SB Nation - Emeka Okafor

Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game Report - Mo Questions

Raptors HQ - Vicious D — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

Chris Bosh seems quite happy with the way things are going. His team, however, still hasn't turned the corner in Vicious D's eyes.

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The Raptors sweep the Hornets for their second win in a row against yet another sub .500 team. Vicious D wonders what this team will do when they face a real challenger who doesn't shoot themselves in the foot.

Let's be honest for a moment.

There were a lot of things that had to break the Raptors' way for them to beat the New Orleans Hornets 98-92 yesterday.

With the Raptors last game against the Nets, I believed that they had not improved or implemented many different tactics to pull out a win against the worst team in the league. Instead, they were just playing the worst team in the league and the Raptors just were not as bad as the worst.

Against the Hornets?

Well, there was going to be a bigger challenge for the Raptors than the Nets, but the Raptors have recently played the Hornets fairly well year after year. Of course, Jose Calderon has always been a big part of that success and with Calderon sidelined indefinitely with his hip injury, Jarrett Jack came in and provided some offense despite fighting off an illness. More efficient than Paul, Jack was controlled with his offense and deferred appropriately to the others on the floor. He also challenged Paul to defend him by going to the basket throughout the game.

Then Marcus Banks came in and didn't miss a beat.

Now one might say that Marcus Banks has the widest shoulders of any player at his height which makes it that much more difficult for opposing guards to blow by him. In fact, he might actually have the widest frame of any Raptor this side of Joey Graham. With yet another quality performance under his belt, Banks seems to be rounding into form more and more. He is starting to resemble the backup that Phoenix saw many years ago who deserved a $4 million dollar contract. While Banks still does throw up the questionable shot once in a while, he does also try to use his body to his full advantage.

And thus, the arguments to trade Jose Calderon have begun.

Nevertheless, I'm not one to throw our starting point guard under the bus yet. Besides being one of the better "in control" players on this squad, he still is a high percentage shooter and is definitely one of the lowest turnover point guards in the league. More importantly, finding takers for a $9-10 million dollar contract over 3 1/2 years will not be an easy task and I don't believe his stock could be any lower than it is right now. However, Banks is definitely helping his own stock around the league as at least a serviceable second option for most teams and is definitely an important piece of Toronto's puzzle right now.

Of course, Amir Johnson was once again a major spark plug coming off the bench, and Andrea Bargnani has a couple key blocks down the stretch which almost made up for his fairly poor shooting. Chris Bosh also dropped down another 20 and 10 and DeMar DeRozan gave the Raptors a little bit of boost from his athleticism.

Besides that, there's little to be cheery about in this game.

The Hornets were pretty horrendous from all over the floor, shooting a horrid 39% from the floor and disgusting 14% from beyond the arc. Peja Stojakovic had an absolutely horrid shooting day going 1-7 from three and 4-15 overall after dropping a ton of shots on the Nuggets the other night. Many of the shots were open shots that the Hornets simply missed and the Raptors did very little to clean up the glass against Emeka Okafor and David West. One might point to the fact that the Raptors had three players in double figures for rebounding, but I would point to the horrid shooting of the Hornets as a large reason for those rebounds. Don't get me wrong. Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, and Amir Johnson especially, were not just standing around waiting for the ball. However, Okafor managed to get seven offensive rebounds for the game and probably would have lots more had Bargnani not been taken out due to foul trouble.

What was most disappointing for me was just watching the Raptors on the offensive side.

With the Hornets going "small" for the majority of the game, the Raptors insisted on keeping most of their shots on the outside and didn't attack the basket enough. Even when players like Chris Bosh got into the paint, they still ended up taking a fadeaway or an off-balanced hook in the paint rather than going up strong and racking up the fouls on the Hornets' big men. With Matt Devlin and Leo Rautins both pointing out that the Raptors needed to go inside and even reporting that Jay Triano was pleading for them to keep attacking the basket, the Raptors themselves seem content to keep taking outside shots.

And once again, I'm left shaking my head.

There is no question that the Raptors need to be beating this teams that they're facing right now. With Boston and San Antonio around to ring in the new year, they have to take advantage of every sub-.500 team match up they can. However, good teams will use this momentum to build and work on their faults. Like a sharpening stone, these sub-.500 teams are a good opportunity to practice the things you've worked on in practice and to establish good habits so that when you face the tougher opponents in the league, you have a good foundation to work on.

Right now? I'm seeing a lot of the same problems, just against lesser teams that can't take advantage of the Raptors' shortcomings. I've been asked repeatedly about improvements to this team and its chemistry, but to be honest, there's very little in the way of good news. About the only thing that's good is that the Raptors staff has been allowed to explore the depth of their bench, something that us fans have begged for since pre-season when we saw how both Sonny Weems and Amir Johnson played the floor. However, the main problems with the starting core remain the same. There is still too much of a tendency to do what comes easy in basketball rather than doing what will win them the close, tough games.

The wins are welcome, and the feelings around the team are good for now. but the sense of foreboding that I feel about the days ahead just can't be whisked away with these kinds of wins.

Somehow, this team has got to start taking care of their shortcomings or they're going to hit a wall very quick and very hard.

3 In The Key - Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. New Orleans

Raptors HQ - Vicious D — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

Chris Paul almost got a well deserved triple double. Heck, he almost finished with a 30 and 20 night against the Nuggets. Will CP3 get that elusive triple double against the Raptors today?

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In a rematch where Chris Paul will play the team that injured him, the Raptors will face one of the league's most dynamic point guards. Of course, Mo Pete will be the talk of the town as Vicious D takes a look at the Hornets.

This is all Morris Peterson's fault.

Well, not really, but let's look at how Mo Pete left.

Back in the wonderous 2006-2007 season, the Raptors decided to start benching Mo Pete after years of loyal service. The Raptors had a new guy in Jorge Garbajosa who was a tough Spaniard who wasn't going to take guff from anyone. He was going to be our defensive stopper who just played hard in every game and who could defend bigger people while using his crafty mind to take out the smaller small forwards in the league. Mo Pete was benched and his minutes severely reduced. When Garbajosa went down with his Raptors Career-ending injury, the team picked Joey Graham to start over Mo Pete.

Thus ended Mo Pete's career in Toronto.

Getting snubbed once for a veteran player like Garbajosa was nothing to be ashamed about, but getting snubbed for the likes of Joey Graham was probably the straw that broke the camel's back. Since then, we have been without any real stoppers at the small forward position in Toronto. And yes, that includes the recently end-of-bencher Antoine Wright.

But good news:

Mo Pete is back in Toronto.

With the Hornets.

Doing not much of anything.

As part of their 15 years anniversary, the Raptors will be celebrating Mo Pete's service to the Raptors and the Raptors' community. Without a doubt, Peterson was a man who just got to become Mr. Raptor by being a subtle part of some very good teams. He was the Ironman of the Raptors and gave us some very important years with some good defense, some better shooting, and some miraculous plays.

He'll be a Raptor whom I'll definitely stand up and applaud from my condo.

Up next though, the Raptors still have a game to play and against the New Orleans Hornets, they will have it out a lot tougher than the Nets. That's why today's game will be a much better measuring stick for this Raptors team:

1) Protect Your "Glass Jaw"
The Raptors are simply bad when they have to do anything tough, but more than that, it seems as though whenever teams start trading baskets with the Raptors, they will fold. In boxing, a glass jaw boxer is a guy with a weak chin who will go down for the count whenever their opposition tags them on the chin. With these Raptors, their "chin" seems to be their paint and the Raptors get hit there way too often. It all eventually changes the game to their opposition's favour. It happened in the Nets game, albeit only in the second half after they built a sizable lead, and it's happened in just about every game where they've been blown out. We're going to keep mentioning it until the Raptors change their ways, but the fact is, this team's best defensive unit is probably Jarrett Jack, Marco Belinelli, Sonny Weems, Chris Bosh, and Amir Johnson.

That's four bench players with Chris Bosh. With Chris Paul almost dropping a triple double the last game against the Nuggets, the Raptors have to keep protecting their paint otherwise this game will get ugly real quick.

2) Stick and Jab
The Raptors on the other hand, have to keep going inside against the Hornets. New Orleans just doesn't have a very strong front court despite having one of the most overrated centers in the league in Emeka Okafor. Chris Paul as well, has a propensity to being exposed by opposing point guards, so the Raptors should keep slashing and slashing in the paint like there's no tomorrow. Attacking them with two points here and there will keep New Orleans on their toes until you find yourself for open threes. Which leads us to...

3) Power Punches
The Raptors have not been shooting the 3-pointer very well lately. However, a lot of that has to do with who is taking those threes. DeMar DeRozan, Antoine Wright, and the recently cold Italian Duo are all people that should be careful about shooting too many threes. But if the Raptors start by hitting the Hornets with lots of jabs, they'll expose them for open looks on the perimeter. The Raptors are a team that needs those open looks and they'll have to stick them as it's a major part of what makes the Raptors a dangerous offensive team. It's how the Raptors pulled out a win in New Orleans earlier this year after all. However it's all got to start from the inside out. The best boxers establish themselves with their jab and then unleashes hooks and uppercuts when need be. The Raptors will need to do the same.

Mavericks Vs Hornets: Game 25 Preview

Phillip Baggett — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:04:51 -0000

At The Hive

Hornets vs Mavericks preview

Hornets vs Mavericks coverage

THE MATCH UPS:

If Kidd was in his prime this would be an unbelievable match up, but in 2009 this is not much match up. Kidd is simply just too slow for Chris Paul. Oh by the way, Chris Paul IS the Hornets and without him they are worse than the Nets.

Edge: Hornets

The Mavericks continue to mix and match pieces here at this spot until Josh Howard can return to a full time starter. So far what they have found that the coaches seem to like is JJ Barea. Now I am not a huge fan of Barea's but in the last few games he has filled the spot nicely, but he has been streaky, it all depends on which end of the streak he is on. As for the Hornets they have relied quite a bit on Devin Brown the 31 year old journeyman to fill this roll. If your looking for "PTPers" well don't look here, cause there is not anything special going on here.

Edge: Even

Shawn Marion showed us a glimpse of the explosiveness that we used to see frequently from him in years past, was that a sign of things to come? I sure hope so, but much like his counterpart in tonight's game age has changed their games. Peja Stojakovic still has the ability to score in bunches, but both time and many nights with porn stars has limited his successes this year.

Edge: Mavericks

Dirk continues his push to change the "soft" label that has been placed upon him. For the first time in his career he is in position to be voted a starting forward for the West in the All-Star game. David West on the other hand much like his teammate Chris Paul continues to drown in the misery that is the New Orleans Hornets. David West has struggled this year, every major stat line is down for him this year. The Hornets are going nowhere fast, and it's two top players are unhappy.

Edge: Mavericks

Erick Dampier continues to impress, in his last two games he has averaged 17 points and 17 rebounds, where the hell has this player been the last 5 years? This is the guy the Mavs thought they were getting before the 2004-05 seasons began, amazing what money will do. Emeka Okafor the former second overall pick of the Charlotte Bobcats continues to be nothing more than an average NBA center. The Hornets thought they would be upgrading significantly over Tyson Chandler, unfortunately for them it just has not worked out so far.

Edge: Mavericks

Injuries/Suspensions

New Orleans Hornets

OUT - Ike Diogu

Dallas Mavericks

OUT - None

Prediction: The Hornets rank in the bottom half of the league in both PPG and PPG against, while the Mavericks rank in the top 10 in both categories. This game will be close for about 2 ½ to 3 quarters then the Mavs bench will take control.

Final Score:

Dallas Mavericks: 110

New Orleans Hornets: 97

Lakers-Suns Preview

DexterFishmore — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:00:16 -0000

All right, rockers, it's time to get serious. We've been in high spirits the past two days toasting the Great Bank Bailout of 2009, but tonight we've got new guests arriving. They're not as fun and easygoing as the Miami Heat, and if the Lakers don't tighten their act up from what we saw on Friday night, the game won't end quite so festively.

On Friday, the Heat high-pick-and-rolled the Lakers nearly to death. It's been lost amid the Kobe glee, but the Laker defense was inept for most of the game. Repeatedly Dwyane Wade broke free off a high screen, drove the lane unharassed and either finished at the rim, went to the line or found one of his big men for an open look. The Lakers appeared baffled by this 100-year-old tactic, and if the Heat hadn't missed 15 free throws or Kobe's heave had been two inches off to either side, the D-grade D would have been the story of the game.

Now arrive the Phoenix Suns, deadly masters of the pick-and-pop, drive-and-dish and numerous variations thereon. Last time they darkened the Lakers' door, on November 12th, they got hammered for their troubles, losing by a cool 19 points. They were playing part deux of a back-to-back, as they will be tonight. Then again, Miami had the same difficulty on Friday, and that and three bucks bought us a cup of coffee.

The Suns don't have the same buzz around them these days as they did in November, when they were the hot team du jour, but their resumé is still very solid. They're only a game behind the Lakers in the standings, and they held the league's best record until an out-of-nowhere loss to the Knicks last week. Following that up by getting rocked in Cleveland didn't help their Q rating, but they handled a game Sacramento team last night to get back in whack. Their Offensive Rating of 112.5 is first in the league, and their death-dealing three point attack gives them a puncher's chance against anyone.

Of the basic activities that take place on a basketball court - turnovers, shooting, rebounding, fouling and getting fouled - shooting is the most important. Shooting accuracy, as measured by Effective Field-Goal Percentage, predicts game outcome better than any other metric. Those other things are important too, but none as much as shooting well, and Phoenix does that one thing better than anyone else in the NBA.

About 28% of the Suns' field-goal attempts are from three-point range, which is the third highest rate in the league, and they make an insane 44% of those tries, first in the league. They boast a team Effective FG% of 56%, also first. They don't take care of the ball well, and they're below average in getting to the line and rebounding their misses, but their ridiculous shooting means their offense is great anyway. Basically, they bomb away from outside and see if you keep up.

What makes tonight's matchup so interesting, schematically, is that the Laker D excels like no other at forcing missed shots. The Lakemen have allowed opponents an Effective FG% of only 46% and a three-point accuracy of only 30%, both tops in the NBA. They were strong in these metrics last year and are even better now, thanks in no small part to Ron Artest and the (nearly) full-time service of Andrew Bynum. When the Suns have the ball, it'll be a bellwether, strength-on-strength contest of elite units.

When these two teams played in November, Phoenix had a ghastly shooting night, managing an EFG of only 40%. Amare Stoudamire, who bricked 13 of 15 field goal attempts, was especially brutal. The Suns won't shoot that badly again, but remember that last time around, Pau Gasol was out. His length on the inside will make clean looks for La Soudamire and any other Sun who visits the paint even harder to come by.

The other roster difference this time around is the absence of Leandro Barbosa, who's out with a sprained ankle. I wouldn't call this a crippling blow or anything, but it's more important than you might think. Barbosa was playing 21 minutes a night and showing superlative plus-minus numbers. Per 100 possessions, Phoenix was 4.4 points better with him on the court than without. His shelving has meant more minutes for second-year lefty Goran Dragic, about whom the numbers are conflicted. His assist rate is strong and his shot is improving, but his plus-minus stats are ugly. At least he and Sasha Vujacic can chat together about Slovenia during shootaround.

The Lakers will need to keep close track of both Jason Richardson, who's hitting 44% of his threes, and Channing Frye. I've remained highly skeptical of Frye and his newly developed three-ball range, but damned if he isn't proving me wrong. He's hit an absurd 47% of his money shots on the year.

Also, I'm not sure this "Stephen Nash" guy they've been touting is for real.

(One other trend line to note before we move on from the Phoenix O: the Suns have been awfully loose with the rock lately. Over their past five games, they've turned it over on 17% of their possessions. Not good, gentlemen.)

So Phoenix knows how to accrue pointage. Fair enough. It's not clear, though, that they're at all equipped to slow the Laker attack. The November game served mostly as a chance for Bynum to build up his All-Star credentials, as he destroyed Amare to the tune of 26 points and 15 boards. Even physical, well-regarded post defenders like Emeka Okafor and Nene have struggled to control the Laker big man this year, and as a defender Amare is - how to put this nicely - neither physical nor well regarded.

Furthermore, at the risk of repeating myself: Pau Gasol. He didn't play in November; he will tonight. Pau gives Phoenix yet another post player they probably can't really really deal with.

The Suns are just a poor defensive team, ranking 23rd in the league in points allowed per possession, and it's this shortcoming that keeps them a level below the Lakers in the NBA food pyramid. They don't force turnovers, they allow opponents to shoot pretty well, and they're the worst defensive rebounding team in the league. Over their past five games, they've allowed foes to rebound 34% of their misses, which is bad but only a few ticks higher than their full-season rate of 31%.

You know when the Lakers miss a shot, and Pau, Drew and Lamar Odom just keep volleyballing it around until it goes in? We could see a lot of that tonight.

Over this five-game stretch, the Suns have surrendered 1.13 PPP to their opponents. That group includes strong offenses like Toronto and Cleveland, but also total crap offenses like New York and Minnesota. The Lakers have adjustments to make from their recent outings, smarter and more disciplined pick-and-roll defense foremost among them, but so do the Suns.

Kobe scored 29 against Phoenix last time around, and he knows the Lakers played poorly on Friday. He's irked about it. He should be attacking from the start. The Suns don't have an answer for them either, so they'll need their threes to rain down like a desert squall.

	Lakers	Suns
*RECORD*	15-3	15-5
*NET POINTS PER GAME*	+7.7 (3rd)	+4.6 (8th)
*PACE*	98.1 (6th)	98.5 (4th)
*OFFENSIVE RATING*	105.0 (14th)	112.5 (1st)
Turnover Rate (Off.)	13.0% (6th)	14.5% (21st)
FTA/FGA (Off.)	0.26 (25th)	0.30 (18th)
Free-Throw %	74.9 (15th)	73.3 (22nd)
Effective FG% (Off.)	50.2 (14th)	56.1 (1st)
True Shooting% (Off.)	53.8 (17th)	59.2 (1st)
Off Rebounding Rate	27.6% (11th)	26.9% (14th)
*DEFENSIVE RATING*	97.6 (3rd)	106.9 (23rd)
Turnover Rate (Def.)	14.5% (12th)	11.9% (28th)
FTA/FGA (Def.)	0.28 (8th)	0.25 (1st)
Effective FG% (Def.)	46.0 (1st)	50.1 (20th)
True Shooting% (Def.)	50.5 (1st)	53.3 (13th)
Def Rebounding Rate	72.2% (20th)	69.4% (30th)

All statistical terms defined here. Parentheses indicate league rankings. Numbers are courtesy of Basketball Reference and HoopData and, except for record and net points per game, are through Friday night's action.

The Bill Clinton Test

Stop-n-Pop — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:36:34 -0000

"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America."

-President Bill Clinton

Had a young bill Clinton grown up with aspirations to lead the world's greatest basketball league instead of becoming President, I think it is pretty safe to say that a Commissioner Clinton would have rewritten this quote by substituting "NBA" for "America" and that last night's game between the Wolves and the Hornets would be one of the great challenges to this basic claim.

Let's begin with what is right. We were treated to an entertaining contest with a command performance from one of the best players in the league. There was the return of a phenomenal talent, flashy play, hustle, flash, broad themes and story lines.

On the other hand, we also had to endure WWE-esque referring, rosters that cause fans to think more about cap space and expiring contracts than championships, awful bench players and two entire squads that could probably be combined into a single squad that would likely be unable to contend for their crippling lack of proficiency at a key position (in this case, the wing).

Was the game entertaining? Yes, but there was always an undercurrent of pure nonsense that was very hard to ignore.

Anywho...the first notable thing about the action on the court was Jonny Flynn being given an up-close and personal view of what the very best point guard in the league looks like. Chris Paul's PG lesson began at the opening tip and did not end until the final buzzer. Each and every thing he did should be put into a downloadable mp4 that Flynn can put on his iPod and watch over and over and over and over. Where Flynn received the ball in the 1/2 court and paused for a moment or two to digest the action, Paul demands the ball and immediately shoots into action. Where Flynn uses his body to jump into larger players to minimize his defender's ability to jump while going for a shot, Paul uses his body to position himself between his defender and the rim in order to maximize favorable angles towards the hoop that allow for both better scoring and passing options. Where Flynn is able to dribble along the baseline and throw passes across the lane to the perimeter, Paul keeps his dribble deep into the lane causing the defense to collapse and open up much more favorable passing lanes. Paul put on a point guard clinic last night. At one point near the 1/2 he had 12 assists on 27 made Hornets shots. He ended the game with 15 assists on 39 made shots. In other words, even more so than the Cleveland LeBron's, New Orleans deserves to have a new nickname. And that's the rub.

I know that Dave Berri has already weighed in on the subject but I would like to add my two cents about it: Chris Paul is the back court version of Kevin Garnett. My only question right now about this analogy is what post-04 WCF year Paul is in with the Hornets? Just how far along on the process of decay are David West and Emeka Okafor compared to their back court doppelgangers of Sam Cassell and Latrel Sprewell? With their GM now at the end of the bench have they advanced to the time of Flip's firing? Will they attempt to move Peja's contract for an even longer deal and then lock themselves into a contract hell every bit as garish as what we saw here in Minny about 4-5 years ago? Hornets fans, I feel for you. There may still be time to get something out a historical player like Paul but I have the bad feeling that you will continue to see diminishing returns in his front court partners while causing an ever-increasing salary cap tragedy. Here's hoping the NOLA Pauls can avoid the fate of KG's Wolves. He's a fantastic player to watch and he's in need of...well, again, the Wolves and Pauls could put together a super team and Corey Brewer and Ryan Gomes would be the best wing players.

Moving along to the other big story of the night, Kevin Love saw his first action of the season with just over 6 minutes remaining in the first. In just under 24 minutes of action Love went 3-7 from the floor (2-3 from 3), 3-4 from the line (leading the team in attempts), 11 boards (3 offensive), 3 assists and only 2 turnovers. He finished with a +7. His impact was immediate and wide-spread. From rebounds and quick outlet passes to spreading the floor with his outside shooting to putting the ball on the deck for the best dribble drive dish of the year by any Wolves player, Love simply impacted the game and it will be very interesting to see how his on/off numbers look and how he impacts the team's overall numbers. The guy simply makes plays at a stunning rate. He's also a massive upgrade over the minutes previously given to Ryan Hollins and Oleksiy Pecherov. Oh, and he now wears a glove. How about bedazzling that bad boy for a Michael Jackson tribute?

Let's wrap this up with some bullet points:

Al Jefferson didn't have a great game (the interior defense was lacking tonight) but he did look a bit lighter on his feet than he has all season. He had a fast break dunk and a nice put back that was great to see.
Corey Brewer must be in some kind of doghouse. Last night he logged just 17:28 and the majority of his lost minutes went to Wayne Ellington, who was able to hit some of the open shots that are frequently given to wing players in the Wolves' system.
Speaking of wing players, as I mentioned up above, this game was conspicuously lacking anything approaching decent wing play on both teams. Both of these squads need better small forward play in a bad, bad way.
As a 2 win squad the Wolves have no business chalking up losses due to referring, but last night's game featured some of the shoddiest officiating in recent memory, highlighted by one of the most baffling calls right before the half where Chris Paul jumped about 5 feet to the side just across half court to draw a three shot foul on Ryan Hollins, who just happened to be running up the court. I suppose the pro-Paul side of this argument could be that Paul was simply being the crafty veteran by taking advantage of refs who he knew would make the call in his favor, but in my mind this play is no different than flopping. Paul acted in a way that he (rightly) suspected would draw a call that had no business of being called. It was WWE/game managing referring at its very worst. It cost the Wolves 3 points. Later on in the game the refs looked away at a James Posey ball slam and there were at least 3-4 plays where Wolves players were hacked going to the rim. Again, not something that you can chalk up a loss because of but it was distracting nonetheless.

Well, that about does it from my end. What caught your eye?

Until later.

Lakers-Hornets Preview

DexterFishmore — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:00:20 -0000

When the New Orleans Hornets last came to visit, they were decomposing before our very eyes. It was early November. Their season was already heading south. They were the only team in the league to have lost to the Knicks. The players had stopped even pretending to play for tenuously employed coach Byron Scott, with franchise talent Chris Paul looking especially angsty. They were a wounded animal, barely clinging to life and staggering onto the highway just as the Laker 18-wheeler was starting to gather speed.

Sure enough, the Lakers splattered them all over the concrete in a gruesome 18-point blowout. The L.A. bench played almost half the game, and DJ Mbenga logged his only career double-double. Soon afterward, Scott was informed that his services as New Orleans coach would no longer be required.

The Hornets are back in town tonight, but the teams' lineups look a bit different than they did in November. Chris Paul is out with a sprained ankle, and Peja Stojakovic might miss tonight's game for personal reasons. The Lakers, on the other hand, are nearly at full health, with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, whom the Hornets didn't have to face last time, back in action.

In other words, the highway's about to get bloody once again.

Just for giggles, though, let's start with some positives as far as New Orleans is concerned.

Weirdly enough, they've actually played pretty well without Paul. The Hornets have won four of their seven games with him on the shelf, and they're coming off a particularly impressive five-game stretch. Against opponents with a combined winning percentage of 0.634 (Phoenix, Atlanta, Miami, Milwaukee and Sacramento), they've held their own, going 3-2 in those games while both scoring and allowing 1.08 points per possession. Not bad for a team missing its only A-list talent.

New Orleans' strong recent performance is due in large measure to their promising rookie guards, Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton. These two hardly played at all under Scott, who for reasons unknown preferred the dubious veteran charms of Bobby Brown and Devin Brown. With Paul out and Scott gone, Collison and Thornton have seen substantially increased minutes, and both are proving they belong. Local boy Collison has posted strong assist and turnover rates at the point, while Thornton has shown the shooting touch that made him SEC Player of the Year.

Collison will start tonight and Thornton will come of the bench, with both of them playing 30 minutes or so. The leftover backcourt playing time will get soaked up by the two Browns. Don't worry, they're still horrible. They're both worse than Shannon Brown, and maybe even "Club MTV" hostess Downtown Julie Brown.

I'm gonna stop saying "Brown" now.

Up front, the situayshe for New Orleans is pretty blah. David West has had a couple good games recently, and there are worse centers around than Emeka Okafor, but those guys are overmatched against the towering Laker bigs. As mentioned, Peja might not go - he missed Sunday's game in Sacramento and is questionable for this one - but it's not like he's some super-scary weapon anyway. If he's out, expect lots of minutes for James Posey and Darius Songaila.

Stop laughing. It's not polite.

The Hornets aren't that great offensively, ranking 16th in the league in offensive efficiency, but man, they just suck on D. (A full stat comparison is at the bottom of this post.) Especially with master thief Paul out of the lineup, they don't have much hope of slowing the Laker attack. Gasol and Bynum will get plenty of tasty looks in the paint, and Kobe Bryant should have another 30-point game if he wants it.

Their solid recent play notwithstanding, the Hornets just don't have the talent to hang with a Lakers team that's been looking increasingly sharp and merciless. Expect first-half pwnage, followed by garbagio time, and then the usual "How much of this lead will the bench fritter away?" festivities.

A true test of the Lakers will have to wait. For now, they continue to munch on low-hanging fruit.

	Lakers	Hornets
*RECORD*	13-3	7-10
*NET POINTS*	+7.9 (2nd)	-4.0 (21st)
*PACE*	98.2 (6th)	94.6 (18th)
*OFFENSIVE RATING*	104.4 (14th)	103.8 (16th)
Turnover Rate (Off.)	13.1% (7th)	12.8% (4th)
FTA/FGA (Off.)	0.25 (26th)	0.26 (25th)
Free-Throw %	73.4 (23rd)	78.8 (5th)
Effective FG% (Off.)	50.1 (12th)	48.7 (21st)
True Shooting% (Off.)	53.4 (16th)	52.8 (21st)
Off Rebounding Rate	28.0% (8th)	27.8 (9th)
*DEFENSIVE RATING*	96.5 (3rd)	108.1 (27th)
Turnover Rate (Def.)	14.7% (10th)	12.7 (25th)
FTA/FGA (Def.)	0.27 (6th)	0.26 (5th)
Effective FG% (Def.)	45.4 (1st)	51.6 (24th)
True Shooting% (Def.)	50.0 (1st)	54.8 (22nd)
Def Rebounding Rate	72.4% (21st)	70.8 (28th)

All statistical terms explained here. Parentheses indicate league rankings. Numbers are courtesy of excellent sites Basketball Reference and HoopData.

Sergio, Thompson Lead Kings Back to .500 With 112-96 Win Over Hornets

Ziller — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:32:41 -0000

by Steve Yeater - AP

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With Kevin Martin and Spencer Hawes sidelined, you'd figure that New Orleans' ploy to stop the Kings by focusing its defense on Tyreke Evans would be smart. But then, you did not count on Sergio Rodriguez.

Rodriguez had a phenomenal effort off the bench, scoring 24 points in 24 minutes, shooting 9-14 from the floor and adding five assists (several of them spectacular) with zero turnovers. Beno Udrih, coming off the bench behind Donte Greene again, had played well in his early minutes (13 points on 5-5 shooting with three steals), but took a 'Reke knee to the head in some sort of weird Shaolin Space Ninja defensive move Evans decided to try out. Sergio stepped right in and blew up the Hornets defense, getting to the rim at will and adjusting to looming shotblockers with some beautiful passes.

Jason Thompson, meanwhile, did what Jason Thompson do. That might seem like something Reggie Miller would say, but damn, I'm sorry, J.T. did exactly what you expect from him: rebounded like a hyperactive Tyrannosaurus Rex and scored on a variety of clever moves around the rim. When Spencer Hawes showed up in a suit, you knew how vital Thompson would be for the Kings to be successful in an evenly matched game. J.T. delivered exactly what the Kings needed.

Everyone did, really. Every single King who got on the floor made a positive contribution, which is rare even among the deepest teams. Evans, though limited offensively, hit some key shots, made fairly good decisions overall, and played solid defense. (He actually took David West for a few possessions, and did better than anyone else had.) Greene played short minutes again (due to excellent performances from Sergio and Beno), but still managed to eek off seven points, three rebounds, three assists (two of them memorable), a steal and a block. Jon Brockman was a maniac, diving for a loose ball with a double-digit lead in the closing minutes. Andres Nocioni hit three big threes, Kenny Thomas (who started for the first time since 1983, it's true, look it up) did his best to limit West and Emeka Okafor (with limited success, admittedly). Omri Casspi continues to more resemble a Bond villain than a basketball player, except whereas a Bond villain eventually succumbs to savvy power of Britain's top special agent, Casspi hits dagger turnaround jumpers in the lane. (Otherwise, very similar.)

NBA Stats

It's been written endlessly through the month, but really, this team has amazing spirit. We first saw it manifest in New Orleans, actually, when the team pulled together to rally a near-win on the opening road trip. We saw it again against Memphis in the team's first win, and against Atlanta, with Martin playing like an MVP. And in Utah, and against the Warriors ... and in almost every game since. (I'll list the second Memphis game as the exception -- the energy was good if ineffective against Chicago.) More smiles have been executed in ARCO Arena in nine games than in all 41 last year.

A season ago, the team earned its eighth win on December 30. Five teams have better home records than the Kings right now (Suns, Lakers, Spurs, Nuggets, Hawks). Tyreke "Not a Real Point Guard" Evans has this offense ranked No. 6 in the league. The turnaround has just been unbelievable. And yes, it's going to get old, but every win reaffirms it as truth.

Byron Scott Fired....Who's Next?

tenaciousT — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:00:22 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

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NBA Head Coaches are like cats on a hot tin roof. You wonder why they're up there and how long they can stay on.

It’s a tough job. You have to be a leader, be a bit mad, and have significant people and organizational skills to be successful. And you have to have "it’ – what ever "it’ is.

The news of the firing of Hornets Head Coach Byron Scott rippled through the nets of NBA newswires.

First, new comer Emeka Okafor is slow to recover from a toe injury, then Rondo challenges Chris Paul, and now Byron is gone. Things ain’t so easy in the Big Easy, and got worse with Paul's ankle inury. With a 3-6 record to start the year, after winning 49 games last year, I guess someone had to be blamed. It will always be the coach.

Honestly, I was surprised the Hornets held it together as long as they did after the first attempt to trade Tyson Chandler to the Thunder. That was as direct a sign of financial needs taking precedence over winning as you can get . Yes, that can affect team morale.

Such a move would not be surprising for a non-contending club, but for a team with playoff aspirations, it was an eyebrow raiser. Then, reminiscent of a Denver flip flop, they tried to compete, even adding Antonio Daniels later in the year. The Hornets had added our own James Posey the summer before, hoping that he was that final piece. My how things change. This roster was never deep.

Scott was Coach of the Year just two years ago. The head coach position is, at best, precarious. Yahoo! Sports Marc Spears reports that it was intimated that there were chemistry issues and philosophical differences between Scott and some players.

Adrian Wojnarowski has more on Byron. Ironically, Scott was ousted from New Jersey largely because of Jason Kidd. This time he makes sure he has a good relationship with his star point guard, Chris Paul – but loses much of the rest of the team. Go figure.

Wojo reports David West says they ‘didn’t really run many plays’, and said they needed a change. It was suggested that CP3 doesn’t really like Jeff Bower. Now the Hornets 'franchise' goes down with an injury. He left the arena last night on crutches.

The devastation in the Crescent City is approaching Katrina levels. There is no truth to the rumor that the Hornets owners, the Shinns, who are as much responsible for the current situation as anyone, are calling FEMA for help. But blame is also shared by Bower, who was lauded a few short years ago.

Some Hornets’ management were unhappy that Scott was playing rounds of golf amid such a start, even requiring the team’s to ‘push back a departure date’ to accommodate on one occasion. Coach Scott was 'linking it' with Chris Paul.

Doctors had cleared Emeka Okafor to play at least a week before he actually did. Players were starting to wonder. Did Scott appear to be too lax with players?

If so, that would only be another tiny stick on the fire. The 58 point loss to the Nuggets in last year’s playoffs was a telltale sign that things weren’t right in the Big Easy.

I’m wondering how happy James Posey is at the moment.

So GM Jeff Bower takes over. Never a head coach but with adequate sideline experience, and with Tim Floyd at his side, they will try to resurrect this season. Chris Paul holds that team together. Depending on the extent of his recent injury, an already disastrous start could become a wasted season.

Economic Uncertainties

For other teams, the only fringe benefit from such a team's decline, if the team's direction isn't righted, might be a fire sale on its roster.Though the Shinn's are spending above the cap currently, the previous idea to pair down salary might re-surface. And if you are spending over the cap for a team that hasn't even played .500 ball this season, who would blame them?

Hard economic times haven't shaken out of the U.S. economy yet. Even in a cash rich off season coming up, teams might not have as much money to dispense as before with a lower cap. A new CBA is being negotiated and the possibility of a lock out isn't out of the question. That could all lead teams like the cash starved Hornets to make Draconian moves.

The next question is...who...other than David West and CP3, would you want from that roster?

No one's taking Peja's $29 million off their hands. Okafor, Posey, Mo Pete? Solid players all, but financially, not a bargain among them.

But that's getting ahead of the game. Can Bower, a healthy CP3, and a healthy Emeka Okafor save this season?

In the meantime rumors are surfacing that Don Nelson' s Golden State job might in jeopardy, as well as Mike Dunleavy's in Clipperland.

The Gong Show

Let's take the Chuck BerrisTour around the league of potentially bad acts about to be gonged.

Call it a jump up on the hot tin roof. We are looking for some hot feet. Some other 'cats' might be feeling the heat soon. Remember the domino effect or serial firings last season?

What other head coaches else could be in jeopardy?

a) No doubt, the Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Woodson is on the hot seat this season. You might wonder why.

He has finally gotten Josh Smith to stop taking threes and J-Smoove appears to be playing more within the offense and around the hoop more – where he should be.

At 7-2, and a trophy win over the Celtics in Boston, they are off to another fast start. Can they sustain it? They have a rolling offense (107.8 =4th best) but their defense is giving up 6 points more than last season? Does it matter when you are 7-2?

The big question here is…. What will be required of this team for Woodson to get a new contract?

Another what if…..

b) The Cavs started 3-6? Would Coach Mike Brown be packing his belongings? Remember all the post playoff murmurings about alleged Cavs management unhappiness with Brown?

Cleveland seems to have righted the ship. They just beat a surging and defensive minded Miami Heat. After starting 0-2, they are now 6-1 over their last seven.

But there is a strange trend developing here. Sam Mitchell was Coach of the Year in 2007. He was fired in 2008. Byron Scott was Coach of the Year in 2008. He was fired in 2009. Guess who got Coach of the Year in 2009?

Yep. Mr. Mike Brown step up on to trap door, please. Does that mean he is safe until 2010? Hide that gonger.

Interesting statistic: Shaq has not had an offensive rebound for 4 straight games.

c) The Timberwolves are off to a horrible start at 1-9. Kevin Love out is only part of their troubles. Will Kurt Rambis get the whole year to work with this team, if things continue as they are?

d) Lawrence Frank – the Nets are decimated with injuries. They weren’t going to be all that good if all were healthy. Will he become the fall guy for the 0-9 Nets? It appears so, but it might not happen until the year is over. Can Frank fight the odds, do well enough with what he has to rise a a phoenix? Odds are against it.

e) Mike D’Antoni – the Knicks are 1-9. Why do I feel that he won’t be blamed? Oh yeah, Donnie Walsh hired him.

f) Flip Saunders’ Wizards are missing Antawn Jamison…but they are still playing terrible ball. This one surprises me… and probably everyone else. What is the problem with the Wizards? They are 2-6. Worse they are have lost their last 5 and haven’t scored over 90 points in any of those games. Wait a minute. Whew. They just signed Earl Boykins. Everything is going to be fine now.

g) Lionel Hollins – he didn’t want Iverson in the first place. Can he get the team back on track? They are 1-9 and on a 8 game losing streak.

h) Paul Westphal has the lowly Kings off to a solid 5-4 start, including an impressive win at Utah. His job is more than safe…if they play anywhere near this level for the rest of year.

I) Mike Dunleavy – he won’t fire himself as the GM of the Clippers. But now Donald Sterling may do the job himself. What would it take for his removal? The team is without the number one pick Blake Griffin and shooting guard Eric Gordon. They are 3-7. The league's most frugal owner has spent like a drunken sailor of later ($59 mil) compared to his previous history.

J) And last but not least – Don Nelson. His Warriors are 2-5. Will trading ingrate Stephen Jackson allow this team to play better ball? Don’s not going anywhere with his contract..or is he? Will we get to watch another year of "The Don" in action? I still have fond memories of his resurrection of the Warriors a few years ago, culminating in a Dallas take down. will his friend Larry Riley gong him?

Coaches are an unbelievably positive, tenacious group. Sometimes get out of hand. Someone has to pay for under performing teams. Often coaches are part of the problem. Sometimes, it's just easier to fire one man than trade many players.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof....
Brick: You'll make out fine. Your kind always does.
Maggie: Oh, I'm more determined than you think. I'll win all right.
Brick: Win what? What is, uh, the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof?
Maggie: Just stayin' on it, I guess. As long as she can.

So, what is the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof in the NBA?

Maggie knew. Just staying on it, I guess. As long as he can.

Who's next?

The Prospect of Losing Emeka Okafor

atthehive — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:35:47 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

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Thanks to Ziller for breaking it here on At the Hive, below.

According to Sam Amick: "A source with knowledge of the situation says the Kings are discussing a trade with New Orleans that would send Kenny Thomas to the Hornets and bring center Emeka Okafor to Sacramento. No deal is imminent and this is merely a discussion between the two sides at this point."

Here's the salary situation, via Sactown Royalty, via ShamSports:

Player	'09-10	'10-11	'11-12	'12-13	'13-14
Thomas	$8.7M	--	--	--	--
Okafor	$10.8M	$11.8M	$12.8M	$13.8M	$14.8M*

First of all, this isn't a surefire deal for Sacramento. On their end, they have to question Okafor's health a little bit, the length of the contract, the overall money, and Okafor's eventual ceiling (which he's, almost beyond a shadow of a doubt reached). They have to worry about the development of younger guys in Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson with Okafor around. And finally, they have to wonder whether a nearly 9 million expiring can get them something more useful.

From New Orleans perspective? It's basically a straight salary dump, the likes of which the league doesn't see very often. The Hornets slash about 46 million off guaranteed salaries over the next four years. Kenny Thomas hasn't played competitively for multiple seasons now. The sale of Okafor would likely force Hilton Armstrong or Sean Marks into a starting role, effectively ending the Hornets' season.

What does this trade discussion say about the Hornets? Well, three different options, off the top of my head.

(a) Money Problems

The team is in dire straits, financially. After the recovery of the last two years, in terms of fan attendance and general marketability, I would have deemed this unlikely as recently as two weeks ago. Now? I'm not so sure. The team is paying the luxury tax right now and is scheduled to do so next year, without adding any new money to the payroll. Not only would the addition of Thomas save more than 2 million this year, it puts Shinn off the Okafor hook for four more years. The Hornets can simply add minimum contracts to fill out the front court over the offseason and save tons and tons of money.

The more this team struggles this year, the more attendance is going to drop off. It's a simple fact of life. In the short term, there are no signs of a turnaround. Shinn could have gone all-in during the offseason, opting to trade Chandler for a player of similar contract value. Early on in the season, he has a quick option here to opt out of his initial decision. So this trade could very easily be financially motivated.

(b) Chris Paul

Chris Paul's injury is worse than has been left on. The current estimate is that he'll be out two weeks at least. If that number escalates into the months, then this season is pretty much over. If the team has any reason to believe that Paul won't return until December/January, they won't trust the 3-10 Hornets to recover to a playoff spot.

In that case, Okafor vs. Thomas in 2009-2010 doesn't really matter much. Sure, Thomas will contribute far, far less, but for a team missing the playoffs, what does it matter?

This second option would obviously be linked with financial motivations. George Shinn could go ahead and save 2 million dollars (4 million with the tax) if he feels that the team won't make the playoffs anyways. And ostensibly, the team would stand to pick up a higher draft selection with Thomas, rather than Okafor.

(c) Strategy

I guess this could be an option; that an Okafor for Thomas swap could be executed completely strategically, with no financial impetus whatsoever.

What are the strategic gains, one might wonder. The major one is roster flexibility. With this swap, the Hornets go from committing 71.8 million next year, down to 59 million dollars. But I question the logic here.

Next year's salary cap is projected to be in the 53 million dollar range, with the luxury at around 65. So while the team gets away from the luxury tax, they'd still be unable to add free agents without the use of the exceptions (midlevel, biannual, veteran's). Essentially, they'd be trying to nab a free agent center at a discount or attempting to draft a quality rookie. The 2010 draft class will be better than this year's, in my estimation. But both those things are obviously risky propositions.

If the Okafor move is made strategically, it must be part of a larger fire-sale strategy for the Hornets to get under the salary cap (and thus make a run at a bigger free agent). Overall, there are just far too many ways this can backfire. One or two slip-ups, the Hornets have another horrible year next year, and the following season could be Chris Paul's last in New Orleans (he can choose to leave in the 2012 offseason).

Overall

There is something to be said for building a team through smart drafting. It's definitely the best way to create a stable, long-term franchise plan, something any team in New Orleans desperately needs. In this case, though? The sale of Okafor for Thomas would indicate severe financial issues more than strategic foresight. Could it work? Absolutely. If Paul is going to miss serious time, the Hornets could seriously free themselves financially (especially in the 2011 offseason) and pick up some sharp rookies.

But you're going to have a hard time convincing me the Hornets' hand wasn't forced if this deal goes through.

The Prospect of Emeka Okafor

Ziller — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:06:39 -0000

by Elise Amendola - AP

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Sam Amick of The Bee reports the Kings are discussing an Emeka Okafor-Kenny Thomas trade with the Hornets. Thomas's contract, as we all know, expires this summer. Okafor's deal runs through 2014. Here's a full salary breakdown, thanks to ShamSports.com.

Player	'09-10	'10-11	'11-12	'12-13	'13-14
Thomas	$8.7M	--	--	--	--
Okafor	$10.8M	$11.8M	$12.8M	$13.8M	$14.8M*

That 2013-14 season has an early termination option for Okafor. Clearly, in losing Thomas the Kings would only be losing a spot bench forward and the opportunity cost of using his expiring contract in another trade. There are very few big names expected to be available for expiring contracts this trade deadline -- Carlos Boozer, Stephen Jackson, Elton Brand and perhaps Monta Ellis lead that class. (Despite what you may have heard, Toronto ain't trading Chris Bosh for anything less than a couple of Sacramento's top assets -- think Kevin Martin and Jason Thompson, or something like that. Pipe. Dream.)

The real question here is whether Okafor is worth the cost of his own salary for the Kings. That's also an opportunity cost issue: if the Kings take on Okafor without losing one of its longer contracts, the free agency periods of 2010, 2011 and possibly 2012 are essentially wiped out. And that really depends on what you think the Kings could get in free agency right now.

I think free agency is a big risk. The best player the Sacramento Kings have ever acquired as a free agent (not including any extensions/re-signings) is Vlade Divac. At the time, the team overpaid for Vlade -- he was making All-Star level money despite a reputation as an average starting center with a few special skills. No one (but Geoff Petrie, perhaps) knew how well Divac would mesh with Chris Webber and friends.

Who is No. 2 behind Divac? Bobby Jackson, who at the time of his signing was a three-year vet with a career 8 ppg average? Shareef Abdur-Rahim? John Salmons? The Kings, even when great, have never signed high-level free agents. This is not particularly Sacramento-specific, either: few great players move in unrestricted free agency. This coming summer is a bit of an anomaly that players are even getting to free agency ... and it's still unlikely many of the big names will move.

So I'm not sure the Kings lose much by way of renouncing a big free agency splash for 2-3 years. As I said, you limit your trade deadline opportunities by sending away Thomas's contract ... but there was unlikely to be much out there better than Okafor (depending on your feelings about how Boozer would mesh here, or whether the Suns will careen and make Amar'e Stoudemire available again). Despite being traded recently, Okafor wouldn't be an easily movable contract for a while -- any trade including him is a necessarily big trade, and those are harder to pull off. So he becomes your "hardest to trade" asset, eclipsing Beno Udrih and Andres Nocioni. Further augmentation to the roster would fall to trades involving the team's bevy of non-stars/non-youths, trades involving the prospects, trades involving draft picks, mid-level or sub mid-level free agent signings and the draft. You'd have to be fairly comfortable that the current team (with Okafor and the 2010 draft pick and some internal growth) would be able to be a playoff team within a year or two to justify the trade.

And I think that's fair. When Kevin Martin is healthy, the Kings have clearly above average players at point guard (Tyreke Evans), shooting guard (Martin) and power forward (Jason Thompson). The team has one serviceable starter (as of today) at small forward (Nocioni) and center (Spencer Hawes). You'd hope Hawes will be more than that any day now, but let's not be deluded. He's not there yet. He's better than some starting centers out there, but not too many. He's not clearly above average today ... many would argue he's not average today.

Adding Okafor would give you an above average player at a fourth position. It'd also give the starting line-up its first elite defensive player (Evans isn't there) and it would likely cinch the Kings as an elite rebounding team. Okafor, while less versatile than Hawes, also happens to be a serviceable offensive weapon: he's smart with the ball, and has a career field goal percentage better than 50 percent. If he hurts the offense, it's in his lack of ability to stretch the defense. Given that Hawes has shot poorly this year but the Kings offense has been on fire (thanks to Martin, then Evans, Thompson and Udrih), I'm not sure how much of a concern that is.

The only real question which remains is what this means for Hawes. He can negotiate a contract extension this summer. As of today, it is quite easy to see that he and the Kings will be far apart on his value. He's the first prominent Kings kid in the post-Webber era that I think could get to restricted free agency. (Extending Kevin Martin early was a no-brainer, and Francisco Garcia got a fairly generous deal, which wasn't difficult to anticipate.) Either way, in the interim, Hawes is a good third big. A pissed-off Hawes could be a great third big. It's not terribly easy to explain, but pinning Hawes behind a middling, old center during an awful season felt a whole lot worse than pinning him behind an above average center in his prime during a surprisingly competitve season seems.

All this ignores a few other points that make the rumor itself a positive. I mean, are we actually talking about the Kings considering an expensive move?! A move that implies the franchise thinks they are fairly close to contending for a playoff spot? That's a huge step from where we were even three weeks ago. If the deal doesn't happen, this is still a blast of excitement in mid-November, and there's no discounting that after the last couple seasons.