The news is coming fast and furious now that draft workouts have begun. Jim Eichenhofer has some great question and answers with yesterday's participants. I found this response by Arkansas G Sonny Weems particularly funny:

Q: Which players do you compare yourself to in the NBA in terms of your style of play?
A: Probably Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers). The way he runs the floor and defends and rebounds. But I think I can probably dribble a little bit better than he can and shoot a little bit better than he can.

Somewhere, Iggy is laughing. Then again, Weems can fly just as high as Andre.

Taking a break from workouts, it appears that LAC guard Shaun Livingston will not be given a qualifying offer from the Clips. HoopsWorld breaks it down:

This means Livingston will be free to sign with whomever he likes, though considering he is still recovering from that horrible knee injury it's doubtful teams will be lining up to offer him big money. Or maybe any money.

So, a very young guard (22) that can be had cheaply. Granted, he's frail as a toothpick (6'7", 182), but he'll be cheap as dirt. A former 4th overall pick, he's certainly worth a look.

Workouts again. Jeremy Pargo was one of the five players brought into Hornets' facilities yesterday. Initially, I thought Pargo was going to withdraw his name if he wasn't a definite draft pick. Now, WWL is reporting that he will withdraw if he isn't a definite first round pick.

Jeremy Pargo worked out for the Hornets Tuesday as his brother watched... Is Jannero giving Jeremy any hints to prepare him for workouts and a professional future? "He didn’t," Pargo said. "He knows I understand what I have to do and the things that come along with it from watching him. He leads by example."

Shan Foster impressed during his workout. The Vandy guard is originally from Louisiana (Harvey) and was the SEC Player of the Year. The Times-Pic has the details:

Foster' perimeter shooting caught Hornets Coach Byron Scott's attention... "We think (starter) Mo Peterson did a heck of a job, but we really need a shooting guard that's really athletic and can get up and down the floor," Scott said.  "He can flat out shoot it, and he moves extremely well without the ball."

That same article also had a quote from Byron Scott about Jeremy Pargo:

"(Jeremy) is stronger and more explosive than (Jannero)," Scott said. "Jeremy is going to dunk it; Jannero is going to lay it up."

Lots of Pargo news today, but this last one is probably the most important. Same article:

Jannero Pargo said he will opt out of his contract to enter free agency July 1, but he is hoping to get a long-term deal to remain in New Orleans.

Same deal as last year. Not entirely unexpected, but it obviously would have been a ot nicer if he picked up his option.

Hornets.com's Jim Eichenhofer writes a piece for his former employer, the Finger Lakes Times. It's primarily about the numerous perks he gets as the main writer for the Hornets. Coincidentally, it's also about the numerous perks that we Hornets bloggers don't get. /Sad Face

Two tickets to every home game. Replica jerseys. Game shorts. T-shirts. Free dinners. Bobblehead dolls. Team posters. When I accepted this job in the fall of 2005, I figured there might be a few unforeseen perks to working full-time for a professional sports team. I had no idea how lengthy the list of items would actually be.

The Hornets won't be the only people giving Chris Paul some big money this summer. Deodorant company RightGuard has signed CP3 as well, reports AdAge.

A forthcoming TV spot starring Mr. Paul shows a series of his on-court highlights, backed by a voice-over: "The game has gotten faster, the players, bigger, and the armpits, well ... looks like we got here just in time."

CP has also made his second career SLAM cover. And the picture of him driving looks pretty cool. Currently, it's only out in New York City, but they say it should be out nation-wide over the weekend. An excerpt:

By the time the season ended last month, virtually every game was sold out, people were rocking Hornets gear all over the city and everywhere I went, people only wanted to talk about one topic: Chris Paul. A few things happened in between—such as the Crescent City hosting the All-Star Game and the Hornets becoming a legit contender—but without a doubt, the transformation of fans into devotees, casual fans into fanatics, apathetic non-fans into casual fans and a national audience into true believers was due to CP3.

The workouts continue today, with potential draftees probably working out right now as I type. Jim Eichenhofer delivers the details one more time; coming in today: Mark Tyndale, Wayne Ellington, Lester Hudson, Patrick Ewing Jr., Josh Duncan, and Keith Brumbaugh. And by the way... Josh Duncan is a 6'9" power forward from Xavier, "has decent range on his jump shot, has a high basketball IQ and is an above-average free throw shooter (85% over four seasons)." Hmmm.

Finally, my favorite article of the day, about Julian Wright returning "home" to Kansas. KUSports has some great insight into how Wright developed as a player during the season, what the Hornets got him for Christmas, and even an Adam Haluska mention. I'll finish with some quotes from JuJu himself:

“What happened is David West was hurt and I was having a good stretch of practices. I got confidence from playing in practice. I finally started to understand defensive schemes which is what he (Scott) was looking for. That’s what keeps you on the floor... There’s a lot of turnover in coaches in the league. The fact [Coach Scott]’ll be there ... I can get established in the Hornets’ system and thrive in it."

I can't even remember the last time I did a 'Hornets on the Internets', but it's time to bring back that treasure from our past, that pointlessly hyped excuse for a mundane link dump, that evergreen gem from @tH's storied history.

A  RealGM article compares Chris Paul with Tony Parker, with good breakdowns in various categories. Now we all know who's better, but I've long called Parker the most underrated guard in the league (and you could make a case for most underrated player overall). An excerpt:

It’s easy to see that Chris Paul is a better individual talent than Tony Parker, but it’s a very close race. They have similar styles and both play the game aggressively. They both use their speed to enable them to wreak havoc on opposing defenses, and also to make the other facets of their games stronger.

Jannero Pargo's bro, Jeremy, might potentially come out of Gonzaga this year. This ESPN article delves into the issue:

...Pargo has a brother in the NBA (New Orleans guard Jannero Pargo) who is telling him he doesn't want Jeremy to go through the same arduous undrafted path to the league.

"He wants me to be smart about things," Pargo said at the Milk House on the campus of Disney's Wide World of Sports. "He doesn't want me to go through the same thing he went through."

Looking back at Tyson's draft profile aaall the way back in 2001. Check the link for both Tyson's baby face and more of the following analysis (other than the shooting part, they nailed it):

7 footers with his athleticism come around every 10-20 years. Has good desire, and intelligence. Good shot blocker. Has good passing ability. Can shoot the ball well, and runs the floor like a deer. Has a chance to be a special special player in a few years.

Let's continue looking at the rear view mirror, this time at last year's draft. Remember when most everyone thought Julian Wright would be a top 10 pick? And then he fell to us? A look back at some of the concerns which led to him falling to the Hornets

One team who has been watching tape heavily of him in their war room came away less than impressed: "the more we watch him, the more flaws we see in him. I think we might have all gotten too excited after the Florida game." Another team that worked him out recently said that he "shot the ball poor from 17 feet and out, and really didn't do anything to ease our concerns about his NBA position."

Well, guess what? The signs of a potentially excellent shot are there, and he's proved he has the ball handling skills to easily handle the 3. In retrospect, we definitely did get a top 10 quality selection at 13.

Sure, everyone and their copy of Stephen Hawking's The Universe in a Nutshell has heard that Byron Scott got extended. Personally, I hadn't yet looked into the specifics until now. The Times-Pic had this interesting comparison of Scott with other coaches making the big bucks:

Scott's contract is estimated at nearly $6 million annually... Los Angeles Lakers' coach Phil Jackson is the highest at $10.3 million, followed by Golden State's Don Nelson and recently hired New York Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, who both will earn $6 million annually.

This last one's not about the Hornets, per se, but it is about New Orleans basketball. Apparently, a film about a New Orleans high school basketball team, set for release in November, is being filmed over the summer. Ed Staton of Bayou Buzz has more details:

"Patriots" is based on a true story of how John Ehret High of Marrero won the Class 5-A state basketball over Woodlawn 62-57 in 2006. It is an inspirational sports film set in the aftermath of Katrina, where Al Collins, the Ehret coach, assembles a team of players who had previously attended five different schools and leads them on the path to the state championship.

Forest Whitaker, an Oscar winning actor, plays Collins… "It's got all the elements," said Mike Fisher, who is basketball coordinator for the film. "Unfortunately for New Orleans, it's got disaster, and it's got a bunch of kids that overcome a lot of obstacles, and it's got the aspect of the underdog."

Hmm. A bunch of guys that "overcome a lot of obstacles" that are "the underdog" and that play basketball in New Orleans. You sure this can't be upgraded from high school to the pros? I mean Forest Whitaker probably plays a terrific David West. Just sayin'...