The New Orleans Hornets' Slowed Down Approach Proving Unsuccessful

While the Hornets have a contender’s record (44-27), and have a chance at winning 50 games, they are well behind the Lakers, Spurs, and Rockets as contenders for the Western crown.

In fact, after witnessing New Orleans’ 103-93 stinker of a loss against the Knicks, it’s apparent that the Hornets have changed their game plan for the worse compared to last year’s version.

Against the Knicks, the Hornets offense was run with too much nonchalance and no sense of urgency.

Whereas last year’s Hornets would push the ball early in transition, present a screen or double screen for Chris Paul above the free throw line, run the cutter on a bee-line to the basket with David West spotting up at one elbow and wings spotting up behind the three-point line, this year’s Hornets are more subdued.

• Instead of pushing the ball as often as possible, the Hornets walked the ball up.
• Whereas Paul used to always attack around screens, too often he uses screens to set up defensive switches (usually for David West) and then lets the big man isolate.
• With Tyson Chandler injured, Hilton Armstrong lacks the athleticism and ferocity to be a fearsome cutter, catcher, and dunker.
• Peja Stojakovic’ injury curtails much of New Orleans’ three point shooting. But even so, last season Morris Peterson was a reliable defender and three-point marksman. This year, Peterson is a step slower making him an obsolete defender, while Rasual Butler and Julian Wright are inadequate shooters.
• In fact, discounting Mo Pete’s 304, New Orleans misfired on 13 of their 16 three balls.
• The Hornets’ offense often stagnated to the point where they were forced to throw up difficult heaves with the shot clock expiring, especially in the second half. In fact, while Paul tallied 10 assists, the Hornets only tallied 15 as a team on 37 field goals made.
• Despite the Knicks going under all of his screens, Paul only connected on three of his seven shot attempts from outside the paint.
• Despite the Knicks not having a legitimate shot blocker, Paul missed five of his nine shots in the immediate vicinity of the basket.
• The only Hornets who rebounded with vigor were Paul, West, and Wright.
• David West is certainly an excellent third option, but his effectiveness as a second option is compromised by an inability to read double teams. In the first half, whether isolating on his own accord, or after posting up after New York switched a Chris Paul screen, West dominated the Knicks single coverage for 14 points on 4-7 shooting with no turnovers.
• In the second half, the Knicks crowded West and sent a double teamer to swipe at his dribble from behind. West still went 7-12, but he also committed two turnovers, and only shot a single free throw attempt. Even worse, the times that West had to pick the ball up and New Orleans had to restart their offense almost never resulted in anything positive. This is why the Hornets only tallied 16 points in a disastrous third quarter in which they were outscored 35-16.
• James Posey reacted to one particular call by flinging the ball at Gary Zielinski’s feet earning him an ejection. And Paul spent as much time staring down the refs as he did doling out assists.
• The Hornets’ big men were befuddled by the Knicks wing screen/rolls, and their baseline rotations were horrendous, particularly Wright’s and Butler’s.
• To combat those screen/rolls, the Hornets eventually sank in their wings to cut the ball-handler off, leaving three-point shooters at the top of the key wide open.
• Aside from finishing a nifty early-offense layup, Butler was beyond useless—2-11 FG, 1-6 3FG, 4 REB, 5 PTS.
• Wright and Armstrong aren’t good finishers and each attempted sweeping hooks that nearly shattered the backboard.
• The Hornets attempted basic triangle action early in their first quarter possessions, but with little cutting or ball movement, it eventually broke down into simple Paul/West screen/rolls or West post ups, with Butler half-heartedly running around a weak-side double screen.
• In fact, aside from a few Sean Marks and Armstrong flash cuts when West was posting up, New Orleans had precious little weak-side player movement.
• While Posey remains an above average defender, he doesn’t have the desire he did last year in Boston. He was beaten off the dribble by Larry Hughes and Al Harrington and had his hands in his pockets on a Quentin Richardson jumper.
• Paul’s inability to fight through screens resulted in either switches or wide-open threes for Chris Duhon, while Butler, Wright, and Peterson couldn’t keep their defenders in front of them.

It is unclear why the Hornets have molded themselves into such a deliberate team. Perhaps they sense that their offense lacks explosion with Chandler and Stojakovic out of the lineup?

Perhaps they gave San Antonio’s half court execution too much respect in last season’s postseason loss to them? Perhaps the Hornets don’t play as hard as they did last year?

Perhaps the rest of the league has caught up to the fact the Hornets are a one-and-a-half trick pony?

With Paul and West, the Hornets aren’t exactly on a fast track to nowhere. It’s more like they’re on a slow track to a first round playoff exit.