http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/ CST Bee Hive Blog en jim@coxsportstv.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-03T15:57:33+00:00 http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/duncan-parker-lead-spurs-over-hornets/ http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/duncan-parker-lead-spurs-over-hornets/#When:15:57:33Z It was over when… the Spurs went on a 7-0 run to build a 14-point lead with just 1:48 remaining. Tony Parker drained a 20-foot jumper to cap the decisive spurt, which began with San Antonio protecting an 84-77 advantage. New Orleans led 45-44 at halftime and trailed by only a 71-68 margin through three quarters, but for the second straight night couldn’t keep up the offensive pace down the stretch. Hornets MVP: Sometimes the only silver lining to injuries in the NBA is that they can open up additional opportunities for players who otherwise may not have gotten them. That was the case Thursday for Greivis Vasquez, who made his second career NBA start in the place of the injured Jarrett Jack and played well. After producing the best game of his two-year pro career Wednesday, the Maryland product followed it up with 16 points and five assists. He… 2012-02-03T15:57:33+00:00 http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/heat-16-5-hornets-4-17/ http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/heat-16-5-hornets-4-17/#When:03:43:14Z Heat (16-5), Hornets (4-17)It was over when... Chris Bosh grabbed a steal that led to him throwing down a breakaway slam at the other end, giving Miami a 99-76 lead with 6:00 remaining. The Heat were down 45-33 at one stage of the second quarter, but outscored the Hornets 54-23 through the end of the third period to assume control. New Orleans showed several positive signs of bouncing back from Sunday’s discouraging defeat to Atlanta, but ultimately was overpowered by the defending Eastern Conference champions. Hornets MVP: Carl Landry made sure that his scoreless Sunday performance against Atlanta would be chalked up as an aberration. The reserve power forward dropped in 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting, in just 24 minutes of playing time. Landry’s 10 points in the first half paced the Hornets and kept the visitors within 51-49 at intermission. Hornets Sixth Man of the Game: Excluding Squeaky… 2012-01-31T03:43:14+00:00 http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/rockets-8-7-hornets-3-12/ http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/rockets-8-7-hornets-3-12/#When:15:29:47Z It was over when… Marco Belinelli’s 20-foot jumper at the overtime buzzer bounced out, allowing Houston to hold on for a win after the hosts had trailed by five points early in the extra period. The Hornets led 88-83 but were outscored 7-0 to close the game, capped by Samuel Dalembert’s follow-up dunk on a Rockets fast break. New Orleans dropped its sixth consecutive game, this time falling in heartbreaking fashion. The Hornets continue their "mini-tour" of the entire Southwest Division on Saturday and Monday with home games against Dallas and San Antonio, respectively. They lost to Memphis on Wednesday. Hornets MVP: In his third consecutive start at power forward, Jason Smith scored 17 points and nearly willed New Orleans to a comeback victory in the fourth quarter. Smith had an athletic dunk, key mid-range jumper and crucial tip-in during the final period, and also drained a perimeter shot in… 2012-01-20T15:29:47+00:00 http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/off-the-court-trey-johnson/ http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/off-the-court-trey-johnson/#When:15:57:52Z New Orleans free-agent signing Trey Johnson, now in his third overall season in the NBA, sat down with Hornets.com recently to discuss some of his interests away from the game of basketball. Best moment as an athlete: “Probably right now. Everything that I’ve been through as far as trying to get solidified at this level, to walk into this situation and be this close to home, and for my family to be able to share in the moment… this is great.” How he chose his uniform number: “Good question. My first cousin, who was my best friend too, died in 2005 in a car accident. He played high school basketball and baseball, and his basketball number was 12. He had just won a state championship in high school basketball. That was the number he wore. His name was Michael Johnson.” One thing fans might be surprised to know: “I… 2012-01-13T15:57:52+00:00 http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/hornets-3-6-nuggets-6-4/ http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/hornets-3-6-nuggets-6-4/#When:15:46:30Z It was over when… Carl Landry threw down a monster dunk on Nene to put New Orleans up 89-71 with 3:53 remaining. The Hornets snapped their six-game losing streak in unlikely fashion, shutting down the high-powered Nuggets and prevailing in one of the NBA’s toughest arenas for visiting teams. Denver was unbeaten at home entering Monday’s game, but the Nuggets were held under 20 points in three of the four quarters. Hornets MVP: Chris Kaman’s statistics were excellent (20 points, 7 rebounds), but they told only part of the story. As the Nuggets desperately tried to rally back into contention after falling behind 54-46 at halftime, Kaman made big shot after big shot. He tallied 12 points in the second half, including draining a pair of mid-range jumpers in the fourth quarter to slow Denver’s comeback attempt. Prior to the final stanza, Kaman feasted around the basket, dunking twice and… 2012-01-10T15:46:30+00:00 http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/76ers-3-2-hornets-2-4/ http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/76ers-3-2-hornets-2-4/#When:15:04:56Z It was over when… Jrue Holiday drained a jumper from the left wing to give Philadelphia a 98-89 lead with only 36 seconds remaining. The 76ers went on to hand the Hornets their fourth consecutive loss after a 2-0 start. New Orleans led 73-67 through three quarters but was completely outplayed by its guests in the final stanza. The Hornets continue a stretch against 2011 playoff qualifiers this weekend when they host Denver and visit Dallas. After that, they visit Denver before a Wednesday home game vs. Oklahoma City. Hornets MVP: The in-arena honor went to Jarrett Jack (19 points, 11 assists), but I’d lean more toward Eric Gordon, who provided the Hornets with a much-needed calming presence and go-to guy almost immediately from tip-off. Gordon appeared poised to improve the Hornets’ record to 2-0 with him in uniform this season, piling up 20 points in the first three periods,… 2012-01-05T15:04:56+00:00 http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/west-tests-free-agent-market/ http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/west-tests-free-agent-market/#When:14:57:15Z When two-time Hornets All-Star power forward David West sustained a season-ending torn ACL March 24 at Utah, it was assumed in many quarters that the injury might lead to West’s guaranteed return to New Orleans in 2011-12. After all, many reasoned, why would a player elect to become a free agent in the midst of rehabilitating a severe injury? That assumption proved to be incorrect Monday, when it was officially announced that the 30-year-old declined his player option for 2011-12, making him an unrestricted free agent with the ability to sign with any NBA team. Since the day he took over as general manager in July 2010, Dell Demps has repeatedly stated that one of his objectives is to make sure West remains a Hornet long term, even saying that he hopes to see West’s No. 30 uniform retired in New Orleans. Although West’s presence on the roster next season… 2011-06-28T14:57:15+00:00 http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/pauls-outlook-seems-healthy/ http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/pauls-outlook-seems-healthy/#When:04:30:08Z Unlike a year ago, when Chris Paul was beginning his rehabilitation from knee surgery, the four-time All-Star point guard enjoys a clean bill of health as the 2011 offseason commences. That’s one reason why the 6-foot point guard’s outlook has brightened considerably, after dealing with three separate injuries in 2009-10 that caused him to miss a total of 37 games.At Friday’s Hornets season-ending exit interviews, the 25-year-old joked – at least I think he was joking – that if any potential challengers approach him this summer, he’ll be ready to drop everything and play a game of one-on-one. “I think the most fulfilling thing going into this summer is that, tomorrow, if I wake up and want to go hoop, I can,” Paul said. “Last (year) I couldn’t do that, because I was hurt. I’m just happy, because if I’m walking down the street and somebody says they… 2011-04-30T04:30:08+00:00 http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/hornets-lakers-game-5/ http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/hornets-lakers-game-5/#When:12:22:40Z When asked by reporters, Hornets players have quickly brushed aside the notion that they have to play “perfect” basketball to beat the Lakers. “We didn’t play perfect in Game 1 (a victory),” Chris Paul has responded a few times to that line of questioning. As they try to post a memorable first-round upset against the Lakers, though, there are some things that are in their control – such as their ability to protect the ball. They can’t grow taller or add weight to their frames in order to hold their ground in the paint against Los Angeles.In losing Game 5 at Staples Center, turnovers and boards proved to be extremely damaging to New Orleans. The Hornets will look back at their 19 turnovers as one of the biggest reasons they couldn’t hang in for the entire night against the two-time defending champions. The Lakers also were dominant on… 2011-04-27T12:22:40+00:00 http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/what-needs-to-improve-in-game-2/ http://www.coxsportstv.com/blogs/hornets/what-needs-to-improve-in-game-2/#When:14:51:55Z The word Hornets players and coaches have constantly repeated since the conclusion of Game 1 is “more.” If New Orleans is to deliver a performance similar to Sunday’s 109-100 victory against the two-time defending NBA champions, the Hornets will need more intensity, more energy and even more execution – though the latter may be difficult to do after only committing three turnovers Sunday, tying an NBA record.There’s no question that there were a greater number of positives than negatives for the Hornets in Game 1. Still, even though many analysts believed New Orleans had to play a perfect game in order to defeat the Lakers, that wasn’t actually the case. As the Hornets head into Wednesday’s game at the Staples Center, here are a few of the areas they may need to improve in order to a take a 2-0 series lead:1) Free throws.New Orleans… 2011-04-20T14:51:55+00:00