Author Archive

The Failed Devin Brown Trade: Rearranging The Deck Chairs On The Titanic

Posted: 30th December 2009 by Paul Augustin in NBA
Because of the wildly popular movie by the same, most readers know that the Titanic was a supposedly unsinkable ship that sank suddenly in 1912 with most of its passengers. If an activity is compared to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, it means that it will have no effect on the problem and is generally a waste of time. Beginning early yesterday, Minnesota newspapers and various NBA blogs reported an impending ...

The All-Time NBA “Short People” Team

Posted: 21st December 2009 by Paul Augustin in NBA
In this slideshow, I rate the best "short people" to play in their positions in the NBA. Being a one-time 5' 10" power forward myself, I have a very soft spot in my heart for players considered too short for their position. My claim to fame was that I was the leading rebounder in the league throughout junior high school despite being the shortest player in my ...

Evaluating the Tyson Chandler-Emeka Okafor Trade After 20-Plus Games

Posted: 19th December 2009 by Paul Augustin in NBA
When the Tyson Chandler-for-Emeka Okafor trade was completed last year, most basketball analysts proclaimed that the trade was a wash. Not so for the fans. There were fans of both teams who did not like the trade. I read numerous comments from Bobcat fans that essentially said that their owner was dumping their best players to make the team more attractive for an anticipated future sale. In blogs all over the Internet, Hornets' fans ...

Marcus Thornton / Darren Collison: Rookie Backcourt Of The Year

Posted: 28th November 2009 by Paul Augustin in NBA
Let's go back to the 2009 NBA Draft. The first backcourt player taken was shooting guard James Harden, drafted third overall by the Thunder. The next pick was Memphis combo guard Tyreke Evans who went to the Kings. Immediately after Evans, the Timberwolves selected Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio.á And so on and so on. Sixteen picks and eleven guards later, the New Orleans Hornets selected ...

Tic Tac Toe: The Improbable New Orleans Hornets Have Won Three in a Row

Posted: 22nd November 2009 by Paul Augustin in NBA
In an unlikely turn of events, the New Orleans Hornets have won their third game in a row by defeating the Atlanta Hawks, 96-86, Saturday night in the Hive. Coming into this game, the Southwest Division leading Hawks had the best record in the NBA. This is the second division leader in a row that the Hornets have defeated. In their previous contest against the Phoenix Suns, the ...

Five Things the Hornets’ Win Over the LA Clippers Reveals

Posted: 18th November 2009 by Paul Augustin in NBA
Although ESPN predicted a New Orleans victory over the LA Clippers last night, I must admit that I was not extremely confident.á The first two games of the Jeff Bower era did not look much different then the last few games of the Byron Scott era. Poor defense against Portland and Atlanta led to little offense.á Players were standing around as if they were lost in a London fog. In last ...

New Orleans Hornets Fire Coach Byron Scott: Jeff Bower To Take Over

Posted: 12th November 2009 by Paul Augustin in NBA
In a not very surprising move, the New Orleans Hornets have fired sixth-year Head Coach Byron Scott. Oh how the mighty have fallen! As recent as January 2009, the Hornets were ranked as high as third in NBA power rankings. The Hornets have looked liked tired old men in winning only three out of their first nine games. While the current Hornets roster is significantly improved from the roster that began ...

Hornets 2009: New Orleans’ Week One Starting Five Evaluation

Posted: 1st November 2009 by Paul Augustin in NBA
One week into the 2009 season, the Hornets have won one and lost two.á In their opening night loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Hornets looked like they were going to pick up where they ended last seasonùmiserably. In their home opener, the Hornets looked like a substantially improved work in progress by beating a much improved Sacramento Kings squad.á In their most recent game, New Orleans looked solid ...

Energy Crisis in New Orleans: Hornets Out of Gas in San Antonio

Posted: 28th October 2009 by Paul Augustin in NBA
I had a meeting with my general contractor tonight at 6:30. We are planning some major home renovations in the near future. Grateful for my Dish Network DVR, I set the satellite to record the Hornets opener. By the time I was able to turn the game on in the middle of the second quarter, New Orleans was already hopelessly behind. What happened!? I watched the rest of the first ...
The photo to the right shows Chris Paul in a position that the 2008-09 edition of the Hornets could ill-afford him to be inùsitting on the bench. Last season, when Paul or All-Star teammate David West were either on the bench or having an off-night, the odds were better than even that the Hornets were going to have a rough night. Coach Byron Scott, being no fool, understood this quite well. As ...