Posts Tagged ‘New Orleans Hornets’

< Older Entries
Newer Entries >

Vasquez, Gordon Give Hornets Some Hope

January 9, 2013  ·  2:04PM

.

HANG TIME SOUTHWEST – Greivis Vasquez deserves a raise — which he’ll get in due time — or the key to the city or, heck, just make him mayor of New Orleans.

The city, and its beleaguered basketball team, couldn’t ask for a better ambassador than the Venezuelan-born point guard who’s leaving his heart and sweat on the floor every night as he emerges as a top talent in the league.

“The biggest thing is I’m getting an opportunity,” said Vasquez, a recent player of the week recipient. “Still, people don’t know about me as much because I’m playing in a small market, which I love. I love this city, I love this team.”

Pretty refreshing stuff from a third-year player just starting to hit his stride for a franchise that’s endured it’s share of hard knocks in recent years — including a hard-luck 7-25 start to this season.

Yet as I wrote after Saturday’s 99-96 overtime win at Dallas, the season really started at that moment. Add Monday’s impressive thumping of the San Antonio Spurs in front of 11,599 that ended a seven-game home losing streak, and Wednesday’s fourth-quarter comeback against the previously streaking Houston Rockets, and the Hornets are on a roll with their first three-game winning streak of the season.

Why the reset on the season?

Because the ridiculously youthful Hornets finally got game-changer and now-healthy shooting guard Eric Gordon in the starting lineup Saturday. It allowed coach Monty Williams to make other changes and roll out the starting five he envisioned.

And this is where Vasquez’s ambassadorial value comes shining through. A 6-foot-6, bearded jolt of energy, smiles, enthusiasm and positivity, his team-first attitude is absolutely contagious. It’s critical to the evolution of this franchise, and no more so than as it relates to Gordon, the 6-foot-3 scoring machine deemed the future of the franchise when New Orleans acquired him in the painful CP3 trade 13 months ago.

“I have a good relationship with Eric and I tell you this, we have been talking a lot,” Vasquez said before Saturday’s comeback victory. “Eric is a pro. I feel him as a player too, because his knee was really bothering him. But now he feels like his teammates got his back, we all got his back. We all know he’s going to make us better and we’re going to make him better. And now, we talked [Friday] night, we’re going to make this situation a great situation. We’re going to start winning games.

“For a guy like that to say that to a guy like me, that means a lot. I’m sure he’s saying that on behalf of the whole team because we’re winners, we want to win and we work. And that has been the main thing of our team, we’re going to work regardless. Whether we lose or win tomorrow we are getting better because our vision is in the future.” (more…)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (8) /

Blogtable: Teams Rising, Teams Falling

December 26, 2012  ·  10:25AM




Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

Week 9: The trouble with DeMarcus | What to do with the Bobcats | Teams falling, teams rising

Give us a team that is finally ready to break out? Which team has its best days behind it already?

Fran Blinebury: Assuming Steve Nash stays healthy, it’s got to be the Lakers.  They surely can’t disappoint more.  Though over in the Eastern Conference, when Derrick Rose comes back, the Bulls go from feisty and tough to truly threatening again. As far as the team that’s already peaked, I’m going with the Knicks.  Won’t this be the 40th straight year they’ve let the NY media down by not defending that 1973 championship?

Jeff Caplan: Improvement: How can this be any team but the Lakers simply as a product of their 9-14 start? Steve Nash has a way of putting smiles on people’s faces. Best days behind: NYK. Hey, I still like the Knicks, but the law of averages is catching up. I mean, they weren’t going to make half their 3s all season. It’s an old team and I can’t see them winning at their early season pace. Are they a top 4 team in the East? Absolutely.  Do they challenge the Heat for the No. 1 seed as they have for the first third of the season? Sorry, but no.

Scott Howard-Cooper: Most improvement: For a statistical turnaround, it’s New Orleans. Anthony Davis is back, Eric Gordon appears close to coming back, and that is not a roster that finishes with 15 wins as long as Gordon lasts in the lineup. But for real acceleration, it’s Minnesota. Ricky Rubio is back and likely headed for an increase in playing time, and Brandon Roy may return soon as well in another boost for a roster hit hard by injuries. Best days behind: Sorry to say Houston. Great story with a plus-.500 record amid tragedy and an early roster shakeup, but it’s hard to imagine the pace holding unless the Rockets do better on defense and with taking care of the ball.

John Schuhmann: The obvious answer to the first question is the Lakers. Not only did they just get Steve Nash back, but their point differential (+4.2 per 100 possessions) is that of a team much better than 14-14. Denver is another clear candidate because of the brutal, road-heavy schedule they’ve had thus far. And I think Brooklyn will eventually get things together. For the second question, I can’t help but look at the Knicks, because I really think that Amar’e Stoudemire can only hurt them. I still believe in them as the second best team in the East, but just not as unstoppable offensively as they’ve been.

Sekou Smith: If Steve Nash stays healthy, no team has the room to improve that the Lakers do. There is just too much firepower and so much ground to be made up (14-14 through Christmas is not what the natives had in mind for their beloved Lakers). They have true title-contender talent but have not played up that standard so far, though their five-game win streak is a decent start.

As for the the crew that we’ll see sailing in the wrong direction, and you hate to put this tag on anyone, but the Brooklyn Nets don’t have the look of a team on the rise. Between the rumblings about the offense from the face of the franchise to the fact that every time the Nets are presented with an opportunity to prove they belong on the big stage they fall off the stage (the latest disappointment being their work against the Celtics on Christmas), little has gone well. It just seemed like there was a lot to work with in Brooklyn; the offseason acquisitions, all of the hype surrounding the move to Brooklyn and the fact that, on paper, there aren’t three teams in the Eastern Conference with better raw materials to work with. But the forecast just doesn’t look good from here.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Blogtable / Comments (11) /

Hang Time Podcast (Episode 97) Featuring A.C. Green And Marc J. Spears

December 19, 2012  ·  9:06PM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – If you’re one of those late shoppers in need of a go-to gift or stocking stuffer, we’ve got you covered with Christmas just days away.

Actually, former NBA “Iron Man” A.C. Green provides a clutch assist on the perfect hoops gift with his latest book, Elves Can’t Dunk, copies of which will be disseminated throughout NBA locker rooms from Los Angeles to Washington.

All holiday jokes aside, Green dropped some words of wisdom on us with his first visit to the Hang Time Podcast for Episode 97 featuring both Green and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

We solve more than just your shopping problems, of course, as we debate the state of the basketball union in Los Angeles (is it a Clippers or Lakers town right now?); Ricky Rubio‘s return and what that means for the Minnesota Timberwolves; the Golden State Warriors and the revival of Bay Area basketball; And, of course, Jeremy Lin‘s return to Madison Square Garden.

Get all that and more in Episode 97 of the Hang Time Podcast with your hosts Sekou Smith, Lang Whitaker and Rick Fox.

LISTEN HERE:

As always, we welcome your feedback. You can follow the entire crew, including the Hang Time Podcast, co-hosts Sekou Smith of NBA.com,  Lang Whitaker of SLAM Magazine and Rick Fox of NBA TV, as well as our new super producer Gregg (just like Popovich) Waigand and the best engineer in the business, Jarell “I Heart Peyton Manning” Wall.

– To download the podcast, click here. To subscribe via iTunes, click here, or get the xml feed if you want to subscribe some other, less iTunes-y way.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Podcast / Comments (5) /

Report: Hornets Set For Name Change

December 4, 2012  ·  9:58PM


HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – The name on the front of the jerseys will reportedly remain the same. The NBA franchise in New Orleans is not going anywhere.

But the same can’t be said for the nickname that the franchise brought to town from Charlotte. The Hornets could soon become the Pelicans … that’s right, the state bird (technically it’s the brown pelican) is set for global stardom as the new nickname of the franchise with new ownership in charge.

The Hornets’ new owner, Tom Benson, who also owns the New Orleans Saints, owns the rights to the Pelicans nickname, per a report from Yahoo! Sports that first announced the pending name change.

If it happens as planned, the change in New Orleans could trigger not only a mascot and color scheme change in the Pelican State, but also some changes back in Charlotte, where Bobcats owner Michael Jordan said the Hornets nickname would be welcomed if available:

“It’s definitely an interest down the road, but right now it’s the New Orleans Hornets,” Jordan told the Charlotte Observer. “We would definitely entertain the opportunity. That’s as much as we can say right now. We’ve heard the community ask the question, and we would listen.”

More from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports with more details from the Hornets’ side of the potential change:

The Hornets also considered the nicknames Krewe (groups of costumed paraders in the annual Mardi Gras carnival in New Orleans) and Brass.

Louisiana is the Pelican State. The brown pelican is the state bird and appears on the state flag and seal, and official state painting. Moreover, the Pelicans played minor league baseball in New Orleans in all but nine seasons from 1887-1959 and in 1977.

Gayle Benson, [Tom] Benson’s wife, told Fox Sports New Orleans recently her preference for new team colors was navy blue, red and gold.

The Hornets came to New Orleans in 2002 from Charlotte. New Orleans has also had an NBA team called the Jazz, which moved to Salt Lake City in 1979.

Since the fine folks in Utah have no intention of parting ways with the Jazz nickname, the Bensons had to come up with something. And for the people of the state of Louisiana, the Pelicans is a much more representative moniker than the Hornets. It’s a state-pride thing.

We’re all for region-appropriate nicknames and everything; the Oklahoma City Thunder — who moved from Seattle and left the name “SuperSonics” behind — is a spot-on name. But some nicknames need to be left alone for eternity.

The Los Angeles Lakers are named for the lakes of Minnesota, where the franchise began as the Minneapolis Lakers. That nickname is off limits.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (260) /

Notes From Last Night — Nov. 29

November 29, 2012  ·  7:17AM

NBA.com staff reports

Here’s a closer stats look at some of the games from last night:

Spurs 110, Magic 89

Spurs:

  • 5th straight win (all on the road)
  • Spurs now 29-4 over their last 33 road games. (new NBA record over a 33-game road stretch)
  • 110 pts (9-0 when they score more than 100 points this season)
  • Ginobili: 20 pts (ties season high)

Magic:

  •  have lost 2 in a row and 9 of their last 12
  • 16 assists (season low)

Nets 95, Celtics 83

Nets:

  • Fourth straight win
  • Have won 9 of their last 1
  • Starters: 43 points (season low)
  • Stackhouse: 17 points (season high); scored 31 points combined in past two games
  • Blatche: 13 rebounds (season high)

 Celtics:

  • have lost 3 of their last 5
  • 83 points (ties season low)
  • Rondo: three assists, ejected in second quarter (streak of 10-plus assists in game snapped at 37 games)

Knicks 102, Bucks 88

Knicks:

  • have won 2 of their last 3
  • 10-1 when they hold teams to 100 points or less
  • Novak: 19 points (season high)
  • Prigioni: 11 points (ties season high)

Bucks:

  • have lost 4 of their last 5
  • Starters: 37 points (ties season low)
  • 36 rebounds (ties season low set in previous game @ CHI)
  • Udrih: 18 points (season high)

Grizzlies 103, Raptors 82

Raptors:

  • 6th loss in a row
  • 1-9 on the road this season
  • 33 rebounds, 11 assists (both are season lows)

Grizzlies:

  • have won 3 in a row and 11 of their last 12
  • 28 assists (ties season high)
  • Speights: 18 points, 12 rebounds (both are season highs)
  • Randolph: 17 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists (season high) — has had a double-double in 12 of 13 games this season (more…)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized / Comments (5) /

Like ‘Sheed Said, ‘Ball Don’t Lie’ (Video)

November 21, 2012  ·  12:35PM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Rasheed Wallace is famous for lots of things, most notably his colorful, championship-capturing basketball career and also his even more colorful vocabulary when it comes to talking to opponents and officials.

Now New Orleans Hornets rookie Austin Rivers knows exactly why Wallace is so closely associated with the phrase, “Ball Don’t Lie” and all that comes with it:



And we agree with ‘Sheed. He “can yell all he wants.”

It’s good to have you back in the league “Roscoe!”

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (5) /

Hornets’ Williams Fined $25K For Criticizing NBA Concussions Policy

November 6, 2012  ·  7:57PM

 

There was a little bit of a delayed reaction from NBA headquarters to New Orleans coach Monty Williams’ public criticism of the league’s concussions policy – Williams made his comments Saturday in Chicago and his $25,000 fine wasn’t announced until Tuesday evening.

Maybe a slightly dulled response time seems in order, given the subject matter.

Williams was facing a difficult situation – a road game, the second of back-to-back dates, against the Chicago Bulls without prized rookie big man Anthony Davis. Davis was back in New Orleans because, the night before against Utah, he took an inadvertent elbow to the side of his head from teammate Austin Rivers. Davis was diagnosed with a mild concussion, and that made him subject to the league’s protocols for such injuries – including no air travel, a series of tests and a neurological exam before he could be cleared to play again.

That wasn’t happening overnight; in fact, Davis, despite the “mild” label, still hadn’t been cleared Tuesday to play in the Hornets’ home game against Philadelphia Wednesday. So Williams, about 90 minutes before tipoff at United Center that night, was feeling the competitive tug. (more…)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (16) /

Hornets Coach Admits He’s ‘A Baby,’ Wants Davis Concussion Or Not

November 3, 2012  ·  8:04PM

CHICAGO –- Hornets coach Monty Williams wasn’t happy to be facing Chicago at United Center on Saturday without rookie big man Anthony Davis, who was kept back in New Orleans for further testing after suffering a mild concussion in the first half against Utah on Friday.

It was teammate Austin Rivers‘ inadvertent elbow that clipped Davis in the side of the head, putting him out of what became an 88-86 loss. But it was the NBA’s precautionary concussions policy that prevented Davis from flying with the team to his hometown — his only scheduled appearance of 2012-13 in Chicago — and will sideline him until he satisfies the requirements of physical testing and a neurological exam.

Now, please know that Williams was mindful of the NBA’s fining power when he spoke with reporters before the game. But as he spoke, he revved up a little and he didn’t mince words.

“When you’re dealing with the brain, I guess what’s happening in football has affected everybody,” the Hornets coach said. “You treat everybody like they have on white gloves and pink drawers. It’s getting old. But it’s just the way the league is now.”

Williams also said: “It’s a man’s game and we’re treating these guys like they’re five years old.” (more…)

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in 2012, HT News / Comments (13) /

Concussion Knocks Davis From Making Hometown Debut In Chicago

November 3, 2012  ·  1:40PM

 

CHICAGO – The last meaningful game Anthony Davis played in or near his hometown was a disappointment: a 60-53 loss to top-ranked King, Davis’ Perspectives Charter school falling in the Illinois’ Class 3A regional in March 2011. He never got to play back in Chicago last season, when the closest he came in the University of Kentucky’s 38-2 season was a stop in Bloomington, Ind.

And now what would have been Davis’ NBA debut in the Windy City, as the No. 1 pick in the Draft in June and the prognosticators’ heavy favorite for 2012-13 Rookie of the Year, has gotten whacked, too.

Not unlike the way the New Orleans Hornets’ young big man himself got whacked Friday night. Davis suffered what doctors have termed a mild concussion when rookie teammate Austin Rivers‘ elbow caught Davis on the right side of his head in the second quarter of the Hornets’ home game against Utah.

Initial reports indicated that Davis had difficulty answering some of the questions put to him – “Where are you?” – soon after he exited with 4:51 left in the first half. He did not travel with the club for tonight’s game against the Bulls at United Center – Ryan Anderson is expected to start at center in Davis’ absence – instead staying behind for further testing. (more…)

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (13) /

Is Eric Gordon Done For The Season?

November 1, 2012  ·  5:09PM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – It’s easy to get tangled up with semantics during election season. Same goes for injury issues in the NBA.

When you hear that New Orleans Hornets guard Eric Gordon is out indefinitely with a right knee injury, the same one that cost him all but nine games last season and led to him missing the entire preseason and the Hornets’ season-opening loss to the Spurs, you have no choice but to ask an obvious question.

Does “indefinitely” mean that he’s done for the season?

There is no clear-cut answer right now. Gordon has had multiple MRIs and team medical officials have indicated that there is a reason for the pain he’s been experiencing, but no specifics have been made public.

(more…)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (29) /

< Older Entries
Newer Entries >