http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1086246177183560.xml With addition of Scott, players become focus Thursday, June 03, 2004 John DeShazier Now that the Hornets players have a coach they can take seriously, the onus shifts to them. They're capable of better-than-average play. We know that, because we've seen it. What they were lacking was a leader who could demand it routinely, because even veteran players sometimes need to be pushed, preferably by a coach they believe has as good of a feel for the situation as they do. The convenient excuse for Tim Floyd defenders is to blame his undoing totally on injuries, though even Floyd said injuries wouldn't be used as an excuse before he began to do just that. But his dismissal primarily, and perhaps wholly, was about the effort he was unable to bring out in his players. Simply, the Hornets' effort was too inconsistent, lacking when it was most needed. Which explains the Hornets' tumble to a No. 5 playoff seed in the weak-as-water Eastern Conference. The team had the ability to play to the level of the Pacers and Pistons (6-2 against them), who faced off in the conference finals, and the inability to master the likes of the lottery-bound Bulls, Hawks, Raptors and Cavaliers, who were a combined 10-6 against New Orleans. The effort level that allowed eight players to go to San Antonio and beat the defending NBA champions would've gotten the Hornets by the Knicks. Instead, a weak effort led to a loss at home to New York in the second-to-last game of the season, with the Knicks playing backups most of the second half. The fight that helped New Orleans fend off the Pacers and Pistons would have been enough to ward off the Cavaliers during a 25-point Cleveland comeback in February. But it wasn't there. Byron Scott was hired to make sure those things don't happen again -- at least, not with the regularity with which they happened last season. There are going to be stinkers. In an 82-game regular season, it happens. But those nights must be minimized to such an extent that they can be counted on one hand. The occasions when the Hornets' effort legitimately can be questioned, inside and outside the locker room, must be cut drastically, because the chances of being embarrassed after a lapse in focus increases significantly in the West. The first step to decreasing that possibility came with the hiring of Scott, a coach who seems to know what he's doing (two Finals appearances with the Nets) and who has said that, though he's open to players' opinions, he isn't going to be their doormat. The second step belongs to whichever combination of players comprises the Hornets' roster next season. Now that they have a coach they can respect, their allegiance and effort must follow. Everybody has a clearly defined role. All each member has to do is play it. . . . . . . . John DeShazier can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3410. --

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