Hornets to wear ABA New Orleans Buccaneers unis

[Copperhead]

for Hardwood Classic Night. As long as they win I don't mind what they wear.

http://www.nba.com/hornets/HWC_night.html

Former Buc sees in Paul young Brown
Robbins says the two similar in open court

For one face in the crowd at tonight's Hornets game against the Charlotte Bobcats at the New Orleans Arena, point guard Chris Paul is going to bring back memories of 40 years ago when the little man wearing No. 11 in the red, white and blue uniform of the New Orleans Buccaneers was passing the ball into the post.

The Hornets are wearing throwback Bucs uniforms tonight, honoring the memory of the Crescent City's first professional basketball team, which came within a game of capturing the first ABA title, led by the diminutive individual -- Larry Brown -- now wearing designer suits while leading the Bobcats.

Red Robbins was a 6-foot-8 center on that Buccaneers' team that was orchestrated on the floor by Brown, who led the league in assists during the inaugural 1967-68 season, one in which the Brown-led Bucs lost in seven games to the Connie Hawkins-led Pittsburgh Pipers.

Tonight, there'll be another little guard -- wearing No. 3 -- handing out assists in throwback duds who's leading the NBA in that category.

And it'll bring Robbins, for one, back to those days when the Bucs played at Loyola Field House.

"Larry was the best I ever saw until I saw Chris Paul bring the ball down the floor," Robbins said. "It was almost like the ball was on a string, and I know that everybody will say Magic Johnson and all of that. But as far as getting the ball down the floor fast, and seeing the open court, Larry was the best I ever saw -- until Chris Paul came around."

Robbins, and a handful of other former Buccaneers players will be in attendance at tonight's game as their former floor general, whose ABA career helped pave the way for undersized backcourt players, coaches his ninth NBA team.

http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/?/ba...250.xml&coll=1