Hornets Hype

Slacking here. Missed Summer League Game 3. Sorry folks. But I can give you the word on the end result. Hornets won. Not that that matters. What is important is that Ju-Ju and Hilton continued to look good. The biggest disappointment, though, has to be Adam Haluska, who again had a miserable shooting game; get you confidence back, son, because you know you can play. Our other starters, Bowman and Brown, continued to look good, with Brown looking more and more like a possible backup PG, and 6′9″ Bowman putting up his own 12 points on 3-6 shooting from the field and 5-6 from the line. Over at TrueHoop, Henry Abbott named Ju-Ju the best defender of the Vegas League and Brown the best surprise. The next game is on the 17th, at 5PM CST.

In the real NBA, Marcus Camby got traded by the Nuggets to the Clippers for, drum roll please, cap space. The Cavs gave Daniel Gibson a 5-year deal to keep him. The Knicks signed another guard, Anthony Roberson, to a 2-year deal. The Magic signed backup PG Anthony Johnson.

UPDATE: Bucks get Tyronne Lue and Malik Allen. T-Wolves re-signed Craig Smith. Also, Clips signed Kelenna Azubuike to a 3-year $9 mil offer sheet (Golden State still has the chance to match). Elsewhere, Darius Miles, out 2-years with an unprecedented “career-ending” medical designation, is trying out with several teams, in attempting a comeback. In Utah, the Jazz allegedly gave D-Will $2 mil more than CP got on his 4-year deal…suckers.

According to Boston.com: “New Orleans Hornets should know that in James Posey they are getting a pure mercenary, totally devoid of sentiment according to Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan.” This, after the guy helped bring them a ring? Wasn’t the whole city cheering him a few weeks back? That’s gratitude for you. A.K.A. the city that caused the scar across my eyebrow. Fuck Boston. Enjoy your one and done like the Heat had a few years back. We have a stacked line-up for the next 4 years.

Hornets v. Grizzlies. I only got to watch half the game, but it got me excited, and it was free on NBA.com (don’t get TT6 started about free…) Yes, the Hornets summer roster leaves much to be desired, but everyone’s summer league roster does. There were some good signs, though, and some bad, bullet-style:

The Good

• Filip Videnov: A native of Bulgaria, he played in Italy last season. He’s a 6-foot-5, 28-year-old shooting guard, who was a pretty sweet 2-3 from deep, and 3-4 overall, and that other made shot was a deep two.
• Hilton Armstrong: plenty of minutes for this Hornet, but a strange game. He looked strong in the paint defensively, which was a real good sign, but only hit 33% from the field, yet was 7-8 from the line and his shot looked surprisingly smooth. Although, he had 9 fouls. Not a typo. 9 fouls (summer league rules give players 10 fouls).
• Adam Haluska: this ex- and maybe future-Hornet looked pretty good. He was only 2-6 from the field, but 4-4 from the line; I saw him make a sick penetration move late, get fouled, and then still put it in and then add one.

The Bad

• Julian Wright: a sure-thing Hornet and probably our best player on the court. But 4-17 from the field? Methinks someone was a tad overeager to prove himself. And he got a double-double. The bad kind. 12 points and 11 turnovers. Oof.

The Ugly, but Not So Much

• Bobby Brown: undrafted in 2007, he’s a 6′1 guard, who alternately looked good and bad. Saw some mean bricks, and sloppy turnovers, but he also had 5 assists and 11 points. He got the most minutes of anyone, so obviously the coaches want to see what he can do. Let’s see what he brings next game.
• Not a Hornet, but ex-Hornet-draftee, 6′9″ 225 lb. Darrell Arthur, must have been pissed about the draft day antics which resulted in him being traded 37 times, because he put up 18 on the Hornets on 9-12 shooting in only 26 minutes of play…

I didn’t really see much of anyone else, but the stats are on NBA.com, and maybe Ticktock will add more later. Game 2 is Sunday afternoon, so check it out!

Edited by Ticktock6: mW wondered why Derrick Byars wasn’t playing. I said I read somewhere he played for Orlando yesterday so he didn’t get there in time or wasn’t ready. He questioned the reliability of my source (mW, unlike me, is dubious about “the forums”), asking if that was even possible. Short answer: It is. He did. You can play in Orlando Summer League for one team and Vegas Summer League for another.

Nola.com reports the Hornets are pushing hard to get James Posey. Elsewhere, the Spurs have signed Roger Mason away from the Wizards; in response, the Wiz signed Dee Brown to an offer sheet (he played in Turkey last year, and no, not that Dee Brown; the Jazz own his rights and can match the offer). Ex-Spur, Brent Barry, has signed with the Rockets. Everyone and their mother is still looking at Josh Smith (mothers that have cap space, that is).

This leaves Sasha Vujacic, Ronny Turiaf, Ricky Davis, Jannero Pargo, and Emeka Okafor as some of the big names left not named Posey or Smith.

At midnight this morning, Free Agency officially began.  The NBA announced on Tuesday that the salary cap for the 2008-09 season will be $58.68 million, the luxury tax threshold will be $71.15 million, and the value of the mid-level exception will be $5.585 million. Over-the-cap teams can only offer the mid-level exception to free agents.  The Hornets are currently sitting at about $59 million with 10 players on their roster.  Re-signing Pargo, Wells, Anderson, or Bowen wouldn’t count against the salary cap, but the team can only offer other free agents the MLE, and will be sure that the combination of salaries offered stays under the luxury tax threshold.  I believe only Memphis and Philadelpia were originally under the salary cap, but Golden State and Los Angleles (Clippers) joined them after their free agents opted out.

Elsewhere, Philadelphia cleared up even more of their considerable cap space by trading Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth to Minnesota.  More shocking, Elton Brand appears to have given the 76ers a verbal committment on a 5-year $80 million contract.  Back on the West Coast, Golden State is rumored to have won the Maggette sweepstakes in the 5-year $50 million range, showing us what Maggette was really after.  On the flipside, GS looks to have lost Mikael Pietrus to Orlando in the 4-year $20 mil range.  Multiple reports believe the Hornets have targeted James Posey.

But mostly, it’s all still rumor.  That said, the time for speculation is largely over.  The pens are out and the papers ready to sign.  Hopefully, with a few of the bigger names getting cleared out, and with the cap numbers known, we’ll finally start to see some action from the Hornets.

Check out this great post from Jim Eichenhofer, over at the New Orleans Hornets’ official website for information about everyone who will be at the Las Vegas Summer League:

Summer League Roster.

I’ll try to keep updating as news comes in. Chris Duhon is expected to choose today between the Knicks and Bulls. The Jazz, who tried signing Maggette a few years ago are now said to be pushing hard. We can’t like him going to either Utah or San Antonio. Or anywhere in the West, really. Speaking of the West, the Lakers seem to be talking to James Posey and Brent Barry…

After making a qualifying offer to Nenad Krstic of $2.7 mil, the Nets are said to be eyeing a sign and trade. With a lack of small guys, could they be eyeing a trade for Mike James or Rasual Butler? Both make more than Krstic, but a 7-footer who likes to escape to the outside might be a nice add, if slightly dupliciative of D-West’s game. But taller. And with less skill. Hmmm.

The suspense is killing me. I want confirmed Hornets rumors. Damn it.

EDITED UPDATES: the good news? CP3 seems to have agreed to a 4-year $68 million deal. Still no other word on Hornets moves. As for the rest? Like everyone else, the Warriors are now talking to Corey Maggette. Seriously? I guess with B-Diddy gone they can give him some loot, but if he goes elsewhere, how bad will they have blown it? Especially with Brand indicating he’s probably going back to Hollywood and Arenas now saying he’s agreed to a 6-year $111 mil deal with the Wiz, taking considerable less than the max. Hmmm….why didn’t CP do that? As a rarely lucid Arenas opined, “What can I do for my family with $127 million that I can’t do with $111 million?” Interesting.

Elsewhere, Rockets (like many other teams) say James Posey may be their missing piece. The Bulls are talking to Luol Deng and Ben Gordon. Interestingly, Josh Smith visited the 76ers and left without an offer, but with the Hawks promising to match any offer, maybe that’s not a surprise. Especially as they’re talking to Josh Childress now and the Salary Cap won’t be set until Tuesday. Among the 9 or so teams talking to Monta Ellis? Knicks. Among everyone that’s talking to Maggette, Celtics; apparently he’s good friends with Doc. Here’s the funny thing. The Celtics could re-sign Posey to the full MLE, pick up a bunch of scrub free agents for a combined $4+ mil to fill out the roster, and then give Maggette about $10 mil a year before reaching the Knicks payroll. Not saying it’s going to happen. Just pointing out how fucked the Knicks are and/or how hard it is to end up 23-59. I mean you have to really want to suck.

That’s all I got for now.

Brand, Maggette, Posey, and B-Diddy are opting out of their contracts. Artest and AI did not. Meanwhile the Wiz are reportedly signing Jamison to a 4 year $50 mil deal. Incidentally, FA Arenas said he wanted to re-sign with the Wiz, but only if they signed Jamison; now SI reports that the two are close to signing a 6-year $100 mil deal, although the Warriors have made a similar deal to him too. Across the country, the Lakers have made qualifying offers to both Vujacic and Turiaf, and have made re-signing the pair a priority; while Shaun Livingston, out two years with one of the worst knee injuries ever, was not tendered a qualifying offer, and is a free agent.  In another country altogher, Calderon is indicating he has agreed in principle to remain a Raptor.

An interesting combination of events could help the Hornets.  Their #1 target is Corey Maggette.  If Brand is more interested in sticking around L.A., does he become a priority?  Is BD their answer at PG?  If the Clippers go that way it would be almost impossible, financially speaking, to bring back Maggette.  Lots of rumors put Maggette on the bus back to Orlando, but the Orlando Sentinel is reporting that after the team’s big spending last summer, it may be shopping for bargains this year.  Meanwhile, reports out of the Crescent City are that CP3 is a big attraction to free agents.  No real suprise.  The question is, then, who else has that kind of drawing power that we might be competing against?  Lakers/Kobe.  But they’re focused on keeping Turiaf and Vujacic, and probably look to get healthy more than make summer acquisitions, as they are already at a ridiculous $75 mil combined team salary.  Cavaliers/Lebron.  But like the Lakers, they’re already $25 some million over the salary cap of $55 mil, and according to the Plain Dealer, are unlikely to make much of a splash in free agency.  Perhaps only Miami/Wade have the will and allure to draw free agents; although, with Marion’s $17 mil, Wade’s $14 mil, and Beasley’s rookie contract, they’re sitting at around $59 million, which is slightly worse than the Hornets, but might be looking more to actually build a completment of decent players around Wade and Beasley, rather take a gamble on one more big piece.  This year is a buyer’s market, with most teams not having much cap space.  About the only teams with money to spend aren’t well situated, i.e., Memphis, Charlotte, Seattle, and a lot of the best free agents out there are looking to be a final piece in someone’s puzzle.  As Elton Brand said, everyone’s got the Celtics success in their hearts.  Maybe, just maybe, that lets us land a big name in hopes of making some talented free agent a champion.  I could live with that.

EDIT: while not strictly free agency related, it’s reported that Tyson will be traveling to China with the Olympic team as a back-up. Obviously this is linked to Dwight Howard’s stress fracture in his sternum, but should any other player get injured, TC will be on the spot to step in.

So far, it looks like both Julian Wright and Hilton Armstrong will play in the Summer League this year in Las Vegas. Also to get an invite, is ex-Hornet Adam Haluska, who was traded this year to the Rockets, only to be cut after the trade, and subsequently end up with the NBADL Iowa Energy (you can check his stats with Iowa here). I was one of the few to see Adam put up 20+ points in one game last preseason, and am excited to see him back and getting a shot. Byron and Bower (dare I say it, the Killer Bs?) saw something in him last draft, and obviously believe it’s still there.

The fourth invite so far goes to undrafted Illinois senior, Shaun Pruitt. Shaun’s 6′10″, 240 lbs., and can play either power forward or center, as he did in college. He’s known best for throwing his body around in the paint and coming up with rebounds. He’s working on both finishing around the basket and improving his jump-shot. He’ll need to work on his defense and lateral quickness, but has good conditioning and a freakish wingspan (you can read the full pre-draft report here).

Can’t wait to see who else ends up in camp. We’ll keep you updated.

EDITED LINK: summer league roster.

So what the hell is happening with Rasual Butler? And how will the Hornets react? How does a guy go from being a key bench player, a sometimes starter, to the guy wearing a suit, the position on the end of the bench that as early as the beginning of this season was reserved for rookies who’d barely seen any time, if at all, on an NBA floor.

A season over and gone and now he’s the one sitting in the back of an SUV, a gun on the floor, the cops coming for him, and him seeing how low he’s fallen. While I give Rasual a lot of credit for self-cognizance, it’s nonetheless a haunting image of personal tragedy. Thereafter, part of Coach Scott’s response to the situation was: “he had some personal problems [this year] that were going on that kind of caused him not to be with us, so to speak, and all that affected him.” Hmmm. It was the first I heard of it. While I feel for Rasual, I have to wonder how the team will react. They’re gearing up to win a championship. And no matter Byron’s relationship with him, it’s Bower, Shinn, and the team’s lawyers who will decide the response.

We don’t know what Butler’s specific contract says, but section 16(a) of the Uniform Player Contract provides:

The Team may terminate this Contract upon written notice to the Player if the Player shall: (i) at any time, fail, refuse, or neglect to conform his personal conduct to standards of good citizenship, good moral character (defined here to mean not engaging in acts of moral turpitude, whether or not such acts would constitute a crime).

Section 16(g) provides:

Upon any termination of this Contract by the Player, all pay Compensation shall cease on the date of termination, Team to pay the Player’s Compensation to said date.

Rumor mills said the team had been looking to shop Rasual and his remaining two years and $7.5 mil for quite a while. Could this be the easy out? The trickiest part, of course is proof. You can’t just drop a guy if you don’t know for sure he did something wrong. He’s accused of waving a gun after an altercation at a group of men and cocking the hammer back. Butler said he didn’t do anything wrong, and specifically denied cocking it at anyone. But was he waving it around? Did he pull it out? We need also to understand the context. Was he fooling around, defending himself, or just straight thugging? These are key questions that the team will need answers to if they’re going to take that much money away from him. The last thing they want to do is get in a lawsuit with him over whether his termination was wrongful under his contract. But if they can justify it, it would help their salary cap situation right? Fill his spot with someone like Adam Haluska, Shaun Pruitt, or some other undrafted free agent who they can pay something more like $400,000 a year. Pretty good bargain for someone who wasn’t getting any burn anyway.

On the other hand, do the Hornets have a responsibility to help him if he is having personal problems? The one answer, as suggested above, is no. It’s a business. And that’s how it is. Cutthroat. But this year we’ve seen a Hornets team that became more than just a team; they became a family. They were devastated when they lost Bobby midseason, but were able to turn around and welcome Mike James and Bonzi with open arms. So how would they react if Butler was cut? Would they blame Rasual? Would they blame the management? Would it change how the team views each other and the bonds they share? What do they know about Rasual’s off-the court issues to which Byron alluded? There are also the facts that Rasual is a team player, taking his benching with class, and being generally supportive of the team’s direction. He also reportedly has done plenty of good works, like flying supplies to Africa at his own cost.

Only the team knows what they’re going to do in free agency. But if cutting Butler under the conduct clause gets us room to bring in Corey Maggette, do it. Monta Ellis, sure. If it will completely push us into contention for a title, do it. Because to bring in someone equally troubled, and not necessarily a good fit, like Ron Artest, would be hypocritical; as would it be cut Rasual to bring in someone who’s unproven and/or unreliable, like Ben Gordon. What I’m saying is that if we cut Rasual, we better get our money’s worth, not straddle ourselves with debt on a stupid risk. Sure take anyone on a $5 mil mid-level exception, but that’s a different story. I guess what I’m really saying is that cutting a guy who is having personal problems for making a stupid mistake is not the best moral choice, and if you’re going to cross that line, you better be sure it’s worth it.

I expect the Hornets to go slow. But I feel for Rasual. I really do. Without more information, though, I feel like I should give him the benefit of the doubt. I believe he did a dumb thing and regrets it. I know some people have already labeled him a thug or this or that. But before anyone calls him out, ask what you may have done between the hours of 1 and 7 a.m. outside of any drinking establishment at some time in your life. My record’s not spotless. I’ve made mistakes. I’d hate to see any of them ruin my career. So that’s my response as a human. Give him another chance. Bring him back into the fold. But I get that the Hornets are in it to win. Period. I wouldn’t want any less. But if they let him go, I hope it’s with done with decency. I hope they give him some kind of exit support. And I hope they recommend him to other teams as someone who with a fresh start could flourish. It’d be the right thing to do.

But until we know more, we just have to wait and see.

It’s a classic matchup. Ticktock6 says go Celtics. mW says remember the Garden; go Lakers. So here we go. Check back. We’ll be commenting through the game and re-posting to this thread!

Q1 – 10:13: Kobe’s already shooting free-throws and the crowd is shouting “MVP, MVP.” Followed by a off-ball foul by Perkins and a quick Odom-Gasol easy basket. Celtics look confused. [mW]

Q1 – 9:30: Kobe just got two steals and Doc “Cry Me A” Rivers is such a bitch about it he just got a technical. Awesome. [mW]

Q1 – 7:16: Radmanovich’s 3 builds the lead to 8; C’s still can’t make a shot, and there is the Gasol-Odom connection again. Celtics call a timeout. 16-6 Lakers. [mw]

Q1 – 5:53: Garnett is sitting with 2 fouls and PP just turned the ball over. Followed by another Radman 3. Lakers by 14. This is what everyone expected from the Lakers in Game 3. [mW]

Q1 – 3:26: Fisher jumper perfect. Perkins bricks. Odom from 17 feet. House bricks a 3 and Gasol grabs the rebound, followed by a PP foul. Celtics in the penalty, Lakers to shoot two. This is insane. [mW]

Q1- TV timeout: this is a classic case where one team will just not make all their shots all game and the other team won’t miss them all game. [TT6]

Q1 – 1:58: PP robbed of an and-1, but Ray Allen got a three, so I’ll take a 5-0 run by the Celtics. [TT6]

Q1 – 0:51: Posey adds to the Boston brickhouse, while Kobe dishes to Gasol. Take two more free ones. Followed by a dumb loose ball foul by the C’s bald guy. I approve of this message. [mW]

Q1 – 0:00: C’s make an odd shot. Lakers shooting 14-15th free throws THIS QUARTER. The Lakers take a 20 point lead into the break, the largest lead after one quarter. I’m going to get dinner. This sucks. [TT6]

Q2 – 10:32: Lakers by 22 and Kobe had no FG??!?! (And Vujacicicic just came in for the first time.) Who’s scoring? [TT6]

Q2 -9:44 : another C’s turnover; Lakers return kind. WHOA, sick block by Ariza! [mW]

Q2 – 8:13: Luke Walton makes a 3 after having a minute and a half to think about it. Damn. Well there’s Will Smith, I love him. Best thing in this game so far. [TT6]

Q2 – 6:20: Odom’s 7-7, KG finds rim, but Farmar can’t capitalize on the other end. ANOTHER Kobe steal, but a quick Cassell foul. Vujacic unconscious for 3. The C’s might be thinking of calling in Brian Scalabrine. [mW]

Q2 -4:50 : The Machine with a steal; Lakers run the ball. Coming back the for the C’s Cassell continues his post-retirement bricklaying practice. Then the creepy Magic-Birdsplit-face ad. Coming back, JVG highlights two plays where FOUR Celtics collapse on Kobe. Thereafter, C’s drop another brick [mW]

Q2 – 2:47: the shot disparity is swinging. What did you expect? C’s within 12 now! [TT6]

Q2 – 0:00: Fish gets the 2+1. Ray Allen doesn’t even get the brick near the house, and then a monster by Gasol dunk with authority! Damn, did Radman just play D? Hmmm…looked like a KG goaltended on Radman at the other end, but the C’s miss at the other end–as ‘Sheed would say, “ball don’t lie.” Ooof…Kobe picks up his 3rd foul (and only has 3 points!). OOOOOOOOhhhh, Farmar with a running 3 at the buzzer!! Lakers up big at half , 58-40. [mW]

Q3 – 9:35: KG and Kobe exchange daggers to start the second half. Then Gasol and KG exchange misses, before KG backs into the basket and Odom drives and draws a foul on an injured Perkins. Rough break for the latter, but it’s obvious the Celtics are trying to get KG involved. Probably a good move. [mW]

Q3 – 8:59: when’s the last time you’ve seen this many players injured in one series, for one team? [TT6]

Q3 – 7:03: wow. Kobe from deep with a hand in his face. Then the Celtics throw it away for the 10th time. Doc is at a loss. He tried to go to P.J., didn’t like what he was getting, so goes small with Posey. I never believe in going small for an extended time. Let’s see what happens. [mW]

Q3 – 6:59: every time they cut it to 10, the Lakers push it back to 20. What are you going to do? [TT6]

Q3 – 6:03: did Radmanovich cut his hair? I swear it was longer the other week… [mW]

Q3 – 6:03: are you sure you’re not confusing him with Vujacic? [TT6]

Q3 – 2:58: C’s 5-18 from three-point range, including the ugly three Posey just rimmed. Odom draws another foul in the paint and Doc can only smile in disbelief. Yet, the C’s force a few turnovers and come within 11. [mW]

Q3 – 2:43: mW is just PARAPHRASING ME. What I really said was, “Ray Allen mothaf@ckas! Paul Pierce mothaf@ckas!” Word. Love, Me. [TT6]

Q3 – 2:18: and KG subsequently gets an offensive foul and Posey fouls at the other end. In desperation, Doc turns to Tony Allen for the first time in forever. [mW]

Q3 – 2:01: AND ONE, BITCHES! [TT6]

Q3 – 1:33: nice block by KG on Gasol, followed by a smart foul by Gasol at the other end to prevent an easy basket. C’s then drop a 3. They’re within 6. Damn.

Q3 – 0:59: keep that alien bitch on the bench, House is the man! This is his fucking game! [TT6]

Q3 – 0:42: Vujacic wears a girl’s headband! [TT6]

Q3- 0:00: P.J. ends the quarter posterizing Kobe. Celtics go on a 15-3 run and are only down 73-71 heading into the fourth. I’m not worried, though. [mW]

Q4 – 9:47: Kobe opens the 4th with 7 points…but is continuing with good D on Pierce. Meanwhile, Powe ties it, while Kobe continues to shoot cold… [mW]

Q4 – TV timeout: we’ve just seen the 834th commercial for ABC’s alleged show called “Wipeout.” I’m going to kill myself if I see another commercial for this garbage show. [mW]

Q4 – 6:16: Kobe for for a long two. He’s starting to heat up. House bricks at the other end, despite TT6’s temporary crush, and Farmar gets the rebound. But KG then makes a tough shot and ties it again. But Turiaf rejects P.J., protects the rim, and then Odom puts the Laker back up by 2. [mW]

Q4 – 5:47: Farmar another rebound, and Kobe burns PP for a dunk, but Pierce might be injured again? Lakers by 4. [mW]

Q4 – 5:44: I have no love for House. I only have love for P^2. [TT6. Obvi.]

Q4 – 4:45: there’s 5 minutes left and every basket is contested and the score keeps changing. This is killing me. [mW]

Q4 – 4:45: this is a great game. [TT6]

Q4 – 3:23: there’s no reason Ray Allen got that rebound or just beat seven Lakers to the basket to push the lead to 3. [mW]

Q4 – 2:31: basketball is such a rush. There’s so much scoring and it’s so crazy how it flows. I love it. How did I not watch this before? [TT6]

Q4 – 2:31: shut up. You had nothing to say twenty minutes ago. Fair weather fan. [mW]

Q4 – 1:44: C’s by 5. JVG points out that Phil had put in the unit that made the made the come back run in Game 2. A foul and 2 free throws later and its a 3 point game. PP then goes to the basket and draws contact. Makes 1. [mW]

Q4 – 1:22: PP immediately fouls Kobe at the other end. 1st in the last two minutes. Kobe then drives and makes it a 2 point game. [mW]

Q4 – 1:11: OH SHIT! Posey for three! [TT6]

Q4 – 0:46: Fisher for a long 2. PP draws a cheap foul. Hits 2. [mW]

Q4 – 0:15: Gasol dunk, one possession game. But Ray-Ray puts up a lay-up at the end of the shot clock. Back up to 5.[mW]

Q4 – 0:03: Lakers come up empty. Now we have to watch House scream like he’s a superstar. Fuck the Celtics. [mW]

Q4 – 0:00 I’m going to quote Serenity: “We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty.” [TT6]