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WESTWEGO, La. (AP) - New Orleans’ sobering first-round exit from
the NBA playoffs only ramped up the workload for Byron Scott.
The Hornets’ coach said this offseason has been his busiest
since he arrived in New Orleans five years ago, with more days
consumed by meetings with general manager Jeff Bower and more time
spent watching video of draft prospects.
“We dove into it big-time,” Scott said this week as he and
Bower prepared for Thursday night’s NBA draft. “We’ve talked and
had more meetings this summer than we have in the last
year-and-a-half or two. We both understand how important this is to
make sure we do get it right.”
The Hornets, who pick 21st, appear to be taking a conservative
approach. They’ve said they won’t gamble on a high-risk project
that could take several years yield major dividends. They’re not
looking for a starter, knowing the odds are against finding such a
player in the latter third of the first-round.
New Orleans’ starting five can be exceptional if they have some
luck avoiding injuries, as they did two seasons ago. What the
Hornets seek is help off the bench for their All-Star tandem of
point guard Chris Paul and power forward David West, who often
played more than 40 minutes a game to keep the Hornets in playoff
contention in the last months of the season and looked worn down by
the end of it.
“I look at the history of the 21st pick and most players
selected in that position are bench players, especially early in
their NBA careers,” Bower said. “We’re hopeful that we can add
... someone that can come in and compete for time and for minutes
to help us. That probably would be off the bench given the location
of the pick.”
The past three players picked at 21 have been as good or better
than what Bower has talked about drafting.
Last year’s 21st pick, forward Ryan Anderson, averaged 7.4
points and 4.7 in about 20 minutes a game for the New Jersey Nets.
In 2007, Philadelphia chose guard Daequan Cook, who averaged
nearly 9 points and three rebounds in about 24 minutes per game in
his rookie season.
The 21st pick in 2006 was Celtics guard Rajon Rondo, who played
a key role in Boston’s most recent NBA title in only his second
season.
The Hornets did not have any picks last year. They sold their
27th overall pick for about $3 million. Their second-round pick had
been traded away earlier, as was this year’s second-rounder.
With their lone pick this year, the Hornets want a heady and
fundamentally sound forward or guard who has the work ethic and
endurance to quickly adapt to the up-tempo transition game the
Hornets play.
Most of the 22 prospects attending the Hornets pre-draft
workouts in recent weeks fit that mold. The Hornets also have
scouted some prospects who declined invitations to New Orleans
because of conflicts or their agents feared it would be perceived
as an admission that the player might not be selected higher.
Scott said he did not expect the Hornets to pick a center
because, “If a 7-(foot)-1 guy is available at 21, believe me, he’s
a project. He’s not going to be a guy that can come in right away
and help us.”
At guard, the Hornets have taken careful looks at players like
Wayne Ellington of North Carolina, Gerald Henderson of Duke, Marcus
Thornton of LSU and Patrick Mills of St. Mary’s (Calif.). Thornton,
the SEC player of the year, and Mills, who played for Australia’s
2008 Olympic team, both worked out for the Hornets. Other guards
who worked out at New Orleans’ suburban training center included
UCLA’s Darren Collison, VCU’s Eric Maynor and Gonzaga’s Jeremy
Pargo, younger brother of former Hornet Jannero Pargo.
Scott gushed about Mills, saying he’d proved he could score
against the best in the Olympics - he scored 20 against Team USA -
and completed endurance tests faster than any prospect who worked
out for New Orleans.
“He’s in unbelievable condition,” Scott said. “He didn’t have
a fatigue factor. He just ran all day. ... He can flat out put it
up. He can score. He’s a hell of a player.”
At forward, the Hornets worked out Tyler Hansbrough of North
Carolina, Chase Budinger of Arizona, Sam Young of Pittsburgh, and
Taj Gibson of USC, among others. Pitt’s DeJuan Blair, who did not
visit, would be another prospect of interest if available.
The Hornets spoke highly of Hansbrough, with Scott saying the
UNC star did not get enough credit for his athleticism and shooting
ability. Still, Scott said he’d be surprised to see Hansbrough
available at 21.
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