While the Hornets opened training camp with diminished expectations, they still had to expect to contend for a playoff spot after replacing Coach Tim Floyd with Byron Scott. Injuries, however, made quick work of those expectations. Davis, a two-time All-Star, went down with a back injury two weeks into the season with the team already 0-5. Two weeks later, center Jamaal Magloire broke a finger, giving the Hornets three All-Stars on the injured list (forward Jamal Mashburn has missed all season and may retire because of a knee injury) - and none on the active roster. Seeing their season was going nowhere, the Hornets have made a pair of forward-thinking trades. Veteran guards Darrell Armstrong and David Wesley were sent to Dallas and Houston, respectively, the Hornets picking up youngsters Dan Dickau and Bostjan Nachbar, as well as a trio of players from Phoenix when Jim Jackson was routed through New Orleans (holding out instead of playing a game for the Hornets) to Phoenix.

Even with Davis and Magloire still sidelined, the Hornets have been more competitive since entering the New Year with a 2-26 record that threatened NBA records for futility. New Orleans was 6-8 in January, though Davis was active for many of those games. The Hornets have now lost five in a row and are 2-24 on the road this season. New Orleans is also the NBA's worst offensive team, with an Offensive Rating of just 95.1 points per 100 possessions. Still, the Hornets are dangerous because Scott has his troops playing hard and Dickau has broken out in the extra playing time provided by Davis' injury, averaging 16.2 points and 6.5 assists in his 15 starts.

The Seattle SuperSonics will play tonight at full strength for the first time in a week and a half. Guard Ray Allen returned to the lineup Saturday in an easy win over Charlotte, scoring 25 points, and Coach Nate McMillan will be back on the sidelines tonight after missing three games following his mother's death. With three straight Western Conference contenders on the schedule over the next week, the danger is that the Sonics could overlook the Hornets and fail to pay them proper respect. "You've got to not play the record, but the team," said McMillan yesterday. A loss to Denver at KeyArena last month seems to have gotten the Sonics attention, and they have gone 3-1 against sub-.500 teams since then.

G U A R D S
	Luke Ridnour's haircut means he no longer shares flopping locks with Dickau, but they still have plenty in common - a rural Northwest background and idolization of one-time New Orleans star Pistol Pete Maravich ranking high on that list. While Ridnour has found a long-term home with the Sonics, Dickau has bounced around during his NBA career, going from Atlanta (73 games) to a homecoming in Portland (20 games) to Golden State (no games) to Dallas (four games) and finally to New Orleans. Finally, Dickau has had the opportunity to show off his free-flowing offensive game, and he's gone from on his way out of the league to the leading scorer amongst players who will take the court for the Hornets tonight. Expect some solid KeyArena crowd support, expect for disgruntled UW fans still bitter Dickau transferred to Gonzaga.
	The seventh of the eight high-schoolers selected in the first round of this June's Draft, J.R. Smith is taking advantage of his situation to see the third-most playing time amongst that group. Pre-Draft scuttle had it that Smith would be more ready than Josh Smith (taken a pick before him) because of his perimeter shooting, but he's struggled to make the adjustment to the NBA, shooting 35.1%. Smith has been incredibly inconsistent, hitting for 23 points twice in one five-game stretch - and totaling 13 points in the three games between them. Smith is a weak defender at this point in his career, so Allen should have the opportunity to put up big numbers.
F O R W A R D S
	In his second Hornets tour of duty, Lee Nailon has been an offensive bright spot, averaging 15.7 points per game - best amongst active players - on impressive 48.3% shooting. Fittingly, however, he's out tonight because of a strained groin. Veteran defensive specialist George Lynch has replaced Nailon in the lineup, but Scott told reporters yesterday he might go with Bostjan Nachbar, a superior scorer who had 21 points on 6-for-8 shooting on Saturday at Utah. Nachbar has some range, but is just a 36.0% shooter for his career. Sonics forward Rashard Lewis is celebrating his first All-Star berth this evening, and could be in for a big night.
	Sonics forward Reggie Evans is coming off of a career-high 21 rebounds Saturday against the Bobcats, and he's averaging 10.5 rebounds per game since the start of 2005. The Hornets are an average rebounding team, and their weak offense should give Evans plenty of rebounding opportunities tonight. He'll be working against another burly but undersized four in New Orleans' Rodney Rogers. Rogers was once a very dangerous offensive player who, like Vladimir Radmanovic, could beat slower big men with his perimeter shooting. But he's shooting just 24.6% from three this year and 37.7% overall, and he's never been much of a defender.
C E N T E R
	Sonics center Jerome James missed the end of yesterday's practice with a slightly sprained knee, but it should not affect his availability tonight. The Hornets injuries have forced them to use P.J. Brown in the middle, and while Brown is one of the league's most respected players and a hard working rebounder and defender, he's giving up a lot of size to most opponents at 6-11, 239. James has had success against similar defenders in the post. Brown's 42.4% shooting is his lowest mark since his rookie season, but his other numbers have remained strong at age 35.
B E N C H
	Scott has been using a large rotation since acquiring three reserves from Phoenix for Jackson - swingman Casey Jacobsen (right) and big guys Maciej Lampe and Jackson Vroman. The Hornets have a pair of fine specialists in reserve. Jacobsen is the designated shooter, Chris Andersen one of the league's top shot-blockers and rebounders but no threat on offense. After Junior Harrington's 10-day contract expired yesterday, the Hornets have no backup for Dickau, and it's unclear who will handle the ball when Dickau rests. Radmanovic (left) led the Sonics reserves on Saturday, scoring 23 points. After slumping during part of January, Antonio Daniels has been consistent lately, while rookie Nick Collison continues to play a larger role off the bench. Danny Fortson played just three minutes on Saturday because Evans was going so well and the Sonics had the game comfortably in hand, but should play a bigger role tonight.

TEAM LEADERS ALLEN NAILON Allen 24.0 PPG Nailon 15.7 Evans 9.1 RPG Brown 9.1 Ridnour 6.1 APG Dickau 3.9 Ridnour 1.2 SPG Brown 1.2 James 1.3 BPG Andersen 1.4 Allen 39.8 MPG Brown 36.2