Rout over Utah improves status in NBA power polls
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com
A look at where New Orleans ranks in four different national power rankings this week:
NBA.com (12th, up 1 spot from 13th the previous week): Have the Hornets begun to turn their season back around? They were right there with the red-hot Heat for three quarters, they won two straight for the first time since Nov. 21, and they've cracked 100 points in two straight games for the first time since Nov. 13. If only they didn't blow Sunday's game in Detroit.
ESPN.com (12th, up 2 spots): If you were expecting more of a carryover in Detroit from the breakout rout CP3's Hornets laid upon D-Will's Jazz, you're not alone. At least we're seeing some Marcus Thornton again thanks to the Hornets' offensive woes.
SportingNews.com (12th, up 1 spot: Theyre just 5-11 in their last 16 games, and you have to wonder how long it will be before the PG Chris Paul trade rumors start up again.
SI.com (15th, down 1 spot): The Hornets are in a nasty free fall, with all the momentum from their convincing win over the Jazz wiped out by close back-to-back losses to Indiana and Detroit. The team that was so fundamentally sound and came up big in the fourth quarter during its 11-1 start now makes fatal mistakes at crunch time, be it the inbounds pass stolen by Detroit's Jason Maxiell on Sunday or the lack of a box-out that allowed Mike Dunleavy's tip-in winner on Monday. With a rookie coach and GM, and two competitive hotheads in Chris Paul and David West as their leaders, it's a fragile situation.