West Excited By Added Firepower, Doesn’t See Role Changing
October 4, 2006
Although he’s heard speculation that his role in the Hornets’ offense may be reduced this season due to the addition of prolific scorer Peja Stojakovic, power forward David West doesn’t sound at all concerned about a potential drop-off in shot attempts or point production.
In fact, West believes Stojakovic’s arrival will mean that the Xavier (Ohio) product will reap the benefits of seeing fewer double-teams from the opposition. The 26-year-old says the move was one of several roster changes that may give the Hornets a significantly better chance at competing with some of the ultra-talented teams in the Western Conference.
“When the initial signing of Peja happened, I think people thought it was going to take away from me (on offense),” West explained. “Really, I don’t see it that way. Basically what it means is that it’s going to put opposing teams in a lot of one-on-one situations. They’re not going to be able to concentrate solely on keeping Chris (Paul) out of the paint. You’re either going to have to give up layups, or you going to give up wide-open 3s.
“I don’t think my role changes. It’s great that we’ll have more than one weapon. If you look at a team like Phoenix last season, we felt that we may have been more talented than them at one position or two positions, but they had a bench. We feel like we have that now.”
As was the case with many of the Hornets’ players, West was surprised this summer when he heard the news of Stojakovic’s signing. Having faced the three-time All-Star over the past three NBA seasons, West instantly recognized the positive impact Stojakovic could have on the Hornets’ attack.
“I don’t think anybody saw that coming,” West said of Stojakovic’s signing with the Hornets. “I didn’t know we had an opportunity to get him, but I’m glad we did. He’s a dangerous player. I know from playing against him and preparing for him, you have to change some of your (defensive) principles when he’s on the floor. He’s going to add a dimension that we haven’t had.”
By signing Bobby Jackson and Jannero Pargo, trading for Tyson Chandler and drafting first-rounders Hilton Armstrong and Cedric Simmons, West sees a much deeper Hornets team than the one that limped to a 7-19 finish last season after starting 31-25.
“I think these moves are definitely going to help me, and everybody individually,” West said. “I use Phoenix as an example again: When we’re preparing to play against Phoenix, we’re saying, ‘OK, who are we going to try to stop?’ Because everyone they have is capable of beating you. I think after watching game film of last season, we had some lulls where we couldn’t score for three or four minutes. You could see that we needed another gun, some more firepower.
“We’ve made solid changes and added pieces that are going to affect the outcome of games. I think we should be able to score a lot of points, and we should be a pretty dangerous team.”
Although he’s heard speculation that his role in the Hornets’ offense may be reduced this season due to the addition of prolific scorer Peja Stojakovic, power forward David West doesn’t sound at all concerned about a potential drop-off in shot attempts or point production.
In fact, West believes Stojakovic’s arrival will mean that the Xavier (Ohio) product will reap the benefits of seeing fewer double-teams from the opposition. The 26-year-old says the move was one of several roster changes that may give the Hornets a significantly better chance at competing with some of the ultra-talented teams in the Western Conference.
“When the initial signing of Peja happened, I think people thought it was going to take away from me (on offense),” West explained. “Really, I don’t see it that way. Basically what it means is that it’s going to put opposing teams in a lot of one-on-one situations. They’re not going to be able to concentrate solely on keeping Chris (Paul) out of the paint. You’re either going to have to give up layups, or you going to give up wide-open 3s.
“I don’t think my role changes. It’s great that we’ll have more than one weapon. If you look at a team like Phoenix last season, we felt that we may have been more talented than them at one position or two positions, but they had a bench. We feel like we have that now.”
As was the case with many of the Hornets’ players, West was surprised this summer when he heard the news of Stojakovic’s signing. Having faced the three-time All-Star over the past three NBA seasons, West instantly recognized the positive impact Stojakovic could have on the Hornets’ attack.
“I don’t think anybody saw that coming,” West said of Stojakovic’s signing with the Hornets. “I didn’t know we had an opportunity to get him, but I’m glad we did. He’s a dangerous player. I know from playing against him and preparing for him, you have to change some of your (defensive) principles when he’s on the floor. He’s going to add a dimension that we haven’t had.”
By signing Bobby Jackson and Jannero Pargo, trading for Tyson Chandler and drafting first-rounders Hilton Armstrong and Cedric Simmons, West sees a much deeper Hornets team than the one that limped to a 7-19 finish last season after starting 31-25.
“I think these moves are definitely going to help me, and everybody individually,” West said. “I use Phoenix as an example again: When we’re preparing to play against Phoenix, we’re saying, ‘OK, who are we going to try to stop?’ Because everyone they have is capable of beating you. I think after watching game film of last season, we had some lulls where we couldn’t score for three or four minutes. You could see that we needed another gun, some more firepower.
“We’ve made solid changes and added pieces that are going to affect the outcome of games. I think we should be able to score a lot of points, and we should be a pretty dangerous team.”
