Just a few things to bring to your attention today. First and foremost is that big ball of storm they're calling Gustav, which is just south of Cuba at the moment. It poses a possible threat to New Orleans so there's a lot of evacuation procrastination right now. Today being the third anniversary of Katrina, folks here are understandably on edge. The streets were a little emptier this morning. You see a lot of folks putting boxes in trunks. I've been told not to be back at work until next Thursday at the earliest.

If you're living near New Orleans you know all this, but for those who don't: Gustav will likely have crossed the Gulf and made landfall by Tuesday. Those precognitive weather dudes are predicting it could hit anywhere from Pensacola to Corpus Christi. This storm is expected to become a category 3 at most. Katrina was a category 5 at its peak. Still, a category 3 could do some serious damage. I've heard a bunch of people saying that they won't come back if they lose everything again. Mandatory evacuations, if needed, will begin on Sunday.

Me? I'm probably gonna skip to Memphis tomorrow. Never been before. I hear Beale isn't quite on par with Bourbon, but it might be worth a visit. If it sucks, I'll just go find some Grizzlies fans and ask them about their playoff chances this season. That should be a blast.

On to some other stuff of note…

• David West turns 28 years old today. Happy birthday, All-Star.
• If you haven't caught the latest article on Hornets Hype yet, you're missing an outstanding read.
• The Hornets signed Sean Marks a few days ago, and I ate a strawberry yogurt today. Neither of these things will make much of a difference to the team.
• There's some more thoughts on Marksy Marks courtesy of At the Hive.
• Who would you pick as the Hornets all-time starting five? I was asked that very question for Runnin' Fives over at CelticsBlog. The biggest debate that emerged from that is for the two-guard spot: Should it be Eddie Jones or Dell Curry?
• Chris Paul's got a camp coming up in mid-September at UNO. Ages 7 to 18 only, so I gotta get working on a fake ID. More info here, and at ChrisPaul3.com.
• If you want to track Gustav over the next few days, wwltv.com seems to be as good a place as any. The 5 day forecast map and the computer models are worth checking regularly.

Stay safe this weekend, New Orleans.