My opinion of Pargo's game changed only slightly over the last year.  Here is what I wrote over at my old blog about him before the 2007-2008 season - when I was comparing Hornets players to weapons from the game Halo.

Jannero Pargo, G: Needler
The needler will unleash a rapid-fire burst of needles at your opponent. Usually, the needles miss a lot and using the gun exposes you to your enemies counter fire more than you want. But man, when on target, the needler will destroy the competition.  Pargo = Needler.

I have a little more respect for his defense after the last year than I did before, since his ability to pressure ball handlers was an integral part of that hard-nosed 2nd unit defense.  Offensively though, he was beyond streaky.  Either he was on for weeks, or we was useless for weeks.  In the middle of December I was ready for him to go, hoping we'd find a guard somewhere that could put the ball in the basket.  At that point, he was shooting 35% from the floor and 25% from beyond the arc for the season.  Still, Pargo's efforts for the team through January and February wiped out a lot of those bad memories as the team made a furious push that saw them earn two all-stars and recognition across the league.  He shot 46% during that stretch, and 39% from deep.  Predictably, he then fell apart again in March and April.

In the end, he's one of those divisive players that fans love to hate - and love to cheer for.  The disciplined nature of the Hornets made him seem even more like a maverick, and he gave me more "No, Nooo . . . . YES!" moments than anyone wearing teal this season.  At the end of the season, I liked him.  After the Dallas series, where he was huge and helped Chris Paul make Jason Kidd look like a dinosaur, I was a fan.  After game five, I was ready and began putting together research so I could post in praise of Jannero Pargo.  I got set and was ready to write and  then Pargo refused to explode in the Spurs series, having only one good game, and that being the last one of the series when the Hornets crashed and burned.

Well, it's time to put that post together.  Pargo is gone, and we won't see his incredible handle in Teal this year, so let's celebrate him while we can.

During a recent Liveblog at Yahoo, I asked the participants if they thought the thirty-two good games Jannero Pargo had per year were worth the fifty bad ones.  Dwyer corrected me, pointing out that Pargo really gave your team fifty bad games per year, sixteen good ones, and sixteen Nova ones.  He's absolutely right.  When Pargo is on, he's a star.  Jonathan Givony of Draft Express can attest to that.  During that Dallas series, Henry Abbot of Truehoop was kind enough to introduce me to him so I could interview him about his experience scouting Pargo.

The summer before the 2007-08 season, Givony was in Chicago to see a bunch of workouts, and caught a little side workout with some very fringe prospects who were working with Pargo.  They started with three-point shooting drills, and Pargo was on fire.  He drilled 14 of 15, then 10 of 13, then 9 of 10, 15 of 15, and 10 of 12.  When the two on two drills started, it was obvious what was coming.  Unleashing his deadly barrage of headfakes, step backs, pivots, jabs, and mid-range pull-ups, he destroyed the other players.  His footwork and ballhandling was perfect, and even though his shots were off-balance a lot of the time, it didn't seem to matter.

As Givony went through this workout with me over the phone, I could see in my minds eye exactly what he was talking about.  When he said that he had timed Pargo and it took him .5 seconds to go from jab step to releasing the ball I was nodding like a fool.  How many times had I seen him do that very thing at the top of the key?  Jab, pull up, off-balance shot, net, and the defender still flat-footed.

Throughout the workout, Givony reported Pargo was ice-cold.  Without any change of expression, he took the prospects apart.  And again, I could see him, that serious expression on his face, calmly backpedalling after drilling a big three.  His demeanor on the court was great.  Nothing fazed him.  Not pressure, not missing a shot, not nearly having his neck broken when Jason Kidd flipped him.  In fact, while that flipping got the biggest response out of him I'd seen all year, it was telling.  He clapped.  He smiled, clapped, pushed Julian Wright away from Kidd, and then smiled and clapped some more.  Ice. Cold.

I'll miss that.  I'll miss new videos like this.  And his part in this.

Enjoy Moscow, Jannero.

Anyways, in the midst of them talking about me - as all people everywhere should - they had the nerve to start a subdiscussion regarding the defensive talents of Tyson Chandler.  One side was certain he was an exceptional defender, while the other argued that Chandler was a piece of crap because he only managed one block a game.  That, of course, is an argument I've seen played out in a dozen different places, and all season long I wanted to enter the fray with an evaluation of Tyson Chandler and his game.

Well, it's the off-season, things are slow, I'm a fan of Chandler, and I'm armed with a computer, so here goes:

The Perception of Chandler
The first thing you have to do when evaluating Chandler's game is discard the popular perception of him.  What most fans associate with Chandler are his rim-rattling dunks and alley-oops.  When commentators talk about Chandler, it's consistently about his value on the boards, how useless he is in a half court offense, and how he's a great protector of the paint because of his shotblocking.  He, like all the Hornets, is also erroneously identified as a fast-break focused player that is at his best when he gets out and runs: a player with passion and abandon, but little skill or discipline.

The reality is that Tyson Chandler is a player who has a lot of value in the half-court, is skilled at altering shots without risking fouls by leaping for blocked shots, and plays a very fundamental, effective and disciplined game.  Okay, maybe his discipline doesnt extend to his emotions, which always run high and lead him to bark too much at the refs or unleash some highly entertaining mugging for the crowd.   But in all, the fantastic alley-oops and dunks are just a enjoyable cherry on top of his highly deliberate game.

The Boards
Chandler's discipline grows out of necessity.  Despite standing over seven feet tall, Tyson carries only 235 lbs, thirty pounds less than the average listed weight of the NBA's other starting centers.  Without great bulk to anchor him, his height actually becomes a bit of a liability.  Shorter but heavier players with a lower center of gravity can force him under the net if he's not set, or edge him away from the basket with their massive backsides.

To counter this problem on the boards, he is diligent at boxing out opposing players, sealing them on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor as soon as it appears a shot will go up.  While on one hand, this contributes to his high turnover rate by exposing him to three second violations if the ball takes longer to go up than he thought, it also allows him to set and be braced against attempts to dislodge him.  This approach allows him to have the best offensive rebound rate of any center who plays starting minutes and to post the seventh best rebounding rate in the entire game.

Defense
Chandler's focus on rebounding does have some detriment on the defensive end.  His help defense against penetrators is typically superb due to his agility, but pump fakes on the perimeter can sometimes take him out of the picture, because he will move to seal his man from the boards.  This makes him have to cover more ground to reach the penetrating guard if they get past their primary defender.  The result is some easy buckets, since he will not close on the penetrating guard aggressively, preferring to not risk a foul - especially early in games.

Chandler is also much more likely to only lightly contest any center who steps out to 10-15 feet, instead preferring to allow them to shoot over his long arms and then seal them away from any rebound.  Against centers adept with the midrange shot - like Ilgauskas - this can hurt.

That said, Chandler is an excellent defender.  Adept at defending the pick and roll, his speed and ability to recover making it hard to use most centers as the roller, even when he makes a hard show on the rolling guard.  His rotations to cover penetrating guards are better than average, though if he can't beat them to the hoop, he's more likely to try to make them shoot over his raised arms than risk fouls by trying to block shots. 

Chandler perhaps shines the most defending post players, refusing to bite on the myriad of jabs and feints thrown by most skilled post scorers.  He barely bothers to jump when the offensive player does shooot, instead relying on his height and long arms to bother the shot.  Since he doesn't leave his feet, he can cut off most moves to the basket, forcing fade away jump shots, face-ups where his speed can match almost any big man, or force the player to attempt a hook shot across the lane, exposing them to being stripped by the active hands of the Hornets perimeter players and only provides a low-percentage shot to most.

Offense
Outside of Amare Stoudamire, there isn't a better big man in the game to run a true pick and roll with.  Most centers and power forwards settle for the Pick and Pop, taking a mid-range shot and not truly rolling to the basket.  Tyson, however, runs headlong to the hoop.  This either gets him in position for an alley-oop, or in prime position for an offensive putback.  He's such a threat that the opposing team must keep one of their big men home on him to prevent those high-percentage plays.  That, of course, leaves Paul covered by one defender - so they either have to hope that's enough, or send a perimeter defender - which leaves a shooter open.  Watch any playoff game against San Antonio this past season.  Tim Duncan is nearly neutralized as a weak-side shot blocker for the Spurs while Tyson is on the floor because he cannot leave him without giving up an alley-oop or an easy offensive putback.

Now certainly, some credit does go to Paul for his ball control keeping Chandler so dangerous in the post - but the fact remains that while Paul can deliver it, how many centers in the game could actually put it home with the consistency of Chandler?  Stoudamire.  Howard.

Outside of that, he is still valuable offensively in a half-court set for other reasons.  Despite his lack of bulk, his wide frame allows him to set solid, wide screens.  His offensive rebounding is exceptional. 

His weakness? His post game has not developed - and I don't think it never will, a casualty of his lack of weight.  His post moves are actually fundamentally sound - he's clearly worked on them - but all it takes is a little bodying by Chandler's defender to throw him off balance and force him into fading, sideways jumpshots that inevitably miss.

Guess you can't have everything.

The NBA released the new schedule into the wilds of the internet today, and thus I know exactly what I'll be doing for 82 specific nights in the future.

Highlights from the schedule include the home opener against LeBron and the Jameses, games on every imaginable Christian, Jewish and pagan holiday, plus an insanely brutal home stretch that sees us play all the really good teams in their buildings and more really good teams in our own.

Anyways, it appears the internets are already alive with talk about the schedule, so I'll skip the repeating what's already been said and dole out the linkage instead...

• View the Hornets 2008-09 schedule over at ESPN.com.
  
  
• Jim Eichenhofer breaks it down over at the Big Easy Buzz Blog.
  
  
• More from Jim: Twenty Hornets games to watch in 2008-09.
  
  
• Hornets Hype: "The Hornets are coming for you. Worldwide."
  
  
• Some initial thoughts on the new schedule come courtesy of At The Hive (and I swear we thought of the post title first).

Oh, and when you're done with the schedule stuff, check out this interview I did recently with EmptyTheBench.com. I use big words throughout, like "fundamental."

Oh yeah.

When you watch the other teams, who are experienced with international ball, they initiate their offensive sets about six to eight feet back from the three point line.  Their wing shooters hover a good three to four feet back from the line.

The US, however, like good NBA players, initiate their offense at - or a few feet behind - the three point line.  Their wings toe it.  This is especially the case with slash-minded players like Anthony, Wade, James, and Bryant.

In the NBA, this is fine - the wider arc of the 3-point line adds another 6 feet to the space within it, giving penetrators more room to operate, and generating greater spacing.  But the international arc is so much shorter, when a player penetrates, the help defense has three or four fewer feet to cover to collapse on them.  Watching the games - at times it does seem amazing how quickly the defenses will jam penetration and attack post players.

When Redd is on the floor - he actually sits where the normal three-point line is - and that does help the spacing and our half court offense.  Deron Willams and Paul are also adept at making their moves well outside the three-point line - probably because as Point Guards, they are a little more used to making moves further out, using as much floor as they can to create space on their defender.

Hopefully, they'll figure that out.  It would help Howard greatly.

Other observations, and I will warn you - the undisciplined nature of the US Olympic team actually makes me kinda grumpy to watch.  Weird.

1. This team ballhawks too damn much.  All of em.  A team can support one ballhawk.  Maybe two.  But when all of the guys are chasing the ball, there are too many open shots.  I still don't think we're going to lose, but some disciplined team is going to make us pay and keep it close.
   
   
2. That team will be Spain.  One of the most missed stories of the season was the fact that there were two point guards playing significant minutes who were putting up insane assist to turnover ratios.  Those two players were Chris Paul and Jose Calderon.   Calderon and Navarro are not going to wilt under US ballhandling pressure.  Calderon, in fact, makes fewer mistakes than Paul does with the ball.  If the US continues to rely on forced turnovers, it's going to be Jose and Spain that makes them sweat (not to mention the rest of the team is solid).
   
   
3. Oh Wow!  Lots of people are shocked that Dwayne Wade is great when healthy!  Really?  Were the 2006 Finals really that long ago?
   
   
4. Chris Paul and Deron Williams are leading the team in minutes.  I don't know how to take that.  Is Coach K recognizing they are both way better than Jason Kidd - or is he just trying to figure out which one will be the primary backup when the real games start?
   
   
5. Jason Kidd was terrible in the first two games, solid against Lithuania.  I'll stop talking about Kidd now . . .
   
   
6. . . . and talk about Carmelo Anthony.  I understand that Carmelo is a special scorer.  He's got nice range, solid face-up Post game, but let's get one thing straight.  The announcers keep saying he's the best international player the US has - and that he causes so many mismatches at the Power Forward Position, blah, blah, blah.  Look, the US team's biggest weakness is it's undersized and can't control the boards.  It's kinda sad seeing how easily Lithuania and Turkey overpowered us for a lot of those boards.  Carmelo can score - but if he can't rebound(and he doesn't), he's not the best the US can offer at the PF position.  In fact, he's a bit of a detriment.

And since this is a Hornets site:

Chris Paul has averaged the most minutes on the team.  In my opinion the offense runs much, much smoother when he is on the floor bringing up the ball, though part of that is because Deron Williams is also usually on the floor.  Those two guys play off each other very, very well.

Paul's been deadly on the drive, as usual, but he rarely goes to the hoop, instead preferring to feed other players.  Sometimes he tries a little too hard to feed them the ball - and he's tried to run pick and rolls with Bosh but clearly doesn't have the same chemistry with Bosh that he and West have.  He did get a nice dunk against Lithuania that got the entire bench up and shouting for him.  I guess people are still surprised he can get up that high.

Paul's three point shot has been spotty - as usual.  His defense has been pesky enough that he's drawn a couple charges because the other team's players were pushing him to get him to back off.

Oh - the much repeated claim that Paul can't handle International ball because international gaurds are too strong for him?  Haven't seen it yet.  He's pretty much able to do what he always does.

[UPDATE] ESPN is now reporting that Chris Paul took over in the starting line up for Kidd against Russia.  Interesting - but hardly surprising.

Let's get right to it: New Orleans needs you back on the radio waves in the afternoon. Any chance of that happening?

I'm currently on 99.5 WRNO FM on Saturdays and Sundays. I will eventually be back on daily. When we moved to Oklahoma City I was doing the show there and when we moved back (after having been away) management changed and resources were pooled for WRNO the upcoming newstalker. New Orleans needs another sportstalk show on a daily basis. They need an option. The fans are too solid here not to have one.

Currently I'm doing several different projects: my new Basketball Academy... TV projects... segments with out of town sportstalkers... Hornets games, plus a Hornets radio show and I will add to that. I could be doing a daily show now but moving is not in my plans. My wife and her family are from New Orleans plus I have a pretty damn good job doing the NBA (my upcoming 19th year).

What do you think of the Hornets offseason thus far?

The offseason landed James Posey. I'm sure the team is not done. As we speak they are working on the Pargo deal and will try to settle that. Also there's a need for another player that can go get it! A REBOUNDER/POST DEFENDER. Jeff Bower has a special way of doing things. When you think all is silent... BOOM! he gets something done. He is a very astute and talented man.

Let's get to some old school stuff. You've been on board with the Hornets since the early days in Charlotte. What do you consider to be the highest and lowest moments for the franchise to date?

The highest moment for the organization for me was the first jumpball I watched to open their first game as an NBA team. That was special. The lowest moment was when I got word we were moving out of Charlotte to New Orleans. I say that because the relationship between the team and the city for several years was very special. 20,000 fans per night and leading the league in attendance for those years. However the down moment became a bright tone as we have all adapted. I met my wife here in New Orleans and we have a special team plus a fan base that's wrapped their arms around us and we of them.

Also I am very thankful and will never forget the way the fans in Oklahoma City treated us. Superb! Great people! I got to know many of them with my Hornets work and my afternoon drive show at KTOK radio during our stay.

What would be your all-time Hornets starting five?

My All-Time starting five is a tough one because of the relationships you establish over the years. Chris Paul, Dell Curry, Alonzo Mourning, Rex Chapman, David West. There could easily be the entire starting five of the current team but I have to respect the friendships of the past. David Wesley was one of my favorite people. Kendall Gill, Tim Kempton, Vlade Divac... all were special people. I hope I didn't miss anyone.

What do you think was the best single play in Hornets history?

The best play or game? The current team has given us some great moments. Beating Dallas in the first round this year was special. Alonzo dropping 33 with 7 rebounds against the Celtics in the '93 Playoffs plus nailing the winner! Very special night as it was early in the team's history.

Can you give us any insight as to why Darrell Walker preferred to take an assistant coaching job with the Pistons rather than stay as Byron Scott's lead assistant in New Orleans?

I was surprised he left coming of the terrific year the team had. I heard the grapevine say he got a four-year contract which is nice security in this business. It seemed he had a very nice relationship with the staff so I'm banking that was the reason.

How do you rate the performances of Hilton Armstrong and Julian Wright at the Vegas Summer League last month?

Lets hope the summer brings us a Hilton Armstrong that is more consistent in his play. He could give you a series of good moments but then display some slippage. He needs to become a solid defender in the post and react quicker in the defensive scheme of things. You want him to be able to finish more plays.

Julian is a player that will do things "among the group." Deflections... steals... run the floor and defend. They used him at the point or point forward position in the summer league to help his confidence handling the ball and aid in his decision making. Plus it allows him to better learn and see the game. I love his length and team play. His summer play was a way to experiment and put him in different positions and situations. He'll help this team as we all saw what defense did in the NBA finals.

In the NBA it's "can you do something well... and can you do it again and again?" More consistency is needed from both players. Julian will be fine. Armstrong needs to make it happen more often.

How does Bob Licht get his hair looking so picturesque on TV all the time?

Bob gets lot of fan mail about his hair. I promised not to tell but i love "bustin' chops" so I'll tell you his hair secret... yogurt... glue and a wig.

When chicks think you're hot ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

You travel with the team to voice the road games. Any crazy stories from those trips over the years?

Road trip stories? I have some that would lay you out on the ground laughing. I'll tell one about myself...

When you travel a lot you sometimes forget your hotel room number. I remember trying to open the door to the wrong room. It was late and I had just celebrated with some old friends I hadn't seen in several years. I kept trying to open the door and a voice inside the room with a foreign accent kept yelling "Get away or I call police! ... Police! Police! ... I call police."

I respond "Oh yeah? I wanna see you explain how you got in my room! Open the door!"

We both call security as this poor guy is in a panic. Security shows up and we have to show ID. It turns out I was on the wrong floor. Seccurity says it happens all the time. The guy opens the door and isn't angry as he said he's tried to open the wrong room before. He travels a lot. The funny moment for me was the guy was about 5-foot 2-inches tall and lets say he's hurtin' in the looks department. However this woman is standing next to him who looks like a model! Just a knockout. She says "Honey everything will be fine... lets go back and play."

Picture security and myself with this look on our faces. This lil high voice guy and a stunning woman... simply stunning. She was his wife!!!

Byron Scott has become known as an elite coach. Is there anything in particular that you think sets him apart from other coaches in the NBA?

Byron Scott is a very good coach. I feel he has gotten better every year that I've watched him work. Plus he is great to work with. He is a straight talking coach who will be very honest with you. He has a gifted sense of humor and is a pleasure to be around. What sets him apart from others is his sense of knowing "when to work and when to play."

He takes his basketball very seriously. He knows when there is work to be done. What's special is his ability to step back and share a good story and laugh with you. I enjoy his company very much and respect his work. He simply "gets it." A good man.

Is there anything we haven't asked that you want to tell us?

This summer I enjoyed my new "Gerry V Basketball Academy." We had sessions for players that currently play on their school teams. Grades 6-8th. The kids were terrific as we really got into some serious basketball. I was most impressed with how they responded to the different aspects of the game. We treated each group as if they were a college team. I was amazed at how well they were able to grasp all we taught (and believe me it wasn't a baby sitting camp). They worked and had fun. I enjoyed being on the coaching floor again and teaching the game six hours a day. (Yes, I was tired at the end of the session.)

It proved to me that players will do what is demanded of them. If they see a coach who cares and has a passion for the game they will respond.
They want structure and teaching. I had a great feeling when we had our "Final Exams" and watched them excecute the concepts and recall the vocabulary. It will be an every year thing. We've already been asked to add an extra week or two along with a special weekend year-round session. I love teaching basketball.

Many thanks to the V-Man for taking the time to amuse and inform us. You can catch him on 99.5 WRNO FM every Saturday (8-11am) and Sunday (9-11am). Also, be sure to check out his blog over at the WRNO site.

Hilton just recently got done playing for the Hornets summer league squad in Las Vegas, where he averaged 14 points and 5.7 boards in 31 minutes per game. Those numbers don't sound bad, but they don't tell the whole story. This is what Ryan had to say about Hilton's Vegas adventure in a Summer League wrap-up post last week:

I'm past worrying about Hilton Armstrong. He had a couple strong scoring games, but overall, he was terrible. He is STILL prone to stupid fouls. He still hasn't been able to put on enough muscle - so he gets pushed away from the basket too easily. His hands are poor, and he gets stripped all the time, and he takes way too long to gather himself to dunk, giving defenders extra time to close on him and knock the ball loose. He also shows almost no instinct for rebounding - consistently misjudging his position and timing when going up for the boards. If he has any trade value - I hope we use it.

What follows isn't to disagree with Ryan's assessment, but I'd just like to throw it out there and see what kind of faith -- if any -- people have left in Armstrong. Here's a table comparing his rookie and sophomore seasons to those of David West...

Let's make some adjustments so the comparison is a little more fair. Here's how the numbers look per 36 minutes...

More stats for your perusal...

• David West on Basketball Reference
• Hilton Armstrong on Basketball Reference

As I suspected would be the case, the numbers are not drastically different. Granted, the young David West posted slightly better stats, but wouldn't it be nice if Armstrong could take off in his third year and even become half the player West is today?

There are of course plenty of things you can point at which may skew this comparison one way or the other. For example, you could say that West would have had a much better sophomore year if not for the knee injury that cost him 51 games. Likewise, you could say that Hilton has had the misfortune of playing his first two years on a better team in a better conference with better players ahead of him in the rotation.

So, does anyone think Hilton can follow in West's footsteps and finally put it together in his third pro season, or have you given up hope that he'll amount to anything other than a wasted draft pick?

(Click image for a larger version.)

The ladies above were all selected to the Honeybee dance team at the House of Blues in the French Quarter yesterday, and will be responsible for the dancing and the cheering and the looking good on our way to the NBA Finals next season.

We should have more photos from the Honeybee Finals coming soon. For now I'll just say thanks to the legendary Matt McIntosh of Storm Surge Photography, to Brittany Cranston of the Hornets for her consistent fantasticness in helping us out, and to the House of Blues for doing such a great job hosting the event yesterday.

Leaving you with some bonus Honeybee linkage:

• Shannon the Honeybee
• Honeybees at the Draft Party
• Big Easy Buzz Blog Honeybee update
  

One thing, however, has irritated the hell out of me in the coverage of this team:  Jason Kidd is being pushed as the savior of the team and at the same time being given the lion's share of the credit for Team USA's win in the Tournament of the America's last year.  Some of the articles about him are downright fawning.

At this point, I'd love to get through one USA Basketball article that doesn't mention his record, gold medal, and "steadying, veteran presence".  Just one.  The guy is old, slow, can't shoot and completely self-absorbed.  Deron Williams and Chris Paul are BOTH better choices to start over him.

Here's a recent interview:

Jason Kidd:  So we're all here after I dominated that Canadian team.  That makes me what, 46-0 for Team USA.

Reporter: That's including exhibitions, right?

Jason Kidd: Sure, yeah.  Guess I didn't need to bring my gold medal along, huh?  I left that medal at home, you know.  I figured I don't need it because I never lose.

Reporter: So what do you think about the team this year?  Going to guarantee a win?

Jason Kidd: Well, I am 46-0 now, so what do you think?  The team is pretty good, and of course, it's got me.  You know, a veteran presence and an actual pass-first point guard.  Because I'm all about the team and not personal stats.  All about the passing.

Reporter: Well, you got 0 assists tonight, but that's because of the team being unselfish and moving the ball a lot, right?

Jason Kidd: Absolutely.  I set the tone, passed the ball, and of course they had to pass the ball.  They need to follow me because I'm a veteran presence.  And I don't shoot much, you know?

Reporter: Yeah - you didn't take a shot tonight in 16 minutes.

Kidd: See?  I'm all about sacrificing my game.  Passing.  Playing hard defense.  I do the little things, that's why I've got 100 triple doubles, man.

Reporter: Speaking of defense, your back-ups came in and really changed the defensive intensity.  Generated turnovers, got the team flowing offensively.  Coach K said they really made a difference and they played 23 and 21 minutes each. What do you think of Deron Williams and Chris Paul?

Kidd:  Well, you know Deron's pretty good.  Not an all-star like me.  Not 46-0 like me.  Maybe he'll be that good sometime, but not now.  That's why he's not starting.

Reporter: Well, what about Paul?

Kidd: C'mon, he's alright.

Reporter: Really? That's all?

Kidd: Of course, he can't defend.  He's small. Not like me.  Didn't you see the playoffs?  I posted his butt non-stop.  He couldn't stop me.  Just took him apart.

Reporter: Oh?  I don't actually remember you scoring that much in the post in the playoffs . . .

Kidd:  I told you man, I'm not about scoring.  I'm about the little things.  I got a couple assists a game out of posting him up, and he couldn't do a thing to stop it.  Posting up isn't only about scoring, man.  It's about rebounding and passing.  That's why I've got 100 triple doubles and am 46-0 with USA Basketball, and he's got a bronze medal.  I know how to defend and play the game the right way.

Reporter: That's great.  There had been some concerns, you know, about the microfracture surgery you had on your knee and worries that you may have lost a step on defense.  You are 35 now, and won a gold when you were 27.

Kidd: No way.  I'm tough, man.  My knee is fine, and I wouldn't let a little pain stop me anyways.  I'm hardcore.  Tough as nails.

Reporter: What do you mean?

Kidd: *Laughs* C'mon, you just said you saw the playoffs.  You start pushing me, I'm going to make you pay, man.  I'll give you a hard foul.  Gave Pargo a hard foul.  Do you think LeBron would do that?  Carmelo?  Dwight?  No way.  That punk thought he was so bad, scoring all those points.  Stopped him cold.

Reporter checks paper: But Pargo outscored you 73 to 43 in that series.

Kidd: Exactly, he was getting all full of himself, you know?  So I gave him that foul.  Showed him who the all-star was.  I don't let anyone show me up, man.  No one, not Pargo, not that bitch Jouma . . . er . . . Jamal.  Crawford.  Yeah.  Uh, what was I saying?

Reporter: That you're a tough defender.

Kidd: Right!  It's that kind of toughness thats let me get a gold medal in 2000.  I thought about bringing that medal you know.  To show these guys what its like, that they could maybe be as good as me.

Reporter: That's great.  Thanks for your time.

Kidd: No problem!  Hey, remind me sometime to show you my gold medal when we are back stateside, okay?

Reporter: Sure.  Great. Thanks.

True story.  Really

I'm a little bothered by the Hornets not snapping him up.  A free agent rookie-scale contract is the smallest contract someone can offer.  I know we have CP3 and Mike James already on the roster.  I know we want to re-sign Pargo, and it does seem pretty stupid to carry four point guards, but come on.  We're not going to get anyone else cheaper, and he seemed to have the potential to be a good backup in the league.

Still, if we get Pargo back, I'm not going to dwell on it.  John Lucas tore up the summer league in 2006 and had people raving about him as a great point guard prospect - and he'll probably be in europe this year, since he's getting almost no interest after doing nothing except being waived by the Rockets since that performance.

There are also reports out of Denver that Chris Andersen has signed on to the Nuggets for a minimum one year deal.  I'm sure this will also be the source of a lot of second guessing as well, but I'm fine with it.  Andersen was given a shot to produce something at the end of March, and his time on the floor reminded me of one thing from when he did play for the Hornets.  Andersen was always a great energy guy who could rebound, but he was always completely lost on the defensive end.  He was more than just lost - he was so worried about blocking shots and making an impact he blew rotations regularly in the short time on the floor - despite all of Hilton's flaws, he does at least cover the defensive end of the floor fairly well.(Still, would it hurt to corral a few more rebounds, Hilton?  Please?)

I also wanted to watch the players and see if any of them were going to be candidates for immediate trades - like Kirk Snyder and Cedric Simmons were after they were terrible or unable to go in the Summer League.  Here are my impressions:

• Julian Wright didn't give a damn for large stretches of the summer league.  Despite that, when he focused, he was almost always the best player on the floor.  You can point at his turnovers, point at his bad shooting percentage, but when he decided he was going to get aggressive, he was disruptive as hell on the defensive end and effective offensively.  I do not worry about him at all.
  
  
• I'm past worrying about Hilton Armstrong.  He had a couple strong scoring games, but overall, he was terrible.  He is STILL prone to stupid fouls.  He still hasn't been able to put on enough muscle - so he gets pushed away from the basket too easily.  His hands are poor, and he gets stripped all the time, and he takes way too long to gather himself to dunk, giving defenders extra time to close on him and knock the ball loose.  He also shows almost no instinct for rebounding - consistently misjudging his position and timing when going up for the boards.  If he has any trade value - I hope we use it.
  
  
• A ton has been made about Bobby Brown, and without question he had a good summer league.  However, I was left with questions about his shooting and stamina.  As each game wore on, his shot became more and more flat - and as his shot lost its arc, he began throwing it at the basket more than shooting it.  His commitment to push the ball was nice to see, and he did have good instincts for distributing the ball.  Is he better than Pargo?  I'd say no - mostly based on his shot and his defense, which was really scattered.
  
  
• I'd like to see Derrick Byars brought in to camp.  He seems to have a nice all-around game with some decent range and slashing skills.  He also showed willingness and skill at the defensive end.
  
  
• Adam Haluska is slow.  His shooting was off, but I was more worried about his speed.  He was constantly victimized by clear-outs where he had to go one on one with fast guards - and failed miserably.  I was hoping for more.