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NBA : New orleans hornets NEWS |
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| New Orleans Hornets guard Jannero Pargo is the latest player to turn his back on the NBA for Europe.
Pargo signed a one-year deal with Dynamo Moscow of the Russian League, agent Mark Bartelstein told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday.
The one-year deal is worth nearly $4 million and is about twice what Pargo made for the Hornets last season, Bartelstein said. Pargo joins a growing defection of NBA players lured overseas by higher salaries. |
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| --G/F Desmond State was a star at Oklahoma State. Now, he's back in the state of Oklahoma.
Mason, along with 13-year vet C/F Joe Smith, was obtained in a complicated three-team trade that saw Oklahoma City send Luke Ridnour and Adrian Griffin to the Bucks. Mason played with the Bucks last season, averaging 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while Smith ended last season with Cleveland.
"We are thrilled," said GM Sam Presti after the trade was announced on Aug. 13. |
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| The New Orleans Hornets will play seven preseason games prior to their season opener at Golden State in late October, including two games in Europe as part of NBA Europe Live.
The Hornets take on the Washington Wizards on October 14 at the O2 World in Berlin, Germany. The game will be one of the first major sporting events held at the arena, which opened last fall. The team will close out NBA Europe Live on October 17 at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain. |
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| The Hornets' most successful season has led to a franchise-record number of appearances on national television.
The Hornets won their first division title last season and are scheduled for 13 appearances on national television next season. They weren't included in the original television schedule last season, though a handful of their games were later added to the television schedule as New Orleans was on its way to a franchise-best 56-26 record. |
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| --The Hornets' future in New Orleans continues to get more secure. After selling out their last 13 regular-season games and all seven playoff games, they have doubled their season ticket sales to more than 10,000. Additionally, they are once again the primary tenant in their practice facility, the Alario Center. |
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| DRAFT PICKS: The Hornets selected Kansas forward Darrell Arthur with the 27th pick, then traded his draft rights o Portland for cash considerations in a deal negotiated before the draft. They had previously traded away their second-round pick.
BIGGEST NEEDS: The Hornets added depth at shooting guard and small forward with the signing of former Celtic James Posey. They can still use backups to C Tyson Chandler and point guard Chris Paul. |
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| The Hornets finally closed a free-agent deal when they signed former Celtics swingman James Posey to a four-year, $25 million contract.
Posey had expressed a preference for staying with the reigning NBA champions, but the Hornets got him by offering the fourth year that the Celtics wouldn't. Posey turns 32 during next season.
The acquisition potentially gives the Hornets a few things they were looking for. |
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| --The Hornets' team in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas had its most wins ever (4-2) in the league, which came a year after they finished 0-5. C Hilton Armstrong showed glimpses of an improved offensive game, averaging 14.0 points. Swingman Julian Wright struggled offensively, shooting 33 percent and averaging nearly five turnovers per game.
--The Hornets had expressed some interest in re-signing reserve C Chris Andersen, but he chose to sign with Denver. |
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| James Posey knows what NBA championship teams look like, and he thinks the New Orleans Hornets are beginning to bear some resemblance.
A key reserve on Boston's championship team last season and Miami's two seasons before that, Posey officially became a Hornet on Wednesday after signing a four-year, $25 million contract. |
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| The Hornets moved swiftly to sign contract extensions with two award-winning contributors to their record-setting season last season. On July 16, they finally added a new piece to the puzzle.
The Hornets signed NBA Coach of the Year Byron Scott to a three-year extension shortly after the season ended. They signed All-Star point guard Chris Paul to a four-year contract extension on the first day that players were eligible to sign new deals. |
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| James Posey has won NBA championships with two teams. The New Orleans Hornets hope to be his third.
Posey, a 6-foot-8 forward who last season helped the Boston Celtics win their first title since 1986, agreed Wednesday to a four-year, $25 million contract with New Orleans, agent Mark Bartelstein said.
Posey also was part of the Miami Heat's championship squad in 2005-06. |
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| The Hornets moved swiftly to sign contract extensions with two award-winning contributors to their record-setting season last season. But when it comes to adding new contributors, well, not so much -- at least not yet.
The Hornets signed NBA Coach of the Year Byron Scott to a three-year extension shortly after the season ended. They signed All-Star point guard Chris Paul to a four-year contract extension on the first day that players were eligible to sign new deals. |
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| --The Hornets signed All-Star and Olympic point guard Chris Paul to a four-year extension worth $68 million. Though he passed on a longer deal and can opt out of the final year of this deal, Paul said, "I love everything about New Orleans and I don't ever want to leave."
The new deal kicks in when his original four-year contract expires after next season. |
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| DRAFT PICKS: The Hornets selected Kansas forward Darrell Arthur with the 27th pick, then traded his draft rights o Portland for cash considerations in a deal negotiated before the draft. They had previously traded away their second-round pick.
BIGGEST NEEDS: The Hornets are looking for an athletic swingman. They're also interested in backups to C Tyson Chandler and point guard Chris Paul. |
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| If Chris Paul had any regrets about last season, it was how his rising stardom made fans in New Orleans a little paranoid they might lose him to a wealthier team in a bigger city.
Paul said he constantly ran into fans who were aware he had only one season left on his rookie contract and told him, "We hope you don't leave."
"I truly love this city, everything about it," Paul said. "I never had any plans to leave, contrary to what people may have believed. |
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| Chris Paul and the Hornets reached a contract agreement Thursday that could keep the All-Star point guard with the team for at least the next four seasons.
Lance Young, Paul's agent, said Paul agreed to a three-year extension with a player's option for a fourth year. The total value of the deal is $68 million.
Paul, who recently completed his third NBA season and has been selected to play for the United States in the Olympics, has one season remaining on his current contract. |
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| DRAFT PICKS: The Hornets selected Kansas forward Darrell Arthur with the 27th pick, then traded his draft rights o Portland for cash considerations in a deal negotiated before the draft. They had previously traded away their second-round pick.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Point guard Chris Paul was runner-up in the MVP voting after averaging 21 points, 11 assists and 2.7 steals. |
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| --Hornets assistant coach Darrell Walker resigned to take a similar position on Michael Curry's staff in Detroit. Coach Byron Scott said he immediately received numerous inquiries into the vacancy created by Walker's departure but was in no hurry to make a hire before the draft and free agency were addressed.
--Since Byron Scott has been coach, the draft has yielded one exceptional player -- All-Star point guard Chris Paul (selected No. 4 overall in 2005) -- and little else. |
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| The Hornets reached Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals last season, and they're looking to break through next season.
That's why they opted out of the draft, choosing instead to focus on free agency and immediate help that can help elevate them right away.
That's why they traded their No. 1 draft choice (Kansas forward Darrell Arthur, No. 27 overall) to Portland for cash considerations. They decided the long-term potential of Arthur or anyone else they could have drafted at No. |
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| New Orleans Hornets guard Rasual Butler has been charged with flashing a loaded gun near a South Florida nightclub.
A witness told investigators that Butler pulled out a gun near a South Beach club early Monday, according to a Miami Beach police report. Butler was sitting in an SUV when officers arrived and found a loaded gun in the vehicle.
"We take these matters very seriously and we'll work with all appropriate authorities," Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said in a statement. |
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| New Orleans Hornets guard Rasual Butler has been charged with flashing a loaded gun near a South Florida nightclub.
A witness told investigators that Butler pulled out a gun near a South Beach club early Monday, according to a Miami Beach police report. Butler was sitting in an SUV when officers arrived and found a loaded gun in the vehicle.
"We take these matters very seriously and we'll work with all appropriate authorities," Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said in a statement. |
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| During the offseason, the Hornets are looking for a few good backups. Coach Byron Scott said he still has faith in his bench, but one way or another it has got to improve before next season.
With the starting five under contract and seemingly intact, any upgrade in personnel will happen on the bench.
"It's hard to say (how many newcomers will make the team)," Scott said. "We've got the draft and free agency to go. It could be one, or three, or five. I just don't really know right now. |
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| --Hornets coach Byron Scott, who played with the Lakers from 1983-93 and 1996-97, said they invited him to take part in activities prior to one of the NBA Finals games in Los Angeles, but he would have felt awkward doing so as coach of one of the Lakers' Western Conference rivals.
"I love the fact that they asked," Scott said. "If I were working for ESPN or something like that, maybe, but I can't do that right now. |
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| MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Point guard Chris Paul was runner-up in the MVP voting after averaging 21 points, 11 assists and 2.7 steals. His numbers went up in the postseason, but none of the numbers, regular season or post season, measured how much his will and determination elevated his team to unexpected heights.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: Second-year center Hilton Armstrong, a former No. |
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| BIGGEST NEEDS: The Hornets will be looking for a dependable backup to center Tyson Chandler and a backup big guard. It would also help if they could find a perimeter player who can penetrate.
FREE AGENT FOCUS: Three reserves -- G/F Bonzi Wells, C Chris Andersen, and F Ryan Bowen will become free agents July 1. Reserve G Jannero Pargo and reserve C Melvin Ely can each opt out of the final year of their deals July 1. |
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| The Hornets believe they can continue to improve as their core of young stars continues to mature. They also know that they still have some holes to fill if they're going to reach the top of the Western Conference.
Though the Hornets were the second-seeded team in the West and reached the brink of the conference finals before losing Games 6 and 7 of their playoff series against the Spurs, getting back to that point, or beyond, won't be easy. |
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| --The Hornets and coach Byron Scott agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2009-10 season. The new deal makes Scott, the NBA Coach of the Year, one of the highest-paid coaches in the league with an annual salary approaching $6 million. Scott guided the Hornets to a franchise-record 56 wins, a 17-game improvement over the previous season, their first division title, and their first victory in a best-of-seven playoff series. |
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| NBA coach of the year Byron Scott and the New Orleans Hornets agreed in principle to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday.
"I am very happy to sign an extension to stay here in New Orleans with the Hornets," Scott said in a statement released by the team. "We, as a team, are a piece of the community of New Orleans. We are really growing into something special and there is no other place I would rather be."
Citing team policies, the Hornets did not release the terms of the new contract. |
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| The Hornets' undefeated streak at home ended, as did their season in a 91-82 loss to the Spurs in Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinal series Monday night in the New Orleans Arena.
The victory was the first by a road team in the series and was the Hornets' first loss at home in the playoffs in seven games this season and 10 dating to 2004. |
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| --The nine-point loss to the Spurs in Game 7 matched the smallest deficit in the seven playoff games and four regular-season games between the teams.
--The Hornets lost at home for just the second time in their last 20 games in the New Orleans Arena.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "This game is going to help us. We are going to have some scar tissue to learn from." -- Coach Byron Scott. |
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| Glum economic forecasts greeted the Hornets upon their return to New Orleans following a two-year displacement forced by Hurricane Katrina.
George Shinn, the team's majority owner, said his accountants initially projected the franchise would run a deficit of about $20 million this season, but he was determined to do right by a city recovering from the worst natural disaster in American history, then hope for the best. |
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| As Manu Ginobili dribbled out the final few seconds of the second-round series clincher, Tony Parker walked over and gave him a congratulatory pat on the head.
There would be no exuberant celebration for the San Antonio Spurs when the final horn sounded, just a few hugs for a job well done. This playoff-savvy group was exhausted after a seven-game triumph over the younger, upstart New Orleans Hornets, but its title defense endures - for now. |
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| Manu Ginobili scored 26 points, hitting four free throws in the final minute, sending the San Antonio Spurs to the Western Conference finals with a 91-82 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Monday night in Game 7 of their second-round series.
Tony Parker added 17 points, including a crucial jumper in the final minute, as the Spurs held off a late rally to become the first team in this series to win on the road. |
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| Jannero Pargo spun through the air on a one-handed dunk attempt, stuffed himself on the front rim and fell backward onto the court while his New Orleans Hornets teammates buckled over in laughter.
Tyson Chandler, showing no lingering effects from a foot injury last Tuesday, quickly grabbed a ball and mocked the whole sequence - fall included.
If the young Hornets are nervous about Monday night's Game 7 against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, it didn't show after practice on Sunday. |
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| A hard shot to David West's ailing back finished him for the fourth quarter of the Hornets' blowout loss at San Antonio in Game 6.
Game 7 on Monday night is another matter entirely.
One day of rest proved enough for the Hornets' All-Star forward to get back on the court for Saturday's practice, working on his game-changing array of mid-range jumpers, fadeaways and post-up moves. |
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| The last thing the New Orleans Hornets wanted was to give the defending champions the whole weekend off before Game 7.
"You're playing with fire," coach Byron Scott said before the San Antonio Spurs beat the Hornets 99-80 Thursday night.
Too late now. It's back to New Orleans for a winner-take-all matchup Monday night.
While the aging Spurs can certainly use the time off, the break might also help the banged-up Hornets. |
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| Must-win situations are not a familiar place for the San Antonio Spurs.
They survived one Thursday night, earning the chance to play in another.
The defending champions beat the New Orleans Hornets, 99-80 in Game 6, staying alive and forcing a winner-take-all Game 7 on Monday in New Orleans.
"That's what you want to have, an opportunity," said Spurs point guard Tony Parker. "That's why Game 6 was huge. We won the game and now we have an opportunity to win a game on the road. |
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| --The Hornets have never advanced to the conference finals, losing in each of their four previous trips to the conference semifinals. Their first-round victory against Dallas was their first triumph in a seven-game series.
--The Hornets are 6-0 at home in the playoffs and have won nine straight home playoff games dating to the 2004 post-season.
--Forward David West re-injured his sore back in the fourth quarter when Robert Horry shoved him in the back while setting a screen. |
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| The Hornets hope that the inordinate homecourt advantage that has existed in the second round of the playoffs holds true for the seventh and deciding game of their series against the Spurs.
Home teams are 20-1 in the conference semifinals, including 6-0 in the Hornets-Spurs series after San Antonio's 99-80 victory in Game 6 on Thursday. Game 7 will be played Monday night in the New Orleans Arena.
"This is what you fight the whole regular season for," Hornets guard Morris Peterson said. |
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| New Orleans Hornets forward David West left the court after aggravating a back injury Thursday night in the fourth quarter of Game 6 against the San Antonio Spurs.
West, who played with back pain in Game 5, fell to the floor with 10:11 left after being picked from behind by Spurs forward Robert Horry, who was called for an offensive foul. Laying face down on the floor, West put his left arm behind him and rested it on his lower back before going to the locker room. |
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| Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, Tim Duncan added 20 points and 15 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the New Orleans Hornets 99-80 on Thursday night to force a seventh game in the Western Conference semifinals.
Chris Paul led the Hornets with 21 points and Tyson Chandler scored 14. David West had 10 points before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter after apparently aggravating a back injury. |
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| Just as Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs appeared to be hitting their stride and gaining momentum for a berth in the Western Conference finals, they are down again, their march toward consecutive NBA titles very much in doubt.
The defending champions face elimination at the hands of the upstart New Orleans Hornets, who have a 3-2 lead in the conference semifinals, when they play Game 6 on Thursday.
"The best opportunity for us is really tomorrow (Thursday). |
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| --The Hornets' average margin of victory in two regular-season and three postseason wins against the Spurs is 21.6 points and their smallest margin of victory is 18 points.
--The Hornets received a scare when center Tyson Chandler suffered a turf toe injury on his left foot in the fourth quarter and had to leave the game. He did not return but said he felt much better after the game. |
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| The Hornets are one victory away from advancing to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history. They have a 3-2 lead over the Spurs in their Western Conference semifinal series after a 101-79 victory Tuesday night in the New Orleans Arena.
They would love to finish the deal in Game 6 Thursday night in San Antonio, but the home team has won by double digits in every game in the series. |
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| Back pain couldn't keep David West from taking the court with aggression. The San Antonio Spurs couldn't stop him from dominating.
"Back in the locker room, right before we break huddle and come out to the game, we said, 'No excuses,"' West recalled. "Regardless of how I was feeling, I just knew how important this game was for us as a basketball team. I knew I had to play well. I went out there with the intent to play well and things just went my way."
Did they ever. |
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