•  Chris Paul owns Steve Nash. The Hornets have gone 5-0 since moving back full time to New Orleans, with Paul averaging 27.2 ppg, 10.8 apg, 5.2 rpg, 1.8 topg, and 3.8 spg to Nash's 19.8 ppg, 10.4 apg, 2.8 rpg, 5.4 topg, and 0.2 spg. 
• Amare Stoudemire owns David West. He averages 7.8 points per game more than West, head to head, 3.5 more rebounds, and 1 more block.
• The Suns have struggled mightily in containing guards recently. Dwayne Wade went off for 43 two games ago, and in their last game, Devin Harris torched them with a 47/8/7 performance. Given how well Paul normally plays against this team, that's a great sign.
• Steve Nash seems to have a variety of ailments. He sat out a game due to a thigh contusion, then missed today's shoot around with a "virus." So potentially, we might see Goran Dragic start tonight against CP3. Or Strawberry? I'm not familiar enough with the Suns' lineup to make an accurate guess here.
• Leandro Barbosa returned to action last week and dropped 20 on Miami. Barbosa and Jason Terry make me miss Jannero Pargo more than anyone else in the league.
• Funny preview post from Bright Side of the Sun.
  

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Been a lot of talk recently about our guy in the middle. I've read various stories, ranging from "the pressure's gotten to him" to "teams have figured out the pick and roll." So I thought I'd throw out my take on the issue.

Yeah, Tyson's numbers have been down across the board. He hasn't been able to attack the glass offensively and defensively, he's scoring less, and he's picking up more fouls per minute. That said, there are some major caveats to be mentioned:

1. Rhythm: He hasn't gotten the chance to get a rhythm going. He played the first game of the season, dominating Andris Biedrins (a great rebounder) on the glass. Then he sat out Phoenix due to an ankle issue. He was forced to sit out the home opener right after that. Then, he worked his way back into the lineup slowly, doing an impressive job against Andrew Bynum in one of his first games back. Fast forward a few more games, Chandler's beginning to get acclimated, but then he was forced to sit out another game at Denver. Truth is, Chandler needs to play more consistent minutes and consistent games before we can draw any conclusions. Keep in mind that he played in 45 of the first 46 games last season. I'm positive Tyson will snap out of this stretch as he plays 15 to 20 straight games.
   
2. Small Sample Size: In his first 152 games with New Orleans, Chandler had a 13.6% offensive rebound rate, a 26.8% defensive rebound rate, and a 20.1% overall rebound rate. In 12 games this year, he's had an 11.2% offensive, 19.5% defensive, and 15.3% overall rate. I trust the 152 game sample a lot more than the 12 game sample. Chandler is 26 years old. If he was 36, I might be worried. If you believe a 26 year old, 7'1" player can have this much regression in rebounding stats without a serious injury, think again. At his age, with his talent level, probability dictates that his rebounding will recover as he plays more games.
3. The Ankle: One of Chandler's favorite moves is the long tap out. It requires that he times his leap well, extends his body above everyone else on the floor, and basically wins a rebound that the other team had gotten position for. Obviously, it requires quite a bit of leaping ability. I highly doubt that Tyson's early ankle injury and his lack of tap outs this year are not related. As the weeks go by, as his ankle returns to 100%, the tap outs will return. 

In sum, I'm not worried about Tyson. At all. Neither should you be. The Cresecent City Connection has been just as prevalent this year as it was last year (as the counter on the right sidebar attests to). If anything, I feel like Byron Scott has toned it down a little to explore other scoring options in the season's early stages. Give Tyson a couple weeks; he's 26, he's as driven a player as there is in this league, and he will bounce back.

In other news, Chris Paul was named Western Conference Player of the Month. In case you were wondering, he currently has a PER of 30.9. That represents a ridiculous 2.6 improvement over last year (when he posted the best PER by a point guard in NBA history) and the best PER of any player in the Conference. CP3 is shooting a career best 39.3% from three, getting to the line a career best 6.3 times per 36 minutes, and has improved his NBA best steals rate and assist rate of last season. This is all despite a career low turnover rate that's bound to get better as we get into December. Oh, and he's rebounding about as well as renowned Jason Kidd's career rebound rates.

Finally, check this video of Peja talking about his Charitabowl (from WWLTV). He's so awesome.

We miss Jannero Pargo.

Never thought I'd say it. Never, ever in a million years. This is a guy that finished dead last in true shooting percentage, out of every single player in the NBA. Last. Think about that for a second. It's quite a feat in and of itself. By PER, he was in the bottom 10% of all players who got as many minutes as him. And he was asking for as many guaranteed years as James Posey. So why exactly do we miss a guy whose career FG% is under 40%, who attempted an outrageous 84% of his shots on jumpers, and who pretty much chucked up shots at will?

His passing.

//Pauses as reader spits out Coke all over computer screen

Yup, his passing.

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I'm just gonna go with bullets for this one. I know this was the second game on the road of a back to back. But the problem wasn't fatigue. It was discipline. Absolutely no discipline on the glass- no boxing out, and pointless fouls on plays where guys were already boxed out. No discipline on defense- the Blazers were driving to the rim at will. I don't mean any disrespect to the Blazers, but the Hornets just tossed this game away. That second half was pure garbage, and I'm sure every player in the locker room knows it.

"Right this way, sir. Would you prefer the scrumptious pass to an un-gaurded teammate for three, or our in-house favorite: the delicious one handed layup? Both can be served with a fine glass of "pointless touch foul."

• 5 turnovers from Chris Paul. His TO's have been high(er) this year, and I keep expecting it to even out. His ability to take such good care of the ball despite handling so many possessions is what made him special last year. He couldn't have lost it suddenly, right?

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Might as well make this the game thread. Squanto, Sacajawea, and Sitting Bull in Denver tonight. GEAUX HORNETS!!!

The Hornets hit national TV for the second time in less than a week. Except this time, instead of facing Earl Watson and Jeff Green, they'll have to contend with Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony. And half the fans in the building won't be cheering for them. To get a little more insight into the matchup, I talked with SBNation's Nuggets blog Pickaxe and Roll.

At the Hive: Is this team better or worse with the Chauncey for Iverson swap?

Pickaxe and Roll: Absolutely 100% better.  During the offseason I called for the Nuggets to get away from this fast paced offensive oriented basketball and switch to a more deliberate defense first style that works year after year.  This trade pushed them in that direction further and faster than I ever anticipated.

Allen Iverson is a great player, but he provides several problems for any team that employs him.  Offensively you never know what he is going to do.  You basically give him the ball and get out of the way. His style stifles motion and results in inefficient offense.

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Bill Simmons has one of his usual, hyperbole filled pieces up at ESPN. Among other things, he calls Melo "more efficient" this season despite a ten percent (yes, ten percent) drop in shooting this season and decides to make some broad generalizations about teams "wanting to score less" based on 10-15 games of evidence. So par for the course. On top of all that, he claims deep understanding of the psychologies of the New Orleans Hornets and Byron Scott. How came he to possess this knowledge? Oh, he attended the Clippers game. Duh.

A few of Simmons' claims: (1) Chris Paul and Byron Scott have a "C" relationship, as opposed to an "A" and (2) The Hornets don't like Byron Scott. I really don't feel like diving into an extended, point-by -point Simmons bashing session here. But I do want to highlight this section of his article, purely for amusement:

"I watched the Spurs beat the Clippers [2 weeks ago]... things can't splinter for them. That Pop-Duncan foundation is just too strong. You could see it during every timeout huddle, you could see it with how they interacted and supported each other, and you could see it with the way they carried themselves. When Roger Mason drained the game-winning 3-pointer, there was no chest-pounding or pointing to God, just a quiet fist pump and a leisurely walk back to the huddle. It's a professional team in every sense.

The Hornets gave me a different vibe. They seemed a little detached."

Wait... so Roger Mason performs perhaps the most exhilarating feat in basketball- hitting a game winning three with the clock winding down, barely celebrates at all, and you praise it as "professionalism." Then you turn right around and dismiss the Hornets'  "lack of celebration" as "detachment"?

Simmons, 10/28: "New Orleans [will be] in the 2009 NBA Finals."

Simmons, 11/26: "I am no longer sold on the 2009 Hornets."

Hey Bill, ever heard of this thing called a "small sample size"? No? Well, how about a "double standard"?

Didn't think so. (Ticktock6, I'm expecting you to break out the heavy artillery!)