December 4, 2007

With the first month of the regular season behind us, we caught up with Hornets TV play-by-play broadcaster Bob Licht to find out his thoughts on the 12-6 Hornets.

Hornets.com: New Orleans began the season with a franchise-best 9-2 start, prior to a 1-4 stretch. What aspect of the first month of the Hornets’ season has been the most pleasant surprise?
Bob Licht: (1) Team defense, (2) three-point shooting, and (3) road play.
(1) The Hornets finished the opening month first in the Western Conference in points allowed/game (92.4). I didn’t think the defense would be this consistent this early in the season. (2) As for three-point shooting, the Bees are third in the NBA in made threes, Peja has been among the league leaders and appears healthy, and the addition of Mo Peterson gives Byron Scott an additional perimeter weapon. (3) Whipping up on the Nuggets, Lakers, Nets, and Clippers on the road is a very good sign. All four teams are playoff contenders. Byron’s Bees had eight road wins entering December... last season they had 15 road wins TOTAL!

Hornets.com: What’s been the biggest disappointment?
Bob Licht: Inconsistency. The 9-2 start showed the potential of this team. The 1-4 they went immediately thereafter showed how much room this group has to improve. A playoff hopeful in the Western Conference can’t lose to Indiana and Minnesota at home. Losing four of their first seven home games is a tough pill to swallow; however, keep in mind that two of the losses were against San Antonio and Orlando, two of the best teams in the NBA.

New Orleans point guard Chris Paul’s improvement in his third NBA season can be attributed partly to increased confidence in his outside shot.

Hornets.com: What is your assessment of the Hornets’ December schedule?
Bob Licht: I have mixed feelings on the December breakdown. Eight of the 14 games are at home, seven of the opponents were non-playoff teams a season ago, and there are 17 off days in the month. That’s the GOOD news. However, turn the coin over and we find Dallas on the slate twice, Phoenix, Cleveland and Detroit are also scheduled, making it five upper-echelon teams in December. There are only a pair of back-to-backs in the month, so fatigue shouldn’t be a factor.

Hornets.com: Chris Paul has again increased his production nearly across the board. What are some of the biggest differences or improvements you see in Paul between his second season and now?
Bob Licht: He appears ready to take his offense to the next level. He’s more confident shooting threes. He plays under much better control when penetrating the lane. His knowledge of the game has always been in the top tier among his peers, but starting with the Laker game it seems he’s better able to involve all of his weapons during a game. This is clearly his team and he sets the tone of a game much quicker than in his first two seasons.

Hornets.com: After Peja Stojakovic missed the final 69 games of 2006-07 with a back injury, people around the league have been watching him closely to see how he is progressing physically. What is your take on Stojakovic’s health right now?
Bob Licht: Peja seems healthier than at any time since signing with the Hornets. His production falls off a bit in the first game after a long flight, or in the second game of a back-to-back, but that is not unexpected early in his first month back, What I am amazed at is how good he is when everything is just right. The Lakers game (when he nailed 10 threes) came following a day off. He’s had 20-plus points four times and three or more threes seven times.

Hornets.com: How do you account for the difference in production by Hilton Armstrong in the preseason vs. the regular season?
Bob Licht: Other than minutes, it’s a mystery to me. He played more in October, so naturally his numbers were better. He was also playing against less experienced opponents. On a good night Hilton will probably get no more than 12-15 minutes on the floor. During that time Byron Scott would rather see Armstrong rebound, defend, and block shots than go 3-for-3 from the floor. So, “numbers” don’t necessarily equate to a better performance.

Production from reserves such as Rasual Butler will be critical as the Hornets face a relatively difficult December schedule.

Hornets.com: Speaking of the bench, what is your assessment of how key reserves Rasual Butler, Bobby Jackson and Jannero Pargo have played in the first month?
Bob Licht: Rasual Butler will agree that other than his first four games (coincidentally all Hornets wins) he has been terribly inconsistent (three straight double-figure games in the first four this season…then went 13 straight under 10 points). His No. 1 NBA skill is shooting the ball… so he needs to be ready to jump off the bench and be Vinnie Johnson (“The Microwave”), or Brent Barry, or Eddie House. Shooting is not his ONLY skill, but it is his BEST skill and this team is a top-eight Western Conference club when he’s “on.”

Bobby Jackson has probably been the most consistent reserve so far with six double-figure scoring games and only two games with more than one turnover. His ability to take the ball to the rack distinguishes him from many undersized guards, consequently, he’s visited the free-throw line 23 times in 16 games.

Jannero Pargo did a nice job filling in for CP3 (1-1 in two starts, 33 pts, 14 assists, 5 turnovers) and seems much more confident than at the beginning of his first Hornets season. We still have not seen “Pargo Time” when he catches fire at the start of the fourth quarter, but coach Scott will be patient with him. He’s been good along side Paul or Jackson in the opening month, but still seems to be adjusting to playing 15 minutes per game.

Hornets.com: Julian Wright appeared in half of the team’s first 16 games this season. From what the coaching staff has said, what does Wright need to improve upon to become a larger part of the rotation?
Bob Licht: Everything! Wright is a great kid, is very intelligent, and at the very least should develop into an NBA starter. But, he’s the youngest player on this team at 20, he only played 71 college games before turning pro, his shot needs much more consistency, he still must learn the intricacies of the Princeton-style offense, and defense is usually the last skill that a young player masters. “JuJu” works extremely hard, and he “gets it”; there’s no doubt in my mind that by this time next season he will be pushing veterans for more significant playing time.

Hornets.com: The Hornets’ other 2007 draft pick, Adam Haluska, has been one of the club’s inactives all season and may be assigned to the D-League, after a few strong games in preseason. What areas of his game are critical to his future as an NBA player?
Bob Licht: Second-round draft picks are like lotto tickets – inexpensive long shots. Haluska has already bucked the odds by making this team while many second-rounders are in Europe or looking for work. His NBA skill is shooting the ball and he REALLY can fill it up. He’s a better athlete than most of the scouting reports indicate, but his niche in this league will be like a Fred Hoiberg, Eddie House or a Steve Kerr. He’ll come off the bench, lock and load and fire. Like Wright, he needs to gain experience in Byron Scott’s system, become a better defender, and fully understand the role he will play in the NBA.

Hornets.com: The Hornets had one five-game stretch in November in which they scored 120 points in one game and 71 in another. What is behind the occasional inconsistency in New Orleans’ offense?
Bob Licht: As Chris Paul told the TNT crew in Atlanta, “...if I knew the answer I would tell you...”
The difference between good teams and great teams is consistency. That’s one reason I think San Antonio can repeat. We all know what they can do... and THEY all know what they can do. They’re not the most talented team in the league, but they’re the most consistent and most confident team in the NBA. Chris Paul is approaching that level and to some extent so is David West. When Chandler, Peja and Peterson find their comfort zone on this team and in this system, the consistency you ask about will emerge.