by Kerem Ozkan

The New Orleans Hornets hosted their annual open practice at 10 a.m. Saturday, and your correspondent is pleased to report that the feel-good, summer camp vibe is still in the air. Fans of all ages filled a quarter of the lower level of the New Orleans Arena to watch the Hornets starters take on the bench in an hourlong. The way folks were gasping at every dunk, groaning at every turnover, chuckling at Hugo the Hornet’s antics, it felt more like watching a play than a sporting event.

Players got worked up on occasion, and the coaches would step in to make a few points every once in a while. But things were mostly relaxed, probably as laid-back as anything in American pro sports ever could be. Unfortunately, this translated into some damn sloppy basketball, all fumbled passes and missed rotations. The clearest lesson of this preseason: throwing a bunch of talented 20-somethings on a squad does not make for a playoff team, at least not immediately.

The Buzz on the Hornets' New Players

No. 1 draft pick and hope for the future Anthony Davis showed off his diversity, draining a nice Kevin Garnett-esque 17-footer and passing brilliantly out of a double team. With his vision and creativity, it’s hard to imagine teams ever effectively double-teaming him. He also had four dunks, one all over Solomon Alabi.

Midway through the game, The Brow dove into the stands for a loose ball and tumbled over three rows of chairs.

Whoa! That was crazy. Take it easy, rook.

A couple seconds passed.

Oh my god. Why isn’t he getting up? Oh my god.

It was like a scene out of Friday Night Lights — the entire crowd was dead silent. After a couple moments, he finally got up to wild applause, and nervous laughter.

Austin Rivers has that floater down. He hit it about four times from varying distances, totally in rhythm and unguardable. His self-proclaimed Tony Parker comparison makes a little more sense now that I think about it. That move will definitely translate into the pro game.

Ryan Anderson isn’t the least bit shy. As the team’s second-highest-paid player and the best player on the B-team (it’s looking more and more like Monty wants to try him in a sixth-man role — not sure I understand his reasoning), Ryan was looking for his shot every time, continuing to shoot after repeated misses. His shot has been off lately, but remember we’re talking about a guy with three seasons as an elite three-point shooter under his belt. The shot will come.

Eric Gordon showed up late, looking disengaged, still out with a knee injury. I want to believe in you, Eric, but you’re making it so hard. I’m not jumping to any conclusions, but I’ll definitely be watching his attitude moving forward.

Robin Lopez was super aggressive all game. He was looking for his offense, desperately at times, as it wasn’t really there. To his credit, he did drive hard late in the game on Solomon Alabi, sealing the game with an and-one play. It’s clear that Monty thinks he can contribute, so we’ll have to keep watching for signs of development. I’m not a fan of his game, as he really had every chance to succeed in Phoenix, sometimes starting over the far superior Marcin Gortat. But Trust in Monty is my mantra for now. We’ll see.

Roger Mason Jr. sighting! Dude was hitting his jumpers and making sharp passes, reminding me why he was a solid bench player for the Spurs only three seasons ago.

Also of note, I don’t think Greivis Vasquez turned the ball over once all game, a very encouraging sign. 

All of this being said, the team was unacceptably sloppy for the entire game. There is lots of work to do — fortunately, they have plenty of time to get it done.

Head coach Monty Williams took the mic after the scrimmage to address the crowd in a surprisingly heartfelt moment. He thanked the crowd for supporting him from day one, saying, “I love this city so much.” He added: “I’ve never been as excited to come to work as I am now.”