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Hornet Henry: Training Camp Preview
September 22, 2006
OK, Hornets fans, let’s make some (training camp and preseason) noooo-ooooise! With the fellas just 10 days from donning their purple practice jerseys for the start of training camp, Hornet Henry figured there was no time like the present to break down the new-look roster. Here’s my player-by-player analysis, with a few key statistical categories to keep an eye on as you follow each Hornet during the 2006-07 campaign. Let me know your opinion of the Hornets and the upcoming season by sending an e-mail to hornethenry@hornets.com. STARTERS
CP3’s fantastic NBA debut season has already been well-documented by this humble Web site, as well as the rest of the media universe. ROY 2006 finished his initial foray through the Association with averages of 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.2 steals, with the latter two figures ranking him in the top five of the league. However, due to the Hornets’ acquisition of Peja Stojakovic and the continued maturation of David West, I fully expect Paul’s scoring numbers to dip slightly, simply because he should not have to take as many shots. But that is a good thing, my fellow teal and gold aficionados. In addition to competing for USA Basketball this summer, the Wake Forest product focused on improving his strength and becoming a more consistent perimeter marksman. Paul’s innate ability to penetrate, combined with his diminutive stature (6-foot, 175 pounds), led to him taking some pretty nasty falls midway through the season. He sustained a couple minor injuries (ailments that would have sidelined mere mortals like HH for months, as opposed to a game or two), so it’s important for him to be able to absorb contact and bounce off defenders. In terms of shooting, his 43.0 percent overall field-goal percentage was solid compared to your average rookie point guard. His 3-point accuracy was only 28.2 percent, though, which gives other teams the option of backing off his drives. If CP3 can start nailing those 3’s more frequently, it will be even more difficult to fathom how opposing floor generals are going to defend the 21-year-old phenom. Peja Stojakovic After the Serbian Sensation was an MVP candidate in 2003-04 and an All-NBA second-team choice that year, his point production and shooting percentage have decreased two straight seasons. As a result, some are wondering whether Peja is on the downside of his career, or whether maybe he just needed a new address to revitalize his game. In Hornet Henry’s opinion, Stojakovic showed last season over 40 games with Indiana that he may be on his way back to being the force he was for much of his Sacramento tenure. After shooting just 40.3 percent overall in 31 Kings contests – his lowest rate since his rookie year in 1998-99 – he upped that figure to 46.1 with the Pacers, including 40.4 percent from beyond the arc. For comparison’s sake, the Hornets have not had anyone shoot that well from 3-point range since David Wesley connected on 42.4 percent of his bombs during the 2002-03 season. It’s not difficult to imagine that playing with Chris Paul will provide Peja with more open looks than he received last season in Indiana, a team that has always played a slowdown style under Rick Carlisle. Stojakovic also should be the recipient of some easy baskets in the Princeton offense, since he is one of the best cutters away from the ball in the NBA. Desmond Mason You know Mase will provide the Hornets with hustle, eye-popping athleticism, sticky defense and finishing prowess around the rim, courtesy of his trademark high-flying dunks and layups. But unless you’ve been living under a teal-less rock this summer, you’ve probably heard by now that everyone is waiting to see how much Mason can improve his outside shot in 2006-07. The 6-foot-5 swingman is never going to be the type to launch 3-pointers or 20-foot jumpers, but Hornets fans are hopeful that a reconfigured shooting form will enable him to improve on shots from intermediate distance. Mason was developing into a respectable shooter from about 15 feet during his career-best 2004-05 campaign with Milwaukee (17.2 points per game that season), but he went backward in that department as a Hornet, compiling a career-low 39.9 percent from the field. I don’t think Mase will get as many shots this season as a year ago, primarily because he clearly is now the fourth option in the starting lineup. But what the Hornets need is a more efficient player who will accumulate fewer shot attempts but will make a larger percentage of the ones he takes. His defensive responsibilities figure to be considerable this year, as he will be guarding the opponent’s most dangerous scorer from either the 2 or 3 positions. That’s no easy task.
What does the league’s Most Improved Player runner-up do for an encore? That’s not an easy one to answer. Think about this: Big Dave led the Hornets in scoring, rebounding and – among Hornets who were with the team for at least half of 2005-06 – field-goal percentage and blocked shots. Toss in a sparkling 84.3 success rate at the foul line – making him one of the best free-throwers at the four position in the game – and it’s tough to find an area where major strides are necessary. When a player authors a big season virtually out of nowhere, as D West did, there generally will be skeptics who wonder whether it was a one-time thing. It’s safe to assume that no opponent will be taking the former Xavier Musketeer for granted this season, especially now that power forwards around the league realize that West’s 18-footers are almost as “money” as my man Dell Curry was back in the day. Almost. At the same time, how are other teams going to be able to apply substantial defensive attention on CP3, Peja AND D West? Maybe it’s the Hornets optimist in me, but if anything, I think Big Dave will be open even more frequently this season. Tyson Chandler At last count, in an ongoing Hornets.com poll that asks “Which player’s performance will be most pivotal to the Hornets’ potential success in 2006-07?” Chandler was leading the way with a staggering 70 percent of the votes. Let’s start with the givens: Tyson will be the Hornets’ first natural center since Jamaal “Big Cat” Magloire was manning the post. Tyson will swat shots. Tyson will rebound and throw down some monster alley-oop dunks off Chris Paul lob passes (hence the nickname Ty Lob™). Apparently he has decided to prepare for his Hornets debut by getting his hair cut Mohawk-style, potentially improving his aerodynamics substantially. He says he sometimes goes to that ’do when he is “in training mode.” (Incidentally, after I recently considered doing likewise with my noggin, Mrs. Hornet Henry vehemently rejected the idea. I’m sure she’d still be sweet on Bob Licht if HE had a Mohawk, but I digress). In his attempt to bounce back from an admittedly subpar 2005-06, Chandler will focus on staying out of foul trouble and being a more productive offensive player. Despite averaging just 26.8 minutes per game last season, Ty managed to pick up 3.8 personal fouls a contest, which was third-most in the NBA. He will need to significantly cut back on those if he’s going to play the 30-35 minutes you’d expect from a starting center. Offensively, one thing doesn’t quite add up about his final year in Chicago: He actually shot a career-high 56.5 percent from the floor, but averaged a career-low 5.3 points per game. At the same time, his minutes were roughly the same as the prior year (even after factoring in the aforementioned foul trouble). Now, Hornet Henry is no math whiz, but based on these stats, you have to deduce that Tyson was either far less aggressive on offense in 2005-06, or he just didn’t get the ball as much for whatever reason. There was a mitigating factor. His scoring average was hurt somewhat by a huge drop in free-throw percentage, to 50.3, easily the poorest of his NBA career. He needs to push that back up to at least 60 percent, something he achieved in each of his first four pro seasons. RESERVES Bobby Jackson Bulldog Bobby has often been sidelined by injuries recently in his NBA career, missing 112 games over a three-season span from 2002-03 through 2004-05, so the most obvious key is for him to stay healthy. However, he appeared in 71 contests as a Memphis Grizzly last season, the most games for B Jax in four years. Chalk it up to Memphis’ walk-it-up, halfcourt offense, but Bobby wasn’t at his best a season ago, shooting career-lows of 38.2 percent from the field and 73.3 percent at the foul line. A big reason he signed with the Hornets is because he knows they will play at a much faster tempo than the Grizz, allowing him to score more easy baskets. He’s not a standstill shooter who likes to spot up around the 3-point arc like a Reggie Miller; he’s at his best when he can run the floor and drive for layups on the fast break.
Sometimes I lie awake at night, tossing and turning, wondering if anyone else truly realizes how well the big fella played when he got his chance last season. During his 10 spot starts, he averaged 14.3 points and 6.6 rebounds and shot 52.0 percent from the floor. Marc also prevented Memphis from spoiling the Hornets’ lone appearance last season on the Worldwide Leader of Sports, with a season-best 24-point night. And he’s a skilled equestrian, to boot! The line for the Marc Jackson Fan Club forms to the left, with Hornet Henry already signed on to serve as El Presidente. No one is really talking about Marc right now, but he is the team’s most important frontcourt reserve player. I love the fact that when he was given an opportunity after being nailed to the bench in New Jersey, he responded nicely, raising his stats in nearly every department. Although some of those categories (such as points and rebounds) inevitably increase when a player gets far more PT, Marc also was more accurate from the floor (48.9 percent) and foul line (82.4 percent) as a Hornet than as a Net. Rasual Butler OK Hornets fans, try to explain this one: Sual Bop was the team’s most dangerous 3-point shooter last season, and experienced a few stretches where he was red-hot from everywhere on the floor, yet he only made 69.3 percent of his foul shots last season. That really doesn’t make any sense – kind of like when Hornets opponents used to leave the legendary Dell Curry wide open for treys. Rasual said earlier this summer that one of his primary goals is to increase his free-throw percentage to between 80 and 85 percent. Another thing to watch for this season with Butler is his overall consistency. Partly due to a role that fluctuated wildly – he went from getting DNPs (coach’s decision) in November to being a starter by season’s end – his game-to-game numbers were a little tough to predict at times. I think he will settle into more of a predictable role this season, as the top outside shooter off the bench and someone who will play roughly 20 minutes a game. He should often come into the game for Desmond Mason, which is a nice contrast. Mase loves to cut the basket for dunks and layups; Sual is a spot-up shooter more comfortable away from the hoop. Mailbag Several fans weighed in on my last article, which included an e-mail from a fan who argued that David West is the Hornets’ best player. You can tell me your thoughts on the Hornets by sending an e-mail to hornethenry@hornets.com. TWO VOTES FOR CP3 I’m not totally sure who the best player is now, but in two or three years CP3 will be in the contention for MVP, so I guess I will say Chris Paul is the Hornets’ best player. – Tyler The best player on the Hornets is Chris Paul. Just look at the Hornets’ record before he arrived. Well, that should say it all. – Jonathon Fellas, I have to agree with you. Like I wrote last time, CP3 made a positive impact on the entire team. His ability to make other players better from the point-guard position is the main reason why he’s the Hornets’ best player in my book. – HH PARGO COULD BE ALL-STAR The entire team is the best player, along with Coach Scott. By the way Pargo can be an All-Star if given a chance. He can outright shoot and is one of the best pure shooters in the game. He was a great pickup. – Pug Is that you, Jannero? – HH Until next time, Hornets fans, whose ball is it? HORNETS BALL! The opinions of Hornet Henry do not reflect the views of the NBA, the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets nor Hornets.com. |
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