原文出自nola.com http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1102230726244800.xml Building Hornets' foundation a challenge Sunday, December 05, 2004 John DeShazier Hang an "Under Construction" sign on the Hornets' season, and hope the lumps they're wearing will, within the next season or so, begin to morph into beauty marks and battle scars. Because the lumps are piling up at an alarming rate, one atop another, the kind that can take a while to heal. The Friday trade of veteran guard Darrell Armstrong was a start. It must be the first of several steps to get the franchise back inside a rail car; we'll worry about the car actually getting back on the track later. "I guess you could look at it like that," P.J. Brown, who now is the team's oldest player (35), said when asked if it appeared the franchise officially has raised the white flag and marked this season for rebuilding. "But I still believe they want to win. Everybody wants to help this team, get it in position to improve. The decision they made (to trade Armstrong to Dallas, for Dan Dickau and a second-round draft pick), everybody was not happy about it. But it's the nature of the business. I definitely don't think they're giving up on the season, but I think they're looking at the future, also." The distant future has to look better than the immediate one. The Hornets lost Saturday night, 92-69 to the Pistons, giving them a league-worst 1-14 record. "Our lack of intensity was a big problem," Coach Byron Scott said. "This is the first time all season we came out and played scared. We looked like we were afraid of that team. We were scared to compete." And even though there isn't much to fight with these days, that doesn't mean a team should duck when it ought to be swinging. The Hornets are about one more twisted ankle away from being a pretty good Mid-American Conference team. Don't think something beyond bizarre seems to be going on? David West, an injury replacement starter at power forward, sprained his right knee against Detroit. His bone bruise added to a run of damage that has been so severe, the NBA granted the Hornets an exemption, allowing them to sign a player to replace some of the wounded. "I felt bad for them," Detroit coach Larry Brown said. "They are so beat up, and then West goes down." At varying times against the defending champions Pistons, New Orleans' counterpunchers were Chris Andersen, Alex Garcia, Matt Freije and Corsley Edwards, who joined the team Saturday morning, fresh from a tour in the CBA. At one juncture of the fourth quarter, not one of the five New Orleans players on the floor was a member of the team last year. During that exchange Edwards was matched against All-Star Ben Wallace, Freije squared off against former All-Star Rasheed Wallace and Garcia went against NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups. Junior Harrington started at point, making him the immediate beneficiary of Armstrong's departure and the poster child for these Hornets. Last year Harrington played with Azovmash Mariupol in the Ukraine. This season he joined the Hornets looking like little more than a training camp body, entered the regular season as the fourth point guard and made the first of what could be several starts until Baron Davis returns. "I just want to go out and keep playing the way I've been playing," Harrington said before the game. "(Trading Armstrong) gives you confidence, but you still try to keep things in perspective." The immediate perspective is that the Hornets are a work in progress, and it's nothing near a pleasant sight right now. The "Under Construction" sign hangs on a team that looks like it's been in the path of a wrecking ball. Cleanup and reconstruction are pending. . . . . . . . John DeShazier can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3410. --

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