Man, what a weekend. I'd never before been attacked by so many goats. While I was away, the Hornets beat the Heat and lost to the Mavs. Some notes, observations and other such goodness coming at you after the dot dot dot…

• Peja didn't suit up for Miami, but he played in Dallas last night, scoring 10 points in 25 minutes. I guess that means his spine hasn't snapped then, which is good.
• Julian Wright started against Miami on Friday, and put up some nice numbers in limited minutes (8pts, 7rebs, 2asts). Then, he was a DNP-CD last night. Strange.
• Gotta give it up for Brandon Bass, who seems to be doing well in Dallas. 14 points, 7 rebounds and a dunk in Hilton's grill last night. Ben Hochman's got more on Bass in today's Times-Picayune.
• Happy birthday to Jannero Pargo, who turns 28 today. JP poured in 11 points in 18 minutes against the Mavs yesterday.
• Actually, that reminds me of a French guy I shared an apartment with a few years back. His name was JP (jay-PEE!!), and he used to go in my room when I was out and use my computer. I was cool with that, but why did he always close the curtains? Sick bastard.
• The legendary Rick Bonnell sees Emeka Okafor and the Bobcats going the way of Alonzo Mourning and the Hornets. I hope so, because then Emeka can point at the sky every time he blocks a shot. Basketball must be a breeze when god is on your side.
• Oh, if anyone cares, the Hornets preseason record is now 3-3. That's better than Cleveland (1-4) and they went to the Finals last year, so there's that.
• Just want to mention that JR Smith thing again. Apparently the Nuggets are looking to trade him now. I hear the Pistons have made an offer.

  Really pisses me off seeing someone like that throw it all away. If Smith had the work ethic and intelligence of a guy like David Wesley, he'd probably be an All-Star someday. Instead, he's following in the footsteps of JR Rider.

• Check out the sidebar here for video interviews with Byron Scott, Charlie Parker, Bobby Jackson and Chris Paul.

Hornets are back at it on Wednesday when they host the Hawks in New Orleans. Those mighty Atliens are 5-1 on the preseason, presumably because they're putting the ball in the basket more often than their opponents. Simple, yet effective.