[Bumping this from the FanPosts - Rohan]

A Vast Improvement, But the Hornets Fall Short

Before I break down tonight’s game against the Portland Trailblazers, let me make one thing clear. The Hornets played absolutely great tonight. I saw a team that looked hungry for a win. With that being said, losing 94-86 to the Trailblazers was a hard fall for the Hornets, but we should not look at this game as a complete loss. Apparently, Monty Williams may have read my last blog and made some significant changes to the game plan. So let’s break down the Hornets game.

Where did things go right? Compared to Wednesday night against Chicago, everything went right! First off, Monty put together a great lineup. I loved the match ups tonight even with Vasquez starting at the point against Raymond Felton. The only mismatch was at the two guard position, but Belinelli held his ground pretty well throughout the game. A second kudos goes to Monty and the staff for their game strategy. Attack, attack, and attack the paint more! The Hornets put up 54 points in the paint. That’s more than half of their total points. Lastly, the staff did an excellent job with substitutions. I believe they have finally found a decent rotation off the bench. Adding newcomer Donald Sloan to the mix, the Hornets bench scored 30 points! If that was not enough, they brought defensive pressure and most important, pure energy to the floor. A B+ goes to Monty and the staff for tonight’s game.

As for the offense in general, the Hornets attacked the paint, got to the foul line, took the open shot, pulled down 37 rebounds, had 20 second chance points, and found the open man in traffic and on the wings. On the defensive end, the team played great. Passing lanes were shut down, their rotation to open shooters vastly improved, they denied the ball to key players, mainly Gerald Wallace and Jamal Crawford for a vast majority of the game. They played tight man to man defense causing turnovers and bad shots, the paint was protected fairly well, transition defense was outstanding, and finally, the Hornets played scrappy basketball tonight. They fought every second up to the end, which we will discuss shortly.

So where did it go wrong? Playing to a higher standard, the Hornets still had some glaring issues. I stated earlier that their rotation to open shooters improved, but was not great. Shooters were still left open and driving opportunities were available to the Blazers. This is expected when a solid screen is put down, but during trap defense plays and rotation off of screens and touch passes, our players could not make the proper changes on defense. Furthermore, our pick and roll defense is deplorable. That is a very strong word, but a majority of the points in the paint by the Blazers was due to poor defense against the pick and roll. Our bigs were slow to rotate to the ball and our guards could not fight through the set screen.

Some other issues include play calling, pick and roll offense, free throws, ball security and turnovers! Turnovers lose games! The Hornets had 19 turnovers for 22 points. Their free throws are still lacking. The team shot 17 for 25 from the line. That’s 68%! With better ball security and a little practice from the line, we could have scored 8 extra points and held the Blazers to 72 points, meaning a win! As for play calling, I see no quick fix. Vasquez is maturing, but he needs a role model and you cannot expect a second year player who is actually seeing the floor to take over completely. The pick and roll offense needs to be improved greatly. Ayon and Okafor are great pick and roll players, but our guards need to realize that they should follow the screen and pass to the big man. Let them do their job in the paint. Another detrimental aspect to this game was foul trouble. Aminu and Ayon fell into early foul trouble. You cannot have two role players on the bench for extended minutes. We were fortunate that their foul trouble let Sloan shine.

Well there you have it the good and the bad, so let’s sum it up.

Positive aspects: The Hornets attacked the paint and were aggressive on the boards. They looked like a team that wanted to play and even more, wanted to win. I loved this team tonight. I can only hope they continue this style of play in the future.

What we need to work on: Rotation, turnovers, and finishing the game. The game was all but won in the end, but sloppy plays caused turnovers and left shooters wide open for the win.

Player of the Game: Trevor Ariza. Scoring 23 points, 9 boards, and 5 assist, he was outstanding tonight. He played to his strength which is driving to the basket and taking the hits. His defense is also worth mentioning. He had two steals and contained Wallace to 14 points.

Honorable Mention: The Hornets bench. These no named fellas came in and played tight defense, scored points, and kept it a close game. What more could you ask for from your bench?

Turning Point: Turnovers in the last two minutes of the game. Vasquez held the ball for far too long and the inbound turnover was devastating.

Overall: We still lost tonight, but a glimpse of what the hornets are capable of was very obvious. If they maintain this tempo of play, that win column will rise.

Go Hornets!

What is wrong with the New Orleans Hornets?

That is a very complex question at the moment. With a third of the season past, I believe it is time for the fans and the organization to do some damage control by analyzing what went wrong in Wednesday night’s loss against the number one team in the East, the Chicago Bulls. Where to start? How about pre-game planning. The Bulls bring to the court a consistent and seasoned lineup with only Richard Hamilton sitting out. In his place was a much younger and athletic Ronnie Brewer. On the other side, we have the Hornets shuffling their deck of cards and pulling out a new fab five to place on the court. Head Coach Monty Williams is beginning to place players in the starting lineup on a game by game basis. If they play well today, perhaps they will play well next time. I can understand rotating the lineup for matchups, but every successful team has something in common, they have a standard starting five. The Hornets have three consistent starters, Jarrett Jack, returning from a knee injury, Trevor Ariza, and Emeka Okafor. Other than those three, let’s just put some players on the court and hope some chemistry develops within the next five minutes.

Now that we have a lineup, let’s break down the Hornets offense and defensive strategy for the game. Looking at the five on the floor, the Hornets have a great arsenal of weapons when used correctly. Their bigs can run the pick and roll and have a stellar post game, their guards can shoot off screens, and their cutters can drive to the basket for the two, a foul, or even better, the and one! The only problem is, not one player can manage to execute a play. Point guards choose to dribble around the pick rather than through it, our screen shoots fail miserably due to a missed screen or indecisive shooters, our cutters are just terrified to go to the basket and would rather settle for a guarded three or long two, and our post players look timid when backing down smaller defenders and pass out to the perimeter. The end result, missed shots, turnovers, and missed opportunities for free throws. Some key examples would be Okafor and Kaman backing down smaller defenders, such as Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer, and instead of taking the ball to the rim for the foul, they settle for a pass or the fade away jumper.

Players not executing is one factor leading to the demise of the Hornets. The second is poor execution. Let me say this now, the play calling for the Hornets is a shining light down this dark hole of season. Jack can run the point, Greivis Vasquez is learning very quickly, and Monty can read mismatches on the court. The problem occurs when the play fails. A player will miss a screen, get caught in a defensive trap, or the shot will just not be there. That is basketball! The other team will play defense. After the play fails, our players seem to not have one clue what to do. This is where your players are supposed to create shots for themselves or pass out. Problem is our players cannot create shots. Belinelli will pump fake and then dribble around the perimeter looking to pass, Ariza will try to drive the basket or pull up a contested jumper and Jack will pray that a big man is guarding him so he can step back and shoot. Poor execution leads to poor shot selection. You cannot shoot 37% and expect to win. How do you remedy this issue? Run the play! If the play does not work, run another or drive to the basket for the foul!

So where else do the Hornets fall short? How about in rebounding, free-throws, or even better, turnovers! The Hornets were out rebounded 49 to 39 in the game, many coming from the Bulls crashing the boards and bringing down offensive rebounds. You have to block out, which is a basketball fundamental. We had the size advantage tonight. Yes, Noah is a seven footer that brought down five offensive boards, but he cannot go over the back to get those rebounds. Get in front of the man and block out. As far as free throws go, unless you have Shaq, Dwight Howard, or Ben Wallace to name a few, these are easy points. We have a shooting guard, Belinelli namely, that misses free throws on a regular basis. That sums up free throw shooting for the Hornets. As for turnovers, tonight the Hornets managed to keep it below the twenty mark with nineteen. They gave the Bulls 29 easy points. Ball security and execution should be stressed at the next team meeting.

Now that we discussed the downfall of the Hornets offense, let’s break down their defense? First, the pairing Monty concocted on the floor. Jack was set to defend Derrick Rose. Okay, I’m a realists, not one player on our team can guard Rose. Make your arguments that Ariza can hold him, but he is just too explosive. Your goal is merely to contain him, especially with Rose coming off a back injury. Brewer was to be defended by Belinelli. Marco’s defense is as good as his free throw shooting, so you could imagine him trying to guard Brewer and then Korver off the bench. The rest of the defensive matchups were as follows, Ariza on Deng, Ayon on Boozer, and Okafor to contain Noah. Those are matches you can live with if your team blocks out for the rebound, which they did not. Their largest failure on the defensive end was due to poor rotation. The Bulls swing the ball and pass out to their shooters or cutters. The Hornets would double team Rose or Deng leaving open shooters on the perimeter and big men in the paint, where 58 of the Bulls points would derive. Lack of defense is due to poor communication. The Hornets do not talk on the court and furthermore are very passive when it comes to denying shooters the ball. Lastly, the transition defense is horrid. Hornets’ players slowly matriculate to the paint for the rebound expecting a missed shot. In open court transition you must stay in front of the ball handler and foul hard in the paint. Make a statement. Send them to the line to earn their points and close out on wing shooters.

Well there you have it. All the negativity I saw from the game. But with the negative comes the positive. What positive aspects can we pull from this season thus far? The answer is a lot! New Orleans is a very young team that is learning. We have novice players that are developing well. Ayon and Vasquez are picking up the game quickly and seem to be a bright light for the future. Once Aminu and Henry get over their fear of shooting and driving the ball, they will become great assets to the team. Our coaching and management is another bright spot. Monty is a defensive minded coach and defense wins games. Dell Demps is very creative with trades and acquiring talent. I am very curious to see what he does with Kaman. That idea leads me to another notion. Make the trade! You have made it known you do not have future plans for Kaman. Get what you can by the March deadline. This goes for some other players on the team as well. I see a few that should hit the trade block, do not be gun shy. Build for the future. Lastly, we have many players that want to play. Young guns like Henry, Vasquez, and Ayon are eager to hit the court and provide instant energy. This is our future Hornet fans, do not take them for granted.

So in closing, what are we to do? As a rabid Hornet fan, I speak from the heart when I say, finish the season strong, make the necessary changes to the roster, and start from scratch. Work on fundamentals, rekindle that defensive spirit Monty possesses, and just watch guys, they will win.

The NBA announced its "Rising Stars Challenge" roster pool yesterday. Unlike previous iterations, the game will feature 18 players on two teams selected by TNT's Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. Via SBNation, here are the all eighteen invited participants:

ROOKIES: Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers), Derrick Williams (Timberwolves), Tristan Thompson (Cavaliers), Ricky Rubio (Timberwolves), Brandon Knight (Pistons), Kemba Walker (Bobcats), Markieff Morris (Suns), Kawhi Leonard (Spurs), Marshon Brooks(Nets).

SOPHOMORES: Blake Griffin (Clippers), John Wall (Wizards), Evan Turner (76ers),DeMarcus Cousins (Kings), Greg Monroe (Pistons), Gordon Hayward (Jazz), Paul George (Pacers), Landry Fields (Knicks), Tiago Splitter (Spurs).

The Hornets' Greivis Vasquez, Xavier Henry, and Gustavo Ayon could have theoretically qualified, though it's difficult to imagine either Vasquez or Henry trumping the sophomore list, which features primarily starting level players with significantly better minutes, production, and efficiency.

Gustavo Ayon, meanwhile, has a strong case when only efficiency is considered. Here are the rookie leaders in PER for a minimum 15 games played in 2011-2012:

                                                  
                                      Tota        
Rk             Player  Season Age  Tm    G GS  PER
1        Kyrie Irving 2011-12  19 CLE   23 23 21.6
2        Gustavo Ayon 2011-12  26 NOH   18  1 21.0
3        Jimmy Butler 2011-12  22 CHI   16  0 19.5
4      MarShon Brooks 2011-12  23 NJN   17  9 18.4
5      Nikola Vucevic 2011-12  21 PHI   16  3 18.4
6       Tobias Harris 2011-12  19 MIL   16  0 18.1
7           Jon Leuer 2011-12  22 MIL   23  6 18.1
8         Ricky Rubio 2011-12  21 MIN   25 15 17.2
9         Enes Kanter 2011-12  19 UTA   24  0 15.9
10      Isaiah Thomas 2011-12  22 SAC   24  0 14.9

Ayon's candidacy, though, falls short when considering his overall minutes. Monty Williams has simply not used him in the consistently expanded role many Hornets fans have wanted for him, and as a result, his overall counting stats haven't been nearly as impressive.

Donald Sloan, undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2010, has been signed by the New Orleans Hornets to a 10 day deal. The team announced the contract yesterday. Sloan hails from Shreveport, Louisiana and grew up in Dallas, TX where he attended high school before going onto College Station.

Here's the official announcement on Hornets.com:

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have signed guard Donald Sloan to a 10-day contract.

Sloan, a Texas A&M University product, appeared in five regular season games with the Atlanta Hawks this season before being released on January 27. Originally signed by Atlanta on December 9, 2011, Sloan averaged 1.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 4.0 minutes of play with the Hawks.

The 6'3" guard has played five games (all starts) for the Erie Bayhawks of the NBA D-League this season, averaging 24.8 points, 8.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds in 40.9 minutes of play. Born in Shreveport, Sloan has appeared in 54 games (38 starts) in the D-League, with career averages of 12.0 points and 4.7 assists.

Sloan, who grew up in the Dallas area, was a first-team Big 12 Conference selection his senior season at Texas A&M, averaging 17.8 points.

Good luck to Mr. Sloan.

Recaps of Hornets loss to Bulls...Quotes from the game...Will Ferrell does pregame intros

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Now before I go on, let me state that I've been one of his staunchest supporters from day one. However, tonight, after viewing every second closely w/o distractions, I feel I have to change my tune.

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