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According to Wikipedia, which obviously is the end-all source on everything, the Hornets don't have a rival. That makes me remarkably sad considering the deep seeded mild anger that I feel toward opposing ball clubs. If we don't have a rival, how will anyone know which games matter most at the beginning of the season? Sure every game matters, but there is something to be said for manufacturing drama, especially on a sports blog.

Since the dawn of sports, long term rivalries have existed for a number of reasons, including...

• The two teams that are competing have fan bases that are in close geographical proximity to one another, often leading for fans to root for one or the other.
• The teams are thrust into competing in crucial games year after year in which only one can prevail
• Both teams have an excellent player whose accomplishments for whatever reason are always compared to those of another team's excellent player.
• They are a great marketing tool for teams to entice fans to come to the arena, even if a season isn't going quite as planned.
  
• The media needs stuff to write about, and the fans want a reason to care more.
  

Frankly I don't want to start a discussion about who Hornets fans like the least, but that's exactly what needs to happen to determine a rival. Lot's of teams have angered the Bees over the years, and it's time fans let them know exactly how they feel.

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The Hornets draft day trade may have been about more than just shedding a few dollars. After the draft GM Jeff Bower gave a brief press conference to the media in which he hinted that the Hornets might be finagling themselves into position for a major free agent score.

"When the transaction does reach conclusion," Bower said referring to the deal that sent Morris Peterson and the 11 pick to OKC for the 21st and 26th pick, "the flexibility it provides does allow us to continue to look to add to our roster".

The draft day deal cut more than six million dollars from the 2010-2011 payroll, puts the Hornets below the luxury tax line for upcoming season for the time being, and nets them an extra young player to develop.

What exactly the team will do with the newfound flexibility is still a mystery. The Hornets are prohibited by the NBA from discussing specifics before July 8th. That's also the first day of freedom for a class which includes potential running partners for Chris Paul such as LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Amare Staudemire and Carlos Boozer.

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A funny thing happened this weekend.  And no, it wasn't "funny ha-ha", it was "funny disturbing", because I found myself rooting for the Lakers.  Now, for any of you who have read this blog, you know I'm not a fan of the Lakers.  In fact, on my four-team list of teams I can't stand, the Lakers always stand somewhere between 2-4.(Yeah, the Nuggets never move.  Screw you, Denver.)

So how, you ask, could I possibly be rooting for the Lakers?  I don't like to admit it, but it's all rooted in one thing:  Jealousy.  Yes, I'm jealous of the Thunder.  They are the young, up-and-coming team in the West.  They have exciting, developing talent.  I watch Durant and I KNOW, as a basketball fan, that I should love his game.  But I can't.  I resent his genius.  Why?  Because the Thunder are exactly what we thought the Hornets were two years ago.  They are the charming, handsome heir to the throne the Hornets had designs on, and I can't accept it.

It's actually a stronger version of feelings I had last year with Portland.  I liked to pretend my dislike for them was due to the bad blood between Przybilla and Chandler, and that I was just feeling an extension of that animosity. But it wasn't that.  I resented them for their youth, their future.  I still sort of resent them.

So - I'm going to say it right now.  I hope the Zombie Sonics lose.  For my own sanity, so I don't find myself rooting for the Lakers again, I want them out of the playoffs.  I want them put back in their place, and out of the picture, so my own jealous fear of them can subside . . .

. . . does this make me a bad person?

Oh, but after OKC loses, I want the Spurs to obliterate the Lakers.  Then all will be right with my Basketball world.

((Sorry Diane.))

It's playoff prediction time here at Hornets247. No, the Bees won't be part in the postseason, but that doesn't mean that we can't have some fun talking about the 16 teams that have earned a shot to compete for the title. The seeding is set, players and coaches are preparing, and we're predicting.

Ryan Schwan: If ever there was a time when seeding was unimportant, it was this year in the Western Conference.  Seven games difference between the 1 seed and the 8 seed?  Point differentials that only vary by 2.6?  Crazy place, the Western Conference.

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This was never going to be an easy game for the Hornets, down two starters and playing one of the NBA's hottest teams on their home floor. They were able to stick with OKC until about midway through the second quarter, thanks mostly to some heavy lifting by David West, but then the Thunder ramped up the defensive pressure and the Hornets just couldn't keep up with their scoring.

98-83 was the final score (box), and the Hornets never really challenged in the second half. The didn't so much get outworked tonight, as they just got beat down by a superior opponent.

Thunder defense

Really, OKC's defense was solid all game. David West was simply unstoppable in that first quarter. Once he cooled off, the Hornets had little else to rely on. The Thunder showed some great interior defense, usually having one if not two players in position to help when guys like Collison or Thornton drove in from the wing. The result was an often stagnant Hornets offense, and very few easy baskets for them in the halfcourt. I wished they would have pushed the ball more, as that seemed to be about the only way they were getting to the rim. Unfortunately, with Collison having an inevitable off night and his teammates still winded from that 48-minute fastbreak against the Warriors on Monday, running wasn't much of an option for the Hornets.

David West

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