原文出自nola.com http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/110111204484720.xml Road trip not what Dr. ordered 0-8 Hornets eye rough 5-game West swing Monday, November 22, 2004 By Benjamin Hochman Staff writer SALT LAKE CITY -- The Hornets haven't won a regular-season game since April 14, and they have more than $20 million devoted to players on the injured list, including Baron Davis and his 24.6 points per game this season. Not only has that hurt the team on offense, but the defense is making the opposition look like a collection of all-stars. In five of New Orleans' losses, including the 99-94 setback to Minnesota on Saturday, opponents have shot 50 percent or better. And as the Hornets (0-8) trudge up this mountain of futility -- the dubious pinnacle being an NBA record for losses to start a season, 17 -- they embark on a five-game, West Coast road trip against teams with a combined record of 29-22. But according to Coach Byron Scott, this Hornets team is not your typical gloomy, couldn't-beat-the-Washington-Generals losing team -- an encouraging sign heading into tonight's game at Utah (7-3). "This group is a lot different than people would expect," said Scott, who won 26 games in his first year coaching New Jersey and then went to the NBA Finals the next two. "They'd think that because we're 0-8, and we've gotten off to a slow start, everybody would be really down in the dumps. It's not like that. Guys are positive and upbeat, and they just keep working. And that's all I want them to do, keep working." And Scott has kept tinkering. With Davis and forward Rodney Rogers joining Jamal Mashburn on the injured list, Scott has spent the past eight games balancing minutes among his bench players, trying to maximize production. Tonight, he will take it up one step. Lee Nailon will get his first start at small forward, following Saturday's 21-point performance in 30 minutes, featuring 9-of-14 shooting and six rebounds. For the season, Nailon is averaging 9.7 points per game, compared to 5.9 from George Lynch, whom he will replace in the lineup. "It's more of a promotion (for Nailon) than a demotion (for Lynch)," Scott said. "It's just Lee's playing better basketball at that position right now for us. He's doing a heck of a job, so he might as well be in there at the beginning." The Hornets will take any boost they can get; this eight-day road swing should be grueling. They play tonight against Utah, and then play at Golden State (2-7) on Tuesday. They will celebrate Thanksgiving on their second-straight day off, and then play at Phoenix (8-2) on Friday. Finally, the Hornets will travel Saturday, play at the Los Angeles Lakers (6-5) on Sunday and at Denver (5-5) on Monday. "I think we have motivation -- we're trying to find a win, road trip or not," said guard David Wesley, who made 25 assists in the past three games with Davis out with a back injury, and 16 in the five games prior. "Every game is pretty doggone important." Tonight, Utah will try to give New Orleans fits with its 101.3 points per game -- only three teams average better. Its forward tandem of Andrei Kirilenko and Carlos Boozer average a combined 37 points per game, compared to Nailon and P.J. Brown's 18.5. And the Jazz as a whole should be salivating; it shoots an NBA-best 48.7 percent from the field. "We want to run on opponents when we get steals, long rebounds and turnovers," Scott said. "But we also have to be a little more selective, especially when we go against teams like that, because every possession is so important. With them, you want to make them play defense for 20 seconds or more every trip. And if you can do that, hopefully you can wear them down a little bit." During this November to forget, many Hornets fans have pointed at the Warriors game as the potential first victory. But, Wesley said, "We can't really afford to look toward any game. Utah is playing well, and we need to find a way to beat them. We've just got to get a win, I don't care who it is. We can't look forward to Golden State, because we might not beat Golden State if we don't do what we need to do. We've been harping on what we need to do as a team to get wins, not what other teams can do." So, what do you need to do as a team to get wins? "Quit making dumb mistakes," Wesley said. . . . . . . . Benjamin Hochman can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3405. --

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