The Hornets May Have Won the Battle But Lost the War– a post on the Dime blog about the Hornets salary moves. With input from me, Hornets 247, and At the Hive. Oh, and Bonus!Ranty Comments by me, I guess. Sorry about that. This is one of my very favorite topics for ranting, as you well know. But props to Dime. Noticed how they went and actually asked Hornets media & blogs. Amazing concept, that.
New Orleans rookie Marcus Thornton seizing the moment– According to the TP, there are rumors (which he denies) that Marcus Thornton told some kids at LSU over the summer he’d be starting by midseason. Ha. I said so too. Guess we’re both right.
Buckets doesn’t make the Rookie Team — kinda lame but not surprising. He’s averaging 9.7 pts-2 rebs on 43% shooting in 19 minutes, way less than the minutes some of those kids are getting to put up their numbers. I wasn’t that impressed with either Flynn or Curry (ugh, watch me say that and he goes off on us tonight, haha). I mean, you can’t really argue with any of the rookies who made it, but I will say it’s too bad Byron Scott hurt Thornton’s chances by not playing him early. I wonder, though, if it’s harder to make a team like this as a pure scorer– even a very efficient one– when you’re not putting up significant numbers in any other categories. All those point guards have numbers in the assists column too. Marcus’ stats per 36 are 18.2 pts-3.7 rebs– some of those other kids already play 36 and aren’t close to that.
But! He’s #5 in the NBA.com Rookie Rankings this week! — Go figure.
This column from Mark Monteith at SI.com fails so hard at containing real facts (especially Okafor versus Chandler) and following a chronological timeline of what actually went down that it made me weep tears of pure sarcasm. Or wait, is that not possible? Try to spot the two places he contradicts himself. Let’s make it a fun game!
Lounging
I don’t quite understand the battle-war article. We’ve been beating playoff teams on the road whilst having a gang of players injured. I think we’re doing just fine.
Regarding “Buckets” not making the Rook team, I must say I’m disappointed, but I think we can do him better and stop calling him Buckets! Young Theezy sounds much better IMO.
As I read it, the war is the war to keep Chris Paul in ’12.
The Last article made me laughed to when they said that the Hornets didn’t improve with Emeka made me laugh to. Am I the only one who realizes that Tyson played maybe ten games this season with injuries.
@ JCS no way. Not after Weezy betrayed this city by rooting for the Vikings.
@DatBoiC
Emeka is good for double-double, but he doesn’t get ‘em when it counts. He needs to work on a signature post-move and Tyson just needs to work on being healthy.
@mW
How so? He’s always rapping about his love for NOLA and on the Lil’ Weezyana mixtape he gave Reggie a shout out.
@ JCS
He’s not even a Saints fan. He can’t possibly be REALLY repping NOLA when he came right out and said he didn’t root for them on Sunday.
Wow. Maybe he’s a fan of Adrian and the Silver Fox…
Check it:
http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2010/01/22/lil-wayne-new-orleans-native-is-huge-brett-favre-fan/
SMH.
marcela’s comment on that one poster made me LOL. Anyway, Weezy reps NOLA through his music, charity, and attendance at home and away games. So, I think he gets a pass. On the other hand, Adrian and the Silver Fox are two of the greatest football players of all time. If you’re a sports nut like Weezy then it’s acceptable IMO.
JCS… you are crazy, Lil Buckets = great nickname.
No Caleb, you’re crazy. Marcus Thorton is Young Theezy and Aaron Gray is A. Greezy. The end.
Haha, no… Aaron Gray and Buckets should not have similiar nicknames. That’s just not right.
Lil Buckets has already caught on, fortunately.
I laughed out loud at A Greezy….
Sorry JCS, the people of New Orleans, as open as they are, were not accepting of Weezy dissing the Saints. We could only be so lucky as that the city some day feels the same about the Hornets.
These articles opining about CP3 being upset are pretty silly. The most laughable is the Dime article contending that CP3 was upset about losing Rasual Butler because he played all of his career with him; that’s absurd.
Maybe I’m missing something, but it just seems like a lot of wishful thinking by various outlets that aren’t satisfied with Paul in NOLA. Chris is smart enough to know not only that this is a business, but that in any given year only a few teams can reasonably expect to contend for a title–it’s not like the NBA has the parity of the NFL. NBA seasons are long, and it seems to me that Chris, Bower, and everyone else in the Hornets organization know that realistically we should realistically aspire for the 2nd round of the playoffs, and hopefully we’ll catch fire and make a run of things after the All-Star Break.
Also, the SI article is ridiculous; Byron Scott completely plateaued in part because he has an utter inability to develop young talent, which hamstrung us and is at least partially to blame for the fact that we have a bunch of non-performing mid-levels on our team (Posey and Songaila are doing fine; Mo Pete is awful). I also blame Byron for not bringing Juju along at all. To say that Bower is somehow a step back is ignoring the reality of the Hornets of the last two seasons under Byron.
I actually think that Bower’s been pretty masterful at pruning the deadweight back, maintaining our core, and setting us up for success. This season is by no means a lost cause–in fact, it shows ever more promise–and, next year, if we can tempt someone into taking some of the expiring contracts next year in return for a starting three that can create their own shot, and some frontcourt/bench depth, we could really be onto something here.
@mW
I’m not from NOLA but I love the Hornets and CP3 is my favorite player. Weezy isn’t from Minnesota, and I’m sure you get my point, but if New Orleanians are very upset about Weezy not rooting for Reggie – so be it. Again I’m not from there, so I don’t understand, but I really don’t understand this nickname thing. When I came up with Young Theezy that was based off of Young Jeezy from the ATL, not Lil’ Weezy, or Kanyeezy, or Chris Breezy. There’s a lot of eezys you seezy? LOL. Anyway, calling a man over 6-1 and 200 plus lbs Lil’ Buckets doesn’t sit well with me. It sounds so juvenile IMPO.
@ JCS
Rookie hazing.
@ticktock6
I see. Well, you and M Dub can have full ownership of the Buckets name, but I’d like to be put in the books for coining up with A. GrEeZy! ! !