Category: New Orleans Pelicans Blog

Carl Landry Pretty good at basketball

Things keep getting worse for the struggling New Orleans Hornets.

Hornets forward Carl Landry went down in the third quarter of last night’s game following a collision with Detroit’s Jason Maxiell and did not return. Landry suffered a 2nd degree MCL sprain in his left knee and will be out 3-4 weeks.

Hornets center Jason Smith suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter of last night’s game in Detroit and is day-to-day.

Hornets guard Jarrett Jack, who has missed the last two games with a sore left knee, is questionable for tomorrow’s game against Sacramento.

The Hornets have struggled in dramatic fashion this season. They’ve won just four of 24 games and have the second worst record in the entire league, ahead of the 3-21 Charlotte Bobcats.

Eric Gordon, the best player the Hornets acquired in the trade that sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers, has been hurt and only played in two games all season.

Gordon aside, the team’s leading scorer in 2011-12 has been guard Jarrett Jack, who averages 15.8 ppg. Everyone else on the team scores 11.5 ppg or less.

Chris Kaman Will now pretend everything is OK

The New Orleans Hornets have announced today that Chris Kaman will rejoin the team immediately. He will participate in individual workouts with team staff at the club’s practice site, the Alario Center, starting today and will practice with the team beginning on Sunday, February 5, when they return from their current road trip.

“For a number of reasons, including the team’s decision to give more time to younger players, we had thought it best for Chris to work out on his own at the Alario Center as we made efforts to trade him,” said Hornets General Manager Dell Demps.

“However, following discussions with Chris, we have since concluded that being with the team is better for both Chris and the team, particularly our younger players who benefit from his experience and skill level.”

“Chris has been working out daily over the past week at the Alario Center and is in game condition,” Demps added.

The 9th year pro, who holds career averages of 11.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, has appeared in 17 games for the Hornets this season (six starts), averaging 9.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while leading the team in scoring once and in rebounding four times with one double-double.

Kaman was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers on December 14th, 2011 along with Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Gordon and the more favorable of the Clippers’ and Minnesota Timberwolves’ 2012 first round picks in exchange for Chris Paul and two 2015 2nd round picks.

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have requested waivers on guard Trey Johnson. Johnson appeared in 11 regular season games this season, averaging 1.9 points and 1.1 rebounds per game in 5.5 minutes. The Jackson State University product has appeared in 23 career NBA games in three seasons of play with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers and Hornets. He has career averages of 2.6 points and 0.9 rebounds in 7.3 minutes of play.

The Hornets roster now stands at 14.

Gordon, 6 feet 3, 215 pounds, will become a restricted free agent July 1, and General Manager Dell Demps said they are going to make a strong push to re-sign him.

“I’m still very optimistic that we will make Eric a big part of our team for years to come, and hopefully, we’ll get something done this summer,” Demps said.

The Hornets can match any offer Gordon gets, and there already are reports surfacing that the Indiana Pacers are planning to make a push to sign Gordon, who is from Indianapolis

…

Gordon said last week that he was willing to sign a long-term extension with the Hornets. Sources said Gordon wanted a maximum-money, four- to five-year contract. But the Hornets and the NBA, who currently owns the franchise, weren’t willing to offer him a four-year, $62 million deal.

“We all worked hard on the extension, but sometimes business is business,” Gordon said in a statement. “Right now, my sole focus is on staying in great shape and making sure I get back to 100 percent health as quickly as possible, so I can return to playing and helping my teammates and Coach Monty win games. This is really what it is all about right now for me.’’

— Reported by John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have picked up the option for the 2012-13 season for guards Xavier Henry and Greivis Vasquez.

Henry (6-6, 220), is in his second NBA season after being selected 12th overall by the Grizzlies in the 2010 NBA Draft out of the University of Kansas. He has not appeared in a game this season for New Orleans due to a resolving ankle sprain. Last year, in 38 games (16 starts) for Memphis, Henry averaged 4.3 points and 1.0 rebound in 13.9 minutes of action. The 20-year-old from Oklahoma City played just one collegiate season at Kansas, becoming the first player in KU history to leave for the NBA after his freshman campaign, posting averages of 13.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in 36 games. Henry was named to the 2010 All Big 12 Rookie Team and was a 2010 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. Henry joins San Antonio Spurs’ point guard Tony Parker as the only current Belgium-born players in the NBA.

Vasquez (6-6, 211), is in his second NBA season after being drafted 28th overall by the Grizzlies in the 2010 NBA Draft out of the University of Maryland. In 17 games with the Hornets this season, he is averaging 5.6 points and 3.1 assists in 18.6 minutes of play. Last season he averaged 3.6 points and 2.2 assists in 12.3 minutes of action over 70 games (one start) for Memphis. He is the first Venezuelan-born player ever selected in the NBA Draft and only the third Venezuelan to play in the NBA, joining Carl Herrera (1991-99) and Oscar Torres (2001-03). Vasquez was named the ACC Player of the Year and won the Bob Cousy Award as the best point guard in the nation in 2009-10 while at Maryland. He is the only player in ACC history to record at least 2,000 points (2,171), 750 assists (772) and 600 rebounds (647) in a career.

New Orleans Hornets guard Eric Gordon said he is waiting to learn whether NBA commissioner David Stern will grant him a contract extension before Wednesday’s deadline.

Gordon’s agent, Rob Pelinka, has engaged in recent contract talks with the Hornets’ front office, but hasn’t received an official offer. Gordon told Yahoo! Sports on Monday night he was informed by Hornets general manager Dell Demps that Stern must decide whether to extend an offer. The NBA owns the Hornets. Gordon wants to re-sign with New Orleans, but is uncertain if or when Stern will reach out to him or Pelinka.

“In terms of my contract extension, Dell Demps indicated that it’s out of his control and NBA commissioner David Stern has the last determination on the contract extension,” said Gordon, who will be a restricted free agent this summer if he doesn’t sign an extension.

— Reported by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports