New Orleans Hornets: Where's the Love?, Part Two

So, now you know.

If you are a sports fan with a pulse, you watched TNT's highly-entertaining broadcast of the 57th Annual NBA All-Star Game hosted in the Crescent City of New Orleans, Louisiana.  

You've looked at the standings for the first half of this season, and at the heading "Southwest Division," you have consistently seen the New Orleans Hornets as either the first or second team listed in that column.

 You wonder how on earth that is possible, and why you haven't seen more of this team. 

You saw 22-year-old Chris Paul during the NBA All-Star Game. You've recently heard Sports Center anchors Scott Van Pelt and Neil Everett gush about his game during highlights, but wondered how good this guy really was.

After all, he plays for the New Orleans Hornets, a team that has had no consistent home court for the past few seasons, and recently called two different cities "home."

He was the key piece in rebuilding the team that finished 18-64 three years ago. You saw his poise as a playmaker on the basketball court, with an incredible ability to penetrate and find the open man.

He had 16 points and 14 assists last night, and put up those stats in an All-Star Game facing the best competition in the world. 14 assists. Chris Paul puts up those numbers every single night.

But you wouldn't know that because the Hornets are never shown on ESPN. You also probably saw the articulate side of Chris Paul, greeting the international audience at center court before tipoff with an eloquence and confidence not found in many 22-year-olds, much less ones who also call themselves NBA All-Stars. 

You also met David West, the Hornets' power forward who plays with an incredible amount of toughness and intensity each and every game, including the one played last night. You saw the way he fought for loose balls under the basket with comparative skyscrapers named Dwight Howard and Rasheed Wallace.

Remember Peja Stojakovic? Well he's on the Hornets too. You know how good a healthy Peja Stojakovic can be. You watched him when he starred with those great Sacramento Kings teams. Well, he's healthy and has benefited from the presence of Chris Paul and David West in becoming the three-point machine we all remember him to be years ago. 

Tyson Chandler? "The Mistake in Chicago" has finally grown into the NBA's premier rebounder. He's become a monster. You'll find that out soon too.

So why do the Hornets still fail to draw decent crowds to their games? Never mind the sellouts, their average attendance mark is 12,500. That just shouldn't happen, and it isn't fair to the team, the franchise, and those who work to put out an exciting product for the city each and every night.

The Hornets have a fantastic team with skilled, intriguing players who play an exciting brand of up-and-down basketball, and with an intensity that would be praised by the city it represents if that city would only come out to see them.

Who wouldn't want to see that type of team play based on hustle, desire, and determination on a nightly basis? If there's any team in pro sports that lives up to its motto, it would be the Hornets:

"Passion, Purpose, Pride."

Yeah, I'd say so.

So, why can't the Hornets draw a consistently packed house? Some of my theories are common sense, and others are more complex. Read on so you can know...and act now.