http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basketball/heat/ sfl-mikeb20apr20,0,7948600.column?coll=sfla-sports-heat Baseball columnist ------------------------------------------------ Mike Berardino BERARDINO: Floyd is in Hornets' nest Published April 20, 2004 MIAMI -- There might be only one subject the New Orleans Hornets prefer to discuss less than their malingering teammate, Jamal Mashburn. That would be their embattled coach, Tim Floyd. The mere mention of Floyd's name in the Hornets locker room causes expressions to change, tensions to rise and answers to break off in mid-sentence. You'd have better luck starting an on-the-record discussion of NBA groupies than getting votes of confidence for Floyd. Sunday's 81-79 loss to the Heat in the opener of the best-of-7 first-round series only made things worse. "You think the game on the line has anything to do with speculation about coaches?" Hornets guard David Wesley snapped. "Hey, man, if you want to talk to me about the game, talk to me about the game. But don't come at me with that bull----." Wesley, like several others in the losing locker room, was still smarting from Dwyane Wade's game-winning shot in the lane. It wasn't just the loss, though. It was the way the Hornets lost. Having rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final quarter to tie the game, they botched a potential go-ahead possession but still could have forced overtime with one last stop in the final 11 seconds. They even had a foul to give, which should have enabled them to interrupt the Heat's offensive flow and force a near-desperation try at the buzzer. The smart play would have been to lift point guard Baron Davis, who had five fouls, and replace him with Darrell Armstrong or Shammond Williams. Either one could have then performed the requisite reach-in on Wade as the clock ran down. Instead, inexplicably, Floyd left Davis in the game. Already hampered by a bum ankle that admittedly restricted his lateral movement, Davis tried to stop Wade straight-up but failed. You might term this a rookie coaching mistake but for one thing: Floyd already had three seasons under his belt before landing the Hornets job. Maybe you remember his 49-190 nightmare in Chicago, where it was his particular privilege to guide the UnwatchaBulls into the post-Michael Jordan era. In fairness, no one could have expected Floyd to do much better with those Jerry Krause-created abominations. Nor is there any disputing he stepped into a snakepit when he got back into coaching after sitting out two seasons. In the Hornets, he inherited a talented, seasoned, enigmatic group that was coming off a 47-win campaign under former coach Paul Silas. In Silas, he was following a respected leader who had the full belief of his players, at least as much as any coach does in today's NBA. Maybe things would have been different if the Hornets had hired Heat broadcaster Mike Fratello instead, but they opted to go with Floyd as a compromise choice between dysfunctional co-owners George Shinn and Ray Wooldridge. Part of the flawed reasoning was Floyd's supposed hometown appeal, dating to his University of New Orleans teams of the early '90s. They're still waiting for the overflow crowds at New Orleans Arena, where the Hornets finished 28th out of 29 teams in home attendance. Local columnists and talk-radio hounds have been calling for Floyd's job. "Win, baby, win," Floyd said after Monday's practice, brushing off the speculation. "That's what it's all about. That's every city. What's the old saying? 'If you don't let the accolades define you, then you won't let the criticisms diminish you.'" It was pretty much a no-win situation for Floyd on multiple levels. A 17-7 start only made the injury-marred fall that much steeper. Sunday's loss gave the Hornets 35 in their last 59 games. While the Heat has jelled under rookie coach Stan Van Gundy, winning 18 of its past 22, the Hornets are spiraling toward oblivion. So much for the pregame message on the Hornets' locker-room greaseboard: "Playoff emotions ... use your experiences." Floyd, of course, was about to get his first. One that only increased the notion he is a dead man walking on a sideline where he's no longer welcome. Or didn't you see the way his players, Davis in particular, averted their eyes whenever he yelled instructions from the bench? Or how about the time Floyd put an arm around Williams as he made a point, only to have Williams give an animated answer in return, appearing to dispute the advice? "We're a veteran squad," Armstrong said. "We already know a lot." What about Floyd, though? What have the Hornets learned this year about their coach? "I think he's still learning us more than we're learning him," Armstrong said. "That's how I look at it. As a coach, you have to learn your team, have to learn your players." In other words, the equation is one-sided, the onus staying with Floyd while his unconvinced players go it alone. Mike Berardino can be reached at mberardino @sun-sentinel.com. Copyright c 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel --

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