« New Orleans Hornets 2011-12 Power Rankings, V.12
In the NO Podcast Episode 61: The Unibrow Show »
Hornets get roasted by the Suns
From the moment the game started, you could tell the Hornets were flat, and things fell apart about 16 minutes in. Five road games in seven nights will do that to you. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought up how few blowouts the Hornets have been subjected to earlier in the week.
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Lance Thomas, F 11 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -11
Thomas kept getting abused by Channing Frye, and when he was switched to Jared Dudley, wasn’t any better. Not a good game for Lance tonight. |
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Al-Farouq Aminu, SF 37 MIN | 4-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 8 REB | 0 AST | 9 PTS | -7
Aminu’s rebounding numbers look awesome, and he had some nice defensive ones, but almost all of his offensive rebounds came when he missed an easy layup at the basket and he snagged the rebound. And then he’d follow the rebound with a miss. He also had a great jab step-escape dribble move in the second that got him open for a 20-footer. At least, it would have been great if there had been any Sun within ten feet of him. He literally jab stepped no one and then turned down a wide open three for a wide open 20-footer. Sigh. His grade reflects his defense tonight – which was pretty good. |
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Jason Smith, PF 28 MIN | 7-14 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 14 PTS | -13
Smith sometimes has games that makes you forget just how mediocre a rebounder he is. Then you see games like this. He’s an athletic seven footer, and he snags three rebounds when there are all those misses going around? Yuck. |
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Jarrett Jack, PG 28 MIN | 5-10 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 5 AST | 13 PTS | -27
Other than a couple drives, Jack just looked dead tired tonight. He wasn’t coming off screens, his jumper wasn’t falling, and defensively, Nash got wherever he wanted to go. On a team with very few people able to create their own shot, having Jack not going full bore was a death knell. |
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Marco Belinelli, SG 34 MIN | 6-14 FG | 1-1 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 14 PTS | -21
Marco started strong, drilling his usual shots off curls, but then his shot went cold as the Suns started keying on him and he had a hard time getting free. |
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Chris Kaman, C 26 MIN | 4-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | -10
I’d like to say Kaman was rusty, but 8 points on 11 shots isn’t exactly unusual for the big man. Gortat handled him all game long and he was more hindrance than help. |
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Greivis Vasquez, PG 23 MIN | 2-8 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 6 AST | 7 PTS | +10
Vasquez was much better than Jack tonight, running an offense, getting into the paint a little, and at least getting some pressure on the Suns defense. Probably deserved a little more run. |
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Gustavo Ayon, PF 28 MIN | 2-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 3 AST | 4 PTS | 0
Ayon stepped on the court and immediately hit a cutting Belli for a layup. Great passing instincts, but he’s got to look for his own shot a little more – and when Robin Lopez came into the game, he couldn’t keep the big man out of the paint at all. Just a bit undersized. |
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Xavier Henry, SG 22 MIN | 1-4 FG | 2-4 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 4 PTS | -6
Henry was a non-entity in this game. He attacked the hoop a couple times, but in 22 minutes, you have to manage better than 4 points, a rebound a steal and a pair of turnovers and fouls |
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