Hornets win home opener!
It wasn’t the prettiest win in the world but I will take it. I did have some observations to make about the overall experience.
The Arena:
I was in shock. This is the home opener for the season for the New Orleans Hornets. None of the food stands I went to had souvenir cups, the place I finally ordered a drink from was out of 7-up, and the Dominoes Pizza that was supposed to have cheesy bread also ran out of that. Is this really the way you prepare for the start of a new season? One might think that it would be a good idea to order a little extra supplies to make sure you don’t run out. And one might think that after 10 years of operations that there wouldn’t be this many screw ups.
Good play:
Omeka Okafor looks like he was an outstanding pickup so far. He picked up the games only double double and had 4 blocked shots, including two clutch blocks to end the game. Overall we had 9 blocked shots. That was incredible.
Julian Wright showed a lot of hustle on the floor.
Chris Paul was Chris Paul. I hope he stays healthy.
David West had 3 steals and 8 rebounds, but I expect more from him when it comes to scoring. He needs to score more than 13.
I do also have to say that I am happy that the Hornets have done what I was hoping for all season last year, and that is play Peja from the bench instead of as a starter. I think once he gets used to coming off the bench that he will find a rhythm and could be a lot like Ginobli.
Bad Play:
How many offensive rebounds do you have to give up per possession. At some point you have to crash the boards yourself and pick up a few.
I counted twice where a Kings player left his feet in anticipation of a blocked shot but a Hornet did not take advantage of it by drawing the foul. This is the fault of Byron Scott. He needs to make sure his players recognize any opportunity to get to the foul line.
Bad Players:
Devin Brown is not impressing me in the least bit, especially because he didn’t play today and his play against San Antonio was even more garbage than the rest of the team. And Hilton Armstrong is just not seeming like he is playing with any heart. Sean Marks would probably give the same production as Armstrong and would probably get more fan support for our favorite Kiwi. If I was coach Scott I would have Devin Brown and Hilton Armstrong dress in suits and then suit up Marks and Thornton to play.
But hey, that is just me.