Couldn't disagree more. All the nuggets have had to do is stop Paul and they win. It's quite simple really. Chandler is no better than I would be out there and Peja couldn't throw it into the ocean. The supporting cast has gone to crap in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Billups has guys stepping up all around him. They have this guy named Carmello, Kenyon Martin is playing well, JR Smith has stepped up, and that tattooed freak on their team annoys the hell out of me but is great off the bench. You focus on Chauncey and you get your butt kicked. Having said all that, I don't think Paul is way better than Billups, but better for sure.
Aside from thinking we've been playing the Pistons (fail!), i agree with this post. West, Peja and TC should not accept a single paycheck for the playoff series. Posey, Butler and Marks can accept about 10%.
Damnit! At least I got the players right though. Still weird seeing Chauncey as something other than a piston.
I can tell you from my Hornet sources Byron Scott WILL be fired and at the very least won't be extended and will be let go after his contract ends next season. And for roster changes, they want to trade Peja, but won't be able to get value. So all you'll likely see is a trade of Tyson for garbage for cap space and for the team to sign someone with the MLE and then draft someone. Not nearly the whole-sale moves people will hope for.
You certainly can't blame Scott for the injuries that had a major impact on the Hornets' record and overall continuity this season. I think he gets some of the blame for the Chandler trade fiasco; I doubt Bower made that move without consulting him. I think he probably also gets some of the blame for letting Wells and Pargo leave in FAgency, which definitely hurt the bench strength. But what is really catching up to the Hornets right now is their draft record over the past few years. A quick review: 2008, drafted Darrel Arthur, traded him the same night for cash. They get no on-court help in this draft. 2007, Julian Wright. Byron Scott has not yet figured out how to use Wright, who may have the most pure athletic ability on the roster. Has only occasional impact off the bench. 2006, Hilton Armstrong and Cedric Simmons. Armstrong has not only proven he's not a top-tier starter, he's only adequate as a reserve, rarely providing anything new to the lineup when he subs for Chandler. Simmons...1 year at the end of the bench, and good-bye. 2005, Chris Paul and Brandon Bass. OK, they certainly got it right with CP3. As for Bass, he's the only 2nd round pick the team has made who is having an impact. Unfortunately, he's having that impact in Dallas as 2nd man off their bench. Hornets gave up too quickly on Bass after never finding a use for him. 2004, J.R. Smith. Like Bass (and I suspect in the near future, Wright), the Hornets were too impatient with Smith, after making him one of the youngest first round picks in NBA history. Smith is now one of the top 5 6th men in the league, and could probably start for many teams, including the Hornets. 2003, David West. Got this one right, but I suspect that is at least in part due to the fact that he was already in his third or fourth season when Scott became head coach, and was ready to step up as a seasoned vet. If Scott had been coach in 2003, West probably would have been gone in 2005. I guess you see where I'm going with this. For all of his good qualities as a coach, I see Scott as being too impatient with his younger players, Smith and Bass in particular. That impatience has left us with virtually no depth, and it cost us heavily this entire season.
