Beyond basketball: Hornets thrive under family atmosphere

When draft prospect Chris Paul visited New Orleans in June of 2005, Hornets coach Byron Scott looked him over and asked, "So where are your tattoos?"

Paul replied, "I don't have any tattoos. My mom and dad would kill me."

Now Scott knows that having tattoos -- or not having them -- isn't necessarily a good indicator of character. But he also knew from Paul's remark that he was looking at a young man with a solid background. "Right then, in that brief time that we had, I formed a different appreciation for him," Scott says now.

The Hornets, as they showed in last season's playoffs, are one of the most talented groups of players in the NBA. A team doesn't win 56 games, cruise past the Mavericks and take the Spurs to seven games without talent.

Hornets coach Byron Scott (left) has made efforts to better know his players by having get-togethers at his home. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

But with the Hornets, character is just as big a part of the team identity. And that starts with Paul, a man who is tenacious and dominant on the court yet humble and polite off it.

"I really saw it when I met his parents," Scott says. "You could tell that he's from very humble beginnings, that he was raised in a great way as far as being brought up in a church, to respect his elders, things like that."

Charles and Robin Paul don't spend much time away from their sons, Chris and C.J., splitting time between their homes in Winston-Salem, N.C. and New Orleans. They were with Chris in Beijing this summer when he won gold. Robin wore Chris' medal around the team hotel after the game, beaming proudly.

Hornets center Tyson Chandler calls the Pauls, "Mama and Papa P." They're a big part of his life, too. "These guys truly care about each other and they want each other to do well," Scott says. "We all know that it is a business and we're in the business of winning. But these guys have taken it to a different level."

The quality of character extends down the roster. And it's not by chance. Scott and general manager Jeff Bower have made character a high priority when making personnel decisions.

"Obviously, you have to look at talent," Scott says, "but after the talent, you try to find out what type of person you're getting involved with, if it's somebody that we can bring into this atmosphere and that's going to mesh well with the other guys, somebody that's going to be great in the locker room as well as great on the floor. So, we try to look at all those aspects to determine if these guys are going to fit in with what we're trying to do."

And what happens if someone doesn't fit in?

"They're gone quickly," Chandler says.

The process of developing team character started with Scott, who borrowed a chemistry-building idea from Pat Riley, his coach for seven seasons with the Lakers. During training camp and again during the course of the season, Scott has his players, along with their wives and kids, over to his house. It lets them get to know each other better off the court.

Those aren't the only times you'll find the Hornets' families together. When one of the players' kids has a birthday, it's more likely that an MVP candidate shows up than a clown or a princess. Of course, if a clown is needed, that's where the rookies come in.

"It reminds me so much of my family," Chandler says. "It starts off as a kid's party, but it ends up with us playing cards and talking. It makes you feel that much more like you're at home."

The Hornets believe that their family dynamic translates to success on the court, and with the way they've played over the last two seasons -- they lead the Southwest Division with a 16-7 record this season, entering Tuesday's games -- it's hard to argue. Scott sees the benefits when his team is in a tough spot.

"I've always thought that adversity tells the true character of a man, whatever that may be," he says. "And when we have adversity, our guys become closer. That's the thing that I love about our guys. It's not just through the good times, it's through the bad times that they continue to stick together."

The bond between players is so strong in New Orleans that when the Hornets traded Bobby Jackson to Houston in February, Chandler felt compelled to write in his NBA.com blog about the aspect of trades that fans might not think about. He noted how close he is to Jackson, a connection that extends to their kids.

"His daughters are four and seven, and they're like sisters with my daughter," Chandler wrote at the time. "They spend so much time together, and I've seen how much my daughter has grown, being able to play with his daughters, because they're so much older."

Like trades, the holiday season can be difficult on NBA players because there are few days off and little time to spend with families. Instead of waking up in their own beds Christmas morning and opening gifts with family, the Hornets will be waking up in an Orlando hotel and boarding a bus for their Christmas Day matchup with the Magic.

When you're traveling with a second family, though, it's a lot easier to deal with the time away from home. "The bond goes a long way," Chandler says. "It's taking it beyond basketball."