Hornets Hype

We thought it was time to bust this out again.

Our man Mo Pete was on a mission last night to prove that, not only can he nail threes, he’s got moves. Come on, Byron, I know he’s not D-West or anything, and I know he’s not gonna always have a game like that, and I know Posey is awesome (we’ll get to that in a sec), but let the man drive more. See how fun that was. Peterson led the Hornets with 21 points. And that one shot he made (the first and-1) was pretty… well, pretty. Mo Pete is the starter that everyone hates on, just because he’s not one of the “Big Four.” Well, guess what. We appreciate your work, Mo! You just keep on doing what you do.

Chris Paul was again routinely statistically great (while, in the paradox that we in New Orleans are lucky to have, not actually looking like he was having a standout game), and Peja was leading the team with 20 pts before he turned his ankle early in the fourth quarter. But the credit for this win really belongs to some guys who are the dark horses of this Hornets team.

The bench scored 15 points in the 4th quarter. I mean, yeah, it consisted of James Posey and Rasual Butler trading dagger-to-the-heart threes, but still. That’s something it would be great to have, just in case it’s needed. And it was needed. Tyson Chandler didn’t play, and the team looked sort of lost in the first part of the 4th quarter after Peja went down. The Suns had chipped away at what was at one point a 16 point lead. Then Posey opened up the 3-fest, and it was just a catalyst moment. Rasual Butler… I thought he was a waste of space last year when Byron Scott kept giving him chance after chance and he put up cringe-worthy missed threes. But it’s heart-warming and redemptive and cool and all those things to see him looking this good early, mostly because he’s tall enough to cause problems for other teams as well as shoot. At this point I have to recognize that nasty block he had late in the game.

So, that leaves James Posey. Everyone else is saying they have a man crush. But I’m a girl. So I guess I just have flat-out lust for #41’s mad clutch skills. Go team. I loved Posey’s interview with Craig Sager, by the way. “It was a business decision.” Which is athlete code for, “I came for the money.” So basically you’re saying you’re a cold-hearted mercenary killer………………. I have approximately zero problem with that.

BACK ROW SIGNAGE: It’s been suggested by a bunch of people that our opening night sign be something Posey-related. So if you can figure out a way to say something clever about NOLA welcoming Posey without actually using too many words, please leave a suggestion in the comments. I’m gonna get busy with the paint this afternoon (um, please do not be picturing anything too creepy here).

Our team photo. We're hot.

So a couple of weeks ago, the dudes over at Ball Don’t Lie put up this image as the Endless Grey Ribbon (aka section divider) in the Hornets 2008-09 season preview. Naturally, I was like, “Haha, a billion James Poseys, wait– what?” But on a more serious note, I’m glad they realized the crucial role me ‘n’ Pose are going to play this year. Anyway, after last night’s game against Golden State, I am happy to report that the lineup for this year has been set. Obviously I’m slightly biased, but I think me and 23 James Poseys have the skills to really kick ass this season.

This is how I envision things breaking down:

James Posey will play point guard, center, power forward, small forward, and shooting guard. Naturally, with Pose coming off the bench as sixth man, this squad will have a sweet energy boost that should lift them above the other teams in the formidable Western Conference. The rest of the Poseys will play backup minutes as dictated by the intensity of their play in practice, as judged by head coach James Posey. We are excited to see J-Poz in particular in the role of hard-edged defensive specialist. He will also be the designated pre-game hugger.

Ticktock6 will be the 13th man, the one who jumps up and down, talks smack on the end of the bench while drinking a Red Bull, and sometimes does funny dances. Like Ronny Turiaf but with different hair. Big Game James won’t play much, since he’s on the low end of the depth chart behind Ticktock6, but will be called upon to come in and hit a clutch three once in a while in playoff situations. Fashion-challenged Poseys are encouraged to consult Posey #16 on the topic of accessories, even though he’ll only be getting garbage time. Poseys #17-23 are DNP-CD.

The whole team will wear high socks. At the position of ball boy will be my cat Jolee Bindo, who we expect to do a solid job despite his fear of objects that move.

Aaaaaannd now, for our first ass kicking, me and 23 James Poseys are gonna take care of the dude who wrote this:

The Hornets are a hard-nosed team, make no mistake. But they are also over the edge more often than is said and appear to be given a post-Katrina pity pass that has greatly aided them to suddenly and almost magically vault themselves over teams like the Spurs and the Suns.

And Paul?

The rise of Paul from ill-mannered punk and definitely not clutch college player to saintly professional is a testament to the star-making power of David Stern’s league. Paul is portrayed as an angelic assassin with players and coaches saying they’ve never seen anything like him… Paul is neither a champion nor a true assassin. He is a very talented young point guard with much to prove in the way of temperament and ability to come through in the biggest of games. But sadly he has anointed to PG deity-status by the NBA hype machine that includes ESPN and national NBA writers.

Worshipping false idols can only lead to trouble.

Post-Katrina pity pass? Exactly how many Hornets games did this person watch last year? Plus, what the hell, refs? How could you let the Hornets clutch and grab their way to under .500 records in the two years following a devastating hurricane? That just ain’t right. They could have “magically vaulted” (if by “magic” you mean the fact that all their stars are an average of 8 years older than the Hornets’) over the Suns and Spurs years ago, if you’d just seen the Post-Katrina pity light. But nooo, you had to wait three years, until the Hornets had a bunch of better players and stuff.

And Chris Paul– false idol?? The very words are not fit for this page. Really it feels blasphemous just CTRL-C /CTRL-Ving them. I guess it’s like Kobe syndrome: we’re just going to have to face the CP3 backlash that will inevitably happen. False idol? Oh, if only you had seen what I have seen. He conjured those fishes out of THIN AIR, I tell you. Believe me, we know what we worship. This non-believer claims to be called dwil. I wonder if it’s the real dwil… hmmm.

Whatev. We ball hard. If you aren’t prepared to do that, prepare to be rolled over by teams that do. Period.

23 out of 23 James Poseys agree with this message.

…I sat in the arena for twenty minutes after it was over.

Most of the people had trickled out, and those of us who were there, flip-flops up on the seat backs of the row in front of us, watching the video montage play on the big screen one last time, were still. We didn’t talk. Outside it was humid, but fans weren’t drinking and the brass band wasn’t playing. The workers began to sweep up the trash. The beer cups were crumpled and discarded, the party ended. Most of us who were still there were the ones who had been there from the beginning. Oh, there were some of us, despite what the national media would have you think.

Last season after Game 7, I wrote:

“And I know [it]’s no consolation right now for a guy like CP3, who is 100% a competitor. Kobe Bryant may have a trophy that says he’s MVP, but he isn’t, and will never be, The Guy Who Saved Basketball in L.A. Whoever wins the title this year, they are not, and will never be, the Team That Saved Basketball in whatever city.

Believe that, and know that we won something here this season.

You live, you learn.

You take this morning. And you learn who you want to be.”

So that’s where we are. That’s where we left off. To me, there is such a sparkle around this team. Is this how Celtics fans felt last year? Nothing needs to be said about Chris Paul. Nothing can be said about Chris Paul. We’ve got Peja, the artillery man who the talking heads say is fading (but we know better). We’ve got Chandler, who’s hopefully still got just a big enough chunk of that discarded-by-Chicago chip on his shoulder. David West is the longest tenured Hornet, and absolutely represents the Pride of the “Passion, Purpose, Pride” slogan. The bench is a group with things to prove. The 7-0 preseason showed us a glimpse of that.

I know it doesn’t really mean anything to say, “Well, New Orleans deserves it.” I don’t want to seem too entitled. And, indeed, anyone who’s been watching as injuries, drama, and messing up the last 2 minutes of games derailed the Saints’ hopes for transcendence this fall knows that New Orleans fans are not entitled. In fact, they just shrug when everything goes wrong, because deep down they expected it. People here would not be surprised if Peja, West, and Paul went down with injuries and missed 80 games again.

At the real end of the 2007-08 season, after Game 6 of the NBA finals, I wrote a post about why Paul Pierce’s banner season resonated with me. I wrote then about that feeling of uncertainty, about suspecting you’re maybe the right guy in the wrong place. I don’t get that feeling about the Hornets. I think they’re the right team, and I think they’re in the right place. What remains to be seen is if this is the right time.

I hope.

So this is how it begins. A plane touches down in Oakland. The last memory flits to the surface of your mind, just a flash of color: the image of the hero, alone and stunned on the bench while someone else celebrates. And, on a street once filled with floodwater, an arena sits empty, waiting to come to life.

In New Orleans, we’ve had enough of empty things.

Happy Opening Night!

And then I realized as I put on my headband to wash my face, I missed out on the best idea ever: I should totally have gone as Sasha Vujacic for Halloween this year.

Well, the offseason is over. The preseason is over. And now, the Season begins. With that, I have a few observations about what I’ve seen in the last few months. And all signs look good.

• D-West will again be an All-Star. The man shows no signs of falling off. I saw him hit 12 of 17 shots at the Hive, and most of them were of the 17-foot-assassin-variety. I was impressed. Da-da-da-da-da-da….yeah.
• The Hornets will rain 3s. Peja. Mo-Pete. Posey. Butler. Mike James. Devin Brown. Even Ju-Ju. In every preseason game CP3 has found guys open for three. And they’ve been knocking them down. Oh yeah, and don’t leave CP open, either.
• Rasual Butler. Looks. Good. Passion? Check. Purpose? Check. Pride? Check. I don’t know what went with for Mmmm-Bop last year, but the man has been a demon in the preseason. I definitely think he’s earned minutes above Devin Brown.
• The second unit. In general. Has impressed. Take a walk haters, the Hornets bench is for real. Quick memo, they flagged a bit only after Ju-Ju got injured. So here’s the real note: MJ, Butler, Ju-Ju, Posey, and Hiltonwatch make for a great second unit, and they beat on other second units all preseason.
• Random request this season: that we get Dave Chapelle down here this year like they got Ric Flair down here “woooing” with CP last year. Only it’ll be with MJ. And he’ll just say over and over “I’m Mike James Bitch,” and MJ will slap him. Then MJ will say the same thing, and Dave will slap him. It could go on for hours.
• Also, the Hornets are going to suck up every loose ball like an Oreck XL this year. Man, it’s only the preseason, but these guys were flying around for everything. They are not going to let anything go.
• Which brings me to my point. This team has had a killer instinct all preseason. We’re talking about preseason, here, man. Preseason. Preseason! (See AI news conference…) They’re 7-0. Who cares, right? But it’s not the fact that they won all of their games so in the preseason, it’s how they won them. They’ve had that killer look in their eyes all preseason, and it really shows that they have one goal and one goal only. To win the NBA championship.

82-0. You heard it here first again for the second time.

There are a lot of upcoming events this week to kick off the regular season, so I’m just going to hit the big ones. Because Hornets Hype loves parties and fun, oh yes we do.

Rally Downtown: Fulton Square, Monday 5:30 PM -8:30 PM

From the press release: “The Hornets will host “Swarm at Fulton Square on Fulton Street,” Monday, Oct. 27, from 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. The pep rally is free and open to the public. Fans are encouraged to come out and meet their favorite Hornets’ players, Hugo and the Honeybees, while listening to a live performance by the Topcats. Hornets players will be located around Fulton Street signing autographs and previewing the upcoming season. Fans can purchase new team merchandise from the Hornets Nest. Guests can also sign up to win hundreds of giveaways and enjoy food and drink specials. Swarm at Fulton Square kicks off the Hornets’ 2008 “Buzz in Blue Week.”

I’m leaning toward going to this, but mW has to work. Drop a line in the comments to let me know if you’ll be there. I’m thinking I’d like to go anyway, at least for a little bit, and take some pics and stuff.

Official Watch Party: Fox & Hound in Harahan (1200 S. Clearview Pkwy), Wednesday 9:00 PM- 12:00 AM

Hosted by Rob Nice. Appearance by Hugo & the Honeybees, and Hornets giveaways. Hornets Hype will not be at this, because we’ll be at…

Hornets 247 Season Launch Party: Handsome Willy’s (218 S Robertson St), Wednesday 7:00 PM -

It’s where all the cool kids will be for the GSW game. Sorry, official Hornets party. 247 totally planned theirs first, so we’re going to that one. You should go too. It’s going to be hot. Full info here.

Official Watch Party: Ernst Cafe (600 S. Peters St.), Thursday 9:00 PM – 12:00 AM

For NO @ Phoenix. Hugo. Honeybees. Giveaways. Etc.

Cavs @ Hornets: New Orleans Arena, Saturday 7:00 PM

The one we’ve all been waiting for. Plus dollar beers outside starting at 5:30. Tomorrow is coming… starting today.

Cowboy Peja and the Wild West

So there I am in Roly Poly, purveyor of fine wrapped sandwiches, waiting for my #31 Delhi Chicken… when I see what is on the front of Where Y’At magazine. “That is too awesome to be real,” I think to myself. And yet, there are Peja and D. West, regulating Wild West style, complete with leather and bullet holes. Oh, New Orleans, I love you. Fortunately, since Where Y’At is free for the taking, it was easily and with much glee added to our collection of Hornets stuff.

Go on, take another look at it. You know you want to.

This isn’t the first local publication to have the Hornets gracing the cover this month. Below, the current cover of New Orleans Magazine, and the Hornets cover the Gambit did in September. I’d say the local HypeMeter is high.

I’m out like Peja’s six gun…

And it is a classic.

It’s Mike James asking the questions, and doing the answers. (Scroll down, and it’s the Hornets Insider from 10/23.)

Highlights: In the beginning of the interview, D. West is singing in the background. (Mike James: David West cannot sing.) And James and his kids filmed an episode of Supernanny that’s going to air on ABC. (Mike James: We fought the whole time… But she did throw me in the pool.)

Seriously, listen to it. I’m totally glad the Hornets went with Mike James. Pargo couldn’t interview himself. He couldn’t even spell Tchoupitoulas. What-EVER.

A look at the Hornets season tickets, which were packed in a nice fleur-de-lis-covered purple shoebox, and came today via UPS. Also in the box were two lanyards, two clear plastic ticketholders, and one gold Hornets pin. Pretty slick presentation. Last year’s tickets were teal, and this year’s are purple. I bet you can’t wait to see our analysis of whose head on the ticket = the best record. (We take this quite seriously.)

UPDATE: mW would like to state that he takes full credit for the fact that there is no Morris Peterson ticket this year. Now, we love Mo to death. But the fact remains that he was the only Hornet last year for whom the team had a losing record in home games when he was on the ticket (2-3 regular season, 0-1 playoffs). Plus he was on the ticket for Game 7. Sorry, Mo. But you know you can’t fight karma.

Stat of the Night: In 2007-08 the Hornets went a combined 8-0 whenever David West appeared on the ticket.