The Hornet's Nest {[22-10]} Wright drops 32 in Win

[pacers4eva]

Hi, some of you may know me from my recent Indiana Pacers dynasty. I have been away for a long time due to school work, but now I'm back, ths time with my New Orleans Hornets Dynasty.....enjoy.....

[pacers4eva]

New Orleans Hornets Roster 06/07 Season

Point-Guards

Coming off a fine rookie year for the Hornets last season, Chris Paul has already established himself as a top-class point-guard in the NBA. Many see him to be the decisive factor for the Hornets this season. Veteran Bobby Armstrong will bring experience to the team and can also teach many of the young players to help them along. Jannero Pargo will be pushing Paul for the starting PG position.

Shooting-Guards

New signing Devin Brown from the Utah Jazz will most likely take over the shooting-guard spot but Rasual Butler will be breathing down his neck all the way.

Small-Forwards

Veteran Peja Stojakovic will be the first choice this season as the Hornets hope that the signing from Indiana can find his shooting touch again like he did in his years at the Kings. Highflyer Desmond Mason is aslo a great player and is improving all the time. Linton Johnson will provide the back-up

Power-Forwards

David West will take the starting PF position, although the Hornets have said they are looking to sign a strong big man. Brandon Bass will step in if West is injured or not playing well.

Centers:

Moved into his new position at Center, Tyson Chandler will have to have a good season if the Hornets are to do well. Behind him is Hilton Armstrong, the young Conneticut stand-out will be looking to learn a lot this season. Marcus Vinicius will be the last choice at the Center position.

Average Age - 25.7
Average Height - 6'7''
Average Weight - 219 pounds

Expectations from the upcoming season : "Anything less than the play-offs will be a dissapointment" - Chris Paul

Player Movement : The Hornets are looking to sign a good big-man this season, hot prospect is Kwame Brown from the Lakers right now.

Pre-season : The Hornets have organised three pre-season games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, The San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks.

[Cornerthree]

Well the roster looks very solid, and with two such explosive players- CP3 and Peja, you should get at least the 8th spot in the western conference. Good luck man!

[pacers4eva]

Paul leads Hornets to win over Cleveland

93 - 103

Rosters:

C : T. Chandler
PF : D. West
SF : P. Stojakovic
SG : D. Brown
PG : C. Paul


C : Z. Ilgauskas
PF : D. Gooden
SF : L. James
SG : L. Hughes
PG : E. Snow

Zydraunas Ilgauskas, a key part of the Cavaliers lineup was forced out of the game when he picked up two fouls, due to great offensive play by Chris Paul. Ilgauskas was replaced by Alan Henderson three minutes into the game at the Gund Arena with the score at 6-8 in Clevland's favour. Peja Stojakovic caught fire later on in the first, whilst LeBron James lead his Cavs into a first quarter lead.
Poor free-throw shooting from the Hornets meant that the Cavaliers stretched their lead and New Orleans fell apart offensively, missing six consecutive shots handing Cleveland a 12 point lead midway through the second period. Ilgauskas returned earlier in the quarter but again picked up another foul just before half-time.
New Orleans began their fightback in the third quarter, with Peja Stojakovic and Chris Paul leading the way, they bought the scores within 5 points. Former Bull Tyson Chandler rejected two shots in 30 secondsand Stojakovic converted on the offensive end for a 58-56 lead late in the third. However, a late Larry Hughes fightback meant the Cavaliers went into the fourth and final qaurter leading 77-74.
The Hornets defense was outstanding in the fourth period, with Chandler getting his 8th block of the night on none other than LeBron James. The Hornets couldn't miss on the offensive end, tallying 8 consecutive baskets from Paul, Peja and Chandler. With the score at 101-93, Cleveland took a time-out with 1:57 left in the game. They emerged from the huddle and all eyes were on LeBron James, but it was Larry Hughes that went for the big shot. But Tyson Chandler swatted away the penetration move and Chris Paul raced away for the easy lay-up to cap off an excellent game for him and a good pre-season road win for his New Orleans team.

Player Of The Game : Chris Paul - 42 pts, 11 assts, 5 stls


Chris Paul lead the Hornets to their first pre-season victory, Tyson Chandler holds his head high after an excellent game and Peja was all smiles after his 29 points

Keystats : Peja Stojakovic answered his critics with 29 points, and shooting 7/12 from beyond the arc. LeBron James had a quite night, with 17 points wich meant Larry Hughes had to carry the load, getting 31 points. Zydraunas Ilgauskas played only 31 minutes due to foul trouble, but his defensive partner Drew Gooden impressed at home, pulling down 15 rebounds, but he couldn't top Chandler's excellent defensive play, he got 12 rebounds, 9 blocks and 13 points.

[pacers4eva]

Stojakovic's 0.5 second jumper defeats Spurs


Peja's game winning jumper over Bruce Bowen....


89 - 87

Rosters

C : T. Chandler
PF : D. Mason
SF : P. Stojakovic
SG : D. Brown
PG : C. Paul


C : T. Duncan
PF : R. Horry
SF : B. Bowen
SG : M. Ginobili
PG : T. Parker

In their second pre-season game, their first at home, the New Orleans Hornets found themselves calling a time-out midway through the 1st quarter. The visiting Spurs had completely demolished the Hornets defense and had taken a 15-7 lead with Manu Ginobili getting 10 points. Tyson Chandler was the only player that seemed to respond to the call, getting 5 blocks by the end of the 1st, but the rest of his team-mates needed to pick up their game. The 1st quarter ended with San Antonio snatching a 13 point lead.
Chris Paul looked more like his usual self, getting three steals and converting on the fastbreaks and he was backed up on the defensive end with Tyson Chandler rejecting 3 more shots. But Tony Parker had the hot hand from the three-point line and Tim Duncan started to dominate in the post.
The 3rd quarter saw a much improved Hornets team respond to the home crowd's chants and with 2:00 left in the quarter, they bought the scores to 51-58. Chris Paul's 16 points and Chandler's 6 rebounds helped them on their way until veteran Robert Horry got the upper hand on Desmond Mason, starting at power-forward position to see how he would fare. The score going into the 4th quarter was 57-64 Spurs.
And so began the Chris Paul show, with two steals and two consecutive threes, the Hornets were within 1. Sojakovic and Chandler chipped in to give New Orleans their first lead of the game at 78-76 with 3:43 remaining in the game. But Tony Parker, like many times before pulled his team together with unselfish play, Robert Horry converting. But New Orleans erupted when Stojakovic shot two three's over his opposite position Bruce Bowen and San Antonio took time. 87-83. The go-to-man Tim Duncan spun and shot over a helpless Tyson Chandler and then blocked Chris Paul on the defensive end, Ginobili converted. 87-87 inside the Hornets' Arena with 5 seconds left. The focus was on Chris Paul but he made an excellent decision when he saw Peja Stojakovic cut into the lane. From the top of the key, Peja shot the ball, despite being hustled by Bruce Bowen. New Orleans was deadly quite until the rock filled up the basket. Peja was surrounded by his team-mates and fans were on their feet.

Player Of The Game - Tyson Candler - 8 pts, 14 blcks, 9 rebs


Tony Parker had a great game for the Spurs - seen here going for the lay-up. Tyson Chandler had a career high 14 blocks - seen here getting one on Manu Ginobili.

Keystats: Chris Paul had another fantastic night, putting down 38 pts, and he was assisted by Stojakovic's 27 baskets including the winner. Tony Parker was stand-out player for the Spurs, getting 13 assists and 26 points and Tim Duncan got 17 rebounds but they couldn't topple the home team as the Hornets stung San Antonio in New Orleans

[hova-]

Wow, nice win. No one posting replies so far ... but just keep it on. CP3 is playing very very well for you so far. Ah, by the way, you can take boxscores screenshots at the end of the game. The ESPN player stats central when you pause the game has nice boxscore screens now.

Good luck !

[pacers4eva]

thanks for the comment hova - nice dynasty urself

[pacers4eva]

New Orleans announce Boozer Interest

The New Orleans Hornets organisation today announced their interest in Utah Jazz power-forward Carlos Boozer. Boozer, who has been putting up 10.1 PPG and 9.7 rebounds in the pre-season for the Jazz has also said at some point in his career, he would like to play for the Hornets.
"Carlos is an intimidating presence in the paint and is an excellent, experienced player. If we could acquire him, Chandler and Boozer would be an excellent big-men force."


Could Boozer be headed for New Orleans?

The Hornets are rumoured to be interested in a few power-forwards. Kwame Brown was hot prospect at the start of the season, but Tyrus Thomas, Andrea Bargnani, Zach Randolph and Kenyon Martin have all joined the fraye.
"All of these players are amazing. Randolph and Martin have already proved what they can do in the NBA but Tyrus Thomas and Andrea Bargnani are in their rookie years and are already shining. Kwame Brown is still a huge interest but the Lakers are asking too much for him at this particular moment in time."
Who do you think the Hornets should go after? Vote in the Hornets Nest Poll.

[hova-]

If you want to be in the Playoffs, get a player who has already proven himself. So we have Randolph, Martin and Boozer left in there. Now I do not know about your roster, but in mine Boozer is a Inside Scorer star, Martin a power star and stopper star and Randolph Inside scorer star.
I do not like Power player at all, tough to handle and except you like to posterize all the time they do not really bring anything to the game.
So we have Randolph and Boozer left. You should go for other things like rebounding now and I suppose that Boozer is better at rebounding.

----> Get Boozer !!

[Cornerthree]

Oh yeah Boozer is very efficient, your team would go high by executing a trade for him... And if they ask too much, get Martin, his explosiveness and speed could make CP3 and K-Mart a strong due especially in fast-break...

[pacers4eva]

Hornets defeat Mavericks in OT for perfect pre-season

105-101

Desmond Mason got off to a flyer for New Orleans, getting 8 points with the score at 12-9. Dirk Nowitzki's eventual double-double rocketed as he sunk four straight jumpers to put the Mavericks into the lead. However, Tyson Chandler and David West - whos future at the club is in doubt - combined for excellent defense, opening up the fast-break for Mason and Paul to thrive and the Hornets had a 22-20 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Former Pacer Austin Croshere - who came to the club in a deal wich saw Marquis Daniels head to the east - was unstoppable from behind the arc. His four consecutive three-pointers fired Dallas into the driving seat. Chris Paul sunk some three's of his own but Stojakovic was having a bad bight as he couldn't buy a bucket. Croshere's 11 quarter points mean the score at half-time was Hornets 41-47 Mavericks.
Already having solid performances in the two pre-season games before, Chris Paul again almost single-handedly bought New Orleans back into the fray. Striking in the paint and from downtown, Paul got the home crowd cheering again. But Dirk Nowitzki and Howard kept knocking 'em down on offense to preserve Dallas' lead. A few minutes later, Eric Dampier had to leave the floor after sustaining a hip-injury in wich he collided with Chris Paul, luckily, it was nothing serious and he returned to the court later in the game.
Paul achieved his double-double midway through the fourth, setting up Desmond Mason to tie the game at 84-84. The game went back and fourth until Stojakovic missed two open jump-shots and Terry took advantage. With 8.2 seconds left on the clock, and the score at 91-90, New Orleans sent Jason Terry, the Mavericks point-guard to the charity stripe with the pressure on. Luckily for Dallas, he sunk both and the Hornets took time. Stojakovic inbounded the pass from the halfway line and Chris Paul nailed the jump-shot from downtown to make it 93-93 with 5 seconds to go. Terry charged upcourt and swung the ball out to Dirk Nowitzki. Widely re-knowned for his sweet shot, Dirk pulled up from just inside the arc. But the game was headed to Over-Time when the ball bounced off the rim and into the hands of Tyson Chandler.
Dallas poorly executed their offense, taking the tough shots but this was down to good D by New Orleans. The crowd showed their appreciation and it got through to the players as Chris Pul and Desmond Mason carried their team to a 105-99 lead with 14 seconds left. The Mavericks called a TO, and came out onto the court but it was clear they were not going to win this game. Tyson Chandler swatted away Devin Harris' mid-range attempt to cap-off an excellent display from the home-team and a perfect 3-0 pre-season result. The Hornets and their fans will be looking for more of the same in the regular season...

Player Of The Game - Chris Paul - 53 pts + 13 assists.


The Dallas Mavericks were the third team in pre-season to get stung by the Hornets - seen here coming out of their fourth quarter Time-Out....Chris Paul taking a jumper, he sunk 53 in the end...Dirk Nowitzki did all he could with with 22 points and 22 rebounds, but it still wasn't enough for his Dallas team.

Keystats: Chris Paul capped off an excellent pre-season run with a double-double, achieveing Player Of The Game. Desmond Mason looks like he will capture the starting Shooting-Guard position, as he put down 24 pts. Tyson Chandler pulled down 7 rebounds and got 2 blocks. Jason Terry was the high-point man for Dallas as he knocked down 26 and Dirk Nowitzki tallied 22 pts and an amazing 22 rebounds for the night.

[pacers4eva]

Pre-Season Stats

[pacers4eva]

Boozer inks on the dotted line...

After alot of speculation from the media about the NBA's best power-forwards arriving in New Orleans, today, the Hornets got their man

Former Utah Jazz power-forward Carlos Boozer and young guard C.J Miles have both signed on the dotted line in a deal wich saw David West, veteran point-guard Bobby Jackson and Center Marc Jackson head to Utah."We are ecstatic to have Carlos on the roster. He has everything you could wish for in a big-man, power, height, speed and has experience. Obviously we are sad to see the two Jacksons and David go, but the New Orleans organisation would like to wish them all luck in their future."
Boozer's contract is suspected to earn him $12.35m over the course of 3 years with the Hornets. Now, with Chandler and Boozer in the paint, the Hornets are looking more and more like a dominating defensive force.

First Regular Season Game : New Orleans Hornets vs. Boston Celtics
Paul Pierce and Boston will look to spoil the pre-season joy in New Orleans.

[Sacke12]

Nice dynasty! Boozer will help you a lot, i think...

[pacers4eva]

Hornets will tip-off 06/07 season

The New Orleans Hornets and the Boston Celtics will be the first game of the new NBA season inside the Hornets Arena. Carlos Boozer makes is first appearance for the club and will be looking to impress on game day.
However, the formidable Paul Pierce will be looking to spoil the occasion; averaging 37.9 PPG in the pre-season, Paul is certainly one to watch. Rising young star Gerald Green is expected to start at the shooting-guard position, after an impressive 27.3 PPG and 5.6 assists in the pre.
Chris Paul is going to have to be on the top of his game if the Hornets are to win their opening game. Paul was the stand-out player in the pre-season and when he averaged 44.3 PPG, it certainly turned more than a few heads. Tyson Chandler's defense will have to be aggresive as ever. Still only 24, Chandler can only be helped by the acqusition of Boozer to accompany him in the paint.
Key Match-up : Paul Pierce vs. Peja Stojakovic.
Catch the opening game of the regular season live on NBAtv - 8pm GMT -- Hornets Arena, NO.

[pacers4eva]

Hornets destroy Celtics on opening night

98-73

The first quarter started off well for both teams, Paul Pierce and Peja Stojakovic put early points next to their names. But, Boston's lack of a good inside man proved fatal as Carlos Boozer started to throw down on his debut. Wally Sczcerbiak was the only player who could find an answer for his team but the Hornets kep piling on the pressure and going into the second period, they had a 24-13 lead.
Chris Paul was already having an excellent game, and midway through the second quarter, he achieved his double double. Most of Paul's points came from the three point line and nearly all of his assists turned to buckets. New Orleans were absolutely dominating and had a 39-19 lead but a late fightback from Wally and Pierce meant at the break it was 43-34 Hornets.
New Orleans hadn't lost any of their tenasity in the half-time gap and went on a 15-4 run to stretch the lead even further. Carlos Boozer and Chris Paul, who look like they are to become a dynamic duo in the NBA, stuck away the baskets. The introduction of Gerald Green who surprisingly didn't start for the Celtics jammed a few home and Theo Ratliff banked for some points but Chandler and Stojakovic were relentless on offense and to end the quarter, Chandler dunked on Michael Olowakandi for the thre-point play - a summary of how the Hornet's night was going : Brilliant.
The Hornets didn't even need to show up for the last quarter as they already had this one in the bag at 73-51. Midway through the fourth, they swapped 5 for 5. C.J Brown, a shooting-guard involved in the Boozer deal impressed with a reverse and two-handed dunks, assisted by Jannero Pargo. Hilton Armstrong swatted away Pierce's lay-up attempt and Rasual Butler hit a three from the resulting fast-break. As the buzzer went at the Hornets Arena - New Orleans, it seems the Hornets have found their wings again...


Chris Paul achieved his double-double before half-time : Nothing was dropping for Paul Pierce : Carlos Boozer, a double-double on the debut? Not bad! : Chandler jams hard on Olowakandi

Player Of The Game - Chris Paul - 25pts, 19 assts, 3stls

Keystats: Carlos Boozer couldn't have hoped for a better debut performance, he got a double-double with 27pts and 11 rebounds. Stojakovic came back from his last pre-season nightmare, sinking 27 for the night and he got the Hornets off to a good start. Wally Sczcerbiak was Boston's best player with 19 pts as Paul Pierce was kept quite - he only had 11 for the night.

[pacers4eva]

Stats from the NBA Opening Night :

Kobe Bryant - Of the Los Angeles Lakers put up 61 points

Yao Ming - Of the Houston Rockets pulled down 26 rebounds

Ben Wallace - Of the Chicago Bulls swatted away 11 attempts

Chris Paul - Of the New Orleans Hornets gave out 19 assists

Allen Iverson - Of the Denver Nuggets took away 9 steals

Largest Loss of Opening Night - Boston Celtics 73-98 New Orleans Hornets

Most Points on Opening Night - Phoenix Suns 132-111 Atlanta Hawks

[Joker.]

Nice win over Boston Good luck to the next game

[pacers4eva]

Peja explodes over the Pacers

78-86

Peja Stojakovic's 31 points ensured the Hornets victory at the Conseco Fieldhouse - home of the Indiana Pacers. who on their opening game lost on the road to the Charlotte Bobcats. Jermaine O'Neal was the danger-man for New Orleans as they hoped to improve on their 1-0 start.
Chris Paul kept up his astounding assist stats as he handed out 12 for the night. With 9 points and 3 rebounds, CP3 didn't feel he needed to put the ball in the bucket for this one. Despite twisting his ankle midway through the third quarter and recieving an x-ray, Paul returned to the court at the start of the fourth.
Jermaine O''Neal got a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Summer signing Al Harrington dropped in 20 points and 7 assists, but they couldn't stop the new man on the other team...
Carlos Boozer is definently becoming a Hornet's fan favourite, achieving another double double in just his second game with New Orleans. 24 points and 13 rebounds justified that the Hornets made the right decision to go for the 25 year old Power-Forward.



Player Of The Game - Peja Stojakovic - 31 pts, 2 rebs, 4 assts

[pacers4eva]

Matchup Preview

New Orleans vs. Houston Rockets

Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming are both extremely gifted players wherever they play, but when on the same team it only spells one word for their opponents : TROUBLE
Yao Ming came out of China into the NBA as a rookie in 2004 drafted by the Houston Rockets who desperately needed a big lift. Big is Yao's middle name. The tallest player in the NBA today, the 7'6'' giant has made slow but sure steps to become the top contender for the league's best big-man.
"We know Yao is going to be a big problem for us if we are going to win tomorrow night. You only have to look at his height to see that. Tyson Chandler gives away 5 inches to him, but makes up for it on the offensive end. But Ming can also distribute, a very unselfish player with a great touch around the basket. Boozer and Chandler have a huge task on their hands."
Tracy McGrady featured on the cover of NBA Live 07, and this is a perfect example to show how much this Small-Forward has progressed. Whilst many see him as over-rated, others see him as the next Jordan.
"Well McGrady in my opinion is the best small-forward in the league, but then again, Peja Stojakovic is aggresive on both ends of the court. McGrady can do nearly everything. Shoot the fade-away, dunk, handle the ball, drive to the rack and not afraid to stick his body in there. He is a very difficult player to deal with"

[Marquis]

Nice acquisition of Boozer here. Keep winning

[pacers4eva]

Yao and T-Mac combine for the win

79-99

Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady really showed their quality in this match-up, with both of them getting 27 points. McGrady's other stats included 8 rebounds and 3 assists whilst Ming tallied 9 rebounds and 3 assists.
Peja Stojakovic kept up his impressive scoring record with 16 points for the night. Chris Paul and Carlos Boozer got 15 points each and Paul moved up to 1st in the NBA APG category over Steve Nash with 11 assists at the buzzer.
New signing Bonzi Wells also done well, chipping in with 17 points of his own. Rafer Alston didn't get a single point in the game andhad a rebound to go along with 5 assists...
Top rebounder of the night was Hornets Power-forward Carlos Boozer with 11 boards.


Yao Ming & Tracy McGrady = Double Trouble

Player Of The Game - Yao Ming - 27 pts, 9 rebounds, 3 assists

[pacers4eva]

Around The League

Number 1 team in the NBA - Phoenix Suns, 4-0

Worst team in the NBA - Atlanta Hawks, 0-5

PPG - Ray Allen, Seattle Supersonics, 49.5 PPG

APG - Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets, 16.2 APG

RPG - Shaquille O'Neal, Miami Heat, 17.9 RPG

BPG - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves, 9.2 BPG

[Slizz]

Nice Dynasty and at ray allen averaging 49.5 damn that shit is sick

[Martti.]

Oh man.. Ray Allen, 49.5 PPG and Kevin Garnett 9.2 BPG..
That's wild..