Do the Hornets Demand More Respect

[Ghost Writer]

They are good and all we ever talk about are the Lakers, Suns and Mavs.

I see no holes in the Hornets starting 5, which is why I picked them as a darkhorse in the preseason.

They have two quality big men in Chandler and West, a sharpshooter in Peja and a superstar in Paul. Mo Pete does his thing, too.

Coach Scott has been the the Finals before.

Can we really just dismiss them, because they lack playoff experience?


Question.

[san antonio spurs]

They are good and all we ever talk about are the Lakers, Suns and Mavs.

I see no holes in the Hornets starting 5, which is why I picked them as a darkhorse in the preseason.

They have two quality big men in Chandler and West, a sharpshooter in Peja and a superstar in Paul. Mo Pete does his thing, too.

Coach Scott has been the the Finals before.

Can we really just dismiss them, because they lack playoff experience?Question.

The lack of playoff experience is sometimes overated. The problem here though is that they are just a game or two ahead of great teams and with great amount of playoffs experience that are likely to make their push in the upcoming days.
My bet would be the Hornets as a 6th seed at the end of this season and losing in the 1st round.

[atxrocker]

My bet would be the Hornets as a 6th seed at the end of this season and losing in the 1st round.


imo this scenario is very unlikely to play out

[Dingle Barry]

Playoff experience will be key against a steady, disciplined team like the Spurs or Jazz. Against limp-dick chokers like Dallas, it wouldn't really matter.

[urunobili]

it is actually the team i am fearing the most in the post season and the Celtic's form the east

[Sigz]

The Hornets are a team to watch out for.

They have good players... from Paul to Peja and good post players such as West and Chandler.

[Holt's Cat]

I think Utah is the darkhorse in the West.

[SenorSpur]

The NBA fans and pundits are sleeping on both the Hornets and Jazz

[Ghost Writer]

I think Utah is the darkhorse in the West.
Utah will need Millsap to step up, because Okur is done.

I like how AK-47 has concentrated on playing more than complaining this year.

D. Williams is a gamer.

The Jazz are lacking a shotblocker.

[urunobili]

D. Williams is a gamer.
sorry to ask but what do you consider a gamer? someone that plays REALLY well?

[Ghost Writer]

sorry to ask but what do you consider a gamer? someone that plays REALLY well?
Kid showed me something against the Spurs. D-Will was tremendous in the playoffs, raising his game. He was one of the few Jazz players to raise his game vs. the Spurs and chastised his team in the offseason. I like that.

Deron Williams plays with heart and delivers when the stakes are highest.

[Solid D]

New Orleans is very good, especially their top 6 players. They do everything about as well as the Spurs do, if not better, except on defense. They have a better points differential than the Spurs and they rank #2 in 3-pt FG%. Like the Spurs and Detroit, if they score 100+ points, they are almost impossible to beat.

The Jazz are better with the Korver addition. Kirilenko is a top-15 shot-blocker, G-Dub so if they lack one, then they lack a 2nd one.

Deron Williams and Chris Paul are even better this year, by an order of magnitude. Like Baron Davis, they can basically take over games.

The West's Top 10 are the best in memory. It may come down to defense and who's healthy.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Dismiss them? Never. Looking past anyone in this year's WC would be the height of foolishness. But I can't blame anyone for expecting more in the playoffs from a team like the Lakers or Spurs, guys with proven winners who are both late bloomers and have fought early injuries.

Part of the issue is that the #1 seed has lost a lot of its luster in the last few years. 05 Suns, 06 Pistons, 07 Mavs-all teams that looked so dominant that they probably should have won championships but fell short. Compounding matters is that the Hornets attendance is pretty sad for a team doing as well as they are. It's not much of a homecourt advantage in that case.

[bdictjames]

Playoff experience? Chris Paul acts like he's got experience under his belt, he's all smooth and does not choke. The team is confident on their shot for the championship.

[GrandeDavid]

They are good and all we ever talk about are the Lakers, Suns and Mavs.

I see no holes in the Hornets starting 5, which is why I picked them as a darkhorse in the preseason.

They have two quality big men in Chandler and West, a sharpshooter in Peja and a superstar in Paul. Mo Pete does his thing, too.

Coach Scott has been the the Finals before.

Can we really just dismiss them, because they lack playoff experience?


Question.

Well, I respect them, and while I'm not going to take the arrogant "Spurs have four rings, Hornets have none" posture, I just won't be a believer until they show it to me in the playoffs. Having said that, do I feel that the Hornets could win the division? Certainly. They have the point guard to do so and an excellent starting five. They are a team worth watching. We'll see how much noise they make.

[Bob Lanier]

Peterson's a kinda lousy player, Peja's a choker, Chandler's foul-prone, and Paul can be outmuscled.

There ya go. #2 and #3 are going to kill them.

[Ghost Writer]

New Orleans is very good, especially their top 6 players. They do everything about as well as the Spurs do, if not better, except on defense. They have a better points differential than the Spurs and they rank #2 in 3-pt FG%. Like the Spurs and Detroit, if they score 100+ points, they are almost impossible to beat.

The Jazz are better with the Korver addition. Kirilenko is a top-15 shot-blocker, G-Dub so if they lack one, then they lack a 2nd one.

Deron Williams and Chris Paul are even better this year, by an order of magnitude. Like Baron Davis, they can basically take over games.

The West's Top 10 are the best in memory. It may come down to defense and who's healthy.
Fvck... how could I forget AK-47's shotblocking when I mentioned him?

I was focused on Okur and Boozer.

Neither blocks shots.

[bostonguy]

Dismiss them? Never. Looking past anyone in this year's WC would be the height of foolishness. But I can't blame anyone for expecting more in the playoffs from a team like the Lakers or Spurs, guys with proven winners who are both late bloomers and have fought early injuries.

Part of the issue is that the #1 seed has lost a lot of its luster in the last few years. 05 Suns, 06 Pistons, 07 Mavs-all teams that looked so dominant that they probably should have won championships but fell short. Compounding matters is that the Hornets attendance is pretty sad for a team doing as well as they are. It's not much of a homecourt advantage in that case.


Fuck the city of New Orleans. That piece of shit city doesnt deserve to have the Hornets. At least Oklahoma City showed their support. That team is doing so well and no one is going to the games. Move them out of there and to a city who will actually support them. :rolleyes

[41times]

Fuck the city of New Orleans. That piece of shit city doesnt deserve to have the Hornets. At least Oklahoma City showed their support. That team is doing so well and no one is going to the games. Move them out of there and to a city who will actually support them. :rolleyes

I agree with that. They get an average of 12,500 fans to each game. They got 16,000 for last night's Mavs game. That is piss poor. They should be selling that place out every night. But the people who live there all want something for nothing.

I agree, i would move my team in a heartbeat if i was the owner. You could make a fortune with a big arena with suites and stuff and your marketing potential with CP3 is unlimited.

But before we annoint them as the latestest greatest things, lets see them win a Playoff series first. Realistically they could get Houston or Golden St. in the first round. Both are losable series IMO.

[Ghost Writer]

Fuck the city of New Orleans. That piece of shit city doesnt deserve to have the Hornets. At least Oklahoma City showed their support. That team is doing so well and no one is going to the games. Move them out of there and to a city who will actually support them. :rolleyes
Didn't they have that Katrina catastrophe to contend with?

[K-State Spur]

Playoff experience? Chris Paul acts like he's got experience under his belt, he's all smooth and does not choke. The team is confident on their shot for the championship.

except that Peja is almost as important to their offense (against quality opponents) as Paul. Now what you said about Paul not choking, think of the complete opposite with Stojakovic.

[bostonguy]

Didn't they have that Katrina catastrophe to contend with?

Which pisses me off more about that fucking city. They get a 2nd chance and it is the same result. Before/After Katrina they had little fan support. I am not calling the Hornets the best team in the nba this year but they are up and coming for sure. How people cant get excited about that in New Orleans pisses me off. Oklahoma City would have sellout crowds and would support that team 100%. :pctoss

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Didn't they have that Katrina catastrophe to contend with?
Yeah, I guess I should have been a little more clear in my original post. It's more economics than apathy that's hurting their numbers, but regardless of the reason, come game time empty seats are just as quiet either way. Hell, if anything I think it makes what they've done thus far a little more impressive. Look at what Golden State pulled off last year at least in part to one of the most surprisingly rabid fan bases in the NBA, and what the Hornets are doing despite the opposite.

Still, there's no denying that having a strong home crowd can be a difference maker. If game seven of the 05 finals is in Detroit things might be different.

[bostonguy]

Yeah, I guess I should have been a little more clear in my original post. It's more economics than apathy that's hurting their numbers, but regardless of the reason, come game time empty seats are just as quiet either way. Hell, if anything I think it makes what they've done thus far a little more impressive. Look at what Golden State pulled off last year at least in part to one of the most surprisingly rabid fan bases in the NBA, and what the Hornets are doing despite the opposite.

Still, there's no denying that having a strong home crowd can be a difference maker. If game seven of the 05 finals is in Detroit things might be different.

That only does so much. It comes down to mental toughness and execution. If you have both it wont matter how loud the crowd is.

[Spurminator]

Which pisses me off more about that fucking city. They get a 2nd chance and it is the same result. Before/After Katrina they had little fan support. I am not calling the Hornets the best team in the nba this year but they are up and coming for sure. How people cant get excited about that in New Orleans pisses me off. Oklahoma City would have sellout crowds and would support that team 100%. :pctoss


Katrina Victim #1: Man, I can't believe this has happened. I lost my home, everything I own, a few friends and even my dog.

Katrina Victim #2: Hold your head up, we'll pull through. We're lucky we still have our lives.

Katrina Victim #1: That's true, I certainly won't be taking things for granted any more. Life is too short. First thing I'm doing tomorrow is buying season tickets for the Hornets.

Katrina Victim #2: Me too!

[bostonguy]

Katrina Victim #1: Man, I can't believe this has happened. I lost my home, everything I own, a few friends and even my dog.

Katrina Victim #2: Hold your head up, we'll pull through. We're lucky we still have our lives.

Katrina Victim #1: That's true, I certainly won't be taking things for granted any more. Life is too short. First thing I'm doing tomorrow is buying season tickets for the Hornets.

Katrina Victim #2: Me too!



If I am not mistakened didnt the Saints have great crowd attendance the past 2 years?

[Spurminator]

They have eight games a year.

[Solid D]

The Hornets just traded Bobby Jackson and Adam Haluska to Houston for Bonzi and Mike James. :(

[1Parker1]

Hornets are for real. I'd love to see them meet the Lakers in the playoffs. That'd be a tough one to pick a winner.

[bostonguy]

They have eight games a year.


Ummm and? They cost money as well. Again move that team out of that city. If the majority of the fans "cant afford it" then there is no reason to keep them suffering like that.

[Spurminator]

Ummm and? They cost money as well. Again move that team out of that city. If the majority of the fans "cant afford it" then there is no reason to keep them suffering like that.


I'm not arguing that NO is entitled to a pro basketball team, but you're acting like they have no excuse for not selling out Hornets games.

And there's a big difference between drawing big crowds for a team that plays eight home games a year vs. a team that plays 41.

[remingtonbo2001]

NOH remind me of the 07' Jazz.

[Ghost Writer]

The Hornets deal for B. Jackson and B. Wells makes them better and more experienced now.

[timvp]

The Hornets deal for B. Jackson and B. Wells makes them better and more experienced now. :reading

[Ghost Writer]

You got something to say?

Everyone is focused on the other teams, but not the Hornets.

[urunobili]

NOH remind me of the 07' Jazz.
i TRULY think they're deeper than that

[BonnerDynasty]

Only way to gain respect is to win.

In the playoffs.

[phxspurfan]

We shall see about how resillient they are in a playoff series when the games are close and the pressure is on. I don't think they're similar to the '07 Jazz. I think they're similar to the '03 Suns, with Stephon Marbury. Explosive and dangerous, but lacking experience.

[rascal]

The hornets can possibly upset someone in the first round but thats about as far as they will go. There are just too many other teams with either better players and/or more experience than the Hornets.

[Indazone]

Hornets got punk'd by the Rockets tonight 100-80. They are pretenders. Play some good solid interior defense and they'll fold like a house of cards. I expect the Spurs to do the same thing to them next.

[m33p0]

you don't demand respect. you earn them.

[boutons_]

Hornets got beat down @home tonight by Rockets, 80 - 100.

They're 0-1 on this nasty B2B, going 0-2 tomorrow night.

[T Park]

Hornets got punk'd by the Rockets tonight 100-80. They are pretenders. Play some good solid interior defense and they'll fold like a house of cards. I expect the Spurs to do the same thing to them next.


With the addition of Kurt Thomas, I think the Spurs will do that.

[hsxvvd]

I'm thinking they'll do a Webber Sacramento team and die in the second half of the season.

[milkyway21]

http://images.sportsline.com/u/photos/basketball/nba/img10601962.jpg 24 pt. loss :oops

West was impossible to guard according to Pop. His 35 pts. plus 22 from Peja the Spurs looked like chumps then.
--
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Kurt Thomas will likely make his debut Saturday against them.

Popovich also said that Thomas is going to get an opportunity to play in a lot of different situations, and fairly consistently. Popovich said Thomas might be limited(?) on Saturday against New Orleans because it is an important game against the best team record-wise in the Western Conference.

I expect the Spurs to beat the Hornets. Tie the record.

[SequSpur]

New Orleans ain't shit....

[m33p0]

hornets playing the spurs on the second half of the season with parker healthy and back in the lineup, manu tearing it recently, and tim playing like tim.... gotta give it to the champs.

[Ghost Writer]

Tonght's game will be tougher after the Hornets just got blown out.