Hornets start season off in a struggle

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By Joshua Davidson

After a dismal 2-6 record in the preseason, the start of the regular season was more of the same for the New Orleans Hornets.

The Bees kicked off the 2009-10 season last Wednesday night in San Antonio in a division matchup, but more importantly a big measuring stick for new look Hornets. The Spurs dominated the game from start to finish winning 113-96 despite their all star Tim Duncan only scoring nine points.

Game two of the season wasn't much more impressive for the Hornets as they squeaked by the lowly Sacramento Kings by a score of 97-92 in game much closer than the score indicates.

Aside from a monster game by Chris Paul who scored 31 points and dished out four assists, the Hornets looked sloppy at best.

The home opener for the Hornets turned into a battle of point guards as the yearly MVP candidate CP3 matched score for score with the Kings' rookie point guard Tyreke Evans who posted an impressive 22 points, three rebounds and two assists.

New Orleans stepped up when the game mattered in the waning seconds of the game with two big blocks, the first halting Evans' layup attempt for the tie and then later a blocked Kevin Martin three point attempt that sealed the victory for the Hornets.

Both blocks came from newly acquired Hornet Emeka Okafor who had a solid game contributing 11 points, 13 boards and four blocks. Okafor not only had the two biggest stops of the contest but also slammed down a missed jump shot, tying the game in the late stages of the fourth quarter. This came just two nights after the 26 year old center put up 18 points and ten rebounds against the Spurs.

Some changes still need to be made, though, if the Hornets are going to compete with the top teams in the Western Conference. Paul, Okafor and David West should be productive on a nightly basis, but with the addition to depth by teams like the Lakers, Spurs and Mavericks, the Hornets must get some production from their bench, most notably by the guard position.

It comes as no surprise the Hornets' coach Byron Scott is not very fond of playing rookies. It took forward Julian Wright three years before the former first round pick got adequate playing time. With that being said, Scott hasn't played either of the teams promising rookies through the first two game of the season, instead playing guys like Bobby Brown and Morris Peterson.

Both Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton were as productive as any Hornet during the summer league and later the preseason, each scoring double figures in the majority of the games they played in.

Both guys could potentially be a boost to a struggling bench that completely killed the Hornets during the first week of the season.

If Scott wants to turn things around early and prove that the Hornets can be in the upper tier of the conference some changes have to be made moving forward.

Originally Published: Issue 822 - November 4, 2009

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