Category: New Orleans Pelicans Blog

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that forward Ike Diogu will undergo season-ending micro-fracture surgery to repair his injured left knee. The procedure will take place Tuesday in New York City by Dr. David Altcheck.

“Obviously I am very disappointed to be having this surgery instead of being able to be out there on the court with my teammates,” said Diogu.  “I am committed to being back 100 percent and am going to do whatever it takes to be back playing basketball.”

Diogu (6-9, 250) holds career averages of 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 187 career games with four teams (Golden State, Indiana, Portland and Sacramento). He did not appear in a game this season for the Hornets.

During the 2008-09 season, he averaged 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, playing 19 games for Portland and Sacramento. He hit on 52.7 percent (39-of-74) from the field last season. He ended the year on a high note, recording a career-high 32 points, and 11 rebounds 4/13 at Denver prior to a season-finale performance of 28 points and a career-high-tying 13 rebounds at Minnesota on 4/15.

Dakota Wizards (D-League) guard Maurice Baker has been suspended one game for striking Idaho Stampede forward Cedric Simmons in the shoulder/face, it was announced today by Chris Alpert, Vice President of Basketball Operations and Player Personnel for the NBA Development League.

The incident occurred at the 11:00 minute mark of the fourth quarter on Saturday, Dec. 5, in Boise, Idaho.

Baker will serve his suspension tonight when the Wizards play the Utah Flash in Orem, Utah.

John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports:

Injured Hornets point guard Chris Paul did not travel with the team for tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Paul severely sprained his left ankle during the third quarter in Friday’s 86-78 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at New Orleans Arena and could be sidelined for up to two weeks, though the Hornets have not given an update on his status.

NOVEMBER 16 UPDATE

An MRI performed on Hornets guard Chris Paul confirmed a left ankle sprain. He is out indefinitely. Paul will be re-evaluated on a regular basis and his status will be updated as necessary.

Paul suffered the injury with 40 seconds left in the third quarter of Friday’s game against Portland when he came down on Joel Przybilla’s ankle.

In 10 games this season, Paul is averaging 23.8 points (10th in the NBA) on 59 percent shooting (6th in the NBA), 9.2 assists (3rd in the NBA) and 1.7 steals (15th in the NBA) in 34 minutes of play. In addition, he leads the NBA in three point percentage (.655).

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have relieved Byron Scott of head coaching duties. Scott will be replaced by General Manager Jeff Bower.

“I want to thank Byron for the hard work he has put in during his time with the Hornets,” said Hornets Owner George Shinn. “I’ve hired Jeff Bower to take over the coaching reign. He knows this team better than anyone, has the respect of the players and in basketball circles, is regarded as one of the best basketball minds in the business. This is our best opportunity to reach our goals this season.”

Bower, who has spent his 14-plus seasons with the club, has been an invaluable asset for the Hornets at all levels in basketball operations.  He began his tenure with the Hornets as an advance scout from 1995 to 1997 before earning a promotion as the team’s director of scouting.  In addition to his scouting duties during the 1998-99 season, Bower joined the coaching ranks as an assistant after Paul Silas was named interim head coach on March 7, 1999 (and helped him lead the Hornets to a 22-13 record).  After serving as the assistant general manager for the 2000-01 season, Bower was promoted to general manager in June of 2001 and has since held that position.  He returned to the bench as an assistant coach under Floyd in 2003-04. Bower’s years of experience working at all levels in the Hornets’ basketball operations department culminated with his appointment to the current post of general manager just prior to the start of the team’s 2005-06 training camp.

“Accountability was our theme this past summer,” said Hornets Vice President of Basketball Chad Shinn. “We talked about the fact that everyone on our staff is held to a certain standard of performance and we didn’t feel this was happening at the head coach level. We feel like we still have an opportunity with our nucleus to get to where we want and Jeff is the right guy, right now to move us in that direction from the bench.”

“As we look at our long-term coaching plans, it’s not about who the head coach is, it’s about the role of the head coach to get the team to perform to their capabilities and reaching our potential this season,” said Bower.

Prior to joining the Hornets, Bower enjoyed an impressive career at the collegiate level.  He spent three years as an assistant coach at Penn State University from 1983-86 before moving to Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.  After first serving as an assistant coach from 1986 through 1990, he was promoted to associate head coach, a position he held for five years.  Bower helped lead the Red Foxes to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1987 after winning the Northeast Conference.

In a related move, Tim Floyd has been hired as the top assistant coach.

Floyd served as head coach of the Hornets for the 2003-04 season, leading the team to a 41-41 record. Most recently, Floyd served as the head coach at USC from 2005-2009, leading the Trojans to a 85-49 mark and three NCAA appearances during his tenure. In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Floyd led USC to a Sweet 16 appearance. The team’s 25-12 record that season set a record for most wins in school history. The Trojans advanced to the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual runner-up Michigan State. Floyd also coached for the Chicago Bulls, Iowa State, the University of Idaho and Texas-El Paso. Floyd is a native of Hattiesburg, Miss., and a 1977 graduate of Louisiana Tech.

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Hornets Owner George Shinn announced today that he has recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer but remains healthy, optimistic and committed to maintain his regular schedule that includes serving the New Orleans community and leading the organization to championship performance on and off the court.

“My wife, Denise, and I remain strong in our faith and will maintain a positive attitude as I battle this with intense fervor and drive. This is not the first obstacle that I have had to overcome in life, but it will be another one that will be conquered. Those closest to me understand my commitment to God and belief in the power of prayer, so all that I ask is for people to add me to their prayers. I’m proud of the fact that I will be joining the ranks of cancer survivors around the world who exemplify the greatest strength and resilience. I am consulting with the finest doctors and they are also optimistic that this will be another example of overcoming the struggles that life can throw your way. Thanks to the medical staff at Ochsner where I am convinced many of the finest doctors in the country are employed.”

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have picked up the option for the 2010-11 season for forward Julian Wright.

Wright (6-8, 225) is in his third season with the Hornets after being drafted in the first round (13th overall pick) of the 2007 NBA Draft. The University of Kansas product averaged 4.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 14.3 minutes last season in 58 games (19 starts). Wright started all seven preseason games this season and averaged 7.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 24.9 minutes.

Star point guard Chris Paul is the heart and soul of the New Orleans Hornets. While reducing his minutes during the season to keep him fresh for the playoffs and healthy long-term has been a regular goal, it’s been hard to do.

But maybe this is the season CP3 gets preserved a bit.

John DeShazier of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports:

“I think so,” Byron Scott said Monday at the New Orleans Arena hours before the team trekked to Lafayette to hold the first week of training camp, beginning today. “I’m really comfortable and more confident this year that I’ll be able to do it with Bobby (Brown) and Darren (Collison). They’re going to be fighting it out for the backup role.

“Both of those guys have had their moments in the scrimmages the last couple of weeks. So I feel really good that I’m going to be able to cut (Paul’s) minutes down to what I think he should be playing, which is about 34 to 35 minutes, not 39 minutes.”

Seeing Paul a bit less on the floor may not please his biggest fans live as the game happens, but perhaps they’ll get to enjoy his career a few extra seasons down the road as a result.