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No game tonight, but Survivor is on, at least.  Seems like the perfect day for me to post Part 2 of my Survivor: Heroes vs Villains comparison to NBA players.  Part 1, in case you missed it, can be found here.

Today, we hit the Heroes of the show and their NBA analog.  Enjoy:

Heroes

Amanda Kimmel is . . .  Dirk Nowitzki

This one was easy. Amanda Kimmel has twice leveraged a skillful social game to make it to the big dance, working her into the final as a favorite to win it all.  Then, both times, she completely blew her chances by picking the wrong opponent to face in the final tribal council,  and then compounded the error by trying to be the "nice girl" and play up the idea she felt bad about all her strategic moves.  That, of course, fell flat both times with a jury she had helped vote out.  Dirk Nowitzki, of course, has twice been the leader of strong favorites to win the title, and both times crashed and burned disastrously, gaining and then losing a two game lead over Dwyane Wade and the Heat, and then following that up with an even worse flameout against Golden State in the first round.

Candice Woodcock is . . .  Chris Hunter

Yeah, I'm a huge Survivor fan and I didn't know who Candice Woodcock was either.  Oh, and somebody named Chris Hunter apparently played for the Golden State Warriors this season too, so he gets to be her analog.

Cirie Fields is . . . Chris Paul

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There are two bits of must-see TV in my life:  The Hornets and Survivor.  I never miss a minute of either. 

This season of Survivor has been, quite possibly, one of the most exciting seasons I've seen in a long time.  The producers brought back their top ten Villains and top ten Heroes and pitted them against each other.  The casting was remarkable, and has produced a whole new level of drama as most of them were great players in the past, and all are there to win.

When I saw the new format, I also started toying with the idea of making my own list of ten NBA Heroes and Villians.  That, however, fell by the wayside.  I don't do lists.  I do comparisons and find analogs.

So, in the tradition of pasts posts comparing Team USA to Ancient Chinese Historical Figures, American Idol Contests with Hornets Players, D&D Classes with Hornets Players, etc, I present to you my list of Survivor: Heroes vs Villians contestants with the NBA players that most resemble them.

This post will focus on the ten Villians.  The Heroes will follow in a day or two.

The Villains

Benjamin "Coach" Wade is . . . Ron Artest

Both of these guys are completely ridiculous.  Coach has named himself the "Dragonslayer", Ron Artest calls himself "Tru Warier".(Yes, that's the spelling) Coach is supremely self-confident and self-aggrandizing, despite having done nothing to back it up but talk about himself.  Ron Artest deludes himself into thinking he's an offensive player without recognizing that the "offensive" part of his game is his terrible shot selection.

Both men have also provided some of the most jaw-dropping crazy moments on television:  Artest going into the crowd in Detroit, and Coach Wade claiming that he was captured by natives in the Amazon, beaten up, and barely managed to escape after they eyed his butt and clearly wanted to "eat his ass".  Too much crazy.

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NBA.com's David Aldridge answered a bunch of questions from NBA bloggers this week, and we were able to sneak in two about the Hornets...

Several articles have appeared online this season arguing that the Hornets would be better off trading Chris Paul and starting from scratch, since they can't seem to surround him with a good enough supporting cast to win a championship. What would be your thoughts on such a move?

DA: I completely disagree with it. The hardest position I feel to fill correctly on a basketball team is point guard. It's just really hard to find these quality level point guards that can help you toward a championship. And Chris Paul is one of the two or three best point guards in the league. You are never going to get equal value for him, no matter who you trade for him, unless you trade him for Deron Williams. So you're going to be a lesser team without him no matter what you get. To me, that wouldn't make any sense at all. A team like New Orleans, which is going to have limits on what you can spend, when you have a great player it's one less great player you have to go and try to get. That is something that is their job and Jeff Bower's job as GM is to surround him with with good enough players just like R.C. Buford did with Tim Duncan in San Antonio. They have Tim Duncan and they surround him over the years with very good to excellent players who are good enough to help them win championships. That's what Jeff Bower's job is in New Orleans.

What's your take on the Hornets' rookies (Darren Collison, Marcus Thornton and Jeff Bower) this season? Do you see them having successful NBA careers in their respective roles?

DA: Well, Collison's been great, he's been terrific. A lot of people wondered about him coming in and he's been great. We'll see how he does after a month, but right now he's been excellent for them and has done a really good job of getting guys into their offense and distributing the ball, and scoring when he has to. So he's doing a good job. Thornton's played I think pretty well in spots and so what they've done this offseason I think is good for that team. They finally addressed their bench situation and they added some depth and did a good job there, but I think for them to have a chance to get to the playoffs and be good in the playoffs you need guys like James Posey to play like he played in Boston. And he's played better of late and they need him to do that if they have any chance.

Read David's responses to questions from other NBA bloggers after the jump, including some words on Chicago's Tyrus Thomas, who the Hornets are reported to be interested in...

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The TrueHoop Network previews every team in the NBA. We've got the Hornets covered right here. Check below for links to other team previews.

Last Year's Record

49-33

Crystal Ball

The consensus prediction of the TrueHoop Network bloggers ... and the best hopes of Hornets247.

Crowd Says: 47-25
Hornets247 Says: 52-30

Yes We Can!

The sun is out. The seas have parted. The basketball gods are shining upon us!

Last season the Hornets had a myriad of woes: Tyson Chandler was only 75 percent of himself when he managed to play, and his primary backups would struggle in the D-League. Other than James Posey, the wing was an open sore with Peja Stojakovic's back failing in late February and Rasual Butler struggling to reach average production. The bench never felt comfortable until it had given up at least one 8-0 run.

With all that against them, the Hornets still won 49 games behind the magic of Chris Paul and the mulish David West. Those two continue to form a solid core, providing a foundation that needs only the support of a couple above average performers for the Hornets to become more than first-round playoff fodder.

Enter Emeka Okafor. He’s a near match to a healthy Chandler, is more durable, and doesn’t look like he’s having muscle spasms when making a post move. If he can increase his scoring to 15-16 points a game the team will have the third offensive option it desperately needs. Such an increase isn't out of reach, considering the CP3 bump Okafor is in for.  Okafor is a mobile big, not a guy limping around on a pegleg.  He’s going to look goooood running the pick and roll, just like Tyson.

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On TrueHoop yesterday, bloggers from around the TrueHoop Network chimed in with a few words on their second favorite team in the NBA. The Hornets got three notable mentions:

Zach Harper, Cowbell Kingdom (Sacramento Kings blog)
Chris Paul. He's the reason that I find myself rooting for the New Orleans Hornets when there is no rooting interest established. He's the reason that my NBA League Pass ends up on a Hornets game 82 times per year. And he's the reason that I would adopt the New Orleans Hornets if I were spurned in a Sonicsian way.

His intensity doesn't just move his teammates; it also galvanizes his spectators. He treats the basketball like David Copperfield treats oversized objects. He creates bewilderment and confusion with the dribble by showing the ball, making it disappear, and showing it one more time as he causes the crowd to applaud hysterically. In the lane, he's the Tasmanian Devil trying showing how a whirling dervish moves. And best of all, he shares the glory and the basketball with his teammates in a way that not only transcends team play but also makes someone like Tyson Chandler seem worthy of an exorbitant contract.

Zach Lowe, Celtics Hub (Boston Celtics blog)
I suspect my second favorite team will be the Hornets for as long as Chris Paul plays there. Chris Paul is John Stockton if John Stockton had to lead his team in scoring along with controlling every second of every offensive possession. He is simultaneously super quick and amazingly patient. I love that moment when he turns the corner on a pick-and-roll and just stops right above the foul line, keeps his dribble, feels the defender on his back and surveys the court. The contrast between that pause and the explosion toward the rim that sometimes follows -- I'm not sure I've ever seen a bigger contrast in the same player within a second or two.

Jared Wade, Eight Points, Nine Seconds (Indiana Pacers blog)
The devastation that Hurricane Katrina caused throughout New Orleans in 2005 represented the most unforgivable breach of trust I have ever witnessed. So it was through the lens of recent tragedy that I was delighted to watch, just a few short months later, the all-world ascension of Chris Paul, a player to whom I would donate both my kidneys if necessary. Basketball, of course, is no cure-all, but if there was one place that deserved the unique joys that only a point guard like Paul can provide, it was NOLA.

I didn't have time to write about my second favorite team, but that would be the Portland Trail Blazers. They've got a lot of likable guys who can flat-out ball, they've got a bright future, and it seems their GM and coach can do no wrong.

What about you? Who's your second favorite team and why?