I keep hearing and reading that the Hornets are too inexperienced and lack enough bench to make the Finals.
The question is will lack of playoff experience for nearly every Hornet except Peja Stojakovic be too much to overcome? Coach Bryon Scott has playoff experience as coach of the Nets and as a player for 10 years with the Lakers. But he doesn't play. Scott complained after the victory over the Raptors on Sunday that he needed more help from his bench. "I've got to find a couple of guys off the bench who can come in and play because it was just terrible the way we played in the fourth quarter."
ESPN.com's John Hollinger, who loves numbers, has figured out the statistical futures of all playoff teams. As of right now, his top Western team is the Lakers with a 22 per cent chance of making the Finals with and a 10.3 per cent chance of winning it all. But three words about the Western Conference race are these: Nobody knows anything.
Here's how SI.com's Jack McCallum assesses the Hornets in the playoffs:
"Red-letter dates remaining: April 8 home game against the Jazz and April 11 games at the Hornets.
"Strongest recent statement: Hammering the Spurs by 25 and the Rockets by 21 (which preceded a comeback victory against Boston), even if they were at home, and trumping a LeBron James game-winner with David West's buzzer-beating jumper of Wednesday at Cleveland.
"Toughest playoff matchup would be: Utah. Deron Williams would take it as a personal challenge going against Chris Paul, and Jazz coach Jerry Sloan would devise a defense to limit West and Stojakovic.
"Best guess on playoff placement: Southwest Division champion. No. 2 seed and first-round meeting with GoldenState."
Paul is in the MVP closest and most crowded MVP race in years. The coaches are selling the ware of their superstars, including Scott. "Chris should be No. 1 on everyone's ballot: his ability to excel against the iron of the league, his combination of playmaking and 3-point shooting, his undervalued defensive skills, and his ability to handle the expectations that mount as the Hornets continue to win," judged Scott.
Although Paul, and to a lesser extent, West, garner most of the headlines, there is far more to the Hornets' roster. There is the re-invented Tyson Chandler, who has blossomed since he left Chicago. There is Stojakovic, who when healthy, is a lethal perimeter threat. There is Bonzi Wells, a classic energy player who is behaving himself as a bench player with the Hornets.
The Hornets are at the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night and the Miami Heat, the worst team in the league, on Wednesday night before return to the Arena on Friday night against the New York Knicks. After the Knicks the Hornets have seven games remaining before the playoffs.
JESSICA MARRIES ROMO
Off the typewriter...
From the ArizonaRepublic: "Jessica's Simpson's mother claims her daughter has secretly remarried. As Simpson's mother Tina were leaving a LA resturant, Tina revealed that her 27-year-old daughter has secretly wed. Asked if Simpson was planning to marry Dallas Cowboys quaterback Tony Romo, who she had been dating since last November, Tina laughed and responded to the inquiry, "Jessica is already married to Tony. What are you talking about? Simpson, who was previously married to singer Nick Lachey, giggled and told gossip Web site TMZ.com, "Well I guess if my mom said it, it must be true."
Soundbites...
Chris Paul, on playing against Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo: "He isn't afraid of anybody. I like that about him. He's a competitor. He's exactly what Boston needs. I always thought Ihand big hands. His hands ae four times the size of mine."
Sean Payton, Saints coach, on expectations his team would be a Super Bowl team last season: "A lot can go wrong. For 31 teams every year -- every team really -- something goes wrong in a big way. The one that's there at the end, they are usually the ones that adjust the best the failing laong he way."
Reggie Bush, Saints running back, on his approach to this season: "I'm taking a different approach this season. Just in how I go about about my business and my life -- just cutting a lot of stuff out of my lefe and singling everything down to just very simple things. Even as football goes.In every aspect of my life, I'm just ryingtocut everything down, cut a lot of stuff out, cut a lot of people out and just focus on football."
Quarterback Ryan Perrilloux was a no show at Monday's LSU spring practice, which means he hasn't yet fulfilled obligations set by coach Les Miles. "He has not fulfilled some obligations that were set by Coach Miles in order to return to practice," explained athletic media relations director Michael Bonnette. The quarterback's suspension was lifted last Monday when the rest of the Tigers returned from spring break. Perrilloux could miss the spring game on Saturday...
The Hornets have launched a Web site (CP3MVP.com) to help Chris Paul land the league's MVP award. CP3MVP.com will be an interactive site where visitors can link to the CP3 for MVP Myspace also created to promote Paul as this year's MVP. From there, fans can then unload short videos explaining why they think Paul should be named the MVP. The winner will receive two floor seats to the Hornets' game with the Clippers on Tuesday \, April 15, as well as limo service to and from the game, and a meet-and-greet with Paul. Paul is currently averaging 21.6 points and 11.3 assists through 64 games. He is first in steals at 2.7 per game and is tied for first with 11.3 assists per game. With 42 double doubles on the year, he ranks fifth in the NBA, second among point guards...The first 10,000 fans at the Hornets-Knicks game on Friday night will receive a Chris Paul bobblehead with 100 of the souvenir wearing a g\limited edition gold jerseys...The Hornets have averaged 16,330 in attendance for their past 13 home games, including 8 sellouts in that span.
