I BELIEVE in New Orleans][6-2 updated 3rd Aug

[Impose]

Dynasty Settings



Fantasy Draft: NO
Skill Level: Superstar
Simulation Type: Intervention
Rosters: Updated Original Rosters (really close to current, self-made rookies)
Length: 29 games (makes each one important)
Playoffs: 7-7-7-7
Sliders: Tough (CPU shoots better, I turned interception and steals down for myself, CPU block rate is way down though)
Shot Contol: User
Sim Qtr Lenght: 12min
Qrt Length: 9 min
Strategy: I'll simulate the first half of each game and play the final half.
Self imposed rules: I can only initiate 1 trade per year, offseason or regular season. The trade HAS to fill a need in the other team to be somewhat realistic.

POST 04/05:

New Orleans drafted 4th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft and selected CHRIS PAUL out of Wake Forest, the pick was a success in the eyes of Hornets fans with Paul drawing comparisons from some analysts to Isiah Thomas.

Only time will tell and Hornets fans are also excited to see the continued progress of JR Smith who showed glimpses of brilliance late in the season. The tandem of "CP3" and "JR" has the potential to be a lethal duo for the next decade and hopes of the Hornets rising to the top of the NBA rest largely on their shoulders.

At this point the Hornets have remained quiet in the off season, their only moves have been to resign Jackson Vroman and Bostjan Nachbar who cemented their roles off the bench with good contributions under new coach Byron Scott.

The question remains as to why the Hornets have not used their cap space to make offers on such free agents as Stromile Swift, Bobby Simmons and Vladamir Radmanovic who would fill key areas in the Hornets starting line-up. Again, only time will tell.

Breaking News

New Orleans have negociated a trade with Memphis and Atlanta involving disgruntled former All-Star center Jamaal Magliore. The trade comes with only weeks to go before the start of the regular season. The Hornets part ways with Magloire and Jackson Vroman, Magloire to go to Memphis, Vroman to Atlanta. Atlanta gives up Al Harrington to the Hornets and Jason Collier to Memphis. Memphis lose Jason Williams to Atlanta and Lorenzen Wright to New Orleans.

Roster / Current Stats

Center Lorenzen Wright - 65 / 15.8Pts 9.3Reb 2Ast 0.5Stl 1.8Blk
Power Forward PJ Brown - 64 / 18.3Pts 12.3Reb 1.1Ast 1.3Stl 0.9Blk
Small Forward Al Harrington - 71 / 17.3Pts 7.3Rebs 2.5Ast 1.4Stl 0.8Blk
Shooting Guard JR Smith - 63 / 16.1Pts 2.6Rebs 2.9Ast 1.9Stl 0.5Blk
Point Guard Chris Paul - 70 / 20.8Pts 3.9Rebs 7.8Ast 6.1Stl 0.4Blk
6 Speedy Claxton - PG - 59 / ??Pts ??Reb ??Ast ??Stl ??Blk ??To
7 Chris Anderson - PF/C - 57 / ??Pts ??Reb ??Ast ??Stl ??Blk ??To
8 Bostjan Nachbar - SG/SF - 53 / ??Pts ??Reb ??Ast ??Stl ??Blk ??To
9 George Lynch - SF - 59 / ??Pts ??Reb ??Ast ??Stl ??Blk ??To
10 David West - PF/SF - 57 / ??Pts ??Reb ??Ast ??Stl ??Blk ??To
11 Lee Nailon - SF - 51 / ??Pts ??Reb ??Ast ??Stl ??Blk ??To
12 Maciej Lampe - C - 48 / ??Pts ??Ast ??Stl ??Blk ??To

(stats coming, jus organizing the layout)

We caught up with Harrington and asked what he thought about coming to the Hornets and what he hopes to bring to the table:

Harrington: "I think its a positive move, coach Scott says i'll be shifting alot between both forward positions during the game which is something im used to and i think i can create some matchup problems for alot of forwards in the league. Im excited to be a part of a young, up and coming team."

We also managed to catch up with Lorenzen Wright and asked him about what he thinks he'll bring to the team:

Wright: "Untill I sit down with the coaching staff, which i'll be doing soon, my role isn't 100% clear, I see myself taking care of the dirty work in the paint with PJ and Birdman, hustling for my opertunities. I'm hopeful i'll be a starter and i'm really hoping to surprise a few people around the league this season."

[Impose]

News From Around The League

Trades:

Bobby Jackson traded to Memphis!!!
In a busy off-season of retooling in Memphis, the Grizzlies have acquired the services of Bobby Jackson from Sacramento in exchange for Bonzi Wells. The trade fills the void at point guard left after the Grizzlies traded Jason Williams in a move that got them Jamaal Magoire.

Lakers make frontcourt move!
The Lakers have pulled off a trade with Washington that will send Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to the Wizards in exchange for Kwame Brown. The move is a huge risk for the Lakers who are banking on Kwame to develop in a similar fasion to former high school draft pick Jermaine O'Neal. The move helps fill a scoring void for the Wizards who lost Larry Hughes to free agency.

Key Signings:

Larry Hughes signs with Cleveland.

Antonio Daniels signs with Washington.

Juan Dixon signs with Portland.

Damon Stoudamire signs with Memphis.

Keyon Dooling signs with Orlando.

Stromile Swift signs with Houston.

Jeff McInnes signs with New Jersey.

Raja Bell signs with Pheonix.

Jerome James signs with New York.

Donyell Marshall signs with Cleveland.

Bobby Simmons signs with Milwaukee.

Cuttino Mobely signs with the Clippers.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim signs with New Jersey.



Injuries:

Season Standings:
New Orleans 2 - 1 Home: 0-1 Road: 2-0
(more standings tomorrow)

League Leaders:

Players/Rookies of the Month:

[Impose]

Regular Season:

November Recap:

Season Opener!

Showdown in Memphis: Magloire Vs. Wright

How fitting that the first test of the season for the Hornets comes against their old anchor; Jamaal Magloire and the Memphis Grizzlies. The game promises to be hard fought with both teams determined to showcase their new rosters on opening night!

Key Match-ups:
Magloire Vs Wright: Magloire is the more fundamentally sound player and you'd expect him to shine against his former club. However Wright will have something to prove against his former team now that hes a starter in New Orleans, should be interesting.

Stoudamire Vs Paul: Interesting battle, Stoudamire is new to Memphis too so lets hope hes studied the playbook. While Paul will be hoping for a solid first appearance against a quality opponent.

First Half (simulated)
Score:New Orleans 46 / Memphis 35
Skinny: New Orleans came out on fire and blew the home team away in the first quarter, the second was much more even though Memphis seem out-of-sorts.

3rd Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 75 / Memphis 58
Skinny: Chris Paul came up with 3 steals for the quarter, playing the passing lanes like a veteran. He also dished out some well timed assists to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Magloire got into foul trouble and was rested, his minimal impact in the game a concern for Grizzlies fans. Al Harrington's 3 point play midway through the 3rd quarter was a real backbreaker for the Grizzlies.

4th Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 107 / Memphis 79 (Final)
P.O.G. Chris Paul 16pts 2reb 10ast 13stl 0blk 1to
Key Matchup:
Magloire: 6pts 8reb 1blk 5fouls
Wright: 24pts 5reb 3ast 2blk
Skinny: New Orleans dominated from the first quarter and never looked back, Chris Paul had an amazing debut game for the Hornets managing a triple double with only 1 turnover, Paul managed an outstanding 13 thefts in the game. When asked about the performance Paul said "Well I basicly wanted to keep up with mighty mouse (Stoudamire) all night, I just happened to be in the passing lanes at the right times." Another huge performance on the Hornets came from Lorenzen Wright who completely outplayed Magloire on the offencive end. Wright said of his performance: "Coach weren't running that many plays for me, I just rolled hard off screens, got myself open and CP3 (Paul) got me the ball where I could put it home."

Next Up: New Orleans plays Pheonix next who have struggled with a 1-3 start to the season, the Suns will have to contend with the Hornets home court advantage and try to turn around there early misfortune.....

Suns not-so-scorching?: Pheonix off to a slow start come up against a hot New Orleans....

Key Matchups:
Paul Vs Nash: Last years MVP vs Triple Double debut hero.
Harrington Vs Marion: Al Harrington had a solid game in his first game as a Hornet, he'll need to be on point to contain "The Matrix."

First Half (simulated)
Score: New Orleans 62 / Pheonix 58
Skinny: In a high scoring half both teams made runs but could not pull away. Who will run out of steam in the second half?

3rd Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 86 / Pheonix 83
Skinny: Lorenzen Wright came up big in the 3rd to keep New Orleans in front, but Shawn Marion's 10 3rd quarter points kept the scores tight. Pheonix backed star center Amare1 Stoudamire and played him with 5 fouls. The move proved costly as he fouled out 2 minutes into the 3rd quarter.

4th Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 119 / Pheonix 122(Final)
P.O.G. Steve Nash 35pts 4reb 9ast 3stl
Key Matchup: Nash Vs Paul
Chris Paul 25pts 3reb 10ast 2stl
Skinny: The Hornets bench players made huge plays at the start of the 4th, Claxton had 2 steals leading to fast break dunks and David West blocked a Kurt Thomas dunk for another fast break oppertunity. The Hornets got out to an 8 point lead early on. But with 3 minutes to go the score was tied when Lorenzen Wright and JR Smith fouled out of the game in quick succession. The score sea-sawed until Steve Nash drained a 3 with 16 seconds remaining to give Pheonix a 1 point advantage. Bostjan Nachbar took an open look from the wing but came up short. Nash sunk 2 free throws to give Pheonix a 3 point edge with 0.5 seconds remaining. From the timeout New Orleans looked to get Chris Paul open but he was unable to release his shot in time!! Lorenzen Wright was again on fire for New Orleans scoring 23pts and grabbing 11 boards. Chris Paul said after the game "It hurts to lose a game that close at home when the crowds really behind you, but it was a great learning experience playing Steve (Nash) when hes really on his game."

The Hornets now move on to Indiana to face the Pacers who are off to a perfect 2-0 start to the season. Can the Hornets bounce back and surprise the Pacers on their home court?

Home court disadvantage? The Hornets blew Memphis away on the road on opening night, can they do the same against the Pacers?

Key Matchups:
Harrington Vs Artest: Harrington's due for a big one offencively, can he do it aginst one of the best defenders in the league?
Miller Vs Smith: Youth vs experience, the winner of this duel could decide the game.

First Half (simulated)
Score: New Orleans 39 / Indiana 50
Skinny: Indiana built a huge lead in the first quarter, New Orleans steadied the ship in the second, can they produce a comeback?

3rd Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 76 / Indiana 72
Skinny: JR Smith exploded for 12pts and 2 ast in the third with Chris Paul adding 9pts as New Orleans made a huge 3rd quarter push to take the lead. Jermaine O'Neal was the only Pacer to trouble New Orleans scoring 10 of his teams 22pts in the quarter.

4th Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 113 / Indiana 106 (Final)
P.O.G. Chris Paul 31pts 5reb 7ast 3stl 0to
Key Matchup:
JR Smith 19pts 4reb 4ast
Reggie Miller 15pts 3reb 4ast
Skinny: Indiana came out on fire but couldnt sustain the pressure and fell short of retaining their undefeated record by 7 points. Thanks to Chris Paul's 21 second half points, 7 of which were clutch free throws down the stretch, and JR Smith scoring 15 of his 19 points in the second half, the Hornets held off the Pacers and posted their second consecutive road win this year.

Next Up: Battling the Champions, New Orleans Vs San Antonio

New Orleans plays their second home game against the NBA champs, they'll be hungry to bounce back after a disappointing loss to Pheonix at home, but the Spurs are off to a 3-0 start and look in good touch.

Key Matchups:
Chris Paul Vs Tony Parker: Both are electrifying in the open court and have the ability to carry their teams through rough stages of the game.
JR Smith Vs Manu/Brent Barry: Can the youngster contain the dynamic duo of spurs 2 guards?

First Half (simulated)
Score: New Orleans 30 / San Antonio 40
Skinny: In a slow paced first half the Spurs built a 10 point lead on the back of some strong play from Tony Parker and Brent Barry who combined for 26 of the Spurs 40 points. New Orleans received decent contribution from their frontcourt trio of Wright, Brown and Harrington, but their backcourt duo failed to impress.

Third Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 57 / San Antonio 63
Skinny:PJ Brown had 6pts and 4rebs in the 3rd, Al Harrington had 7pts and Chris Anderson had 3blks in quick succession but Tony Parker's 9pts in the third quarter kept San Antonio in front.

Fourth Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 99/ San Antonio 92 (final)
P.O.G. Chris Paul 18pts 2reb 9ast 7stl 2blk 2to
Key Matchup:
Tim Duncan 12pts 14reb 4blk
PJ Brown 20pts 17reb 2stl 1blk
Skinny:The Hornets were on fire coming down the stretch and shot 16/19 from the field in the fourth to take the lead. CP3 scored 10 of his 18 points in the final quarter and with just over 3 minutes to go hit a driving layup over Tim Duncan for a 3 point play, giving the Hornets a 5 point advantage and they never looked back. Bruce Bowen kept San Antonio close with 17 points in the final quarter, but the big names in San Antonio were kept quiet. PJ Brown had a great game against Duncan, scoring 20 points and grabbing 17 boards while keeping Duncan to a modest 12 points.

We caught up with Nornets coach Byron Scott after the game and asked him about the Hornets strong start to the season: "We knew coming into the season that we had to work well as a team and get big contributions out of everyone, and the plan only works if you work the plan so I've gotta give credit to the guys for sticking to the plan and playing unselfish ball out there."

Next Up: Surprise package! New Orleans is hosts the Portland Trailblazers who are also off to a surprising start to the season at 4-1. Perhaps a test of who's the real deal early on in the season.

Key Matchups:
Chris Paul Vs Nick Van Exel: Both players run the show with precision for their teams, their decision making on crucial plays will make the difference.
PJ Brown Vs Zach Randolph: Randolph will be on high alert after Brown's shut-down performance against Tim Duncan.

First Half (simulated)
Score: New Orleans 55 / Portland 47
Skinny: New Orleans showed more class but haven't been able to break away from the determined Portland squad.

Third Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 78 / Portland 73
Skinny: The Blazers shot an impressive 76% compared to the Hornets 55% from the field in the 3rd to narrow the lead to 5. Darius Miles had 10pts while Van Exel added 7pts for Portland. Zach Randolph fouled out early in the 3rd which could prove costly.

Fourth Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 110 / Portland 98 (final)
P.O.G. Chris Paul 19pts 4reb 9ast 5stl 3to
Key Matchup:
JR Smith 29pts 3reb 1ast 2stl
Martell Webster 11pts 5reb 2ast
Skinny:JR Smith deflected an inbounds pass with 50 seconds remaining and sprinted the length of the court to finish with a soaring 360 to push the lead to 6 points and break the back of the Blazers who stayed close right to the death. It was the best performance we've seen from Smith thus far this season who tallied 29 points for the Hornets, Harrington contributed 21pts and 7rebs.

Next Up:The Hornets take their 4-1 record to Seattle who are currently 3-1 this season, Can the Hornets extend their unbeaten road record?

Key Matchups:
JR Smith Vs Ray Allen: Smith is coming off the his best performance this season and come up against one of the most pure shooters in the league.
Al Harrington Vs Rashard Lewis: Harrington's output has increased over each game while Rashard is looking to prove his All-Star worth this year.

First Half (simulated)
Score: New Orleans 46 / Seattle 49
Skinny: Ray Allen's 15pts and 6ast has kept Seattle in front, the rest of the team will have to step up if they hope to seal the win.

Third Quarter (played)
Score:[b] New Orleans [b]79 / Seattle 65
Skinny: The Hornets blitzed the home team 33 to 16 in the third thanks to the play of Chris Paul whos 6 steals led to most of his 11 3rd quarter points. Ray Allen picked up his 4th foul early in the third and was benched and no-one on the Sonics was able to pick up the load.

Fourth Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 113 / Seattle 105 (final)
P.O.G Chris Paul 29pts 4reb 7ast 8stl 2to
Key Matchup:
PJ Brown 25pts 14reb 2ast 1blk 1stl
Vladamir Radmanovic 11pts 8reb
Skinny:Despite shooting an outrageous 6/7 from 3pt range in the final quarter Seattle could not catch the Hornets who have improved to 5-1 for the season. PJ Brown scored 14 of his 25 points in the final quarter and kept the Hornets in front: "Seattle was double teaming so hard down the stretch and I just got into open space." Ray Allen led all scorers with 33pts and Rashard Lewis chipped in with 22pts for the Sonics.

Next Up: The Hornets travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks who are off to a slow start for the year with a 1-1 record. Will Al Harrington shine against his former team?

Key Matchups:
Chris Paul Vs Jason Williams: Can Jay Will contain the hottest rookie in the league?
PJ Brown Vs Marvin Willaims: Will Marvin shine against his older, wiser opponent?

First Half (simulated)
Score: New Orleans 47 / Atlanta 39
Skinny: Josh Smith and Al Harrington were the only Hawks to pose a problem for the Hornets in the first half. But PJ Brown had 11pts and 9rebs and Al Harrington had 10pts 4reb 2ast to pace the Hornets.

Third Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 71 / Atlanta 63
Skinny: Both teams tried to make a run in the third but the difference remained 8 points after 3 quarters. PJ Brown had 10pts and 3rebs to lead the Hornets while Jason Williams' 8pts paced the Hawks.

Fourth Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 104 / Atlanta 86 (final)
P.O.G. PJ Brown 27pts 15reb
Key Matchups:
Marvin Williams: 14pts 5reb 1ast 1blk 1stl
Skinny: Atlanta just could not find a rhythm against a Hornets team that has exceeded expectations thus far this year with some surprising play from veteran PJ Brown and newcomer Lorenzen Wright, who contributed 27pts 15reb 14pts 14pts respectively.

Next Up: The struggling Utah Jazz come to town to face New Orleans who has not lost at home thus far this season. The Jazz come into the game with a 2-4 record which Jerry Sloan hopes to amend.

Key Matchups:
Chris Paul Vs Deron Williams: No's 3 and 4 in the draft square off for the first time.
Al Harrington Vs Andre Kirilenko: Both go-to guys for there respective teams.

First Half (simulated)
Score: New Orleans 53 / Utah 58
Skinny: New Orleans off to a slow start against a Utah team that seems more organized than usual.

Third Quarter (played)
Score: New Orleans 71 / Utah 71
Skinny: The Hornets hussled their way back into the game behind Chris Paul's 4stl and 3ast and Deron Williams kept Utah close with 8pts.

Fourth Quarter (played)
Score: New Orkeans 92 / Utah 98
P.O.G. Deron Williams 22pts 3reb 8ast 0blk 1stl 5to
Key Matchups:
Nil-
Skinny: The Jazz went on an 8-0 run to start the last quarter and the Hornets couldn't mount a come back. Deron Willaims outshone Chris Paul in the first meeting of the 2 top PG's in this years draft The Jazz move to 3-4 for the season while the Hornets lose their second at home.

Onto December: The Hornets finish the most hectic month of their season at 6-2, there road record a perfect 4-0.

[Impose]

Playoffs:

[Impose]

space saver.....

[Emiliano]

Good trade Impose, Hope they turn out for the best!

[Sac-1]

Great trade ..good luck in your dynasty

[Keo]

Good luck with your Dynasty. I like the Hornets, this should be a good one.

[Impose]

Topppp

Will be kicking the season off tonight and ill have a report on the first week or 2 of the regular season!

[air]

Yeah. Shouldn't get too easy too quicky with those settings. We'll see how it all kicks off.

[Kobe101]

This story sounds good. Good luck!

[.LA.]

This looks great. Good trades, good luck.

[Impose]

Top! Updates added 2/8/05

[.LA.]

2-1 is a nice way to start the season. Nice job. Paul is playing great and your additions from trades look to be good. Good luck next game

[Impose]

Topping this, Are there any believers out there yet?!!?!

[.LA.]

I believe! Some nice wins a gainst Spurs, Sonics, Blazers and uh Hawks. Tough loss to the Jazz, but dont sweat it. Nice so far man.

[Emiliano]

I believe too!!!

[2Hot]

me too, I Believe!

[joeygraham]

I don't believe...I know!