Hornets Hype

I know the draft and free agency are the big topics up next for the Hornets this summer. But how about looking a little further into the future?

Specifically, ahead to the pair of Hornets preseason games that will be played in Berlin and Barcelona as part of the NBA Europe Live Tour 2008. Although I could see how team personnel might consider it a logistical nightmare, I think it’s actually a cool concept (despite the fact that it deprives us NOLA fans of our Hornets for the third week of October preseason games– horrors!), and also a chance for European NBA fans to check out the teams live. (Dare I also say, a chance, since the Hornets drew the Washington Wizards as their opponent, to get revenge for that slightly embarrassing stretch of losses this spring?)

Plus it could be fun to follow back home, if they send some talented and fun media people along (not the T.P., dear lord, their article on Byron Scott’s new contract last week used the same quote from the Game 7 press conference that I’d already seen six places… I mean, can’t they do better than that?) I did a little research on who went last year and what they did while they were there.

And let me tell you, if it’s anything like Celtics in Rome, this could potentially be a source of endless entertainment. Never mind the fact that I’m still reading articles this week crediting the trip as a time of bonding in which the team solidified their goals for the year. But here’s a quick sampling of the silliness that went down:

• The Big Three sip cappuccinos on the porch of their hotel with teeny tiny spoons (I don’t know why this video entertains me so much). Garnett: “We’re the Ceatles. Like the Beatles… but the Ceatles. And I’m Paul.” (While sitting next to Paul Pierce, who is like, Wait, wha–?)
• Big Baby gets hit by a mini-car on the streets of Rome. “I was walking to go meet the guys to get something to eat and – this is no lie – a car really hit me. I was crossing the street, and then a guy slows down to come around a corner and – boom. The guy was like, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.’ I swear it happened. But the car was so small. He kind of hit me on the thigh, but it didn’t even hurt at all. I mean, it was one of those small cars that just fits two people. You see them all over here. I told my mom I got hit by a car, and she was like, ‘Oh, lord, are you hurt?’ I told her, ‘No, mom, I’m way bigger than the car.’”
• Ray Allen rents a scooter and there’s actually a photo of him getting told off by a cop for parking in the wrong spot. And indeed, the rest of the Celtic-as-tourists photos are pretty funny too.
• The team poses for pictures with costumed gladiators at the Colosseum.
• The starters shave their heads for team solidarity (not a huge sacrifice for Ray and KG…)

I expect great things out of Hornets in Europe. Seriously, guys. Don’t disappoint.

Random Fact of the Day: The Hornets have played in Europe once before, in 1994, when they went 1-1 in Paris and Bologna.

Oh, an addendum to my last post. I showed the much vaunted Hornets tickets. As you know, we at HornetsHype have tabulated the more likely than not tenuously-connected “Ticket-Face-to-Result” statistic. (Who says we don’t do stats here?) Readers also know, we fear the jinx. So we didn’t mention that Mo-Pete was on the ticket-face for Game 7 against the Spurs. Below are the regular season Ticket-Face-to-Result stats:

• Team Photo: 1-0 (1.000)
• D-West: 5-0 (1.000)
• CP3: 8-2 (0.800)
• Peja: 4-1 (0.800)
• Tyson: 7-3 (0.700)
• Byron: 3-2 (0.600)
• Mo-Pete: 2-3 (0.400)

So, as you can see, despite all the actual basketball stats pointing to the contrary, I was skeptical heading into Game 7 for this reason. Playoffs? Playoffs? Those games looked like this:

• D-West: 2-0 (1.000)
• CP3: 2-0 (1.000)
• Peja: 1-0 (1.000)
• Tyson: 1-0 (1.000)
• Mo-Pete 0-1 ( 0.000)

Of course, these are only the home games. Had we progressed in the 2nd round against the Lakers, with only three games at the Hive, it would have been CP3, Tyson, and D-West on the ticket-faces. Which, of course, would have meant three wins. Stats don’t lie. But, we would have needed to steal at least one in L.A. to move on. As you can see from the images below, the same would have been true in the Finals. Against the C’s we would have only had 3 home games, so it would have been CP3, D-West, and Peja. Ah well. I will say this, however: Spurs, my checking account desperately thanks you. Them tickets weren’t getting any cheaper.

No doubt. The Hornets had an amazing season. But as I put away some of the Hornets stuff laying around the house, I flip through the ticket book that the team sent us for the playoffs. You see, when ticktock and I re-upped our season tickets for next year, we guaranteed ourselves our seats for the entire Playoff run, no matter how long that might have been. And so yes, we are proud holders of Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals tickets that are as valuable as “Hornets: Western Conference Finals” t-shirts, part of the annual tragedy of pre-emptive merchandising, destined to lay in the gutters of eBay could-have-been memorabilia.

But at the same time, I feel strangely hopeful. Despite the sour taste that the end of this season left in my mouth, I don’t feel as if my hopes and dreams have been crushed in the sense of, “wow, this was our last shot–we’ll never get back here.” Quite the opposite. I can only imagine the feeling I have now is a lot like what Lakers fans felt the last year Kobe and Shaq got bumped from the Playoffs before tearing through the league for 3 straight rings.

This team is good. And I only expect them to get better in the offseason. Our core is under contract (CP, DX, TC, Mo, and Peja). We have guys that came to the team late with tons of talent, and with a full offseason and training camp behind them, look to contribute in big ways (Bird, Mike James, and maybe Bonzi). Not to the two young bucks that are looking for breakout seasons (Hilton and Ju-Ju). Obviously we need to decide out of these 10 if still want Bonzi and Bird back, whose contracts have expired. Bowen and Ely are similarly past contract, and questions remain about what role they would play next season, if any.

Of course this leaves questions about two players. The big name unmentioned is JP. He has a player option. Will he opt out? Will he stay? And if he opts out will he look to come back? What about Rasual “mmm-bob” Butler? He’s locked down for 2 more years at an average of $3.8 million per. Will he regain his shooting touch? Will he get out of Byron’s doghouse? Will they look to shop him? As a bonus, the salaries of Arvydas Macijauskas, Bernard Robinson, and Mile Ilic finally fall off the salary cap (freeing up almost $4.5 million).

One thing we do know, is that Byron is coming back, and that is huge. He is obviously one of the best coaches in the league. But who will the Hornets take with the 27th pick in the draft? Will he make the team? Will he make an impact? Will they have any interest in bringing back either Marcus Vinicius (a.k.a Marquinhos) or Adam Haluska? Obviously AH never got a shot here, but is exactly what this team needs: a 2-guard dead-on shooter. What about free agency at-large? Who’s available? Who can we afford? Who do we want?

I’m not sure what the answers to these questions are. But I know one thing. I’m hopeful. Even without any big moves, I love our core. They’re not just great players, but they’re great men. They’re great friends. They’re a great team. They’re only going to get better and so are the guys around them. Everyone can clearly see the goal now. It’s not just about scrabbling out way to the top 8 in the West, it’s championship or bust. And without resorting to the unabashed bluster and hype for which this blog is best known, I think I can simply say that I honestly, truly, in the deepest recesses of my heart or soul or whatever organ or ephemeral entrail encompasses that part of us that can hope, dream, pray, or imagine: I believe.

I know someday I’ll see that golden trophy in our guys’ hands. I really do. It’s like deja vu, but it hasn’t happened yet. So maybe I should say, I remember. The Hornets. Winning. A. Championship.

Finally! The NBA plans to impose fines on floppers next season. (Why oh why couldn’t they have come up with this idea sooner, so we could all be watching Hornets/Lakers right now?) So, right on. If players feel they’re not doing the right thing unless they fall on the floor to “sell” calls, something is awry. Hockey eventually began to penalize diving, and that’s worked out pretty well. Of course, the best part of this article is what Rasheed Wallace had to say about it. I won’t quote it here because, hey, this is not a Sheed blog, but trust me. You’ll be (expletive) entertained.

Over on the official blog, it’s been announced that they’re going to have Hornets Insider articles, along with a couple of other new features, next season. The first one is Eight Things to Know About NBA Scouting, which was an interesting read, especially the parts about the off-the-court stuff the Hornets look at in prospects.

And don’t forget to go to At the Hive and vote on the How’d He Do? season player review series. He’s done Ely, Peterson, West, and Wells so far. (Wow, I decided I was gonna go with all last names on that one to keep it consistent, but it felt really weird to type. Like my fingers really were resistant to not throwing in nicknames or initials. Wah.)

And here’s a sentence you never thought you’d see:

The Spurs are going to have to put better players around their big three. They’re going to have to get younger and more athletic, and they’ll need to get a better power forward to match up with David West in N.O., and Pau Gasol (who will move to the 4 when Andrew Bynum returns) or Odom in L.A.

That’s from the ESPN Roundtable today, which discusses the Spurs’ future. I just love the name drop of D West. A year ago, you didn’t think you’d see that, did you? (Of course you didn’t think Gasol would be in L.A., either, come to think of it…) They also call the Hornets “ascendant.”

Ascendant. Great word.

Anyhow, tomorrow morning I’m taking a flight to Syracuse, on my way to visit the (expletive) awesomeness that is St. Lawrence University, where I will be getting up to All. Sorts. Of. Trouble at my 5 Year Reunion. So I will clearly not be seen in these parts until Monday, not that I’ve been posting much lately anyway. But I do want to go through that playoff swag next week and figure out what to send to who. So ticktock6 = partying. Ticktock6 = not in the NOLA.

And then next Friday is my birthday, which, if someone wants to make it a real memorable one, you know, it would be great to wake up and be notified that next year’s season tickets are now free. Or like, Tyson Chandler on my doorstep… I’m just saying. No? Fine, I’ll just have a Tanqueray and tonic, I guess…

Later, Buzz Friends. I’m out like Ginobili’s flop.

In two sizes: 1280×960 and 1024×768.

Wallpaper is by Dariusz Ejkiewicz, and you should really go check out the rest of his portfolio, because his Hornets wallpapers are awesome!

mW gets closure from creating distance between himself and everything related to the NBA. But I knew I had one more season-ending slideshow creation in me.

And this is it.

…The End. Cue The Doors music. Maybe even the swirling ceiling fan reminiscent of the beginning of Apocalypse Now. Consider Jeff Bower our Francis Ford Coppola. Besides, it’s plenty hot and humid now in the Big Easy. And for Hornets fans, the NBA season is over. It’s a hard pill to swallow. All I know is that somehow, over the course of the season, I became a lot more invested in this team than I ever expected to. Somehow, they made me believe.

I attended every home game this year, and watched every televised road game, while catching a few of the rest on the internet, falling just short of catching all of them in one way or another. I screamed my throat raw in pretty much every regard, home or away, watching in a crowded bar or on my couch. I got yelled at once by a neighbor below me for jumping up and down too much during a game. A stranger next to me at a game once told me I needed anger management. It’s been emotional.

Then, somewhere along the way, ticktock6 started this blog and a passion became an obsession. Suddenly watching all the games, garnering support around town, and spending my money at the Arena to help the team weren’t enough. Suddenly I was surfing the internet compulsively, looking for stats, stories, and scoops, all while trying to keep up with tt6’s incomparable wit. And now it’s come to an end. For this season. And it hurts. It hurts bad.

It doesn’t help that I leave the season with the sincere belief that my team was more talented than the one that moved past us in the second round. Fuck, I felt they were as good as any team in the league. Really, I still do. So far, I haven’t managed to watch a third round game; this after watching part of every single Playoff game up to this point–other than the one that was simulcast with a Hornets game that I attended. I guess I don’t know how to deal with it yet. How to deal with such a surprising end. How do deal with the end at all. Or how to deal with a league that for some reason never really embraced the success story that was the Hornets.

I wondered why a lot. The country loved the story of the Saints returning to the Dome a year ago. But then again, that was a redemptory moment, one that symbolically effaced the pain and suffering of a destroyed city. I guess it’s a lot harder for the country to accept that the Hornets have done just as much, if not more, for the revival of New Orleans than the Saints, when no one even wants to acknowledge that this city is still rebuilding. America likes quick fixes and happy endings. Only it’s not that easy here.

And so it becomes about free agency and draft picks and moving on. So I guess that’s what I’ll do. But it’s obvious that I put a little too much of my soul into the team this year. I need to step back. Not that I don’t want to be a fan, or even an ardent one at that. But I need to remind myself that at the end of the day this is just a game. And for now, it’s The End.

Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I’ll never look into your eyes…again

Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need…of some…stranger’s hand
In a…desperate land

HornetsHype isn’t going anywhere. But for now, the Playoffs are over. The season is over.

The End.

Damn, I said I was gone. I lie, lie, lie.

I’m planning on doing an inventory of any extra Hornets freebies we’ve accumulated over the course of the playoffs. FYI, it’s going to end up going something like, “20 cheer cards, 6 Pejas on Sticks, 2 XL Fan Up! t-shirts, 5 posters, 1 towel, and 4 GEAUX HORNETS car decals.” No, seriously. There is a crawl space behind our entertainment center where we have just been chucking the extras for the last month and a half. If you are an out of town fan and you’d be interested in random Hornets freebies, check back here in the beginning of June. I’ll see if I can try to put something in the mail to you guys.

UPDATE: OK, so I know for a fact I am not going to have a FAN UP t-shirt for everyone who wants one (I’m talking 2-3 tops, all gold, because I was in Tampa for the teal game and because the white one is the only one that is a M and remotely fits me so I’m keeping it), so I wanted to let you know that there are currently several on EBay. I typed in “New Orleans Hornets fan up” and a bunch of them in different colors popped up. I’ll even link you the search.

OK, so we all appear to have perked up remarkably fast. It’s good to see that Hornets fans are resilient. Since people seem to be interested in discussing the future in the previous post, I’m going to start a thread. We are definitely in the market to upgrade the bench, particularly at SF and SG. Backup PF to play behind David West and a decision on whether Hilton Armstrong’s going to be enough to backup TC in the future, or whether we dump our umpteen centers-Byron-doesn’t-trust for one good guy, are also considerations. If Pargo doesn’t opt to stay, we need another point guard.

We’ve got Melvin Ely ($890K), Jannero Pargo ($2M), Chris Andersen ($1.2M), Ryan Bowen ($1M), and Bonzi Wells ($2.2M) who could walk. We have Mike James ($6M) and Rasual Butler ($3.6M) who we might be looking to dump because of their large salaries/limited playing time.

Keep in mind the Hornets’ major priority is signing Chris Paul to an extension this summer, since he’s still on his rookie contract, and they’ve already said they’ll be giving him whatever he wants. They’re also looking to extend Byron Scott.

Here are some free agents available (I’m sticking to the ones that I’ve seen tossed around and are mildly realistic):

• Chris Duhon, PG (depending on whether Chicago wants to draft Beasley or Rose with their #1 pick)
• Eduardo Najera, PF
• Monta Ellis, SG (pipe dream, people, his price will go up)
• Matt Barnes, PF
• Mickael Pietrus, SF
• Elton Brand, PF (cannot afford)
• Corey Maggette, SF (cannot afford, but Byron Scott apparently has always liked him and might pull something to get him)
• DeSagana Diop, C
• Stromile Swift, PF
• CJ Miles, SG (restricted but real young)
• Josh Childress, SF (restricted, but if the Hawks are willing to deal…)

Update: Hornets247’s analysis of what we could get with our slightly crappy 27th pick is here.

Discuss.

I take you back to May 24, 2005.

Here’s the thread in which everyone on Hornets Report freaks out when the Hornets get the #4 pick after concluding their 18-64 season. See, and you didn’t think anything could make you feel better today. “Noooo the franchise is cursed!!” It’s funny in retrospect.

Because we all know what happened next. But just for history’s sake, you can watch the video of Chris Paul being selected by the Hornets at #4.

No one knew then that that #4 pick would turn out to be the best thing to happen to the Hornets. Chris Paul wasn’t supposed to fall to #4. They weren’t supposed to get that pick.

Or maybe they were.

The ping pong ball that saved the New Orleans Hornets.

(P.S. The Chicago Bulls, with a 1.7 percentage chance, just got the #1 pick minutes ago. Conspiracy theorists, have at it…)