[外電] Building Hornets' foundation a challenge
原文出自nola.com
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1102230726244800.xml
Building Hornets' foundation a challenge
Sunday, December 05, 2004
John DeShazier
Hang an "Under Construction" sign on the Hornets' season,
and hope the lumps they're wearing will, within the next
season or so, begin to morph into beauty marks and battle
scars. Because the lumps are piling up at an alarming rate,
one atop another, the kind that can take a while to heal.
The Friday trade of veteran guard Darrell Armstrong was a
start. It must be the first of several steps to get the
franchise back inside a rail car; we'll worry about the
car actually getting back on the track later.
"I guess you could look at it like that," P.J. Brown, who
now is the team's oldest player (35), said when asked if
it appeared the franchise officially has raised the white
flag and marked this season for rebuilding.
"But I still believe they want to win. Everybody wants to
help this team, get it in position to improve. The decision
they made (to trade Armstrong to Dallas, for Dan Dickau and
a second-round draft pick), everybody was not happy about
it. But it's the nature of the business. I definitely don't
think they're giving up on the season, but I think they're
looking at the future, also."
The distant future has to look better than the immediate one.
The Hornets lost Saturday night, 92-69 to the Pistons, giving
them a league-worst 1-14 record.
"Our lack of intensity was a big problem," Coach Byron Scott
said. "This is the first time all season we came out and played
scared. We looked like we were afraid of that team. We were
scared to compete."
And even though there isn't much to fight with these days, that
doesn't mean a team should duck when it ought to be swinging.
The Hornets are about one more twisted ankle away from being a
pretty good Mid-American Conference team.
Don't think something beyond bizarre seems to be going on? David
West, an injury replacement starter at power forward, sprained
his right knee against Detroit. His bone bruise added to a run
of damage that has been so severe, the NBA granted the Hornets
an exemption, allowing them to sign a player to replace some of
the wounded.
"I felt bad for them," Detroit coach Larry Brown said. "They are
so beat up, and then West goes down."
At varying times against the defending champions Pistons, New
Orleans' counterpunchers were Chris Andersen, Alex Garcia, Matt
Freije and Corsley Edwards, who joined the team Saturday morning,
fresh from a tour in the CBA.
At one juncture of the fourth quarter, not one of the five New
Orleans players on the floor was a member of the team last year.
During that exchange Edwards was matched against All-Star Ben
Wallace, Freije squared off against former All-Star Rasheed
Wallace and Garcia went against NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups.
Junior Harrington started at point, making him the immediate
beneficiary of Armstrong's departure and the poster child for
these Hornets.
Last year Harrington played with Azovmash Mariupol in the
Ukraine. This season he joined the Hornets looking like little
more than a training camp body, entered the regular season as
the fourth point guard and made the first of what could be
several starts until Baron Davis returns.
"I just want to go out and keep playing the way I've been
playing," Harrington said before the game. "(Trading Armstrong)
gives you confidence, but you still try to keep things in
perspective."
The immediate perspective is that the Hornets are a work in
progress, and it's nothing near a pleasant sight right now.
The "Under Construction" sign hangs on a team that looks like
it's been in the path of a wrecking ball.
Cleanup and reconstruction are pending.
. . . . . . .
John DeShazier can be reached at jdeshazier@timespicayune.com
or (504) 826-3410.
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