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more like Most Successful Inciting a Healthy "WTF??!!!??" This is a Lose-LoseThat trade was the best of the offseason?????
I'll be interested to see how the Spurs match up against David West, now, with the new arsenal of Bigs. McDyess and Blair both have the ability to make things tough for David inside, but West can still face up and hit the open 18 footer like it's a layup.
I look forward to seeing that pouting, frowning sense of en lement look from David when things go bad.
CP3 is sure to have added some new theatrical performances for the opener. TP, George and the entire team defense will have to be on their collective toes.
more like Most Successful Inciting a Healthy "WTF??!!!??" This is a Lose-LoseThat trade was the best of the offseason?????
http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ss...ter_eme_3.htmlNew Orleans Hornets center Emeka Okafor practices Sunday, hopes to play in opener
By Jimmy Smith, The Times-Picayune
October 25, 2009, 2:26PM
Having missed all of training camp and the preseason with a sprained right second toe, New Orleans Hornets center Emeka Okafor practiced almost completely with the team on Sunday and said afterward he feels better than he has in weeks.
Okafor, who sustained a minor setback nearly two weeks ago which cancelled his original plans to play in the Oct. 17 preseason game against Indiana, participated in everything but the five-on-five, contact scrimmage portion of Sunday's practice and reported no ill effects.
Okafor attempted to clear up misconceptions that arose after a Yahoo.com on Friday said he'd been given medical clearance to resume practice two weeks ago, but still wasn't fully participating in workouts.
"It made it seem like I wasn't playing for the sake of not playing," Okafor said. "What was left out was that the doctors said it was OK for me to gradually do weight-bearing activities until I felt comfortable to play. The previous week I jumped out there, felt the soreness and got set back.
"This time the game plan was to gradually build. That's what we've been doing and had success. Today was the first time I was on the court running, doing everything, the non-contact things, to try to gradually ease myself into the water. It's cool. It's in a better place. It's definitely more manageable than it was. And that was the goal: to get to a place where it could manageable and I could get to place where I could play. If I have to play with pain, I can. But understand this is the preseason. Why take extraordinary measures when it's not necessary at this point?"
Okafor has played every regular-season game the last two years. The Hornets open the regular season Wedneday night at San Antonio.
"I like playing and I need to get out there and I'm going to be out there," Okafor said of playing in that game. "It's not necessarily about a streak. I like playing and I personally don't like missing games unless it's absolutely necessary. Obviously you can't help certain things, but if you can . . . . "
Adrian Wojnarowski: The Hornets plan to have Okafor in lineup on Wednesday vs. Spurs, with expectation he will get in three practices this week. Twitter.com
That trade was the best of the offseason?????
Somebody should post the video of CP3 flopping between Duncan and I think Fabb? That flops a classic.
CP3 showing his theatrical and whining skills-makes me laugh so hard and gets me pissed at the same time.
New Orleans Hornets' Emeka Okafor eager to toe the line
By Jimmy Smith, The Times-Picayune
Taking the time to clarify what he thought was a somewhat misleading report last week on his extended absence, New Orleans Hornets center Emeka Okafor on Sunday said he is not ruling out the chance he could play in the team's regular-season opener Wednesday night at San Antonio.
Okafor participated in all of the team's rigorous practice Sunday at the Alario Center except for the five-on-five, full-contact scrimmages, and the center said the sprained second toe on his right foot responded favorably.
A story on Yahoo.com on Friday indicated that Okafor had received medical clearance to fully resume activities two weeks ago but seemed reluctant to participate in all phases of team workouts.
"There were a couple of things in the article that weren't conveyed right as far as the doctors saying it was OK for me to (practice), " Okafor said. "The article almost made it seem like I wasn't playing for the sake of not playing. What was left out was that the doctors said it was OK for me to gradually do weight-bearing activities until I felt comfortable to play. The previous week I jumped out there and started running and felt the soreness and got set back.
"This time the game plan was to gradually build. That's what we've been doing and had success doing. Today was the first time I was on the court running, doing everything, the non-contact things, to try to gradually ease myself into the water."
Okafor said when he practiced for the first time Oct. 12 after missing the first three weeks of training camp -- planning to make his preseason debut Oct. 17 against Indiana -- he experienced soreness during and after the workout, which slowed his progress.
After Sunday's practice, Okafor said the toe felt fine.
"It's cool. It's in a better place, " Okafor said. "It's definitely more manageable than it was. And that was the goal: to get to a place where it could be manageable and I could get to place where I could play. I think people have to realize I've played two straight seasons (without missing a game) and in all those games, I haven't felt 100 percent.
"There are days I've played with pain. If I have to play with pain, I can. But understand this is the preseason. Why take extraordinary measures when it's not necessary at this point? If it comes time when you've just got to go, cool. But if the time doesn't dictate that . . ."
Hornets Coach Byron Scott said Sunday Okafor's teammates -- reported in the Yahoo story as becoming somewhat disgruntled by Okafor's absence -- seemed pleased to have Okafor on the court.
"When a player tells me he's still hurting a little bit, I'm going to take him for his word. And I believe him, " Scott said. "That's why we didn't rush him back or anything. He worked today, which was great. He did a lot of stuff on the court. I kept him out of the five-on-five stuff. We'll gradually try to move him along (Monday) a little bit more.
"But he looked good today. That was a good sign to see him out there today running around. So we're happy about that. I think (Okafor's teammates) understand the situation. And if they were in the same situations as far as with an injury, me from a coaching standpoint, I wouldn't rush them back. I think they felt good to see him out here today participating. That was a good sign. Hopefully, tomorrow he can do a little more and just go from there."
Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower would not say exactly when Okafor was medically cleared, citing medical privacy concerns, but added the team was not overly bothered about the extent of time Okafor has missed.
"Injuries are a part of the preseason and will be a part of the regular season, " Bower said. "Obviously, the ability to participate is dictated by the athlete's ability to perform. He has gone through the rehabilitation stages and is working his way to transition back into regular team activities. It's a process we have to go through."
Okafor said initially the toe sprain was not the type of injury he could tape and continue to work, but the recovery process now is at a point where that could be possible. That makes Okafor hopeful he'll play against the Spurs, keeping his regular-season streak alive, and possibly play heavy minutes, providing he wakes up this morning relatively pain-free.
"I don't think that's out of the question, " Okafor said." I just have to see. I just had practice today. My toe feels fine now. We'll see how it is later on (Sunday) and in the morning time and base the progress on that. If everything's cool, I don't see why it can't be a possibility."
OTHER INJURIES: Forwards David West (sprained left ankle) and Julian Wright (right knee strain) fully participated in Sunday's workout. Both played in Friday's preseason finale after sustaining injuries Wednesday. Wright reported some slight soreness during Sunday's workout, Scott said.
If Okafor plays, I guess we might lose by 5 points.
Yeah right
Lol okafor for chandler was the best trade huh
LOL at people thinking the Hornets are doomed because they won't have Chandler. The Hornets beat the Spurs without Chandler last season. No problem.
LOL at people thinking the Hornets have a shot at doing anything this year. ing fail.
LOL at people still holding to the last season. New season, New Spurs.
The Hornets are doomed.
McDyess/Blair > Thomas/Oberto
And lets not forget:
Duncan2010 > Duncan2009
Hornets' Okafor angling to play Wednesday versus Spurs
Bradley Handwerger
WESTWEGO ― With less than two days to go before the Hornets tip off their 2009-10 season, the Okafor Watch continues.
That’s not a good thing, either.
Okafor, New Orleans’ big offseason acquisition, has yet to play in a game in the Hornets’ uniform and he has only been through two days of practice.
But the optimism is building that his introduction into the lineup could come as early as Wednesday in New Orleans’ season-opener, a 7 p.m. showdown at Southwest Division rival San Antonio.
“He did more today than he did (Sunday),” New Orleans Head Coach Byron Scott said following Monday’s practice session. “Hopefully he’ll feel pretty good tomorrow and we’ll try to up it a little bit.”
Okafor has sat out the entire preseason and training camp with an injured toe. More than three weeks after camp began, Okafor can finally envision his first minutes as a Hornet.
“I can definitely see myself playing Wednesday,” Okafor said. “I’m not completely pain free, but now it’s to the point where it’s manageable. That was the goal, to get it where it’s manageable.”
The sixth-year former No. 2 overall pick has played all 82 games the past two seasons.
He also owns a career double-double average, putting up 14 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. But his biggest contribution might be on the defensive end, where he averages nearly two blocked shots per game.
And that’s where New Orleans might need him the most. Opponents averaged 103.3 points per game in eight preseason games and the Hornets had two fewer blocked shots per game than opponents.
Sunday and Monday’s practice were enough to show Scott that Okafor will be an upgrade from Hilton Armstrong and Sean Marks, who have been playing center in his stead.
“He played with a lot of intensity today,” Scott said. “He’s very, very active down there. He comes to block everything and he runs the floor extremely well. In just two days, I’ve been impressed with his athleticism and his defense. That’s one of the reasons we got him.”
Yet, there could be issues, at least early on. Okafor doesn’t have any on-court chemistry with Chris Paul or David West and since he hasn’t been on the floor, he doesn’t know all of the offensive sets.
“I think you have to limit it to a certain extent and some of the things he doesn’t know, we can run through timeouts,” Scott said. “As far as just coming down and calling a bunch of plays he’s not familiar with, we’ll have to be pretty simple right now with him in the basketball game.”
Okafor, however, isn’t buying into any lack of chemistry.
“I don’t think it will be that big of an issue,” he said. “It may take a game or two to get fully acclimated with the team. I don’t think it’ll be too hard.”
qft. In the 08 semi's listening to all those 'wild wild west' puns every time David had a good game was insufferable
Tim showing his fire in this video. Well done, Tim, tell him who's the best.
CP3 is a great player
but he's a bigger flopper than Manu
You forgot Blairs line:
23 points 15 rebs 4 arms ........... in 20 minutes.
228, is there a post game interview with Timmy about this incident? I'm wondering what he said to Paul. Whatever it was had to be getting on his last nerve. I can't recollect Timmy doing that to anyone.
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