I haven’t said anything yet on the site about David West. I’m sad, but there is an odd sense of relief as well. His injury has actually relaxed a little knot of anxiety that tightened my belly every time I thought about the Playoffs. You see, I felt like we needed a good showing there. That we needed a second round appearance that showed some fight. I had convinced myself that putting that sort of run together could have meant the world to retaining a solid foundation to build on.
Now, with West out? I don’t feel anxiety about the playoffs. West’s absence is an excuse. I’m not sure why that makes me feel less worried about the post-season because logically it’s a poor excuse. Is being able to say “But West wasn’t playing” really going to impact on the teams ability to retain CP3? I doubt it.
In the end, the injury also means it’s possible we’ve seen the last games in a Hornets uniform by David West. He could go elsewhere this summer even with his injury, if a team desperate for a power forward and loaded with cash comes calling. So I will give him a bit of an epitaph for this season, before moving on and concentrating on the rest of the team.
Appreciating West
For two seasons, Fluffy was my favorite player on the team. There’s just something about the combination of a muscular big man who shows the ball-handling and shooting ability of a guard that just makes me smile. Size and Skill. Toughness. There can also be few things as fun to watch as a legitimately angry David West.
Then, of course, there were the two years after 2007-2008. You could tell he didn’t consider the team a contender and it showed in his effort. Little frustrated me more than last year’s defensive effort from David West.
But this season he’s been a delight to watch again. You will not find a big man in the game who has more ways to generate shots than David West. Even guys like Dirk Nowitzki have advantages on the court against almost everyone they just go to in order to score. West is not like that, though. He’s a little undersized, a little slow, a little unathletic, not strong enough. So he unleashes a dizzying array of offensive moves to score. Crossovers, step backs, spins, hooks, up and unders, and all complimented by a deadly fadeaway that is fluffy out to 20 feet.
That’s gone for this season – and probably part of next. I’m sad for the Hornets. I’m sad for David West and his family, because this injury probably cost him millions. I hope to see him next year so he can own most of the major records in the Hornets franchise books for points scored and rebounds. Work hard on the rehab, Fluffy, and come back to us with a vengeance.
On to the game.
Matchup: Hornets(42-31) @ Lakers(52-20)
Off Efficiency: Hornets 103.9(19th), Lakers 108.6(4th)
Def Efficiency: Hornets 101.5(6th), Lakers 101.6(7th)
I’m keeping this short and sweet. The Lakers are playing extremely well right now. The team is healthy, and the Bynum-Gasol-Odom-Artest front line is clicking. Artest, in particular, is playing better than he has all season. This team, despite it’s gaping hole at the point with Fisher and Blake doing very little, is a monster. Bryant-Artest-Brown-Barnes is a mean group of wings.
To win, the Hornets are going to need to stroke their perimeter shots and have Landry get his post scoring going at a high level. Considering the Hornets shooting ineptitude, I don’t expect a miracle.
At least we should see Chris Paul tear it up. He’s playing at a high level, and Blake and Fisher are going to get torched. At least until the forth when Fisher’s savvy inevitably draws at least one vitally important charge for the lakers.
Freakin’ Derek Fisher.
Let’s hope Belinelli and Ariza are stroking it! Enjoy the game!
59 responses to “Game On: Hornets @ Lakers – but really talking David West (Live Chat)”
I prefer Diddles to Fluffy any day but least its in support of my main man. Hornets take the Lakers tonight, we prove me may have lost D west but we aent givin up on THE west 😉 and strike fear in the entire western conference. That is all
I feel the opposite about the West injury– completely stressed out. The playoffs were an opportunity for us to really show the world (and Paul) that talent-wise we are up there with anyone in the West but the Lakers.
When West got hurt I realized that he had always been my favorite.
And conversely, I actually couldn’t agree more with Ryan- which is strange to say. A loss in the first round at full strength would have been devistating for this team after such a great start to the season. But now, they can enter the playoffs with absolutely nothing to lose as they will be a huge underdog to any first round opponent.
I have a crazy idea. What are the chances that the Benson family buy the Hornets? hahaha. Its too crazy but its the perfect scenario.
Agree 1000%
Never is there any good to come from a player being hurt like this.
Well, perhaps early in the season when a team can still make moves.
But now…at this time…it’s nothing more than painful.
Nobody care to hear you had a reason to lose anyhow.
They don’t care.
Just get the hell out of their way…and better luck next year!
That’s what they REALLY feel.
There might not be another year or a chance to see what this team could have been.
By the time it all comes around again, it could be all new people.
BUT they still need to work hard as a team and report to work with their lunch buckets and do what they get paid to d.
Wset or no West, they still go to the pay window every week.
Fluffy Diddles? Can’t say I’ve heard stranger nicknames than that. Nevertheless, David West is a stud and I hope he sticks around. If for whatever reason he goes elsewhere, I can’t imagine him settling for some crap team like Sacramento. Teams like that are hopeless, and I refuse to believe he’ll go just for some money. Furthemore, his lack of leg might have decreased his value dramatically.
It’s being reported today. I saw it in person. Julian Wright refused to enter the game when the Raptors played the Warriors in Oakland Friday. Our seats are behind the visitors’ bench, so we get a good look at what’s going on. Wright sat at the end of the bench all night, wandered around during timeouts, and DID NOT LOOK AT THE COURT while play was going on. In the second half, Jay Triano (who has no business coaching in this or any league) called for Wright to enter the game and he just stayed seated looking to space.
One of our favorite NBA players, Leando Barbosa (I”m married to a Brazilian girl of African and Italian descent, the Brazilian Beyonce, so we have our foreign favorites, “hello Marco”), looked incredulously at Wright and told him, “hey, coach wants you in, get in there…” Wright just stared off into space. He locked his gaze on the other side of the court, not where the action was going on, for the rest of the game. Barbosa kept encouraging him to no avail.
The Warriors could have easily beaten Toronto by 50. Toronto has made the big mistake of trying to win on the basis of sheer athleticism, not basketball skills, defense, and strategies. Watching Triano and assistant coach PJ (“Spree”) Carlesimo study their notebooks standing on the floor during timeouts down 40 with three minutes left is one of the funniest images I’ve ever seen attending games. Meanwhile JuJu chilled.
His agent obviously got to him and he has apologized for his actions, saying it “isn’t like me at all to do that.” Right.
ya my boy texted me bout that last night, so i went and tried to see if anyone knew why he refused and i couldnt find anything. Poor juju
My guess would be he hates that he hasnt developed as an NBA player he stared off and watched that hes not good enough to get start or get significant minutes for a team that getting waxed by 38 points and that they want him to go out there and jump around for a few minutes till the games over and clock out the loss. Cant say id be stoked if i was in his position
Worst Coaches in the NBA
1. PJ Carlisimo
2. Flip Saunders
3. Paul Westphal
4. Jay Triano
5. Kurt Rambis
Mike Brown coached his team to two 50 win seasons in a row but all these jokers have a job? SMH
Mike Brown coached a team that better-coach-Byron coached to one of the historically bad seasons if all time, with LeBron James, to that level of winning. If he was a good coach, they wouldn’t have dropped off like they did, and probably would have asked for guys others than he got.
Brown, and the rest of the Cavs, looked better than they are because of LeBron James.
I hope you’re implying that Mike Brown is also a terrible coach.
I’m implying that winning the first to 50 wins two consecutive seasons in a row is better than the aforementioned coaches have done in their entire careers. That’s just a fact. Idiot trolls will try to refute that by bringing up the Cavs current team, sans Lebron, Shaq, Big Z, Delonte, controversy, and waves disgruntled fans. And no, MaxALM you are not the troll.
The causation is what I’m picking on, sir, not the facts.
I’m not refuting facts, but analysis.
Well if that was DWest last play as a hornet, which I hope it isn’t, he went down hard for the team. Posterizing Paul Millsap with a nasty dunk to tie a very important game with less than 30 seconds left. Huge play, even bigger sacrifice. I’ll never forget that play. Although I don’t feel as confident as I once did I think Landry will show up bigtime and he has notoriously been a Laker killer throughout his career, especially in the playoffs
I sort of agree with Ryan. Now no one will expect much from us. If CP decides he is going to take this team on his shoulders and carry it as far as he can, I think the rest of the team will respond. If the bench gets on board, this could be a fun ride. BTW, no pressure tonight. No one really expects a win. Maybe we can steal one. I hope so. I hate Phil Jackson.
This is a great point. This team will go as far as CP drags it- with or without West. If Paul gets into his, “I’m the QB, I’m gonna rack up assist stats, it’s up to the other players to score,” attitude, then throw in the towel and trade the guy. The Hornets, including salary structure, are built around CP being the go to guy. I love West as much as the next Hornets fan, but the Hornets live and die by Pauls scoring.
Paul is going to have to pull a Derrick Rose and take his injured team to the top. Separately, why do you hate Phil Jackson?
I think JJ and Green have a good game……will patrick ewing jr play?
I love DWest, we will mis him a lot, I hope the Hornets sign him on the summer somehow, but also, the guy sacrificed on that maybe last play ever as a Hornet…
I can’t really decide who is my favorite DWest or CP3, I remember I was sad when CP3 got injured last season, and now DWest too, it’s sad, but NOLA gotta keep fighting, we need to show the Lakers tonight that talent matters, BUT heart and playing like DWest played every game (like it was his last quoting AI right here) matters the most and if the players come out like CP3 said playing for their brother DWest, they will win one tonight…
Miss*
To be relieved about West’s injury? Man, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But there is nothing I want more than our team being healthy and playing their best. Let the chips fall where they may.
Nothing has changed. This team still needs to move in the postseason. Injuries are never an excuse. Ask the Celts a few years back or the Lakers before that. Or any number of other teams that couldn’t win it all or contend they wanted because of a key injury. But, if Lebron could will his weak-ass team to the finals against the Spurs, CP3 can easily transform this team into contenders.
Relief? Wow.
stunning, I know.
The truth can be scary. There, the prospect of the truth bring revealed to you can be scary. I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to know if we are in fact, at our best, crap.
I would rather know, but that’s me.
I don’t mind one admitting that the fear of possibly finding that out being removed feels good.
wait.
What?
42…You make my head hurt!
you remind me of a philosphy argument we were having a 100 years ago in class.
I guess I was losing because I didn’t know what the kid was talking about.
My partner leaned over and asked If I knew what he was saying.
I say, no. Not really. But it sounded really deap!
He said…You want me to hit him?
That was me!
And, as a fan Nietzsche, I like your friends line of thought, Paul.
I don’t remember Nietzsche…except he had to get a few more vowels in his name.
I don’t remember any of them, really.
But I do know it wasn’t you.
You make sense…and you are not nearly 60 years old!
I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell anyone else . . . I’m not even 42!
And don’t you tell anybody I am really ppellico from atthehive!
Agreed. Last year Los Angeles won. Nobody cares about Kendrick Perkins going down (which was a HUGE blow to the Celtics).
As die-hard fans we have moral victories but beyond us, nobody cares about moral victories. Time for Landry to step his game up.
Do you guys think that it could be time for our platoon of big men to step up? DJ doesn’t play anymore, and I would guess Ewing Jr. is just insurance, but Gray and Smith should see some more minutes, and Anderson may get in when Grey and Smith get into foul trouble. I hope Monty lets those guys get into a groove. They may not be stars, but injuries like West’s are what benches are for.
If we play the following line-up we have a chance:
Gray, Okafor, Landry, CP3, and Ariza start and all play 40+ minutes. These are our 4 best remaining players….
Mbenga subs for Gray, and Anderson for Landry/Okafor versus Odom. Jack for CP3, and Belly/Green for Ariza whenever Kobe comes out of the game. Minimum of 3 starters on the court at all times.
NO SMALL BALL!!!!!
Well, the Hornets can’t out big the Lakers… It’s rare to see Ariza at the two…
DX has been my favourite for awhile too. If you appreciate and understand the game, his lack of pizzazz is nothing since he’s so methodical and unorthodox as a 4. He’s been nothing but the utmost professional with our squad too, and I hope both parties remain loyal.
The 17-foot assassin: no better descriptor. Silent, productive, and surprisingly efficient.
Memphis v spurs is a close one. We would rather see Spurs win it right?
I thought all the remaining away games were gonna have chats?
You remembered correctly!
Since returning home to Aus from NOLA (where I lived for a year) I have been watching live streaming websites for every hornets game played. I was there to cheer them on in their pre-season games, their opening win against the Bucks and several regular season games. I hate being away from the fine city of NOLA but have not lost my passion for the team. I’m a substitute teacher and get super frustrated with Aussie kids only liking one team- the LA Lakers. Most of them havnt even heard of the Hornets- they usually end up with detentions 🙂
I am confident that other players will step up and fill the D-West void. Hornets will defo still make playoffs. They have way too much passion, purpose and pride to fall short.
It seems the injury to the Spurs’ Tim Duncan may hurt the Hornets more than the lost of DWest. They’ve just lost to Memphis, after losing to Portland yesterday.
Thanks a lot, San Antonio!
Spurs just dropped another. Manu apparently got dinged. Anyone know the extent of the injury? Lakers have a shot at overtaking a Manu-less, Duncan-less, Spurs team over the stretch run now.
I’m just taking the Anybody-But-LA approach to the playoffs.
I completely agree about avoiding LA. No chance we beat them in a 7 game series. I put it at 3% earlier, and even that seems a little high.
Kindve random but who do you guys think the hornets look at in the draft(they’ll switch second round picks with Philly) and free agency
It would be great if they could really pull off an upset. Chris Paul has to have a big game and we can’t have Bynum or Gasol taking over.
Someone I know had a 32 point game earlier today.
just sayin’.
Woah now. You know people are quick to point out when said person’s team is 2-11. Let’s not point out how they are on a 3 game winning streak now.
Landry’s 24-10 was huge. I think we can all agree that we traded a good player for a good player.
anyone know where to find a stream for the game????????
Hopefully Ariza can get fired up for this game and play well!
amazing how quick the lakers can get up by 11, they dont even try
we NEED to play dallas in first round
Andrew Bynum is abusing us. Seriously, our guys may be able to file for a law suit. This looks like a JV vs Varsity game, except that JV team has one hell of a point guard.
these refs are a fucking joke .
hornets should go big with landry, okafor , and gray in at the same time
I hate the lakers
WTF is Marco doing?!! If we play LA in first round we’re gettin swept, there too good for us, we play scared every game, chris should be shootin the ball everytime, he needs to realize noyone else is doing shit
I HATE GASOL!!!! Did you know that DJ Mbenga is a black belt in Judo? I would so much money to see him go out on the the floor and high kick Gasol right in the face and break his nose..thats how much i hate that bastard
pay*
theres no striking element to judo, tis illegal to do so infact. he could throw him like a rag doll and im sure we would all love to see that. headkick not so much im sorry
haha yeah idk the rules of Judo but i wish he could do something along the lines of putting him to sleep!
Yeah, I don’t like this match-up.