So I’m doing some redesigning of the site, and I was going through my huge folder of Hornets pictures from this season. I came across this gem from the Celtics win (I think that was the best night of my life, by the way– shit, that whole stretch was amazing… they just couldn’t lose).

I love this photo of Tyson and Bonzi.

It’s cracking me up. What are they doing? Celebrating their mutant ninja takedown of Ray Allen? Preparing to kick ass and fight crime? Or maybe a fat dude just got naked in the second row off to the right and that is actually a look of horror?

The Times Picayune is reporting that CP is going to make the cut for the USA Olympic roster that will be announced Monday. It’s not exactly official, but the T.P., whatever other failings they may have, is usually right about stuff like this. It would have been an egregiously bad decision if they didn’t take the point guard who just had one of the best seasons in history. There shouldn’t have even been a discussion about it. Jason Kidd is practically mummified. After Billups pulled out earlier this week, enough spots were freed up so that Deron and CP could both go. But the article is also saying Tyson didn’t make the roster, despite having played last summer. Hey now. That sucks.

Congrats to Chris!

(And, self-servingly and unpatriotically, don’t get hurt, don’t get hurt, don’t get hurt, don’t get hurt…)

P.S. Oh, holla! My banner ad up top is now repping Hornets gear! Smart ad.

Oh, see, someone must have known it was my birthday.

Who gave this kid a camera? The Hornets as a team are pretty goofy. Sniff. I miss them.

Tyson Chandler’s official site posted this season wrapup video interview the other day, which I thought I’d point out in case people hadn’t checked it out yet. It’s a two-parter. You know I love me some TC6, so I of course watched the entire thing.

Some Highlights:

• When asked about David West’s facial hair, he says something to the effect of, no matter how successful an All Star he becomes, David is always going to be David. And show up places dressed in all black, jeans, and a hat, because it’s just what he does. Which I thought was funny because it always cracks me up that, no matter where D West is photographed, he’s never wearing a color. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a tie either.
• Tyson says as the season goes on, you tend to stop working on your game as hard because you’re more focused on other things, and he’s looking forward to getting back to that in the summer/fall. Which I found interesting because in the beginning season he had a little turnaround shot that he tried less and less frequently as the season (in fact, he busted it out in one of the last playoff games and we were like, “Whoa, haven’t seen that in awhile!”). Now, it wasn’t a highly accurate shot, and maybe they just decided to focus on the CP3 alley oop as his main offensive weapon, but it could also have been that he wasn’t getting the time to work on it as the season got busier, like he said. If he could work on adding that shot consistently to his game, TC would be dominant next season. (This is my thought here, obviously, not his.)
• His thoughts about playing against Tim Duncan (”He never says anything”).
• He kind of thinks Celtics, but says he’s learned never to count Kobe out. (And the interview starts out with a great story he tells about him vs. Kobe in the Lakers game here in March… as opposed to Duncan never saying a word, Kobe yaps constantly.)

… in size XXXL. Haha. For those of you who didn’t know yet, we’re getting a WHITE out on Monday, with everyone in attendance getting a white Fan Up! shirt.

T minus 2 days…

Two Hornets + Tyson’s wife + ceiling fan repair man = Instant Win.

I just wanted to draw your attention to the Awesomest Video of the Week, brought to you by Alejandro de los Rios over at Best of New Orleans Blog. He told us about this interview last week, but it was just recently posted up at ESPN the Mag for your viewing pleasure. You really have to witness the awesomeness.

It’s a contest between Jannero Pargo and Tyson Chandler’s wife Kimberly to see which one of them knows Tyson best. You have to watch till the end for the best nickname for the 7′1 Chandler ever invented.

TysonBlog: Round One Version. The best part excerpted below:

It’s comical to me that they wanted to play us. First of all, it’s comical to me that you’re scared of a team, and say that you don’t want to play them.

But it reminds me of when I was little. I begged for the My Buddy doll, begged for the My Buddy doll. I kept asking, “Ma, get me the My Buddy. Ma, get me the My Buddy.” But my mom couldn’t really afford it, so she couldn’t get it for me at that time.

So, I kept at it. “Ma, get me a My Buddy. Every other kid got a My Buddy. Mom, I never get anything!” Just making my mom feel bad.

So, my uncle told my mom, “I’ll fix this.” I didn’t know my uncle told my mom that, but he came over with this video and pops it in the machine. I’m like, “Ah, My Buddy!” And it turns out it was the Chucky movie.

All the next week, I’m telling my mom, “Please, don’t get me My Buddy. Please, don’t get me My Buddy.”

So sometimes, what you think you really want, you don’t really want. The Mavericks think they want us, and they asked for us, and we ain’t gonna be My Buddy. They’re gonna get Chucky.

Also, I’m so over the MVP race drama now, but this is pretty funny.

So just to be funny one night when we might have been drinking (OK, that’s a huge lie– we were wasted), we stuck the Hornets winter hat over the top of the Tyson Chandler bobblehead like a cape and declared him Obi-Ty Kenobi. Then I woke up the next morning and it was still there, so I took a picture of it. And when I started this blog in January in a fit of jealous rage, due to the lack of local/national notice of the Hornets’ rise to prominence, I stuck Obi-Ty Kenobi at the top of the sidebar with the quote, “I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.”

Because if you are not cracking Star Wars quotes while posing your Hornets bobblehead dolls for your blog, clearly you do not understand how to truly maximize the time-wasting potential of the internet.

Anyhow, it’s April 10th. The Hornets still hold the top seed in the West with four games left to play. The Chris Paul MVP hype machine is rolling, after a slow start. Last night the Hornets hit 55 wins to officially become the best Hornets team in the 21-year history of the franchise.

And I wanted to give a shout-out to Obi-Ty Kenobi, because I’m taking him down. It’s been fun, Ty, but you’re being replaced by a new bobblehead tableau. As you can see now to the right, we have the Hornets Empire.

Fear it.

(Oh, you thought I was kidding when I said I was going to pose those bobbleheads in fun ways. That’s funny. Also of mild hilarity are the three Photo Booth shots that my cat jumped into before I managed to get that one, which I am not posting. Don’t worry.)

Tyson is a man who has destroyed lesser competition this year and tonight was no different. Miami’s frontcourt, apparently made up of actual NBA players, had no answer for the Bees’ big man. He ended up with 20 points on 10/10 shooting, with 10 rebounds thrown in for giggles. The only disappointing thing is that he had I think 14 at halftime and didn’t even take a shot in the third. Oh well. Much love TC.

….

ticktock6: Is Bonzi chewing gum?

mW: Lots of players chew gum.

ticktock6: You think he was blowing bubbles on the floor when they were playing the Celtics? I’m just saying.

mW: I’m not going to answer that question.

34-19 in the 2nd.

….

Oh god. Gil and Bob discussing buying teal seersucker suits for the playoffs. And I think they’re serious.

The Heat closed for a short time but then the Hornets started playing again.

91-70 in the 4th.

….

LOL at Tyson swinging a towel in circles on the bench and hitting himself in the eye with it. They are gonna show that clip all night. When CST latches onto something, they do not let it go. That shit was made for YouTube.

Plus we actually missed the last minute of play or so because CST thought Chris Paul tossing autographed sneakers into the crowd and other bench hijink was more interesting than the game . . . ummm . . . (sudden silence)

106-77 Final.

….

ESPN, apropos of nothing, during Mavs/Warriors game just now:

“How about the New Orleans Hornets? Wow… blah blah… 52-22… can’t see them finishing out of the Top 2… just a great team… 30 games over .500… great record against the Western Conference too… oh, and Dirk just scored.”

YES, HOW ABOUT THE NEW ORLEANS HORNETS!!!

I have seen enough to know that my job here is done.

Okay, there’s been a lot of TC-bashing in certain Hornets forums lately. Not doing enough of this or that…boo-hoo. The man is AVERAGING 12 and 12 in the basket and on the boards, adding a block and an assist, with a steal every other game. Funny how people see that Shaq gets 11 and 11 the other night and think this is good. Not to mention that TC is only 25, and thus still growing into his game. Could he work on his defense a little? Sure. Do we wish the man got more blocks? Sure. But I also wish CP averaged 40-20-10-10 and Peja averaged 15 three pointers a game. Guess what? Yeah. Not gonna happen.

The key question is how does TC contribute to victories? The fact is that most complaints about his D are about his help on penetrating guards. He’s done a pretty good job this year straight up. And while the question of whether he is an All-Star depends on how he can guard the Shaqs, Howards, and Yaos, the question of whether TC will have a monster game is often about the center, not the team. For example, without a dominant center, he probably would have done great against MJ’s Bulls, even though the Bees would have lost out. Like tonight, who can say who will win against the Spurs, but with 6′9″ Kurt Thomas listed as their starting center (pictured, getting rejected by a shooting guard, left), expect TC to have a big game.

I’ve yet to understand the love crush critics have on Kurt Thomas. He is at best mediocre. Besides the fact that I can’t stand teams that insist on putting 6′8″ or 6′9″ guys, even with bulk, at center, like that will help (picture T-Wolves Mark Madsen, forearm on Shaq’s back, his body at a 45 degree angle to the ground…yeah…), he’s just not that good. He played seven years as a Knick when I lived in NY, and let me tell you, we were not fans. We got to hear every game how he was the last collegiate athlete to lead the nation in both scoring and rebounding (at TCU…whatever…) , expected him to do something…and were repeatedly disappointed. The man averages 9 and 7, with less than a block, steal, and barely an assist per game. Hardly an impact player. (See picture of him trying to guard a real center at left).

Bottom line? TC will destroy him. Unless of course Pop wises up and puts him on West, who will then destroy him. Meanwhile, I would expect TC and West to combine to slow down Duncan. Prediction? TC will have a huge game, but the outcome will be determined by Peja and Mo’s shooting compared to the Bees ability to stop Ginobli and Parker.

I’ll be the one under the big blue sign screaming the whole game for them. Go guys!