NBA: The Next Generation

[TGsoGood]

Arrival of players acquired in trade ushers in Hornets' fresh start


By John Reid


A new era of Hornets basketball was ushered in Saturday when the franchise formally introduced guard Eric Gordon, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and center Chris Kaman at the New Orleans Arena.

The trio was acquired Wednesday in a blockbuster trade from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for four-time All-Star guard Chris Paul, who declined to sign a contract extension to remain in New Orleans.

Desiring to build for the future, Hornets Coach Monty Williams said they now have the desired pieces.

Appearing to put the stamp on the franchise’s new start, Aminu was assigned to wear No. 3, which was Paul’s jersey number the past six seasons with the Hornets. Although Aminu said he might make a request to wear No. 0, the Hornets seem clearly focused on building around a young team instead of around a superstar as they did with Paul.

``I’m not just excited, but I’m ready to just move on and put all that stuff behind,’’ said Hornets Coach Monty Williams, who will conduct his first practice today with Gordon, Aminu and Kaman expected to participate.

``I’m happy those guys want to be here. That to me says a lot about where we’re going.’’

Saying it’s a great opportunity and he expects to have a good year, Gordon appeared eager for a new start.



The Hornets considered Gordon to be the key component in the trade deal. The Clippers backed out of the initial trade because the NBA-owned Hornets wanted Gordon included in the trade package, along with a first-round pick. After the deal no longer included Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe, the Clippers agreed to accept the deal.

``It’s a whirlwind,” Gordon said. “They (Clippers) told me they didn’t want to get rid of me, and it happens, and I wasn’t expecting that. But hey, it happened, and I’m ready to move on and get started with the Hornets and hopefully have a good year.

``They traded Chris, and he was a great player here, and I look for myself to try and fill in some of the things he’s done. I look forward to playing here.’’


http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ssf/2011/12/arrival_of_players_acquired_in.html

[TGsoGood]

ERIC GORDON set to debut as Hornet


The New Orleans will be participating in a pre-season exhibition match up with
the Toronto Raptors. The match up will feature two teams looking to find some
stability this season.

[TGsoGood]

New Look Hornets Open Up with a Loss


In a shortened preseason game, Eric Gordon got off to a great start
in his NO debut scoring the first six points and adding a quick
assist after that. Ariza helped add some fuel to the fire
on the defensive end when he came with a big block on the defensive end
on what was going to be an easy fastbreak breakaway dunk

That was as close as it would be for a while. Raptors pulled
away in the 2nd quarter with a 8 pt lead. Bargnani lit up the d
for a quick 15 stretching the floor with a few 3 pointers.
Gordon lead all scorers with 20 points.

[TGsoGood]

Hungry Bulls ready for regular season
By Shams Charania

Chicago, Illinois
Before the preseason had began, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau put a premium on the two-game home-and-home series against the Indiana Pacers heading into the compressed 66-game regular season. However, after the Bulls' 93-85 victory over the Pacers on Tuesday night at the United Center, the reigning Coach of the Year claimed his team's undefeated exhibition record is meaningless and that there's more room for improvement.

"There’s still a lot of work to be done," Thibodeau told reporters. "I like the attitude of our team, they come to work every day. We know we have a long way to go. In this type of season, you have to keep grinding.”

http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-bulls-talk/2011/12/hungry-bulls-ready-for-regular-season/

[TGsoGood]

As Season Starts, Wizards Shake Things Up
Wizards franchise has traded away Blatche and first year PG Mack for
the Raptors Bargnani