Q&A with Hornets.com’s Jim Eichenhofer

The Celtics and Hornets websites swapped some insight about their teams with exclusive Q/A's on Monday. Get the scouting report on the Hornets for tonight's game from Hornets.com's Jim Eichenhofer, and then check out our Q/A with the Hornets official website.

Q: Tyson Chandler is really having a solid season, and he's really become one of the premier rebounders in the league, as well as leading the league in field goal percentage. What has his emergence done for the Hornets?

A: Without Tyson's emergence, it's very likely the Hornets would already be looking ahead to 2007-08, because they'd probably be out of the playoff race. Chandler has been one of the NBA's most improved players this season and the Hornets' most consistent starter, after a down season in Chicago. During the Hornets' 9-4 month of February, he averaged an impressive 16.1 rebounds a game with 12 double-doubles - and the only February game in which he didn't record at least 10 and 10, he had nine points.

Obviously, he's the biggest reason why the Hornets are an excellent rebounding team at both ends of the floor. Plus, his 7-foot-1 stature has factored into the Hornets becoming a surprisingly effective defensive team, ranking in the top 10 for much of the season in points allowed and field-goal percentage.

Q: You guys knocked us off on Red Auerbach night at the Garden on Opening Night (yes, we're still bitter about that one) and came out the gates at a franchise best 4-0. But then the team struggled with some pretty tough injuries similar to the situation here...who took advantage of the opportunity presented by increased playing time for some bench guys who may not have otherwise seen that chance otherwise?

A: The funny thing is that the guy who capitalized the most on the injuries was actually not on the Hornets' bench early this season - or ANY team's bench, for that matter. Devin Brown was out of the NBA in December, working out in his hometown of San Antonio and waiting for a team to call him. The Hornets were down to only 10 healthy players, so general manager Jeff Bower signed Brown to a contract for the remainder of this season. Brown quickly moved into the starting backcourt and has stayed there. The fifth-year shooting guard has been a revelation, even handling the point-guard duties at times when both first- and second-stringers Chris Paul (ankle) and Bobby Jackson (ribs) were injured. Brown is one of the Hornets' best three-point shooters and a better-than-advertised rebounder. Other than Brown, Jannero Pargo and Rasual Butler were forced to play big minutes amid all of the injuries and did an excellent job of holding down the fort until the team's stars healed. After the shorthanded Hornets went through a 4-19 stretch, the performances of guys like Brown, Pargo and Butler helped prevent it from becoming a lost season.

And by the way, we're sorry about putting a damper on Red Auerbach Night, but the way the West playoff race is shaping up it looks we'll need every win we can get. On behalf of the Hornets organization, I do want to say how much we appreciate the infinite contributions Mr. Auerbach made to the game of basketball and the NBA. He's a legend for what he did on the court, but people forget all he did to help make our game and league better, like integrating pro basketball during the early years of the NBA. He is missed by all of us.

Q: What's the latest on Peja Stojakovic after his December back surgery? Will he play again this season?

A: Peja has returned to practice and may make his return to the court later this week. Incidentally, it's been amazing to me how many times I have seen it reported that he is "out for the season," by various media outlets over the past couple months. I don't know exactly when he will be appear in a game, but head coach Byron Scott has discussed the possibility of Peja playing Friday against the Lakers in New Orleans.

Q: Chris Paul certainly made a name for himself in his first season. The biggest thing that stands out in his stats is an increase in his three-point percentage. What has CP3 improved in his game that doesn't show up in the box score?

A: Leadership. I think everyone on the team readily acknowledged that even as a rookie, Chris was the Hornets' best player in 2005-06. But the fact that he was new to the league made him a little bit hesitant to take on a vocal leadership role, other than what was required of him as the team's starting point guard. He was one of several young players on last season's squad who took their cues on how to be a professional on and off the court from veteran P.J. Brown. Brown was dealt to Chicago in the offseason in the Tyson Chandler trade, creating an additional need for locker-room leadership. Unfortunately for Chris, it's been a frustrating season in terms of injuries to himself as well as his teammates. This team hasn't been playing together very long - only David West has been with the Hornets for more than two seasons - and that makes it even tougher when your lineup is constantly being shuffled due to injuries.

Q: You guys just suffered through the longest losing streak of your season. What was the biggest issue facing the team throughout the streak?

A: I've seen and heard various theories discussed for why the slump happened, but the one that makes the most sense to me is the simplest: the schedule. The Hornets opened March against several of the league's best teams, including two games against Utah and another at Phoenix (a game they had a chance to win at the buzzer, but lost by a point). The Hornets are not at the stage where they can beat those caliber opponents unless they perform at a pretty high level.

The other problem has been the bench. Byron Scott has repeatedly mentioned over the past few weeks that he wants to see more consistency and overall production from his reserves. In response to some quiet games from his second unit, Scott has begun playing his starters more minutes than he necessarily would like.

Q: The Hornets play in arguably the toughest division in the NBA thanks to the three Texas teams. How have the Hornets fared against the Rockets, Spurs and Mavs?

A: As you might expect given the Spurs' continual success, they've gone 6-1 over the past two seasons against the Hornets, although New Orleans/Oklahoma City's win over San Antonio was one of the biggest highlights of last season for Hornets fans and this franchise. The Mavericks seem to have some type of hex over the Hornets, winning 18 straight in head-to-head play, dating back to 1999. The Hornets have actually held the upper hand against the Rockets the past two seasons, winning five of six games and both meetings so far in 2006-07. It's helped that Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming missed several of those games.

Q: What's the last two years been like having two different home bases? Aside from the obvious travel logistics, how has it impacted the team on the court? And are the guys looking forward to re-establishing their permanent base (and hosting the All-Star Game) in New Orleans next year?

A: It's an unprecedented situation that has presented some major challenges at times. I feel particularly empathetic to my co-workers in this organization who are New Orleans natives. In order to do their jobs, they've been required to live away from their homes and extended families for the past two years, which cannot be easy.

In terms of our players, they've handled the situation as well as you could possibly imagine, and I don't think it's impacted their play in any way. I think everyone involved with the Hornets - players and staff - realizes that after what happened as a result of Hurricane Katrina, they should appreciate what they have even more.

It's an honor and privilege to be a part of the rebuilding and revitalization of New Orleans. Playing there full-time, and being the host city for the NBA's showcase event, will help shine a global spotlight on those recovery efforts. We're proud to play our part in that process.