Hornets top Bobcats, 89-73

by David A. Arnott on Dec 1, 2010 10:27 PM EST

The New Orleans Hornets pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Bobcats, 89-73, in what was largely a back and forth game. Chris Paul led the way, despite struggling at times against D.J. Augustin, as much as 9 points and 14 assists might be considered "struggling". Emeka Okafor also had a solid game against his former team, racking up 14 points and 13 rebounds.

For the Bobcats, Tyrus Thomas provided vital production off the bench, but he ended up playing only 22 minutes, and it wasn't enough to help pull the Cats to victory.

Game thread comment, lowlights, and highlights coming shortly.

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Caption to the above photo

Yaaaaayyyy I’m starting for no reason!!!! Tee hee!!

Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is,
I get more props and stunts than Bruce Willis
- Guru, of Gangstarr

by Ben Swanson on Dec 1, 2010 10:31 PM EST reply actions

"Suckers! " (McGuire)

or…"Where’d Larry get this clown from? (Paul)

Thank you, San Francisco!

by Newsinz on Dec 2, 2010 12:13 AM EST up reply actions

I hear that Larry Brown's playbook and journal leaked to Wikileaks

The journal reportedly tells the story behind this outfit.

by Ft.Mill Bobcat on Dec 1, 2010 10:40 PM EST reply actions

CP3 had 14 assists

The Bobcats had 15

Quick is how I flip from the tip of the lip
Punchin out hits like Gladys Knight and the Pips
-Phife Dawg

by Stevarino on Dec 1, 2010 10:50 PM EST reply actions

DJ doesn't have the pass first mentality Paul does

Paul on the fast break ran taking his time looing for teamates, a point guard like that with the athletes we have would have a ton of assists passing lob after lob or just doing the simple pass for easy points. DJ runs the break like a 40 yard sprint looking to score, also DJ won’t do anything other than pass the ball around the perimeter, most of his assist come from jumpers while Paul gets guys easy inside buckets. DJ is playing really as good as he can though, nobody expected him to play this well, although it’s still early.

by Mr Goodlove on Dec 1, 2010 11:39 PM EST up reply actions

It does help to have teammates that can, you know, score.

Paul has those. Augustin, not so much. Who is it on our team that has the capacity to get “easy inside buckets?” We traded away the only decent post scorer we’ve ever had for Carroll, Najera, and some cap space. Thomas might play the 4, but the vast majority of his scoring comes from jumpers and putbacks.

Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.

Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.

by MichaelProcton on Dec 2, 2010 1:01 AM EST up reply actions

Agreed 100% I'll only add one point to it.

It also helps if you have players that know how to move without the ball. Felton had the same problem last season. He’d look for a cutter, or an open man with a decent shot and have to hold on to the ball and check the half court several times in order to either find an option, or try to do it alone with a dwindling clock.

Almost every time Deej pushes the ball upcourt he looks around and discovers that the rest of his team is 10 yards behind him. Most of the time he looks around after calling a play only to find Diaw standing so still that pigeons are nesting on him and his other options are dripping with defenders. He knows if he passes to Jackson it’ll mean either a questionable three point shot or a no-call foul in the paint resulting in a Jax technical foul. (The latter is now more common in the NBA than a Lakers playoff appearance.) It’s tough being a floor general when the troops won’t engage the enemy and Augustin is doing admirably well under the circumstances.

My sources can beat up your sources

by Ourdaywillcome on Dec 2, 2010 3:33 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

+1

I think DJ is doing a very good job for this team.

by Warmec on Dec 2, 2010 5:27 AM EST up reply actions

I will note that Felton NEVER looked Okafor's way under either Vincent or Brown.

Okafor got better and better on offense, and he got fewer and fewer shots because nobody ever fed him the ball.

Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.

Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.

by MichaelProcton on Dec 2, 2010 6:48 PM EST up reply actions

Seriously?

Okafor has zero offensive moves. I actually think he continued to get worse each year. He could consistently hit a 15 footer as a rookie and that touch got worse and worse. Every time he got the ball in a post you could bank on someone getting ready to throw his sh*t into the 10th row. He was great at that.

by Bring Back Primoz on Dec 2, 2010 10:22 PM EST up reply actions

How, pray tell, then, did his shooting percentage increase every year he was here?

Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.

Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.

by MichaelProcton on Dec 2, 2010 11:33 PM EST up reply actions

Because he stopped shooting

He scored 2 ways. 1) Offensive rebounds he dunked. 2) Felton or Wallace would drive and dish to him for a dunk. His FG% was always extremely high because if he wasn’t dunking, he was out of his range. I do give him credit for knowing that though. And I’ll agree with you that most people undervalued what he brought to the team. Double double guys who also block shots are rare and you can’t argue his productivity. But he fell victim to 2 things: Larry Brown didn’t like him and he bored the fans to sleep and they just wanted to see someone who acted like they cared.

by Bring Back Primoz on Dec 2, 2010 11:42 PM EST up reply actions

Flip Murray cared. Stevie Graham cared.

Do you want them back more than anything?

Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.

Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.

by MichaelProcton on Dec 3, 2010 12:07 AM EST up reply actions

Only if it means we can get Sam Vincent back too.

Oh please ohpleaseohplease!
I’m so tired of losing by less than 5 every night we play. Losses by 30+ would break up the monotony.

My sources can beat up your sources

by Ourdaywillcome on Dec 3, 2010 1:47 AM EST up reply actions

You tend to read what you want to read

I said he fell victim to those things. I didn’t say I agreed with the logic of either of them.

Of course I don’t want Murray or Graham back. They would take time away from Tamar Slay and Jahidi White.

by Bring Back Primoz on Dec 3, 2010 10:33 AM EST up reply actions

I wasn't necessarily blaming you. Sorry.

But those two arguments (which did indeed work against Okafor) are patently ludicrous. Brown didn’t like him because he didn’t like stretching.

Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.

Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.

by MichaelProcton on Dec 3, 2010 12:51 PM EST up reply actions

We sold our soul

Hiring Larry Brown is a little like selling your soul to the devil. He’ll get you in the playoffs ….. but you’re not going to like what you look like a few years down the road. He’s impatient and doesn’t have any concept of planning for the future or building a team for the long term.

I do remember all of the stretching and yoga comments LB made about Okafor. They were funny though.

by Bring Back Primoz on Dec 3, 2010 1:22 PM EST up reply actions

Regardless of the actual trade rationalle...

Brown did base much of his negative opinion of Okafor on that whole stretching thing. Even in the sports world, where superstitions and quirkiness are considered normal, “stretchophobia” is an absurd reason for damning a player that is capable of averaging a double-double. Sure, he had an unexciting was of getting those numbers, but what do we have now? Boris Diaw, potentially the least exciting player in NC basketball history. I think I’ll carry the image of Diaw streaking through a wide open center lane and then dropping in a 2-handed bunny layup instead of dunking it home to my grave. He has all the style, substance, and artistry of a burnt crepe.

My sources can beat up your sources

by Ourdaywillcome on Dec 3, 2010 3:01 PM EST up reply actions

LOL..."capable" of averaging a double-double?

He’s averaged one for his career. He’s more than capable. And I’d say his two blocks a game were hardly unexciting.

Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.

Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.

by MichaelProcton on Dec 3, 2010 4:37 PM EST up reply actions

Larry Brown

I ‘ve got to agree with our day will come about Diaw? Why the Bobcats put up with him It don’t make a lot of sense? LB plays the second team like he dont have confidence in the first but That guy will never win anything in Charlotte? When the fourth quarter started and he started replacing people I turned the TV and said the games over with? I guess i seen the truth and it Happened. Going to be a long season.

by jayball on Dec 2, 2010 11:01 AM EST reply actions