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While at Jazz Fest the other day, I came to the realization that the Hornets and the festival have quite a few things in common. Some, like my friends Johnny, Jim, and Jack, might even say that the team could be compared to Jazz Fest.

Peja Stojakovic is Art Garfunkel

Both are classic entertainers, albeit in totally different ways. Each is on the tail end of their respective careers, and are obviously being paid for what they did in the past. It's still a pleasure to watch them both play, but it's mostly because you might catch a glimpse of what made them so special to begin with. A bit of nostalgia, if you will.

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There really is no excuse for what transpired tonight in New Orleans. Coming off what may have been their best win of the season, and facing a team struggling as much as any other in the league, the Hornets gave away what some (me) had predicted as a sure fire victory. Worst of all was the way it happened.

The Bees were outplayed the entire way. Just over a minute into the game, Morris Peterson scored his third point (of four total in 20 minutes). For the rest of the way they trailed a Wizards team missing four starters. Let me rephrase that. In the closing 46 minutes of play against a team which previously lost 16 straight games and was missing four starters, the Hornets never led. Did I mention this was a home game?

There was some excitement in the closing minutes however, so let's get to it.

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The biggest news this morning is that Chris Paul was caught off guard by the decision to fire Byron Scott. Apparently the first he heard of it was at practice yesterday morning. Paul's words in the Times-Picayune:

"I felt like, maybe somebody would have at least consulted with me and asked how I felt before it happened," Paul said by telephone Thursday night. "It’s not to get my approval, but we feel we should know about the decision before it takes place." 

The Hornets have struggled this season, getting off to a 3-6 start. Weber said the organization didn’t see enough improvement, which necessitated the move.

"You can’t put all this on Coach," Paul said...

"I think we all need to have an open mind, the system could change, but we still have to play the game," Paul said. "Regardless of what is going on, the game is still basketball. I’m going to play as hard as I can every night.

"I know D-West is going to do the same. I know the team is going to do the same."

John Reid, Times-Picayune:

“Anybody who knows me knows that Coach is my guy,” Paul said. “It’s not just because of basketball stuff. I understand that it’s a business and all that stuff, but I’m honestly not the player I am today without Coach. I don’t have the Olympic gold medal and All-Star Games without Coach.

“When I woke up this morning, I had no idea that this was even possible.”

Scott could not be reached for comment Thursday, but Weber said when told that the team was heading in another direction, Scott indicated that he understood and took it well. Scott’s business manager, Brian McInerney, said his client participated in a charity golf tournament in New Orleans on Thursday afternoon.

Telling quotes from David West in the Times-Picayune:

West on Thursday said the players are in for a "dramatic change, a dramatic difference" now that General Manager Jeff Bower, along with new lead assistant coach Tim Floyd, have taken over for fired Byron Scott.

"We're not going to be as predictable as we have been in the past. I know that, having played for Tim before," said West, a sixth-year veteran. "That's something I'm looking forward to, in terms of style of play."...

West said that the team's philosophy wasn't working, and Scott's pride might have been a factor.

"We've had some conversations over the past couple of weeks, just trying to figure out what we could do to get the ship righted, but ... pride is a crazy thing," he said. "I think pride is a dangerous, dangerous thing. I think there was a sense a few guys weren't trusting what we had in terms of our system and our ability to know what we were going to get every single night from our system."

West said the players should be receptive to Bower and Floyd because "what we had wasn't working."

More from West via John DeShazier in the T-P:

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If you missed all the news earlier today, check here.

And now for a few bullet points to gather my scattered thoughts:

• Last basketball season was very disappointing for New Orleans sports fans. At the beginning, the Hornets were talked about as championship contenders, then they struggled to a 49-33 record and got humiliated by the Nuggets in the Playoffs. But you couldn't blame Byron for the team's failings last season, not with all the injuries the Hornets had. This season, the Hornets have been close to full health, and Byron was working with a roster that Chris Paul called the best he's ever been a part of. A 3-6 start just wasn't god enough, especially with most of the losses being blowouts.
  
  
• I'm reminded of Byron's words when he won the Coach of the Year award after the Hornets' magical 2007-08 season. Scott was asked if the reward meant redemption after his fall from grace in New Jersey:
  
  "It's all so fickle, just such a fickle league. People can change on you in a second."
  
  Such is life.

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