July 11, 2006

LAS VEGAS – For a third straight game in Vegas Summer League competition Tuesday, the Hornets’ offensive attack often appeared disjointed and out of sync. As a result of its sometimes sloppy decision-making and execution, New Orleans/Oklahoma City finished its 70-58 win over the Washington Wizards at 40 percent from the field.

After a pair of 19-point defeats on the weekend when they allowed 91 and 99 points, however, the Hornets made significant strides on the other end of the floor, sparking their initial Vegas victory.

With first-round picks Hilton Armstrong and Cedric Simmons providing intimidation in the paint and the Hornets’ guards playing stingier on-the-ball defense, they held Washington to 27 second-half points – including just eight in the fourth quarter.

Armstrong and Simmons both displayed the shot-blocking ability that helped make them first-round NBA draft picks. Armstrong frequently left his man to try to alter shots by penetrating Wizards, while Simmons showed good patience on a rejection, staying on his feet despite ball fakes by his opponent. Although both players were officially credited with just one block apiece, their aggressiveness impressed Hornets head coach Byron Scott.

“Both of them are doing a better job of understanding help-side defense,” said Scott, who observed the game from a courtside seat. “They’ve got to do a little bit better job on post defense, but from the first game to the third game, they’ve gotten a lot better.

“That’s what we’re looking forward to them doing. Now we’ve got some guys who can change some shots, as well as block some shots.”

“Most of it was help defense,” Simmons described of the reason for the Hornets’ significantly upgraded ‘D’ vs. the Wizards. “And the first couple games, the other teams got to the foul line a lot. We played defense without fouling tonight and eliminated some scoring opportunities.”

Aggressive Second Half Keys Hornets ‘O’
Throughout the first half of Tuesday’s game, the Hornets launched too many deep jumpers early in the shot clock. As a result, the offense struggled with consistency, suffering from a lack of ball movement, precious few feeds into the post and little penetration. Too much 1-on-1 play is often characteristic of summer-league hoops, however, partly due to the fact that teams’ rosters are composed of players with very little experience on the floor together.

Beginning in the third quarter, the Hornets did a much better job of looking inside and taking advantage of matchups involving their big men.

“That was the purpose, to try to get (Armstrong and Simmons) the ball a little bit more,” Scott noted. “(Hornets assistant Kenny Gattison) did a good job of emphasizing to these guys to throw it down to them and work with them. Both of them are good post-up players and they’ll continue to get better.”

Simmons and Brandon Bass each collected 10 rebounds, including three apiece at the offensive end. The Hornets dominated the paint in the second half. Overall, they outrebounded the Wizards by 10 and led second-chance points, 21-7.

Scott: “I told Cedric to really hit the boards on both ends of the floor, and use that athleticism that he has. I thought today, he did a better job of that than the last game.”

Hornets Player Spotlights
Wins and losses take a backseat during summer league to individual player development. Here’s a brief look at what some of the Hornets’ prominent summer leaguers showed during Tuesday’s game:

Hilton Armstrong
His activity on defense was impressive, as he consistently assisted the Hornets’ guards with help defense. His emphatic rejection landed in the media area along the baseline, nearly striking a reporter. “We HAD TO play better defense,” Armstrong emphasized. “The coaches stressed to us that we needed to cut down the points. The games here are only 40 minutes long, so you can’t be giving up as many points as we did (99 and 91) in the first two games.” … In limited glimpses, he showed he is more comfortable than advertised at handling the ball in the mid-post area, something he said he didn’t get to do much for star-studded UConn.

Brandon Bass
Sporting a noticeably streamlined frame, the LSU product may have led the Hornets in hustle Tuesday. His activity resulted in a nice 11-point, 10-rebound performance. Bass took only six shots, but turned in an efficient game by frequently slipping into the middle of Washington’s defense and scoring from close range. On a couple occasions, Bass grabbed a rebound while being surrounded by multiple Wizards. … Personal highlight was an aggressive, driving slam on the left baseline late in the third quarter.

Cedric Simmons
The N.C. State product provided perhaps the Hornets’ finest highlight of the game, collecting a missed jump shot and authoring a vicious, follow-up jam. Simmons’ throwdown brought the Hornet bench to their feet in appreciation. Simmons also showed aggressiveness on the offensive boards off an Armstrong missed post-up hook, tipping in the errant shot, but was called for offensive basket interference. … Showed polish on offensive end with a nifty banked hook shot on the left baseline from about 10 feet. … “I’m starting to get really comfortable with what I’m doing out there,” Simmons said after the game. “Basketball is basketball. I’m trying not to overthink (the adjustment from college ball to the NBA). When I do that, sometimes I get in trouble. I just try to relax.”

Kirk Snyder
Under public criticism by Byron Scott for his subpar play in the first two Vegas games, Snyder experienced another frustrating night at the offensive end, going 3-for-12 from the field. His shooting touch also deserted him at the foul line, as he made only half of his eight free tosses. Snyder did anticipate one of his missed free throws and turned it into a highlight-reel dunk.