Hornets Hype

The Beastitude of a True Fighter

A lot of us die-hards were dealing with disillusionment in the aftermath of Friday’s loss to the Knicks. I think it was the point when some of us finally said goodbye to this season’s playoff hopes. The team came out of the All-Star break on a tear, traded Tyson Chandler, got him back, went on a 7-game winning streak, lost Peja, lost Tyson again, had a chance to steal the division lead from the Rockets at home and failed miserably, won too-close games against weak teams, and then had another chance to leap a spot in the standings against the Nuggets at home and failed miserably. Roller coaster, right?

Losing to the Knicks, in a game where Chris Paul stooped so low as to engage in trash talk with the likes of Nate Robinson … James Posey got ejected and suspended for chucking the ball at a ref … the team performed a complete 180 and decided to entirely abandon defense in the second half… seemed sort of like an end. It seemed like we were able to exhale that breath and finally come to terms with the fact that a team that could lose, and worse, lose like that, in the middle of a tight playoff race was just not a contender. And I’m ashamed to admit it almost felt good to let go of that, after all the injuries and disappointments of this season. I wondered on Twitter whether it would be better to save money by not buying playoff tickets, since we were one and done anyway.

And so it was that on Sunday I arrived at the Spurs game thinking, “Okay, we’re not going to win. No Tyson. No Peja. No Posey. I’ll just have some beers and enjoy being here. Enjoy the games we have left.” It’s a slow process, letting go of a season. The cracks appeared early. The .500 start. Then they got a little deeper. The home loss to the Warriors. The 4th quarter meltdown against the Blazers. Then they dropped the Knicks game on Friday. And suddenly, there it was in front of us, what we should have seen all along.

It was right after tipoff that I glanced up and realized that the arena was full. And I mean really full. People stacked to the top of the upper bowl. And not quiet people, either. This became apparent in the first two or three minutes, when a weak foul call on what looked like a Tim Duncan flop was met with a roar of boos.

So I guess at this point I should explain the hangup I have about this team. Which is that, every time they go on a losing streak, I get completely freaked out. Because we’re not that far removed from last season, when no one was coming to games. And part of me is just terrified that if the team fails this season, people will give up and stop coming. I do not want this team to leave New Orleans. I will fight and scratch and throw elbows for them not to leave this city. I will do whatever I can to prevent that from ever happening. I started this blog because I felt this so strongly.

On Sunday, I looked at the people hanging over the edge of the upper deck and it hit me, and I thought, “Oh my god. The city still believes in this team.” The crowd was roaring and the adrenaline was blazing and I’d forgotten how that could be.  And the Hornets were winning. They had no business winning. I don’t think anyone I talked to that day even bothered to entertain the thought of them winning. I mean, we were all just there for the beer. I thought to myself at that moment, “I would trade three losses to the Knicks for what I saw in this building tonight.” And it’s a sentiment that doesn’t make sense when you’re racing for playoff seeding. You can’t trade three games for one game. It’s a feeling I can’t explain. Maybe I’m just a junkie for this team, but I meant it. Five days later, I still mean it.

It’s stupid, right? Because how I feel can’t impact what happens in these games. What is a crowd, after all, but a lot of people yelling? But we do care. And we feel disillusioned and mad and cheated on the nights when it seems like the team doesn’t care. Because when we come to games, come yelling till we’re hoarse, come wearing the team colors, come booing and cursing and refusing to sit down, we’re putting a bit of ourselves out there and into the game. And we want to feel like we’re getting something in return.

We just want something we can feel proud of.

The team gives David West a standing ovation

And then, as if we were even expecting it to be taken up another notch after the Spurs game, in stepped David West.

I’m not sure this was appreciated by the national media, because how many people watch Kings or Clippers games? Surely not many. But the dude could barely walk on a messed-up ankle, let alone run. And he drops 40-9-6 on the Kings. He comes out of the game with just a couple minutes left and we think, surely he’s done. But suddenly Sacramento throws up a crazy shot, and the Hornets are down one with just 1.7 on the clock. And there’s David West, checking into the game, wincing. And yet he holds off two Kings defenders so Rasual Butler can get that one shot. And, well, we all know what happens then.

This is what I say.

It’s time to stop waiting for the team of potential greatness that exists in my head to show up. It’s time to love the team we have. The one that’s fun but terribly flawed. The one that sometimes seems a little too laid-back and underachieving. The one that the rest of the country gave up on a long time ago. Because they wear New Orleans on their shirts, and when you think about it, they’re not so different from this city, are they?

What it comes down to for me is this: Any team that can come out and fight like what I saw this week, I will follow to the end.

So let’s go there. 74 down. 8 to go.

Why? Because I’m your host, and I’m female. Why not?

All right, we’re into the second round. Which means all the completely unfortunate-looking teams are gone. Well, most of them anyway (yeah, Spurs, I’m looking your way). Check here for the rules. And you can review the action that went down in Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, and Division 4 of Round One. The Sweet Sixteen tips off after the jump. Get your voting on!

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The guys have the NBA Dance Team Bracket. This is for the ladies.

Here’s our final set of first round matchups. Rules are here. WEDNESDAY IS THE LAST DAY TO VOTE ON ROUND 1! ‘Cause that’s when the Sweet 16 starts. Division 1 here, Division 2 here, and Division 3 here.

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The guys have the NBA Dance Team Bracket. This is for the ladies.

Here’s our third set of first round matchups. Rules are here. You can still vote in Division 1 here, and Division 2 here! Voting is going to stay open until the end of the round (Monday), which is split up into four divisions. Unless votes change dramatically, we haven’t had a single upset yet. Which is weird, considering the seeding is based on record, not hotness. But that’s going to change. Today we’ve got four matchups in the Diaw division.

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The guys have the NBA Dance Team Bracket. This is for the ladies.

All right, here’s the second set of first round matchups. Click here to read the rules, or if you haven’t voted in the first set yet! Voting is going to stay open until the end of the round, which is split up into four divisions. Today we’ve got four matchups in the Wade division.

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This is excerpted from the Minnesota Star-Tribune:

Byron Scott won three NBA championships when he played for the Lakers and he coached the New Jersey Nets to the NBA Finals twice. He is a worldly guy who can talk intelligently on a variety of subjects.

But if you want to see his head explode, just ask the New Orleans coach if he has a team policy on tweets and tweeting.

“A what?” he asked, his eyes widening…

[...] “Who did? Charlie Villanueva?” Scott asked, unaware of the latest issue inside an NBA locker room. “No, I don’t have a policy on that. I don’t know what the hell tweeting is.”

When told he has a player who tweets, Scott cautiously said, “O.K. …” When told it was Chandler, he said, “I know he has a blog. Is that the same thing?”

Of course not, silly.

“Oh, hell,” Scott said, “I don’t know.”

But if you want to really laugh, read the article to see what Kevin McHale said. And, by a series of alarming coincidences, Hornets 247 also has a post today on Twitter and who Hornets fans should be following. No worries, Coach, Tyson hasn’t Twittered during a game yet. But you might wanna tell him to keep his clothes on after big wins, and stop dropping snarky jokes about the OKC debacle. Haha…

The guys have the NBA Dance Team Bracket. This is for the ladies.

Tournament Rules:

1. It’s a freaking tournament for who’s the hottest team. There are no rules. Just kidding.

2. Teams were seeded based on where they were in the standings on Wednesday. The top two teams, the Lakers and the Cavaliers, received a bye. I didn’t seed according to hotness, although by coincidence the Lakeshow and the Cavs are pretty good-looking.

3. There is no East/West. The first round will consist of four divisions. Each one was named after a random hottie who happened to be in that part of the bracket.

4. If there’s someone on a certain team that I overlooked, or who only looks good from certain angles, or who only looks good to you but you feel you can make a persuasive argument, please post a picture in the comments! Hotness is meant to be shared.

5. If you’re a female NBA blogger or sports blogger, feel free to drop your link in the comments! I’d like to put together a link list, or maybe post one a day. Let’s celebrate ladies in sports blogging as well as hotness.

6. Voting will stay open until the entire round is over. Of course you can still vote if you’re a guy. It’s not like I can check.

And now, on to the matchups…

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The only Twitter feed on our site right now is TT6’s, but you may have noticed she put up a link to where you can find my Twitter feed too, over on the right sidebar.  In case you missed it, you can follow me @ mW_.  I usually tweet from the games and try to pick up on stuff that you can’t see on television.

I also try to keep up with other NBA bloggers and tweeters and re-tweet the best stuff they do that you might not catch.  Well, I’ll be at it tonight at the Hive against the Thunder.  Go Hornets!

As I mentioned last night, I am up on a ledge right now. I’m definitely not coming down till the results of Chris Paul’s MRI come back. But regardless of the diagnosis, I might be up here a little while longer. Just in case. ‘Cause I gotta be honest. I’ve kind of lost my trust right now. And what do you do when you’ve lost your trust in your coach and your team? Well, you huddle on your ledge and wait for a sign that it’s okay to come down.

But just because we’re on this ledge doesn’t mean we have to be in Great Despair. Naw, this ledge is gonna roll New Orleans style. We bringin’ the party up in here, ya heard?

So, in the spirit of solidarity, I am going to throw the ledge open to fans of other teams. But I think we gotta keep this semi-exclusive. Therefore, I took a look at the NBA standings and came up with a guest list.

1. You have to be a playoff team, but be a) underachieving, or b) terribly flawed, or c) afflicted by injuries and woe.

2. You have to be a team that was supposed to contend this year OR has been a contender in the recent past.

3. All you under .500 playoff teams in the East don’t count. Sorry, you’ll have to get your own ledge. Ours is kind of snobby.

Bearing those three rules in mind, here are the fanbases who I’m officially inviting to share our ledge.

Ledge Party Invitees

Detroit – Championship contenders for how many years running? They trade Chauncey Billups, and the team’s chemistry utterly falls apart. Still in the #6 playoff spot, but this fanbase has got to be reeling. Climb on up the ladder, Pistons fans.

Phoenix – Oh, Western Conference brethren, you have a place on our ledge anytime. First they trade for Shaq, confusing the makeup of their offense. Then D’Antoni. Then they trade two guys who have been with the team awhile. And Steve Nash looks sad. Aw. Seven seconds or less to… what? No one knows. This team is having a huge existential freakout right now, despite Shaq having a resurgent year and still being in playoff contention. And what? Your All Star power forward is a great player but just can’t come up when LEADER NEEDED is flashing in bright lights? Have a brew, Suns fans. We have much to talk about.

Dallas – Dirk is sad. Chris is sad. Let’s be sad together, neighbors.

Utah – Man, I don’t really like the Jazz. But you are kinda the closest to being in our boat, just 3 games back in the standings. You had a year of mad crazy success, running to the Conference Finals. You thought you were in for great things ahead. This year you’ve got injuries to Boozer, Deron, and Kirilenko. Your pain is kind of worse than ours. As long as you promise to be polite about Chris Paul, we can party.

Totally Not Allowed to Crash Our Ledge

Boston – The Hornets have a 3-game skid. Pssshhh. The Celts had a 4-game losing streak. Y’all know what the view from the ledge is like, having resided there during Christmas/New Years holiday. So Ray Allen didn’t make the All Star Game and you lost to the Lakers. You’re 40-9.

Cleveland – So this is what it looks like, up here, where you’ve spent the last couple of years, you with your one dominant star and supporting cast that couldn’t pull it together. You ain’t up here now. We stole your ledge. Haha.

Orlando – Losing Jameer Nelson last night to a shoulder injury sucks. But you’re still a little too successful to share our ledge. You and the Lakers should find your own to hang out on.

Lakers – See above.

Houston – You guys fit all the criteria. Unfortunately, my dislike for Tracy McGrady and Rafer Alston borders on irrational. You’re like the party guest that I think would be fun, but ultimately you run the risk of someone getting drunk and a fight breaking out. This ledge is kinda high up, so for safety’s sake, you guys are barred. But really, I doubt you care, because you’ve been on your own ledge nearby for so many years running that you’re kind of clinging and twitching and didn’t even notice we were up here.

Basement Dwellers – Our ledge isn’t really big enough for all of you, and anyhow, I think we’re going to party pretty loud some nights. Which will probably piss you off, seeing as you just do not have as much to celebrate about.

And now, the question I’m sure you’re all asking yourselves– why come to our ledge? Why not camp out and weather the bitter winds of the midseason slump on our own respective hunks of rock? Well, we’ve got booze. And it’s about to be Mardi Gras on our ledge. We’re gonna do it up in style.

It’s a party. On a ledge. What else do you have to do up here?

UPDATE ON THE STATE OF CHRIS PAUL’S GROIN (ew): It’s a mild strain. He’s not going to miss the All Star Game. He might sit out the next one or two, though… Throw me a rope ladder. I’m not saying I’ll use it. But I give you permission to throw it to me just in case.

The last we heard from Bonzi Wells, he was putting up 52 points in China for $40K a year and some egg rolls. There were rumors that Chinese fans referred to him as “His Majesty,” the best player to grace the Chinese Basketball Association.

On January 12, we learn that they play the Hallelujah chorus when he dunks. No, I didn’t make that up. When have I ever made stuff like that up? … Oh, OK. But regardless, this time I’m not:

In the final period, the 1.96-metre (six-foot-five-inch) guard/forward repeatedly played off the screens of his Nigerian teammate Olumide Oyedeji to beat his defender and race down the lane for slam dunks. That’s when the public address system blared a five-second snippet of Handel’s Hallelujah chorus as the frenzied crowd — few of whom were likely to know the classic’s homage to the resurrection of Christ — stood and cheered.

“In all my years, I have never heard the Hallelujah chorus at a basketball game,” Shanxi’s American coach Bob Weiss, formerly of the National Basketball Association’s Seattle Supersonics, told AFP.

AND he was going to be on the cover of China’s version of Sports Illustrated:

After going through a strategy session at a practice last week, Wells spent the rest of the afternoon at a photo shoot for the Chinese edition of Sports Illustrated magazine. Wells is expected to grace the cover of the magazine for its Chinese New Year’s edition — an impressive accomplishment for a new comer to the country.

But wait, hold the presses, because last week Shanxi Zhongyu apparently sacked Wells when he never came back from vacation.

“He should have come back to the club on January 30, but he did not,” said the man, who declined to be named. According to a statement posted on Zhongyu’s website over the weekend, Wells — who was dogged by troublesome on-court behaviour and run-ins with coaches during his 10-year NBA career — went home for a holiday last month. He was meant to come back on January 27, but asked for a two-day extension to “attend to some personal matters,” the statement said.

On January 29, he asked for another extension, which the club agreed to as long as he came back in time for a weekend match. Wells, however, still failed to return, prompting the cancellation of his one-year contract.

Wait, what? HAHAHA! Hey, guys, maybe we should sign him.

And while he’s at it, he could bring me an egg roll. ‘Cause I got all this leftover Chinese in my fridge right now but no egg rolls.