shaggy17
07-01-2006, 05:26 AM
Also, the Hornets lost top backup center Chris Andersen in January when he was banned by the league for violating its drug policy.
Veteran P.J. Brown played center the entire season, though power forward is his natural position. Backup center Marc Jackson played aggressive but lacked quickness and was unable to give consistent scoring help.
"I want somebody who, when teams come into the paint, at least they start thinking about it," Scott said. "I think both of these guys have that ability that if they don't block, they're going to change it."
Armstrong said he has been working to improve his offensive skills after averaging 9.7 points last season.
"I've really been trying to practice everything, shooting 3-pointers, stepping out and taking somebody off the dribble and taking shots with my back to the basket," Armstrong said. "I've been practicing everything to see what works best for me."
Scott said Armstrong appears to be more ready now for a playing role than Simmons. Armstrong played four seasons in college, but Simmons declared for the draft after his sophomore season.
"It's going to be like college all over again; I'm going to be learning," Simmons said.
Regardless of how fast Simmons develops, Scott said he plans to reduce Brown's playing time to 15 to 20 minutes from the 31.7 minutes he averaged last season. Neither Scott nor Hornets general manager Jeff Bower has ruled out the possibility that Brown could be traded this summer. Scott said they have received trade offers for Brown.
"If it's something that we feel can make us a much better basketball team, I think the first thing we do is talk to P.J.," Scott said.
If Brown, who could not be reached for comment, is not moved, he likely would start the season as the starting center if Armstrong does not beat him out during training camp. One of Brown's top responsibilities will be to mentor Armstrong and Simmons, Scott said.
Guard J.R. Smith also has been rumored to be involved in several trade proposals. The Hornets, meanwhile, have not finalized yet whether Smith will participate on their summer-league team in Las Vegas, as he did last summer.
"It's something that I had talked about with his agent about a week ago," Bower said. "We will talk about it again in the next couple of days. The reason to have a team there is to give our players a chance to develop and give us a midsummer checkup."
Second-round draft pick Marcus Vinicius will not play in Las Vegas because of a fractured finger. Armstrong and Simmons will play, along with shooting guard Kirk Snyder.
With the draft completed, Scott and Bower plan to turn their attention toward free agency. Teams can begin negotiating with players Saturday. The Hornets want to re-sign point guard Speedy Claxton and small forward Rasual Butler. Another priority, Scott said, is finding a shooter at either shooting guard or small forward.
"We're going to be faced with a little competitive marketplace for both Speedy and Rasual," Bower said. "We looked at it, and we've come up with our best assumptions on what teams will be a threat, but we have some plans."
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/ind...ll=1&thispage=2
Veteran P.J. Brown played center the entire season, though power forward is his natural position. Backup center Marc Jackson played aggressive but lacked quickness and was unable to give consistent scoring help.
"I want somebody who, when teams come into the paint, at least they start thinking about it," Scott said. "I think both of these guys have that ability that if they don't block, they're going to change it."
Armstrong said he has been working to improve his offensive skills after averaging 9.7 points last season.
"I've really been trying to practice everything, shooting 3-pointers, stepping out and taking somebody off the dribble and taking shots with my back to the basket," Armstrong said. "I've been practicing everything to see what works best for me."
Scott said Armstrong appears to be more ready now for a playing role than Simmons. Armstrong played four seasons in college, but Simmons declared for the draft after his sophomore season.
"It's going to be like college all over again; I'm going to be learning," Simmons said.
Regardless of how fast Simmons develops, Scott said he plans to reduce Brown's playing time to 15 to 20 minutes from the 31.7 minutes he averaged last season. Neither Scott nor Hornets general manager Jeff Bower has ruled out the possibility that Brown could be traded this summer. Scott said they have received trade offers for Brown.
"If it's something that we feel can make us a much better basketball team, I think the first thing we do is talk to P.J.," Scott said.
If Brown, who could not be reached for comment, is not moved, he likely would start the season as the starting center if Armstrong does not beat him out during training camp. One of Brown's top responsibilities will be to mentor Armstrong and Simmons, Scott said.
Guard J.R. Smith also has been rumored to be involved in several trade proposals. The Hornets, meanwhile, have not finalized yet whether Smith will participate on their summer-league team in Las Vegas, as he did last summer.
"It's something that I had talked about with his agent about a week ago," Bower said. "We will talk about it again in the next couple of days. The reason to have a team there is to give our players a chance to develop and give us a midsummer checkup."
Second-round draft pick Marcus Vinicius will not play in Las Vegas because of a fractured finger. Armstrong and Simmons will play, along with shooting guard Kirk Snyder.
With the draft completed, Scott and Bower plan to turn their attention toward free agency. Teams can begin negotiating with players Saturday. The Hornets want to re-sign point guard Speedy Claxton and small forward Rasual Butler. Another priority, Scott said, is finding a shooter at either shooting guard or small forward.
"We're going to be faced with a little competitive marketplace for both Speedy and Rasual," Bower said. "We looked at it, and we've come up with our best assumptions on what teams will be a threat, but we have some plans."
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/ind...ll=1&thispage=2