Hornets Hype

And for that matter, New Orleans Hornets too. Last night the arena crowd witnessed its second serious/season-ending injury in as many games, when  Kareem Rush tore his ACL. It was a bit eerie to watch him roll around in pain in almost the same spot Chris Paul was rolling around Friday when he sprained his ankle. Both of them flew up in the air and came down hard.

So you know, guys. Be careful. If this happens again tomorrow night, it will get creepy.

The Hornets floor right now is like the Bermuda Triangle where season dreams go to die

There was a moment just before the final buzzer sounded when I’d forgotten the Hornets just lost.

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably watched me completely spaz out and go crazy when Darren Collison and Lil Buckets checked into the game with six and a half minutes left. And did they ever hit the game with a splash. Thornton had 8 pts and 1 rebound in 6:34, going 2-3 from three. Collison went 6-3 with a steal, running the fast break more times than I think we saw all game. Both rookies hit all their free throws. And they were zipping all over the place, cutting to the basket.

I’ve been mostly Thornton-Thornton-Thornton till now, I know, but there is just a joy and energy that Collison brings that I really enjoyed last night. You can just see it in the bounce of his feet. When he got slammed under the basket by a flagrant foul, he popped right up, clapped his hands, and grinned. And if Byron Scott thinks Bobby Brown brings speed to the lineup? Collison’s speed blows his out of the water. These guys were hungry. It was so contagious even Songaila and Posey seemed to perk up a bit. Hilton was inspired to do at least two things right.

Will people pay to watch a losing team? That’s the question, isn’t it? Clearly one of the answers is you pay to watch Chris Paul, because he’s a future great. But last night I found another answer. I watched Darren Collison steal the ball and zip up court, and Marcus Thornton cut all over the place. And I thought, “I would pay money to watch these kids make mistakes and lose.” If you couldn’t see the difference between those six minutes and watching 4 or 5 guys nearing the end of their careers going through the motions and looking depressed as they realize they might not regain their old form, then you must be blind.

Do I have sympathy? Yes. I do. People get older. I’m getting older too, and the reality is that most of us hate it. My 50-win predictions for this team were based on Posey/Peja/Peterson maintaining some kind of consistency with their career stats. We could probably handle a drop-off from one. But not all three. And you know– this may come as a huge shock so be prepared for it– I don’t include Devin Brown in that bunch. Not today, anyway. Because I think he really tried last night, put in an impossible situation, and he hit his shots. And I love all of these guys. I wasn’t upset when we traded Rasual Butler, because between the Three Ps, the Hornets looked to have that role covered. How do you predict things like this?

But the bottom line is, if Byron Scott really means it when he says he wants the team to run more, if the Hornets take a deep honest look at themselves and finally accept that some players have deteriorated, if the team wants to put a product on the floor that’s exciting for the fans, the last six minutes of Lakers/Hornets is what we need to see. I want to see Chris Paul balling with young kids who are creative, who can keep up with him.

Look, you don’t play the rookies because you think they’re going to be some magical solution, some great mysterious hope that can be plugged in to fix the problems with this team. They won’t. You play them because, even though you may lose with them, you’re already losing without them. The fans who pay the money to sit in the seats deserve to see something fun. They deserve to see something that gives them hope for the future. They deserve to see hustle and heart. Beginnings not endings. The local kid getting his chance and making his dream come true under the bright lights.

If you’re not giving us a championship this year, give us something we can love. That’s all I ask.

Oh, and pssstt. Byron. You looking for answers? Here’s a freebie: Thornton is your starting 2.

Lo, the delicious scent of basketball about to be played! (photo courtesy of @hornetsdotcom)

I think there are still some walk-up tickets available. Get on out there and grab your free t-shirt! See you all at the game!

P.S. And you can also check out our preview with Cowbell Kingdom.

Now that’s a pretty NOLA.com background! Um, if a little Myspace-esque in its clashing… (Click to biggify.)

*Disclaimer: Look, I know the team probably paid them to put that up. But. Whenever NOLA.com/Times Picayune acknowledge the Hornets exist, I still get overexcited. Sorry. It’s a holdover from these days.

NOLA.com: Looking Good in Teal

Just wanted to remind people that the Hornets beginning of the season rally/block party/freebie giveaway/team stalking opportunity is next Monday at 5:30. We’ll definitely be there. The whole team will be there. People are always asking me where I got ____ Hornets thing, like the Fleur de Bee car magnet or the yard signs. The answer is they usually give away stuff at the official events, and sometimes it’s stuff they don’t sell in the store. Here’s the official release so you can check it out. Should be a fun time, and if you see us, come say hi!

NEW ORLEANS –– The Hornets and Harrah’s Casino will host Swarm at Fulton Square Powered by Toyota on Monday, Oct. 26 from 5:30-8 p.m. on Fulton Square at Harrah’s Casino to tip-off the start of the 2009-10 regular season. The pep rally will give fans the chance to meet the entire 2009-10 Hornets team and is free and open to the public.

Fans will have the chance to meet their favorite Hornets player, be entertained by Hugo, Honeybees and other Hornets entertainment groups, take home Hornets giveaways, listen to live music by Big Sam’s Funky Nation and enjoy food and drink specials from restaurants located on Fulton Street at Harrah’s Casino.

“We are so excited for the upcoming season, and this is an opportunity for the community to get show their support and meet the many new faces on our squad,” said Hornets Executive Vice President of Basketball Chad Shinn. “We plan to continue the winning tradition of New Orleans Hornets Basketball and build a team that can make history and compete for a championship for South Louisiana.”

The Swarm at Fulton Square pep rally tips off the Hornets’ 2009 Buzz in Blue Week Powered by Toyota. The Hornets will make stops across metro New Orleans and on the Northshore throughout the week to promote Opening Night Powered by Toyota. Buzz in Blue Week activities include fan interaction events, watch parties and community initiatives

The Hornets’ regular season home opener is on Friday, Oct. 30 as they take on the Sacramento Kings at the Hive at 7 p.m. Fans can also purchase individual tickets to Hornets home games at Hornets.com, by calling 1-800-4NBATIX, at all Ticketmaster outlets or by visiting the New Orleans Arena box office.

Your annual look at the Hornets promotional calendar, hitting all the highlights (ie: the days that things are given to you for free). So if you’re still looking at which games you might want to attend, mark down these days.

Oh, and just FYI, I am excluding the games where the giveaway is Thunderstix. No particular reason, other than that I personally think they suck:

• 10/17 preseason vs. Pacers– Hornets schedule magnets (everyone)
• 10/30 home opener vs. Warriors– Opening Night t-shirts (everyone)
• 11/6 vs. Raptors– Hornets jersey keychains (first 10,000)
• 11/17 vs. Clippers– Go Green bag (first 10,000)
• 12/4 vs. Timberwolves– Emeka Okafor bobblehead (first 10,000)
• 12/16 vs. Pistons– Honeybee posters (first 10,000)
• 12/23 vs. Warriors– Hornets Christmas ornament (first 8,000)
• 12/30 vs. Heat– “BEE a Designated Driver” T-Shirts… ho ho what a great pun (first 8,000)
• 1/2 vs. Rockets– Mardi Gras mini-basketball (first 4,000 kids)
• 1/8 vs. Nets– Elvis Night. No giveaway listed, it just made me snicker.
• 1/29 vs. Bulls– Mardi Gras youth arm sleeve (first 4,000 kids)
• 2/5 vs. Sixers– Chris Paul Mardi Gras bobblehead. I must own this. (first 10,000)
• 2/10 vs. Celtics– Mardi Gras beads (first 10,000)
• 2/21 vs. Rockets– Mardi Gras youth jerseys (first 4,000 kids)
• 3/22 vs. Mavs– Hornets team poster (first 10,000)
• 4/9 vs. Jazz– Mardi Gras youth shorts (first 4,000 kids– hell, these kids are gonna have a whole freakin Mardi Gras outfit by the time this season is over)

I dropped in on yesterday’s Hornets.com chat with Jim Eichenhofer and rookie Darren Collison, and managed to get several questions in. I thought I’d recap some important bullet points from the chat, since we did find out some new info that fans, especially local fans, will want to know.

• Season ticket sales have dropped slightly this year, understandable with the economy and the disappointing playoff showing … Remember the first rule of Fight Club, ticktock. But group sales and sponsorships are doing well.
• There will be a pep rally held somewhere downtown the Monday of the week the season starts. The reason we haven’t heard anything is they haven’t finished confirming some of the details. But you can fairly reliably put October 26th on your calendars.
• The Buzzfest will be returning! (For you out of towners, a Buzzfest is an outdoor block party with free local bands, free beers for season ticketholders, and $1 beers and hot dogs for everyone else.) They’re going to have them before every home game, weather permitting. See, we’re so spoiled that it hadn’t even occurred to me they might not have Buzzfests … but this is something we have that most NBA cities don’t have and also something that could easily have been cut out due to the poor economy. So, thank you Hornets!
• I asked which players have the coaches been most surprised with in camp, and apparently– though surprised is not the word since he’s been in the league a number of years– the Hornets staff have been impressed with Darius Songaila.
• Darren Collison said the NBA game is different from the college game in that there’s a lot more space and guys are faster getting around the floor to different spots.
• He has the best chemistry on the floor so far with Marcus, Peja, and Posey, because those are the guys he practices with (guess we’re looking at our bench!).
• He’s been in New Orleans about a month and he loves the seafood.
• He has worn the #2 since his freshman year in high school.
• His biggest goal is to improve his three point shot.
• Dariusz Ejkiewicz’s question totally won at being the best though. He asked, “Is David West as scary in real life as he is on TV?” And Darren said, “Yes. And he’s even bigger in person. But he’s a great teammate.” ….. HA!
  

There are few certainties in this ever-changing world. Luckily we have NBA media day, which is pleasantly and reassuringly similar every year. We know that Peja will be the darkest he’ll be all year, players will be forced to pose all sorts of ridiculous and slightly awkward ways with a basketball– often two– and we know that David West will, at some point, manage to look extremely skeptical in a photograph, despite there being nothing apparent to be skeptical about.

Below are some of the highlights from yesterday’s posing party:

"Oh, they don't make CP take goofy pictures. Cause he's The Franchise." .... Okaaaaay, maybe not.

We really need to track the statistics this year on whether Peja shoots better in his dark half of the season or his pasty half. That stat sounds right about up our alley.

DWest works out some. Just a little.

I really want to caption this picture, but I think deep down we all know it would just be a dirty joke. So instead I will let you imagine what I would have said. And you are probably right.

No one really knows what is going on here.

WTF. Who would do this to Mo Pete's picture???

1. Chris Paul’s wizardry. There is no other word to describe it. The way he slips into the lane, like dancing. The way he eludes bigger players. That little running teardrop. The feeling that any time you watch a game, you could see something really, really special.

2. CP was the obvious one, but a couple of weeks ago I got to thinking about how I was really craving a good David West game. A good David West game is sneaky, silky, and subtle. It’s a dagger from mid range that looks so easy. It’s 30 points before you realize he has 10.

3. James Posey’s tall socks. I love Pose. I love tall socks. I own his jersey AND a pair of NBA regulation tall socks…. Okay, fine, this one might be particular to me. But I miss tall socks.

4. How Peja starts out the season really dark and then gets pastier and pastier as time goes on. Oh, and I guess, real things too. Like, “Peeejjjjjjaaaaa for threeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

5. Julian Wright’s bounce. What can I say? He’s got that thing in his step. Leap for the stars, JuJu.

6. Mercilessly tormenting Mocking on Twitter Being snarkily sarcastic toward Devin Brown jokes. I know, I know. There’s a place reserved for me in the Special Hell.

7. My seat. It is very comfy, although I wish it had a cupholder. It has a nice glass wall behind it to lean on. It has a good view of the bench. In fact an all right view of pretty much everything except someone standing in the Hornets’ bench end on the right elbow shooting a jumper. I’ve been sitting in the same seat for three years running. I’m rather attached to it. And, the New Orleans Arena janitorial staff being what it is, if I put a sticker on it that says “TICKTOCK6′S SEAT” it’ll totally be there at least 3 weeks before someone removes it.

8. Westitude. This is my term for the scowl on David West’s face when he’s being particularly beastly. Or doing things like tapping Dirk Nowitzki’s face. Or not smiling in pictures.

9. This is for things we haven’t seen yet– “Chris Paul to Emeka Okafor! Ohhhhh!”, Ike Diogu’s potential finally being realized, a young and hungry second unit.

10. This is for things we’ll never see again– the Crescent City Connection, Ryan Bowen hustling down the court, game winning threes from Rasual Butler, Tyson’s goofiness.

It’s been a long summer, longer than we would have liked, and it took me until about August to realize it, but… I miss my team. I don’t care about the trades. I don’t care about Game 4. I just want to see you out there again.

As far as the future goes, I wish only one thing for you: That when the lights come up and you get out there on the floor, you go hard and never look back.

A box just arrived at the Hype House in the mail…

The pin is the same one as last year, only with 2009-10 on it. The tickets, for the first time since I’ve been a ticketholder, don’t have a picture of an actual team member on them. Guess this means we won’t be able to keep our favorite Hornets Hype stat this year… I should note that the ticket pages alternate turquoise, purple, and gold. Only the outside cover is shiny. I like the design. It looks like a cigar box, or a deck of cards. Classy. For those who want to compare, here’s last year’s box.

* Official letter of apology for NOH/DEN Game 4 not included in this box.