New Orleans Hornets - The Anthony Davis Era

[Knicks7073]

In the opening few posts of this thread, I will introduce you to the 2011-12 season, by posting the power rankings and each teams' roster & depth chart. Once that is done, I will then focus on my team the Hornets. I will headline each post about the league by putting the NBA logo at the start of the post. I will do the same for the Hornets but I will put their logo instead.

The 2011-12 NBA Season gets underway tonight with 3 blockbuster matches taking place. The reigning NBA Champions, the Dallas Mavericks kick the season off as they host the 6 times NBA Champions the Chicago Bulls. The Houston Rockets travel to Salt Lake City to face their bitter rivals the Utah Jazz in game two of opening night. Game 3 of opening night could quite possibly be a Championship Game come spring as Kevin Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder take on Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center.

NBA Power Rankings
RK (LW)	Team	Record	Next Game
1 (1)	Miami Heat	0-0	N/A
2 (2)	Los Angeles Lakers	0-0	N/A
3 (3)	Boston Celtics	0-0	N/A
4 (4)	Chicago Bulls	0-0	N/A
5 (5)	Oklahoma City Thunder	0-0	N/A
6 (6)	Dallas Mavericks	0-0	N/A
7 (7)	San Antonio Spurs	0-0	N/A
8 (8)	Los Angeles Clippers	0-0	N/A
9 (9)	New York Knicks	0-0	N/A
10 (10)	Memphis Grizzlies	0-0	N/A
11 (11)	Denver Nuggets	0-0	N/A
12 (12)	Philadelphia 76ers	0-0	N/A
13 (13)	Indiana Pacers	0-0	N/A
14 (14)	New Jersey Nets	0-0	N/A
15 (15)	Orlando Magic	0-0	N/A
16 (16)	Atlanta Hawks	0-0	N/A
17 (17)	New Orleans Hornets	0-0	N/A
18 (18)	Golden State Warriors	0-0	N/A
19 (19)	Houston Rockets	0-0	N/A
20 (20)	Minnesota Timberwolves	0-0	N/A
21 (21)	Phoenix Suns	0-0	N/A
22 (22)	Sacramento Kings	0-0	N/A
23 (23)	Washington Wizards	0-0	N/A
24 (24)	Milwakee Bucks	0-0	N/A
25 (25)	Toronto Raptors	0-0	N/A
26 (26)	Utah Jazz	0-0	N/A
27 (27)	Detroit Pistons	0-0	N/A
28 (28)	Portland Trailblazers	0-0	N/A
29 (29)	Charlotte Bobcats	0-0	N/A
30 (30)	Cleveland Cavaliers	0-0	N/A

[Knicks7073]

NBA Draft - New Orleans Hornets Recap
Pick	Player	College	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Anthony Davis	Kentucky	PF	6'11"	220
10	Austin Rivers	Duke	PG	6'4"	200
46	Darius Miller	Kentucky	SF	6'8"	235

New Orleans Hornets Depth Chart - 2011-12
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Austin Rivers	Greivis Vasquez	Jerome Dyson	Michael Thompson
SG	Eric Gordon	Xavier Henry
SF	Al-Farouq Aminu	Darius Miller
PF	Anthony Davis	Ryan Anderson	Lance Thomas
C	Jason Smith	Brad Miller

The Hornets had two first round picks this year and selected offensive players Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers which shows the Hornets are intent on improve the offense. They selected a third offensive player in Darius Miller in the second round. The Hornets are power ranked 17th in the league with a decent offense and an above average defense. Monty Williams will be wanting to reach the playoffs as they try to cement themselves as a playoff team they once were.

[Knicks7073]

Game 1: vs. Chicago Bulls

Matchup Preview *|* November 2, 2011
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Chicago Bulls (0-1, 0-1 Away)		New Orleans Hornets (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Stats Comparison 81.0 Points Per Game 0.0 50.0 Field Goal % 0.0 75.0 Free Throw % 0.0 16.7 3-Point % 0.0 38.0 Rebounds 0.0 7.0 Blocks 0.0 9.0 Steals 0.0 12.0 Turnovers 0.0 87.0 PPG Allowed 0.0 Projected Starters Derrick Rose Point Guard Austin Rivers Luol Deng Shooting Guard Eric Gordon Joakim Noah Small Forward Al-Farouq Aminu Carlos Boozer Power Forward Anthony Davis Richard Hamilton Center Jason Smith Game Notes The Chicago Bulls play their second game of the 2011-12 NBA season against the Hornets in New Orleans. The Bulls lost last night in Dallas against the Mavericks 81-87. Derrick Rose and Richard Hamilton top scored with 17 points each and Chicago will be looking to them to provide the points tonight. New Orleans will be looking to start their season with a big win over a title contender in the Bulls. The Hornets will be led by number 1 pick Anthony Davis who will be looking to start his pro career in a big way.

Chicago Bulls (0-0) at New Orleans Hornets (0-0)
Nov 2, 2011 1 2 3 4 Final Chicago 20 24 15 23 82 New Orleans 31 14 17 14 76 Top Performers Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose - 17 PTS Carlos Boozer - 15 PTS New Orleans Hornets Austin Rivers - 25 PTS Jason Smith - 13 PTS	Team Stats Comparison CHI NOR FG Made-Att 34-56 28-67 3PT Made-Att 1-2 6-18 FT Made-Att 13-17 14-18 Rebounds 33 28 Assists 19 17 Turnovers 19 13 Steals 5 10 Blocks 3 5

Chicago Bulls won their first game of the season tonight at the New Orleans Hornets on the road. The game was tight throughout with both sides winning a quarter each in either half. Derrick Rose top scored for the Bulls with 17 whilst the hype about Anthony Davis was overshadowed by fellow draft pick Austin Rivers, who top scored for the Hornets with 25pts. The Bulls host Atlanta on Friday, whilst the Hornets are at Sacramento on the same night.

[Knicks7073]

BREAKING NEWS: HORNETS ANNOUNCE TWO NEW SIGNINGS

New Orleans Hornets have announced on their official website that they've signed Argentine international small forward Carlos Delfino and Serbian international center Darko Milicic effective today (Nov 3). Delfino, 29, has signed a 1 year/$2.47M deal. Milicic, 26, has also signed a 1 year deal worth $1.79M.

[Knicks7073]

Game 2: @ Sacramento Kings.

Matchup Preview *|* November 5, 2011
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New Orleans Hornets (0-1, 0-0 Away)		Sacramento Kings (1-1, 0-1 Home)
Stats Comparison 76.0 Points Per Game 92.0 .418 Field Goal % .519 .778 Free Throw % .809 .333 3-Point % .286 30 Rebounds 73 5 Blocks 5 10 Steals 13 13 Turnovers 28 82.0 PPG Allowed 87.5 Projected Starters Austin Rivers Point Guard Aaron Brooks Eric Gordon Shooting Guard Marcus Thornton Al-Farouq Aminu Small Forward Tyreke Evans Ryan Anderson Power Forward Thomas Robinson Anthony Davis Center DeMarcus Cousins Game Notes The New Orleans start their two game road trip in Sacramento against the Kings. The Kings are 1-1 after a defeat at home to the Lakers and a win against the Golden State Warriors. The Hornets are 0-1 after a defeat at home to Chicago on Tuesday night.

New Orleans Hornets (0-1) at Sacramento Kings (1-1)
Nov 5, 2011 1 2 3 4 Final New Orleans 33 10 11 13 67 Sacramento 23 23 16 15 77 Top Performers New Orleans Hornets Eric Gordon - 19PTS Anthony Davis - 13PTS Sacramento Kings Marcus Thornton - 17PTS Tyreke Evans - 13PTS	Team Stats Comparison NOR SAC FG Made-Att 21-60 27-63 3PT Made-Att 2-11 6-14 FT Made-Att 23-31 17-21 Rebounds 40 37 Assists 11 13 Turnovers 15 11 Steals 2 4 Blocks 5 6

The New Orleans Hornets were defeated tonight by the Sacramento Kings 67-77 on the road. The Hornets will once again have to reflect on a 1st quarter they dominated and a 2nd quarter where the lead was lost. The Hornets will hope this doesn't become a continuing factor as they face the Lakers, Heat and Spurs inside 4 games.

[Knicks7073]

Game 3: @ Los Angeles Lakers

Matchup Preview *|* November 6, 2011
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New Orleans Hornets (0-2, 0-1 Away)		Los Angeles Lakers (3-0, 2-0 Home)
Stats Comparison 71.5 Points Per Game 83.3 .386 Field Goal % .473 .755 Free Throw % .765 .276 3-Point % .233 72 Rebounds 116 10 Blocks 11 12 Steals 16 28 Turnovers 29 79.5 PPG Allowed 77.3 Projected Starters Austin Rivers Point Guard Steve Nash Ben Gordon Shooting Guard Kobe Bryant Carlos Delfino Small Forward Devin Ebanks Ryan Anderson Power Forward Pau Gasol Anthony Davis Center Dwight Howard Injury Report Metta World Peace 1-2 weeks Game Notes The unbeaten Los Angeles Lakers (3-0) take on the winless New Orleans Hornets at the Staples Center. The Lakers have been unstoppable thus far with Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant dominating on offense whilst Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard have ruled the glass thus far this season. The Hornets have failed to live up to expectations despite dominating the 1st quarter in each of their games this season. New Orleans have shown fatigue in the 2nd half which has cost them both their opening games this season.

New Orleans Hornets (0-2) at Los Angeles Lakers (3-0)
Nov 6, 2011 1 2 3 4 Final New Orleans 14 22 21 12 69 Los Angeles 15 15 20 12 75 Top Performers New Orleans Hornets Eric Gordon - 23PTS Austin Rivers - 14PTS Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant - 27PTS Dwight Howard - 17PTS	Team Stats Comparison NOR LAL FG Made-Att 24-59 29-56 3PT Made-Att 4-17 2-9 FT Made-Att 17-21 15-17 Rebounds 33 31 Assists 17 22 Turnovers 14 13 Steals 10 9 Blocks 3 2

The Los Angeles Lakers survived a scare Sunday night, when they defeated the New Orleans Hornets at home 69-75. The Hornets once again grew tired in the 4th quarter which allowed the Lakers to pull back the 7 point lead the Hornets held over them going into the final quarter. The Hornets once again lead at half-time for the third consecutive game before losing the game. The Hornets are at home against Miami Heat on Wednesday whilst the Lakers are at the Kings tomorrow night.

Note: This will be the last post until 8/18 at the latest as I go on a five day holiday tomorrow. Just posting this so the thread doesn't get closed for inactivity. Thanks

[Knicks7073]

November 8th, 2011.

The 2011/12 NBA season is only one week old and we already have a new favourite to take the NBA title despite the fact the team has to play another 77 games before the playoffs start. The Los Angeles Lakers are 5-0 so far this season. Many believe it is down to their almighty starting 5 consisting PG Steve Nash, SG Kobe Bryant, SF Metta World Peace, PF Pau Gasol and C Dwight Howard. The current NBA Standings are below...

NBA Standings - Updated: Nov 8, 2011
ATLANTIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
New York Knicks	2	1	..	0-0	2-1
Boston Celtics	1	2	1.0	0-0	1-2
Philadelphia 76ers	1	2	1.0	1-0	1-1
New Jersey Nets	1	2	1.0	0-0	1-2
Toronto Raptors	1	3	1.5	0-1	1-1
CENTRAL	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Milwaukee Bucks	2	2	..	0-0	2-1
Chicago Bulls	1	2	0.5	0-0	0-1
Indiana Pacers	1	2	0.5	0-1	1-1
Detroit Pistons	1	2	0.5	1-0	1-2
Cleveland Cavaliers	0	4	2.0	0-0	0-2
SOUTHEAST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Charlotte Bobcats	3	0	..	1-0	2-0
Atlanta Hawks	3	0	..	0-0	2-0
Miami Heat	2	1	1.0	2-0	2-1
Washington Wizards	2	1	1.0	1-1	2-1
Orlando Magic	1	3	2.5	0-3	1-3
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Charlotte Bobcats	3	0	..	1-0	2-0
Atlanta Hawks	3	0	..	0-0	2-0
Miami Heat	2	1	1.0	2-0	2-1
New York Knicks	2	1	1.0	0-0	2-1
Washington Wizards	2	1	1.0	1-1	2-1
Milwaukee Bucks	2	2	1.5	0-0	2-1
Chicago Bulls	1	2	2.0	0-0	0-1
Boston Celtics	1	2	2.0	0-0	1-2
New Jersey Nets	1	2	2.0	0-0	1-2
Indiana Pacers	1	2	2.0	0-1	1-1
Detroit Pistons	1	2	2.0	1-0	1-2
Philadelphia 76ers	1	2	2.0	1-0	1-1
Toronto Raptors	1	3	2.5	0-1	1-1
Orlando Magic	1	3	2.5	0-3	1-3
Cleveland Cavaliers	0	4	3.5	0-0	0-2
NORTHWEST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Oklahoma City Thunder	3	1	..	0-0	2-1
Denver Nuggets	2	1	0.5	0-1	1-1
Minnesota Timberwolves	2	1	0.5	0-0	0-0
Portland Trail Blazers	2	1	0.5	1-0	2-1
Utah Jazz	0	3	2.5	0-0	0-3
PACIFIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Los Angeles Lakers	5	0	..	3-0	5-0
Los Angeles Clippers	3	0	1.0	0-0	2-0
Sacramento Kings	2	2	2.5	1-1	2-2
Golden State Warriors	1	3	3.5	0-2	1-3
Phoenix Suns	0	3	4.0	0-1	0-3
SOUTHWEST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Houston Rockets	3	0	..	0-0	3-0
Dallas Mavericks	3	1	0.5	1-0	1-1
Memphis Grizzlies	1	2	2.0	0-0	1-1
San Antonio Spurs	1	2	2.0	0-1	0-2
New Orleans Hornets	0	3	3.0	0-0	0-2
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Los Angeles Lakers	5	0	5.0	3-0	5-0
Los Angeles Clippers	3	0	1.0	0-0	2-0
Houston Rockets	3	0	1.0	0-0	3-0
Dallas Mavericks	3	1	1.5	1-0	1-1
Oklahoma City Thunder	3	1	1.5	0-0	2-1
Denver Nuggets	2	1	2.0	0-1	1-1
Minnesota Timberwolves	2	1	2.0	0-0	0-0
Portland Trail Blazers	2	1	2.0	1-0	2-1
Sacramento Kings	2	2	2.5	1-1	2-2
San Antonio Spurs	1	2	3.0	0-1	0-2
Memphis Grizzlies	1	2	3.0	0-0	1-1
Golden State Warriors	1	3	3.5	0-2	1-3
Utah Jazz	0	3	4.0	0-0	0-3
Phoenix Suns	0	3	4.0	0-1	0-3
New Orleans Hornets	0	3	4.0	0-0	0-2

Note: Game 4 to be posted tomorrow.

[Knicks7073]

Game 4: vs. Miami Heat

Matchup Preview *|* November 9, 2011
	@
Miami Heat (3-1, 0-1 Away)		New Orleans Hornets (0-3, 0-1 Home)
Stats Comparison 83.0 Points Per Game 70.7 .447 Field Goal % .392 .764 Free Throw % .771 .353 3-Point % .261 153 Rebounds 105 17 Blocks 13 31 Steals 22 58 Turnovers 42 84.0 PPG Allowed 78.0 Projected Starters Mario Chalmers Point Guard Austin Rivers Dwayne Wade Shooting Guard Eric Gordon LeBron James Small Forward Al-Farouq Aminu Rashard Lewis Power Forward Ryan Anderson Chris Bosh Center Anthony Davis Injury Report Udonis Haslem Sprained Shoulder (2-4 Weeks) Carlos Delfino Dislocated Finger (1-2 Weeks) Game Notes The New Orleans Hornets host the 3-1 Miami Heat tonight as they look for their 1st win this season. The Heat will be looking to carry their form into the game tonight as they are unbeaten since the opening day defeat at the Knicks. The Hornets have had a tough start to the season as they play a team from the East for the first time this season.

Miami Heat (3-1) at New Orleans Hornets (0-3)
Nov 9, 2011 1 2 3 4 Final Miami 25 30 19 15 89 New Orleans 12 17 20 22 71 Top Performers Miami Heat LeBron James - 24PTS Chris Bosh - 23PTS New Orleans Hornets Austin Rivers - 18PTS Eric Gordon - 17PTS	Team Stats Comparison MIA NOR FG Made-Att 36-72 24-68 3PT Made-Att 2-7 6-18 FT Made-Att 15-18 17-21 Rebounds 36 38 Assists 22 14 Turnovers 8 13 Steals 5 5 Blocks 4 8

The Miami Heat survived a second half fight back from New Orleans Hornets to record a 89-71 win to go 4-1. The Hornets will be bitterly disappointed with their 1st half performance as they went into half time 55-29 down. New Orleans came out rejuvenated in the 2nd half winning both the 3rd quarter and the 4th but it was not enough for the Hornets to record their first win.