Nate Robinson gets the short squad locker treatment
Must Be This Tall To Ride
The staff of the New Orleans Hornets really were considerate to Nate Robinson and his “small stature”. Check out the modifications they made to the visiting Chicago Bulls locker room on Tuesday.
New Orleans Pelicans unveil new logo
Pelican Brief
The New Orleans Hornets have unveiled the logo and color scheme for their next incarnation as the New Orleans Pelicans, and rather than go for an obvious purple-gold-green Mardi Gras theme they’ve opted for an Atlanta Hawks-ish red and blue, with gold accents of a few years ago.
New Orleans Hornets reportedly will become Pelicans
Shoeless Joe Jackson Once Played For The Pelicans
The New Orleans Hornets are expected to change their nickname to the Pelicans as early as the 2013-14 season. Louisiana is nicknamed the Pelican State. The brown pelican is the state bird and appears on the state flag and seal, and official state painting.
Tom Benson, who bought the team last year, said he wanted to change the name of franchise to something that’s more identifiable with the city than Hornets and suggested that Jazz, which moved with the team that relocated from New Orleans to Utah in 1979, was his first preference.
“We need to find a name like (Jazz),” Benson said after the purchase was finalized in April. “Whether we can get that or (they) let us use that, you’ve got to know we’re working on it. We’d like to change it tomorrow. We have not gotten that approved, but we’re not letting up on it, either. Because we’ve got a good relationship with the commissioner and his people and we’re going to be on them daily to do something.”
If the Hornets become the Pelicans, the next domino could be Charlotte reclaiming the Hornets nickname. The franchise started out there in 1988 and moved to New Orleans in 2002. The Bobcats, an expansion team that began play in 2004, were so named for former owner Robert Johnson, but the Hornets name is favored in the area—throwback Hornets gear is a common sight.
Jarrett Jack Thinks Ray Allen Is A Traitor For Miami Heat Signing
Benedict Arnold Sounds Kinda Strong
Late Friday night it was announced that Ray Allen had decided to not re-sign with the Boston Celtics and sign with the Miami Heat. Most people understand Allen’s thought process on the decision. He obviously believes that he has the best chance to win another championship with the Heat. Add in the fact that his relationship with Rajon Rondo is apparently not the best and it’s easy to see why Allen chose the Heat.
But all of that is enough for the New Orleans Hornets Jarret Jack thinks that Allen is traitor for spurning the Celtics for the Heat and he took to his Twitter page to ask his followers their opinion on the matter.
“Am I wrong for thinking ray allen is a traitor for signing with his rival team the heat? Tell me what u think!!!!!!”
Anthony Davis Doesn’t Own Fear The Brow Trademark
Somebody Is Going To Make Cash Off These
Newly drafted New Orleans Hornets big man Anthony Davis made national headlines last week when he revealed he had trademark several key phrases concentrating on his now famous unibrow. However it has also been discovered he only applied to have those phrases trademark.
That’s where a savvy businessman named Reid Coffman comes in as he actually trademarked “Fear the Brow” last November to use the phrase on merchandise in his Kentucky apparel store Blue Zone. As you might expect, he is not willing to give it up at a discounted price.
“If someone like Nike took this slogan over it could be worth millions,” Coffman said without naming his price.
Charlotte Bobcats Unveil New Uniforms
No Longer Bob Johnson's Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats are shaking up their look, but not the way some fans hoped. The NBA team is coming out with a new color scheme and new uniforms in time for next season. They’re switching to a darker navy blue, adding Carolina blue as an accent, and further de-emphasizing the orange color that dominated their uniforms their first two seasons.
They’re also shortening their nickname on the white home jerseys from “Bobcats” to “Cats.” The blue road jerseys will continue to say, “Charlotte.”
That’s just one change for the team, which Wednesday will introduce a new coach, Mike Dunlap, who will take over a young roster certain to evolve after a 7-59 season, starting with the No. 2 pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
The uniform changes, however, fall short of what a Facebook campaign in the Piedmont called “Bring Back the Buzz,” was lobbying the Bobcats to return the “Hornets” nickname that moved to New Orleans with Charlotte’s first NBA franchise.
For trademark reasons the Bobcats can’t directly address the “Hornets” nickname, at least until that team’s new owner, Tom Benson, follows through on plans to discard it for something more Louisiana-centric.
Thirty-five percent of those polled by the Bobcats said they’d like Carolina blue in the color mix as well as helping out vendors who have permission to reproduce mock jerseys, T-shirts, hats, who found it difficult to replicate the shade of blue on Bobcats uniforms. The team couldn’t get consistency from their vendors and were advised by clothing manufacturers the solution was switching to a more standard color, like navy blue.
Charlotte Bobcats Draft Party Reacts To Losing Number One Pick
The Charlotte Bobcats decided they should throw a draft party for its fans yesterday as they had a 25 percent chance of landing the number one spot for prized selection Anthony Davis out of Kentucky. That didn’t go as planned and the recently league owned New Orleans Hornets walked away with the prize selection.
Can you really call it a NBA Draft party if only 31 people show up?
Anthony Davis Spotted Wearing Hornets Cap Before NBA Lottery
Area 51
Presumed number overall NBA Draft pick Anthony Davis was spotted wearing an old school Charlotte Hornets cap before the NBA could hold it’s lottery. The Hornets up to a few weeks ago was owned by the league and after last night they found themselves proud owners of the number pick.
The NBA lottery slotting systems has brought out the conspiracy theorist in the past and Davis falling into the Hornets hands will only bring out a few more. This photo circulating the internet of Davis in a Hornets cap will definitely keep the theories coming.
Mickey Loomis To Help Run New Orleans Hornets
Bounty On Spurs Next?
Suspended New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis will have a prominent role in the front office of the city’s NBA team.
Loomis, suspended eight games by the NFL for his role in the Saints bounty scandal, will oversee basketball operations with the New Orleans Hornets general manager reporting to him.
Tom Benson agreed to purchase the Hornets last month for a reported $338 million.
In addition to the NFL suspension, Loomis is under investigation for possible wiretapping violations. Louisiana state law enforcement officials announced last month they are working with the FBI probing allegations that Loomis eavesdropped on opponents through listening devices at the Superdome.
Loomis, 55, will continue to run Saints football operations until the end of training camp. His NFL suspension begins with the regular season’s first week.
Jerry Colangelo Says Team USA Reconsidering Olympic Approach
USA! USA! USA!
Derrick Rose’s torn ACL has caused USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo to rethink his stance of not expanding the list of candidates for the U.S. squad that will compete at the London Olympics.
Colangelo said last week that despite injuries to Dwight Howard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Chauncey Billups as well as Lamar Odom being eliminated from consideration the 12-man Team USA roster would be selected from the 16 candidates remaining from the original list of 20. Rose’s season-ending injury brings the number of finalists down to 15.
“What I said (previously) was that we didn’t plan to do any additions, but we had to continue to monitor the injury situation,” Colangelo. “Obviously (Rose) is a big loss. (Point guard) seems to be, at this point, still a pretty strong position. But at this stage, quite honestly, I think all bets are off.”
Three point guards remain on the current list: Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook. The team is also thin at center—Tyson Chandler is the only true ‘five’ left among the candidates.
Colangelo said that the original plan to announce the final roster on June 1 has been changed. June 18 is the deadline for teams to set rosters with the Olympic Committee, and Colangelo said USA Basketball will wait as late as possible before making its decisions.
“I think now we’re going to wait until the very last moment to pick the team, because it seems ridiculous with a lot of playoff games to play that we would select a team,” Colangelo said. “We might as well keep the options open as long as we can, and continue to monitor the situation.”
Colengelo will meet with Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff Monday and Tuesday in Las Vegas.
The current Team USA finalists are Carmelo Anthony New York Knicks, Chris Bosh Miami Heat, Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers, Chandler New York Knicks, Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder, Rudy Gay Memphis Grizzlies, Eric Gordon New Orleans Hornets, Blake Griffin Los Angeles Clippers, Andre Iguodala Philadelphia 76ers, LeBron James Miami Heat, Kevin Love Minnesota Timberwolves, Paul Los Angeles Clippers, Dwyane Wade Miami Heat, Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder and Williams New Jersey Nets.
Tom Benson Wants Jazz Name Back For Team
It Doesn't Belong To You
Tom Benson, who has agreed to purchase the New Orleans Hornets for a reported $338 million, wants to change the name of the team to something more identifiable with the city of New Orleans.
The name “Hornets” moved with the team when previous owner George Shinn relocated it from Charlotte to New Orleans, and when the Jazz moved from New Orleans to Utah in 1979, the name went with the team then too.
“We need to find a name like (Jazz),” Benson told the Times-Picayune. “Whether we can get that or (they) let us use that, you’ve got to know we’re working on it. We’d like to change it tomorrow. We have not gotten that approved, but we’re not letting up on it, either. Because we’ve got a good relationship with the commissioner and his people and we’re going to be on them daily to do something.”
The Salt Lake Tribune noted that in the Hornets first season in New Orleans, one of the team’s owners said he wanted to bring the Jazz nickname back.
“I’m willing to sit down and talk about it,” late Jazz owner Larry Miller said at the time.
The Jazz are now run by Miller’s son, Greg Miller.
New Orleans Hornets Coach Apologizes To Blake Griffin For Foul
Flyin
New Orleans Hornets coach Monty Williams said he sent Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin an apologetic text after Jason Smith leveled him to the ground in last week’s game between the two teams.
Williams, in his second season as the Hornets’ coach, texted Griffin on Friday, waiting until the day after Smith hit him to earn a two-game suspension for the buzz to die down, he said. Smith sat out Monday’s game which the Clippers won 97-85.
“I’ll say this, because I’m here in this city: What Jason did was wrong,” Williams said. “I told him that it was and that he went about it the wrong way, and that’s why I reached out to Blake to let him know that it wasn’t something we do on a regular basis.”
Williams said hits such as Smith’s don’t occur as often in today’s NBA as they did when he got into the league in the early 1990s. That’s why he was surprised at the play. But, speaking candidly, he said Griffin’s offensive presence was part of what sparked Smith to foul him in such a manner.
Griffin had dunked on Smith several times in the game before the flagrant foul in the fourth quarter.
“He’s no fool — he knows he’s making people look crazy and guys don’t like that,” Williams said of Griffin. “He’s gotta expect some of that. It’s just gonna happen. If you jump 5 feet over somebody and dunk it and you got people coming up to you and hugging you after you do it, the opponent’s not gonna say, ‘Oh, man, can you do that again?’
“He’s a phenomenon, and a lot of guys don’t like that.”
Williams added that Griffin was “really cool” about the situation in exchanging texts with him Friday.
Samuel L. Jackson Does Hornets-Clippers Intro
Samuel L. Jackson brough his iconic voice to the NBA on Thursday night, introducing the starting lineups for the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Hornets before a regular-season game in the Big Easy.
Blake Griffin Gets Rocked By Jason Smith
The New Orleans Hornets’ Jason Smith received an automatic ejection after taking out the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin on Thursday night. He also received a standing ovation from the Hornets’ fans as he exited the court. The Hornets won 97-90.
Samuel L. Jackson To Do New Orleans Hornets Intros
Say WHAT Again, I Dare You
On Thursday night the New Orleans Hornets are scheduled to be introduced by Samuel L. Jackson when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers in Chris Paul’s return to the Big Easy. Earlier this season, actor Will Ferrell introduced the team and you can watch HERE.
Jackson is in town to film “Django Unchained” which is directed by Quentin Tarentino.
Can we suggest some sort of intro like the one he gave in Pulp Fiction:
“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee.”
Chris Kaman Poses With Dead Bobcat Before Game Versus Charlotte
Not Very Subtle
New Orleans Hornet Chris Kaman is trying to creative some kind of rivalry in his short time in there Big Easy with NBA worst Charlotte Bobcats. Kaman took the nonexistent rivalry to new heights when he posted a picture of him and a dead bocat on his Twitter page with the message.
“Guess who we r playing tonight?!
New York Knicks Knicks Announcer Disciplined For Questionable Jeremy Lin Phrase
Ball So Hard
Spero Dedes, the New York Knicks radio announcer, has been disciplined by Madison Square Garden for using the phrase “chink in the armor” in reference to Jeremy Lin. Dedes used the expression after the Knicks lost to the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night. MSG did not say what the discipline entails.
“No one at ESPN-1050 (the Knicks radio home) has been told Spero will be missing any games,” a source told the New York Daily News. “If he does, it will be surprising.”
“We took appropriate disciplinary action dealing with this matter, but will keep the details internal to the organization,” MSG said in its statement.
Dedes is at least the third media person to use the phrase while covering Lin, but his punishment is apparently not nearly as severe as his two predecessors.
ESPN editor Anthony Federico was fired for using the headline, “Chink in the Armor,” after Friday’s night’s Hornets-Knicks game, and ESPNews anchor Max Bretos was suspended for a month for saying the phrase while interviewing Knicks TV analyst Walt Frazier about Lin last week. Both Federico and Bretos have since apologized.
Dedes did as well, saying in MSG’s statement, “I am deeply sorry that my unfortunate choice of words offended anyone, it was completely inadvertent. I have apologized to Jeremy (Lin) and I apologize to the Asian community if others were offended. I will be much more sensitive to my choice of words moving forward.”
Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown: ESPN
ESPN
Every Thursday Sports Grind Entertainment will present you with the Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown. The recipient of this honor goes to ESPN for sending out a racist headline over the weekend in describing Jeremy Lin committing nine turnovers during the New York Knicks loss to the New Orleans Hornets. ESPN promoted an article about the game on mobile platforms with a photo of Lin and the headline “Chink In The Armor.” Within hours of publishing the racially offensive headline, ESPN issued a formal apology and announced the firing of the editor responsible for the headline, Anthony Federico. ESPN later suspended the news anchor who said the headline on air for 30 days.
Kobe Bryant Rips Team In Post Game Tirade
Help Me
Kobe Bryant lashed out at Los Angeles Lakers management Sunday night for leaving teammate Pau Gasol wondering whether he’s about to be traded. In a postgame monologue punctuated by a couple of profanities, Bryant said the Lakers either need to trade Gasol or come out and say it won’t happen.
Bryant’s comments came in the aftermath of a 102-90 loss at Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. He said he doesn’t want Gasol to be traded but it’s unfair for his teammate to try to play when he doesn’t know if he’ll be somewhere else the following day.
As Bryant put it: “If they’re going to do something, I wish they would just … do it.”
“Listen, he’s been the consummate professional,” Bryant said. “He’s going out and he’s trying to do what he can. But let’s be real. If you didn’t know you were going to be here tomorrow, if your head’s on the chopping block and you feel like you’re just waiting, it’s tough to put all yourself in the game.”
Trade rumors about Gasol have circulated since the team thought it had shipped him to New Orleans Hornets in a three-team deal before the season that would have brought Chris Paul to the Lakers. But NBA Commissioner David Stern blocked the trade.
“It’s hard for Pau because of all this trade talk and stuff,” Bryant said, bringing up the subject even though no one asked him about it. “It’s hard for him to kind of invest himself completely or immerse himself completely into games when he’s hearing trade talk every other day. I wish management would either come out and either trade him or not trade him.”
“It obviously starts with myself and Pau and the emergency of Andrew Bynum,” Bryant said, “but you can’t have one of our pillars not knowing if he’s going to be here or not. Do something. One way or another, do something. If they trade him at least you have some type of closure, he gets some type of closure. I talked to him a little bit about it,” Bryant said. “It’s just tough for a player to give his all when you don’t know if you’re going to be here tomorrow. So I’d rather them not trade him at all. If they were going to do something, I wish they would just … do it. If they’re not going to do it, come out and say you’re not going to do it. This way he can be comfortable, he can go out and perform and he can play and he can invest all of himself in the game.”
ESPN Fires Employee For Racist Lin Headline
What About You MSG Network
The cable television sports network ESPN says it fired an employee responsible for an offensive headline referring to New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin.
The headline “Chink in the Armor” was used Friday on ESPN’s mobile website after Lin had nine turnovers in New York’s loss to New Orleans Hornets.
In a statement Sunday, ESPN apologizes for that headline and also says it is also aware of two other “offensive and inappropriate” comments on ESPN outlets.
An ESPNEWS anchor who used the phrase has been suspended for 30 days. And ESPN says a similar reference was made Friday on ESPN Radio New York, but the commentator is not an ESPN employee.
Lin is the NBA’s first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent. He has captivated fans by leading the Knicks to seven straight wins before Friday’s loss.
Will Ferrell Does Bulls-Hornets Player Introductions
Will Ferrell took his talents to New Orleans to do the player introductions for the Chicago Bulls-New Orleans Hornets game. The introductions are for an upcoming movie he’s in with Zach Galifianakis, entitled Dog Fight, where they play political rivals who are seeking the same congressional seat.
His introductions for Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah were classic.
Emeka Okafor Forever Linked To Vince Carter
New orleans Hornets Emeka Okafor had to be thinking days of Vince Carter making highlights was over.
Eric Gordon & Chris Kaman Are Happy To Be Ex-Clippers
Rolando McClain Is Not Impressed With Your Photo Opp
When the Los Angeles Clippers traded for Chris Paul, many believed it signaled the end of dumping on the Clippers. Turns out not quite yet as former Clippers guard Eric Gordon called team execs liars and center Chris Kaman called them unprofessional.
“All you do is take the man’s word and take that he said that no one is going to go anywhere,” Gordon told Yahoo! Sports. “… To completely lie like that is something unprofessional.”
General manager Neil Olshey said the NBA (who owns the Hornets) moved so fast that there was not enough time to inform the players before it was blasted out on social media.
Countered Gordon who was at an event with Kaman and Clippers season ticket holders when the trade was made: “They literally told me as an organization that they wanted to keep me, and (it still) went down?”
Kaman said his real estate agent’s son told him of the trade. He said the Hornets are “very professional…I’m not used to that.”
Kaman, who got a $1.8 million trade kicker bonus, questioned his old team’s integrity.
“The Clippers didn’t tell me anything. They didn’t tell me I was traded or nothing after eight years. They didn’t have the guts to come tell me they traded me.”
Peja Stojakovic Retires
Ratatouille
Dallas Mavericks small forward Peja Stojakovic is calling it a career, officially announcing his retirement on Monday after winning his first NBA championship.
“I feel so blessed to have been given the athletic gifts to play professional basketball,” Stojakovic said in a statement. “I have always loved the game, and have great respect for it, and I know the time is right to step away. I promised myself a long time ago, if it came to the point where my heart and body were not 100 percent committed, I would step away. I have reached that point and I know the time is right to retire.”
Stojakovic, 34, signed with the Mavericks last season after he was traded from New Orleans Hornets to Toronto and subsequently waived by the Raptors. He played 25 games for Dallas, averaging 8.6 points, then played in 19 of the Maverick’ 21 playoff games.
He will, along with former teammates Dirk Nowitzki and Vlade Divac, long be remembered as a trailblazer when it comes to how international players are viewed in the NBA. Sacramento was criticized when it chose Stojakovic with the 14th pick in the 1996 draft, though the Kings were aware they would have to wait for Stojakovic to leave his European team, PAOK in Greece, for the NBA.
He earned three All-Star spots, and finished his NBA career having shot 40.1 percent on 3-pointers and ranks fourth on the all-time list of 3-pointers made, at 1,760. Stojakovic was also a key part of Yugoslavia’s success on the international scene. He helped lead his national team to the 2001 Eurobasket title, and the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis.
