It’s not this guyAs we said in Smack this morning, you can’t blame Chris Paul for last night’s loss to the Kings. And you definitely can’t blame him for the Hornets falling to .500 - CP3’s had only one bad game this season - a 2-10 FG performance against the Rockets.
Aside from that one game, Paul’s numbers are up in every major statistical category aside from points. So what’s the issue?
* Tyson Chandler’s intensity - The Hornets’ center became a fan favorite last year because it seemed like every time that he touched the ball, he was spiking a dunk. He’s since taken a step back. Both his points and rebounds are both down by a couple per game.
* Peja Stojakovic’s trusted jumper - There’s a lid on the rim for Peja right now. He’s hitting at 37% from the floor and 37% from three. If he’s hot, he makes James Posey even more dangerous. Right now, Posey is the team’s best three-point shooter by far.
* Julian Wright’s ankle - Byron Scott put the pressure of Wright before the season - he said that the former Jayhawk would be a key part to New Orleans’ success. But he’s been hobbled by an ankle injury and has only seen six games of action at under 10 minutes per night.
Have you been disappointed by the Hornets, and what do you think their problem is?
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November 20th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
weezy f says:
when a good thing ends it hurts..it hurts really bad =(
November 20th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
rodnets says:
other teams adjust better than last year
November 20th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Sam I Am says:
It’s unfortunate because coming out the gates there was a hype to have them reach ELITE NBA FINALS level and of course all they need is a lil rhythm to get going
But yeah the Lakers got this year
November 20th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Sweet English says:
‘You can’t blame Chris Paul… You can’t blame Chris Paul’
Yeah, you’re right, but if it all goes effed up, they will. What other scapegoat do they have?
November 20th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Kobeef says:
yeah - blame CP3 and trade him to the Hawks…please and thank you.
- Joe J.
November 20th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Big Shot BOB says:
I just think they have a target on there backs now. Last year they kinda flew under the radar in a sense. They were still an up and coming team. But since there performance in the playoffs teams are gunning for them.
November 20th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
MSkittle says:
Very disappointing! I predicted them to win the West!
November 20th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
doug says:
i’ll tell you what’s wrong. The media got behind them way too early. They suck. Any team or player the media is constantly shoving down my throat I automatically just stay away from. Rick Kamla of NBA TV already crowned these cats western conference champions 2 games into the season, a good rule of them always, if Rick Kamla goes with a particular player or team it’s best to have an opinion as far as possible from his, that guy is a tool.
November 20th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
VINNY says:
How consistent is david west against the better power forwards- is he really that good of a second option?
November 20th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
doug says:
MSkittle, did you really think they we’re going to win the west? You must be making that statement with your heart and not your mind. Theres no way there going to beat L.A.even if they do make it to the conference finals.They’re not strong enough, you have to earn your stripes man this cats aren’t ready.
November 20th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Smitty313 says:
I think they had a good run last year and was a little over hyped this year. Some of them guys had career years last year. But it’s still early and they have more than enough time to turn it around.
November 20th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
doug says:
The media and alot of people like they do with most crowned these cats way too early theres still 70 plus games to play.LeBron Greatest Player in the Game, CP3 MVP, Hornets to the finals,yada,yada,yada at the end of the day who are you fooling besides yourselves. Let water find it’s level and stop shoving propoganda of people and teams you hype down the fans throats. We can see what teams and players are good and make that decision for ourselves. It’s media at it’s worst. I don’t think anything happened with the Hornets,Dennis Green put it best “they are who we thought they were!”
November 20th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Smitty313 says:
Plus alot of poeple who pick them to win the west probably hate the Lakers or Hate Kobe.
November 20th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
doug says:
exactly Smitty313, infact I’ll go out on a limb and say all the people that picked them to win hate Kobe and the Lakers.How hate has infected so many minds…ridiculous and the people who say this know how ridiculous there statements are but would rather say this than conceded the best player-Kobe and best team in the Western Confernce Title-to the Lakers, they want to give it to a cat and a team that hasn’t earned nothing. A team that has limited playoff experience and hasn’t taken there playoff bumps and bruises yet. Do you know how many times the Lakers loss to Phoenix in the playoffs for them to get to this point,the Lakers deserve the credit as the best team in the west but haters still slight.
November 20th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Kermit the Washington says:
It’s all because the Hornets are favorites too soon. It’s too much pressure. Technically, if you consider how quickly they’ve been put together and the youth/inexperience of Chandler/Paul, they should have the same expectations as the Portland Trailblazers.
November 20th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
ticktock6 says:
Tyson and Peja also sported minor ankle injuries mixed in there so far. Peja had a jump to his step in the preseason that’s just gone now. His shot isn’t falling, and the way Byron Scott managed his minutes last night was anti-helpful to him getting going.
I would add David West as one of the issues. Teams are paying a lot more attention to him now, and he’s easily frustrated. This happened to some degree last spring, but he managed to work through it. He hasn’t done that so far. He gets doubled or tripled, is too stubborn to kick it out, and turns it over.
I was at the game last night, and the lack of defensive intensity dropped when Posey/Wright/etc came out and Paul/West/Chandler came in. Believing your own hype? I don’t know.
November 20th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Detroit Dave says:
The same thing that is wrong with the Trailblazers: They started believing their own press clippings.
November 20th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
P_Dizzle says:
The problem is they are overrated! This is about where I would place them. Last year they caught the NBA off guard and now they are grounded.