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The squad as a whole is very promising as well. Ariza and Paul are a combined steal machine.. and Okafor seems to have improved his game from last season. Hornets are real, this season.
Dude has got his guys playing like there is no tomorrow.
Guarding Chris Paul is like trying to find the real guy in a house of mirrors.
The squad as a whole is very promising as well. Ariza and Paul are a combined steal machine.. and Okafor seems to have improved his game from last season. Hornets are real, this season.
That was a gargantuan three by Ariza in the closing seconds versus Miami.
Nice piece today on Williams and Dell Demps.
Trust binds Hornets’ coach, GM
By Adrian Wojnarowski
Before Monty Williams ever forgave himself for obliterating the chance to win a championship with the San Antonio Spurs, the chance of a lifetime, his old coach forgave him. Gregg Popovich always saw the possibilities within Williams: the intelligence, the character, a leader lost inside the s of a young, stubborn soul.
Here it was, the cusp of a Spurs dynasty in the late 1990s, and Williams wanted to improve his stats on Popovich’s watch.
“They were trying to win a championship and I was trying to establish myself,” Williams said. “I didn’t want to stand out there and throw the ball into Tim [Duncan] and David [Robinson]. I was so immature at the time. I didn’t recognize the opportunity I had to do something special. Man, I was so selfish.”
As the young coach of the New Orleans Hornets, Williams remembers that young Spur every day on the job. Williams left the Spurs before they won a le, but returned years later as a volunteer assistant to get his start on the way to taking over the Hornets. At a table in an Indianapolis breakfast spot a few weeks ago, Williams listened to his general manager, Dell Demps, and nodded.
“When things happen now, I hear Pop and RC [Buford]’s voices in the back of my head,” Demps said. “It’s all so ingrained in me.”
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Yes. I saw that. Rooted against the gloryhunting "superfriends" and it was worth it atleast this game.
Having said that, the Heat has the making of a major defensive force. They can do better than Joel Anthony.. I think.
Man I really enjoyed the year Monty played well for the Spurs, it was kind of care free watching him and Dominique Wilkens play a style of ball that was just kind of a nice break from reality. I just kind of knew Tim Duncan was going to be ours the next year, so I just laid back at the much emptier alamodome and just kept shouting shoot it Monty! Money! I'm impressed with his skill as a coach so far. Coach of the year candidate in my book, which of course is a curse in it's own right.
Lets count how many current coaches played for the Spurs:
1) Monty Williams
2) Doc Rivers
3) Vinny Del Negro
4) Avery Johnson
Amazing.
You forgot George Karl and Mike D'Antoni who played for the Spurs for a week. I think there might be another one I am forgetting.
George Karl
The Hornets are better this year than last mainly because Paul is healthy and he was injured almost all of last season.
However, the Hornets will also benefit the way the Thunder did last year, in that no one expects much out of them. Even though this team almost went to the conference finals three years ago, for the most part, it is a different team.
The Hornets will probably win about 45-48 games and be right around the 8th seed. I wish Demps and Williams the best.
Keith Smart of GSW as well. He played for the Spurs for all of 2 games.
Chris Paul is something else. He really makes all the pundits look like damn fools for writing someone off due to injury.
Much like Manu, or TP...
Also, all the pieces fit a game plan. Okafor/Mbenga just stay inside on both ends at Center, Jason Smith is a pick and pop big(same style as West), Ariza can run, The SG's are shooters who have some ability to make their own shot, and the backup PG spot is a different look.
They can play 1 style of play without changing it to accommodate different parts, the people fit the scheme. They also attacked Heat Weaknesses(PG and interior defense).
Some of Pauls assists were helped by the friendly scorer, but he was dominant and in control throughout.
Props to Williams. I saw 2 Hornets games, yesterday and against us and they're playing very good D. Their bench got better with Smith and Thorton
CP3 is playing great, maybe the MVP of the NBA so far.
Classy post
Just as I predicated he would. This one was even more of a no-brainer than my predicting all last season that the Mavs weren't a serious threat.
As much as I like Durant and Williams, Paul is still a top five player in the world and the best point guard in the game.
Demps made some upgrades, but if Paul get's that team to the playoffs, he's got to be, at minimum, a top three MVP candidate.
Yeah a few days ago, on NBA TV , they showed Tim Duncan's 1st game with the Spurs
AJ, Monty, Vinny: as I was watching the game, I thought about their coaching careers
School of Pop
A healthy Chris Paul makes a coach look really good. It's not a coincidence that coaches get fired when he's hurt.
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