The Hornets just had three days off to rest, recuperate, and practice not sucking so much. They play the Hawks in Atlanta this evening, then it's back home to New Orleans to host those dastardly Mavs tomorrow night. We've lost four of five, so getting at least one win in these next two games would do wonders for my sanity.

Now, I should tell you guys that I'm finally making the big move to New Orleans this weekend. While that's super and fantastic and you can't wipe this stupid smile off my face, know that the posts here may be a little less frequent for the next few days, until I get myself settled.

With that in mind, let's focus mostly on the Hawks and Mavs in the notes today…

• Atlanta are 6-8 on the season, 4-3 at home. They're coming off a 96-80 win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
• The Hawks are of course led by Joe Johnson, who's been filling it up again this season. He's scored at least 20 points in eight of their last nine. Check his game log here.
• Also playing well for the Hawks is Marvin Williams, who the Hawks selected ahead of Chris Paul in the 2005 draft. Some say that was a dumb move, and I may be one of those people. But Marvin's showing progress, averaging 15.2ppg and 6.3rpg this season, shooting .497 percent from the ground. Dude missed Wednesday's game with a hip malfunction, but he's likely to play today.
• Last game Marvin played (Tuesday at Chicago), he got punked by Tyrus Thomas. Rasual Butler can relate.
• Big rook Al Horford (third pick in the draft) is looking like the real deal in Atlanta. He's averaging about 9 points and 10 boards per. Dave McMenamin raves about Horford in the latest NBA.com Rookie Rankings...

  Horford has received nothing but praise in this column so far, so it's time to turn a critical eye. First of all, get that free throw percentage up. Nobody likes a big man that can't cash in from the charity stripe. Now, umm, make sure your jeresy is tucked in when you check into the game. Yeah … that's all I got. You're pretty awesome.

• Josh Smith is shooting horribly for the Hawks this season. 36% from the field, 19% from three. Methinks we should play a step off him.
• Sounds like the Hawks might be having the same problems as the Hornets. From Sekou Smith's blog at the AJC…

  You're not wrong to expect more from this team by now. Everyone expected a more polished looking product, a more consistent product and a much more sound outfit based on the progress made last year.

  I’m as stunned by the periodic lethargy as you are. The lack of execution on a regular basis perplexes me, too. Not even a solid first half against the Bucks was enough to convince me that the Hawks are playing with the fire necessary for a team in their position.

• Speaking of the Hornets problems, Ryan Schwan has an excellent analysis of the bench production so far this season. I read it twice, but once is cool if you're in a hurry.
• Hawks-related linkage: Team stats | AP game report

• Moving on to those Mavs, and you know they've had our number. We haven't beaten them since 1999. No, really. Like the Hornets, Dallas will be playing the second game of a back-to-back, too. They host the Portland Trailblazers tonight.
• Right now, the Mavs are 10-5 on the season. They had a bad run recently, dropping three straight to teams you wouldn't consider super-awesome: The Pacers, Bucks and Wizards. Dallas are 3-4 on the road, which, incidentally is the same as our record at home. Freaky shit, huh?
• The usual suspects are driving the Mavs. Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard are both dropping 20 a game, Jason Terry is coming off the bench and giving them a spark, other guys do other things that help them win. Check out their team stats here.
• Hey look, there's Brandon Bass. After two years at the end of Byron Scott's bench, dude is reborn in Dallas, averaging 10 points and 5 boards in 22 minutes a night. Nice job, kid. Just do me a favor and play really bad against the Hornets.
• I never mentioned Ryan Bowen's injury on this blog, did I? Yeah, he's out for three weeks with (what else?) a frickin' knee injury. Byron, can Julian Wright take his minutes? I'll mow your lawn for a month.
• Righteous Mavs blogs: Mavs Moneyball | Dallas Basketball

Right, that's about it for now. Gotta go pack some stuff and prep the getaway car. People of New Orleans, you don't need to throw a parade or anything to mark my arrival. No, really, I'm a humble guy. Maybe limit the welcome to a banner on Canal Street or something.

Hornets-Hawks tonight is at 6:30pm Central. Mavs game tomorrow is at 7pm at the Arena. Let's do this.