis and works hard down low for an undersized team.
Butler is a dangerous reserve, capable of getting hot in a hurry. When he does warm up, you'd better watch out, because his size allows him to get his shot off at almost any time. He's rarely guarded by a taller player, and he sports a mid-range fadeaway that's deadly when he's on.
The other grouping is fundamentally and physically strong, if undersized, big men - ageless stalwart PJ Brown, and reserves Aaron Williams and Marc Jackson. PJ should be commended for still contributing at his age, not to mention playing center in the Western Conference at 6'10Ó. The other two are much the same: not the most talented, but they know how to play good big basketball.
They pound the boards with resolve that almost invariably exceeds the other team; they set mean, hard picks; they move well on offense and can drop a 10-15 ft jumper from time to time. In short, they do all the little things a coach wants from role players with size.
The only other player making a consistent contribution is Speedy Claxton. He manages to score nearly 13 ppg as a backup PG, and his defense is a big plus - he's in the top five league-wide in steals per 48 min. His most valuable asset, unsurprisingly, is his speed, which allows him to be a tremendously adept fill-in for Paul.
Altogether, they're an unexpectedly effective group. Perhaps most important, the Hornets team seems to have taken on the personality of its coach and two new stars: hard-nosed, ice-veined and never-say-die. That, ultimately, is theÉ
The Hornets - A Success Story
As these words are written, the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets are 31-32, and a game out of the eighth Western Conference playoff spot. A seven-game losing streak - all but the first against current playoff teams - has dropped them from the middle of the postseason pack.
When we tally the totals in mid-April, the Hornets may very well end up just off the pace. A young team led by a rookie (who may hit a wall, though he shows no signs of doing so thus far) runs that risk. At least one NBA writer isn't sure that matters much.
Even if they were to break in, they'd likely face San Antonio, Phoenix or Dallas, all of whom would almost certainly beat them, and handily. Certainly there's something to be said for a playoff team, but the Hornets' best days will come in future years.
The core of West and Paul is one to build around, and they've already done that very successfully with youth and athleticism on the wings. These pieces will develop each year, and if NO/OKC can add an effective post scorer it could be a member of the league's elite in as little as a season or two.
So, whether they reach the postseason or not, the Hornets can call this season a success. For a team picked to finish dead last by many, a .500 record is nothing to thumb your nose at.
One might say they live up to their name - though small and seemingly overmatched, they use teamwork and tenacity to sting hard, and they don't give up until their last breath.
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