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The Pistons beat the Hornets. Yay, ping pong balls?

New Orleans Hornets 87 Final
Recap | Box Score		 89 Detroit Pistons

Trevor Ariza, SF 42 MIN | 9-12 FG | 6-6 FT | 7 REB | 4 AST | 26 PTS | -8Ariza did everything he could this game, posting a superstar line and generally playing great defense. I mean, 26 points on 12 shots. Seriously? I just had an efficiencygasm.
Jason Smith, PF 32 MIN | 4-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 8 PTS | +4Smith literally was TKO’d tonight as he took three heavy blows to the head at different points in the game and didn’t return. He plays with great energy, but he’s still poorly suited to being a starter. Just not productive enough.
Emeka Okafor, C 30 MIN | 4-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | +3Mek is in there for his defensive impact. Tonight, he was dominated by Greg Monroe. He just couldn’t handle the versatile young sophomore and missed three easy shots at the rim that he should have dunked.
DaJuan Summers, F 8 MIN | 1-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -9The Summers experiment should expire. End of bench, sure.
Greivis Vasquez, PG 37 MIN | 5-12 FG | 2-2 FT | 6 REB | 9 AST | 14 PTS | +1Vasquez had one nice scoring stretch at the start of the fourth – but it immediately followed seven straight pick and roll plays where he couldn’t turn the corner against the defense and essentially wasted half the shot clock. He’s a great backup guard, but as a starter he doesn’t have the athletic gifts to be highly effective.
Carl Landry, PF 16 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 2 PTS | -12The only reason I know Landry played is that I yelled at the TV three times as he failed to box out and his man grabbed offensive boards. He also struggled mightily to get position in the post – so the team would wait five seconds for him to try and then have to go elsewhere.  He did leave limping in the second half . . . so maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh.  Sorry, Carl.
Gustavo Ayon, PF 14 MIN | 2-3 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 5 PTS | 0Was playing hard, as usual, and was aggressive, as usual. He’s still half-lost out there though. Jason Smith pushed him to his spot on offense once, and on defense redirected him twice. He also operates much less efficiently without fellow Spanish speaker Vasquez on the floor with him.
Al-Farouq Aminu, SF 29 MIN | 4-9 FG | 6-8 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 14 PTS | +11Even when Aminu puts up good numbers, it always feel like his offensive success is a mistake. I love his athleticism and long armed defense, but I keep finding myself saying he’s got to figure out a couple offensive go to moves or he’s got no chance to stick in this league.

Five Things We Saw

  1. The Piston announcers pissed me off by implying Jason Smith intentionally head-butted Jonas Jerebko in the fourth. Give me a break. Watch the tape. Smith likes to lock on to opposing big men, and they frequently wrench free, flinging him around like a ragdoll. He was locked to Monroe, who twisted sharply to make him let go, and he was propelled right into Jerebko. Poor Jason went down like a poleaxed cow, though.
  2. I know some people are upset we couldn’t beat Detroit tonight, but the Hornets are missing both of their guards capable of penetrating – and Detroit was missing two of it’s most shot-happy yet ineffectual players – rookie Knight and Ben Gordon.
  3. I was going to say that Summers crack across Knight’s nose was his worst move of the night, removing the poor-shooting guard from the Pistons line-up. Then I saw Russell, the third stringer they replaced him with since Ben Gordon and Will Bynum were out. That was definitely not an upgrade.
  4. Hornets got beaten on the boards again. Kaman does a lot of things wrong out there, but you can’t deny he helps you win on the glass. I’d still trade him for a cute puppy and some french fries.
  5. Monty needs to quit it with Summers. Guy has poise but makes even more mistakes on defense than on offense. Yeah, he’s playing out of position, but it’s time for Henry to get his turn.

Ryan Schwan

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30 responses to “The Pistons beat the Hornets. Yay, ping pong balls?”

  1. I watched the game and I’d give Greivis a B- or a B. He did well running the team and almost had another double double.

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  4. Hornets should have picked up Lin when they had a chance. He didn’t get any PT with the Warriors, but he always did well in the D-League. He would have been such an upgrade over Squeaky even if he is unproven. 25pts, 10-19 shooting, 5 rebs, 7 asts, 2 steals, NO TOs in 35+ minutes tonight. He’s an intriguing player. People write him off cause he’s Asian but he’s a baller. He outplayed Wall in the summer, and now DWill. The guy just plays bigger and stronger than he really is.

    Ah, ignoring Marco here does well to reflect the kind of night he had tonight. He was similarly ignored by his teammates any time he was open in the corner or whenever he made a cut to the basket.

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    • Insightful comment about how Marco gets no open looks, not tonight, rarely any night. The Hornets play the most boring brand of basketball possible, which limits a player like Marco who likes an uptempo offensive flow. This team could run.

      Congrats to Monty for continuing with DeJuan Summers as a starter. The guy is a beast, and that’s what a lot of guys thinks counts most. Three fouls in eight minutes, four missed shots out of five, and breaking the starting PG’s nose. Plus he looks so smooth out there. Nice!

      And bringing Squeaky in first off the bench. Now that’s coaching!

      Worst team in NBA history? Ever see a more confused coach?

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      • No open looks for steals, rebounds, or assists for Marco either.

        The real question is: Why isn’t Monty and the entire NBA designing things to make Marco be the best darned 8th-10th man in the NBA, if not the world?

        I do wonder who we should be brining in off the bench when our second string point guard comes out if not the third string point guard when our first string point guard is unavailable.

        And a better starter than Summers is? Landry? Monty says he doesn’t work, and you have criticized his game yourself. So how about some solutions to this problem . . . a three year old can point out that this team has won 4 games (I checked with one).

        The Nets and Cavs have had worse streaks than ours, so likely not the worst in history. I’ve seen a more confused coach.

      • Wow I was just about to comment on the last one you just deleted. You take alot of liberties for being a moderator. James in NOT racist, just your perception of him is. And I’m guessing this comment is going to get deleted as well.

      • No. It won’t.

        I added to the comment and omitted it accidentally.

        Here is the comment as best as I can recall.

        “I’ve not seen a less thinly veiled racist in at least a year.”

        I take no more liberties than anyone else.

        And you are right. I don’t know whether he is or not. I should have said “seems” or something. It’s not so much this stuff or the love of Marco, but things like calling Marcus things like “little dogface” and other such comments.

        http://www.hornets247.com/blog/2011/12/17/hornets-waive-three-roster-stands-at-16/#comment-38305

        By the way, I sat here a week ago defending myself against people angling to get some commenters and their comments deleted. So I don’t know why I’m thought to be some “deleter.” I’m alot of things, but I don’t just delete stuff on the basis of me or someone else not liking it.

        Also, I would assume that you don’t know if he is or not. If you do, then I’m glad he’s not the way he comes off to me. If not, then I hope you are right anyway.

      • Let me add, without editing so I don’t screw anything else up:

        I’m not apologizing, nor am I sorry. I shouldn’t’ve been so definitive, but it’s my feeling and he’s been directly insulting to me for no reason on a number of occasions and without cause: http://www.hornets247.com/blog/2012/01/29/new-orleans-hornets-get-destroyed-by-hawks/#comment-42232

        He has his opinion of me, and I have my opinion of him.

        I’m not sure if you are a friend, relative, etc., so I’m now sure where you fit in, but your opinions are noted. If the guys boot me off, fine. If not, fine.

        James’ comments have been discussed in the past as nothing but negtive and disrupting in character, non-participatory, void of intellectual content, and more. He would have been banned by someone else over a year ago on the same basis, but he’s not registered . . . he just has the info populated in his fields for him each time he posts, so we’d have to do it by IP address, which will likely happen when someone is inflamed enough.

        So I’m not alone in my assessment of James. The fact that he’s even allowed to post here on a continuaing basis is a testament to some combination of tolerance on the part of us (and me) or just having better things to do than to deal with what one would hope would be one of our most insightful, if not biased, posters.

      • I agree with you about his past comments about Marcus. I found them disgusting, but when you read alot of RealGM you can get desensitized. It’s probably something you should have addressed then than let it fester with you all this time. Your comment at this point just seemed out of place.

      • I can certainly see both your points: seeming out of place (certainly) and festering (certainly).

        I posted more while you were writing.

        I do think that mods are both accountable to you guys and falliable, so I’m making my case to you and others quite publicly, and I’m glad you spoke up about something you saw wrong, and something I could have done in a better way.

        I do have to also add that that dogface comment was talked about by people elsewhere. It had legs. That comment in isolation could just be a lapse of judgment (I had one of those today), but there’s a pattern and it’s been noticed by others.

      • lol sundance. Don’t you know Jason Calmes, aka 42, is the “answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything”?

      • Jason is the blog’s intellectual leader. He knows and uses unnecessary big words all the time to prove it!

        If you think I’m a racist, which race? Check out my website under Images, then go to Brazil 2010. You’ll see photos of my wife (the Brazilian Beyonce) and I vacationing. She’s an African-Brazilian girl who hails from one of Rio’s darkest favelas.

        You can also read how I became a Marco fan under “Hot Topics archives.” I cheer for the underdog, and a poor Italian kid from the outskirts of Bologna making it to the NBA is one of those.

        Rocky!

      • Yes, yes. I checked long ago.

        I see little contradiction there.

        I hope contradiction makes the weigh-in on letter and syllable count.

        Also, I don’t think anyone behind the scenes on this site thinks I lead anything. I know I don’t.

      • Although I tend to get a little sensitive about what others post in bad taste since I happen to be in a racial (I’m Asian) and gender (and female) minority, I tolerate it. It’s not right to attack anyone here personally, James or anyone else (I’m assuming that is a reason James took his link down?). I see the comments about “hating” Marco or Marcus, but if they’re inflammatory I ignore them. All I ask is that if you are going to comment back, try to attack the comment not the poster. If it’s out of hand, then yeah I would say that’s what the ban-hammer is for.

      • I took it down. I started taking down links that look like the could be more advertising than personal if it’s not Hornets related (some put nola.com there). He sells books. I go through every once in a while and mine through the comments etc. to catch what the spam-blockers miss.

        Sunday is a good day for that.

        Also, see one of the unprovoked attacks on me referred to above. Sew, reap.

    • I felt a certain bit of happiness when MT5 destroyed Marco early this year. Fortunately that made James quiet for a bit.

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  5. Give Summers some more chances, maybe until the all-star break. What else do we have to lose? More games? Aminu gained some confidence, eventhough a little piece of my soul dies everytime I see him try to make a fancy pass. Time to let Ayon ball and time for J. Smith to hit the bench. After the all-star break it’s Xavier Henry time. Maybe Eric Gordon might fall into a uniform too………

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  7. We got 40 & 11 from Ariza & Aminu at SF tonight. Gordon’s coming back sometime, so I think our wings are looking good. Somebody must be taking Okafor or Kaman wouldn’t be back. With Oak gone & Kaveman and Carl expiring, thats 35 mil cap space available for next yr, along with 2+ picks. Gotta pay before you play.

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  8. With the first pick in the 2012 NBA draft, the New Orleans Hornets select Anthony Davis from the University of Kentucky!

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  10. Does anyone know when or if Eric Gordon is coming back? I think it’s interesting that no one (Bob/Gil, Times Pic) ever mentions the guy. I don’t see him on the end of the bench, so I assume he isn’t even on the road trips. Is he on the team or not?

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    • He isn’t traveling, and that is common across the league. Some injured players travel, some don’t. Neither is remarkable.

      He’s on the team through the season, then the contract must be negotiated. He will be a restricted free agent, assuming we both plunk down a relatively low offer sheet and he refuses it. This is also standard practice, and nothing about it is remarkable.

      The last-stated timeframe for return put him eligble (not likely) to return around the 15th. That leaves a week of games before the all-star break. Taking that week off gives a week off for all-stars, leaving a weekish remaining in the stated timeframe. He could come back at the early end and test things out, or just get the 2-for-1 on the `rest’ come back after all-star.

      I’ve heard more people puzzle out the after.

      Cool?

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  11. Personally, I’m disappointed but not worried by the losing. I look at this the same as 2004-05. As long as I see 100% effort, I’m good. In the long run, we’ll be better for it.

    I’d like to see more of Ayon, but I think there needs to be a Spanish speaking player on the floor with him (Vasquez).

    Considering how Minny’s pick seems to be looking, our own pick may be our best chance for high lottery.

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  12. If Tony Wrotten comes out, and looking at how many draft experts project him to be mid-1st rounder, I think the T-Wolves pick will still be useful.

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