25-year old small forward Trevor Ariza is a good defensive  player but he just can’t shoot to save his life.  Ariza is shooting 39% from the floor, 29.8% from three point range and 69% from the free throw line so far this season.  He is going to need to improve his shot if he wants Chris Paul to pass to him more often.  Ariza has played in 19 games (all starts) for the Hornets so far this year and he is averaging 33.7 minutes, 11.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Morris Peterson has had a poor year for the Hornets this season. Peterson has played in 42 games (35 starts) for the Hornets this season and he is averaging 21.0 minutes, 6.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He has the reputation of being a good shooter but he isn’t showing that this year as he is hitting 37.6% from the floor, 34.4% from three point range and 61.5% from the free throw line.

The Hornets have lost starting small forward Peja Stojakovic for the next 2-4 weeks due to a abdominal strain. Stojakovic has played in 62 games (55 starts) this season for the Hornets and he is averaging 31.4 minutes, 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. The Hornets will likely get Julian Wright out of mothballs and put him into the starting lineup. Wright has played in 53 games (8 starts) for the Hornets this season and he is averaging 11.4 minutes, 3.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. The Hornets will also likely use rookie Marcus Thornton some at shooting guard the rest of the year to help cushion the loss of Stojakovic.

With all of the injuries and trades recently the Hornets are short on depth. I wonder if that is enough for the Hornets to take him out of the Dog House? Wright has played in 36 games (7 starts) for the Hornets this season and he is averaging 11.5 minutes, 3.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Wright is shooting 46% from the floor and he is a former first round pick so maybe he will get back into the rotation for the Hornets soon. It would probably be a smart move for them with the current make-up of the roster.

With Chris Paul out for the next 4-8 weeks it’s up to rookie Darren Collison to run the offense. He has played in 41 games (9 starts) for the Hornets this season and he is averaging 17.4 minutes, 6.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. The problem with Collison is that he is not as good as Paul at anything making this a tough job for him. He is shooting 41.4% from the floor and 29.4% from three point range so the Hornets will probably have him passing a lot more than he is used to. Collison’s play will determine if the Hornets still have a shot for the playoffs when Chris Paul returns.

The Hornets need more out of small forward Peja Stojakovic. He has played in 33 games (26 starts) for the Hornets this season and he is averaging 29.1 minutes, 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Stojakovic has only shot 39.1% from the floor this season and it’s a big deal as he is a offensive basketball player. If his shot goes for good he will hurt the team.

Veteran SG/SF James Posey’s outside shot is off so far this season and it has been one of his main assets in his career to this point. He is only shooting 35.8% from the floor and 35.2% from three point range and that is just not good enough. Posey has now played in 31 games (2 starts) for the Hornets this season and he is averaging 22.4 minutes, 5.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Posey needs to start playing better or the Hornets are going to start cutting his minutes.

Devin Brown has played in 24 games (22 starts) for the Hornets this season and he is averaging 23.4 minutes, 10.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Brown is only shooting 39.8% from the floor but 41.1% from three point range. Still, the Hornets need more out of Brown if he is to continue to start. I would think that if he doesn’t step up soon the Hornets could turn to Darren Collison or Marcus Thornton as shooting guard.

Julian Wright began this season as the starting small forward but he has been bumped to the bench by Peja Stojakovic. Wright has played in 16 games (7 starts) for the Hornets this season and he is averaging 13.7 minutes, 3.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. The Hornets have nailed his behind to the bench as some players have passed him up in the playing rotation. Wright still has a nice upside so I hope they don’t let him waste on the bench.

The Hornets rolled to a 90-62 lead after three quarters before cruising in the 4th quarter to a easy win last night. The Hornets shot a scorching 60.3% from the floor in this game! David West led the way for the Hornets with 28 points and 7 rebounds. Peja Stojakovic had a decent game with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Chris Paul did a good job of directing the offense with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 13 assists. The Hornets improved to 27-12 on the season with this win.

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