http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1082710689229000.xml Hornets have no faith in Floyd Friday, April 23, 2004 John DeShazier The playoffs, more than any other time during the NBA season, are an exposé of coaching. And so far what has been revealed of Hornets coach Tim Floyd isn't the least bit flattering, reassuring or inspiring. Between Games 1 and 2 of New Orleans' best-of-seven series against the Miami Heat, the Hornets startlingly regressed, revealed they possess more questions than answers and appeared to say, in body language and performance, that the few answers they had are moot because Miami changed the questions. "We sniffed out the plays they ran," Heat center Brian Grant said after Miami's 93-63 victory in Game 2, when the Hornets set or approached so many playoff marks for futility that it's no use to list them. "We knew them before they ran them, actually." And really, there's nothing wrong with that. Generally, a team isn't going to X-and-O its way past another at this stage of the season, when personalities have been established and teams should know each and every tendency of the opposition. But when a team goes as flat as the Hornets did Wednesday night, three days after falling 81-79 in the series opener, it screams that it has lost its fire, probably because it has lost faith in its coach. And that's taking the leap and assuming there ever was faith. The Hornets tossed away a chance to send Game 1 into overtime. Though they had a foul to give, the Hornets didn't do so before Miami's Dwyane Wade made the winner with 1.3 seconds left. It didn't help that the player guarding Wade, star Baron Davis, had five fouls and an aggravated ankle sprain at the time. Act II was appalling. The Heat removed the drama in the third quarter, when the Hornets shot 2-of-19. Miami always appeared a step ahead in thought and deed. The Hornets have been as predictable as Mardi Gras. The Heat knows All-Star center Jamaal Magloire will set up on a block, and will front him and double-team as soon as a lob pass is thrown, even though Magloire is more than capable of stepping out and making the 12-footer consistently. When the Hornets set picks for Davis, it gives the Heat a chance to double him, too, and force the ball out of his hands. They seem aware the Hornets fear the fast break, which appears to give them exactly that opportunity. Because while the Hornets retreat, the Heat taps rebounds out toward the key, and its perimeter players scoop up the gift and run like the wind. No New Orleans player has openly questioned leadership, but reading between the lines isn't difficult. Darrell Armstrong said Floyd still is learning the team more than vice versa, though later he apologized -- not for what was said, but for the way it sounded. Davis, after Game 2, said the Hornets tried to take advantage of the Heat inside and on pick-and-rolls and neither worked, yet New Orleans "kept playing to the strength of their defense." Even with the Jamal Mashburn soap opera, and sprained ankles and stretched tendons, the Hornets had a chance in the Eastern Conference. If they had lost 19 games to teams with losing records instead of an alarming 22, they would have had home-court advantage in the first round. But this season has been one lowlight after another. No, players can't be absolved of all blame. They play the game. If energy and passion are missing, it's because they aren't using it. But, too, it's true that a team takes on the personality of its coach. Players don't mind leadership as long as it's strong and competent. Heck, even Dennis Rodman shaped up long enough to listen to Phil Jackson in Chicago, Rasheed Wallace has conformed for Larry Brown in Detroit, Jason Williams holds off on the mustard for Hubie Brown in Memphis. The Hornets? Where are the signs of belief in Floyd? Where is the evidence that the Hornets have adjusted and adapted? Where is the proof that the current exposé contains false information, or the realistic hope that this act will play better next season against better competition in the West? That the dwindling fan base in New Orleans believes Floyd is the man to revive the franchise and will show its support through ticket sales? No one can ignore what he or she has seen in the playoffs, or say that it's not in the best interest of the franchise to sever the relationship as soon as possible. . . . . . . . John DeShazier can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3410. --

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