[TimesPicayune] For N.O., its a game of names
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For N.O., its a game of names
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Peter Finney
The NBA schedule comes out this week.
For fans of the west-bound Hornets, the good news is the
Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings,
Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets will
be among those making two visits to the New Orleans Arena.
For head coach Byron Scott, the bad news could be his
Hornets will be playing those teams four times, a menu
that may prove bad for the coach's digestion.
All sorts of things, good and bad, can transpire before
NBA camps open Oct. 5. As of July 25, we know this: On
paper, the current Hornets' roster includes the five names
that figured to be the starting lineup going into the
2003-04 season: Baron Davis and David Wesley in the
backcourt, and in the frontline, forwards Jamal Mashburn
and P.J. Brown and center Jamaal Magliore.
The current roster also includes names old and new.
In the backcourt, the old include Darrell Armstrong,
Courtney Alexander and Shammond Williams. In the frontcourt,
it's David West, George Lynch, Robert "Tractor" Traylor and
Stacey Augmon.
Among the new faces on the outside, you have Alex Garcia and
J.R. Smith. On the inside, there is Chris Andersen and
perhaps -- a big perhaps -- Morris Peterson.
Names, names, names.
What do they mean for the 2004-05 Hornets and the new head
coach?
In time, we'll find out.
For the moment, let's go down the list, focusing on a few,
wondering what might be going through the mind of Byron Scott
before he learns the looks of his 82-game regular season.
Baron Davis: On the court, the Hornets are his team. He says
he can't wait to play for the new coach, someone he idolized
growing up in California when Scott wore a Laker uniform.
Davis is coming off a banner year -- 20-plus points in 44
games, 30-plus in nine. But he still has to prove he can make
the players around him better, which he did only on occasion
last season, mainly when he began jacking up foolish 3-point
tries and forcing the issue to a fault.
Jamal Mashburn: What do you do with a one-time All-Star who
was a virtual no-show last season? When the Hornets were in
Charlotte, he was given a contract that has the franchise on
the hook for $20 million-plus the next two seasons. You can't
trade him until he passes a physical, that is, until he says
his right knee is sound. Last season, he missed the first 44
games, then missed the last 19. In Miami for the playoffs as
a non-combatant, he trashed the franchise, suggesting his
injury was mishandled.
Given his contract, and his knee, what do you do with someone
who will be tough to trade, someone who found it difficult to
co-exist with Baron Davis when he was healthy? Good luck,
Byron Scott.
Morris Peterson: Because of Mashburn, he's a critical piece of
the puzzle. If Toronto doesn't match his two-year, $15 million
offer from the Hornets, he could be inked into the starting
lineup, someone who averaged 8.3 points for the Raptors over
82 games. If he remains a Raptor, the job likely will fall to
George Lynch, a better defender than scorer.
J.R. Smith: Here's the No. 1 draft pick, a 6-foot-6 high school
kid who'll be out to take playing time away from a 6-1 David
Wesley, an 11-year veteran at the shooting guard position. Smith
reminds some scouts of a Vince Carter -- very athletic, with
3-point touch. But how fast will he come?
David West: While last season's No. 1 pick had the highest
scoring average (4.2 points) for a Hornets rookie since Alonzo
Mourning 10 years ago, West has to prove he can do a better job
putting the ball in the basket, as good a job as he did
rebounding and defending. His learning experience wasn't helped
with a toe injury that sidelined him for 21 games.
Alex Garcia: A mystery man who has been flying under the radar.
Although he played in only two games last season because of a
foot fracture, the Spurs thought enough of the 6-3 guard to
protect him in the expansion draft. In 2002-03, he earned
All-Brazalian League honors, averaging 18 points in 32 games. It
was his quickness that led to the Hornets claiming him off waivers
last month.
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