It happened. Facing one of the worst teams in NBA history, the Hornets made it very clear how far they have fallen in the last couple months. The Nets absolutely obliterated the Mosquitos (that’s the bug I find easiest to squash). Let’s take a look at the positives first, and then touch upon what went wrong.

The Good Stuff

The Hornets moved one game closer to locking up the 11th spot in the lottery.

David West had a very solid all around game offensively. 25 points on 17 shots, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and a single turnover. He continues to play harder and harder as the team struggles more and more. I was a little critical of him earlier in the season, but he’s back to being his usual self. It’s got to upset him that he’s doing all of this in vain, but I really do appreciate the effort. Without him, the deficit could have approached 50.

Okafor did his usual thing, and continues to be the only form of resistance in the paint. His stat line of 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 24 minutes is nothing to write home about, but relative to the rest of the team he practically dominated. His (-7) plus/minus was tied for the best on the team with D-West. Each and every game I find it amazing that he doesn’t play more, and this one was no exception. If he’s not in the game the team is left without a single person who can even play average defense inside. Seriously, there is nobody else. To pay a guy eight figures a year to be your defensive stopper, and then not allow him to play starters minutes is absurd.

Marcus Thornton led the team with 8 rebounds. Even though his shot hasn’t been falling recently, he continues to impress me with everything else. His hustle and attitude are commendable, even after an embarrassment like tonight. Bravo, Marcus.

Because I’m on vacation, the game cost me 6 dollars to watch on NBA league pass. Yes, that’s one of the better things.

Posey only missed one shot.

The team only turned the ball over 10 times. One time Collison had 9 all by himself. Is this a good thing?

Oh, and the game was on the road, so most Hornets fans didn’t have to pay to see it.

The Bad Stuff

Chris Paul played one of the worst games of his careera. He’s still very, very rusty, and came out with both knees wrapped up. If he’s hurting at all, there’s no reason for him to be out there. Without anything to prove, he’s only risking future injury. It’s time to take the remaining road games off. If he wants to play a few home games, that’s great. I’d love to see him play a few more, but to put him on the floor for 37 minutes in New Jersey is a little over the top. Down 21 with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter, he checked into the game. What????

Eight Nets scored in double figures. Somehow Devin Harris wasn’t one of them. Very odd.

Excuse me for cutting this short, but what else is there to say? If I didn’t mention it in the good stuff, it was horrifyingly bad. Like I said, at least nobody died.