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From Mark Travis at But The Game Is On in his lengthy piece on Chris Paul and the Hornets:

Some headlines read today the Saints revived the city of New Orleans by fighting for them the past few years and keeping their franchise in town instead of moving elsewhere. This is well deserved praise. I mean, they won the NFL Championship and they did it just years after one of the most devastating natural disasters in the history of the World (and certainly the most devastating of my lifetime, at least in the US).

But, talk to anyone in the city, someone who has been there throughout this entire process of rebuilding their lives, and ask them who they think really saved New Orleans.

Overwhelmingly, I bet, their answer will be Chris Paul.

From Darren Collison's latest diary entry at Hornets.com:

Of course, the Saints are the talk of the town. It’s crazy here. This is one of the most supportive cities for a team that I’ve witnessed. I was in a restaurant for a regular season game, not even a playoff game, and everyone started going crazy. I was like, ‘why are they going so crazy?’ The Saints had just gotten a first down. Not even a touchdown! Just a first down and they were nuts! It just shows you how supportive the New Orleans fans are with their teams, so the city has been great to play for and live in.

John Reid's postgame video log.

Ryan Chatelain covers Haiti relief fundraising at the arena and locally to coincide with the 76ers game.

 After Hurricane Katrina, 76ers center Samuel Dalembert visited New Orleans to help with relief efforts.

On Friday night, the Crescent City repaid the favor. The Hornets hosted a telethon to raise money for Haiti earthquake relief efforts during their game against Philadelphia at the New Orleans Arena. Fans inside the arena, watching on TV or listening to the radio were asked to call in and donate money to the American Red Cross.

The timing of the event coincided with the game against the 76ers because Dalembert is the NBA's only Haitian-born player. He also has been active in helping earthquake victims.

David Thorpe of Scouts Inc. posts a review of this season's rookies for ESPN.  Thornton is listed as a runner up for Best Rookie Scorer:

There are a few obvious choices here, but I think Thornton is the most deserving simply because of what he's done in difficult circumstances. Despite being pulled into and out of the rotation, playing for two coaches already and often getting paired with another rookie in the backcourt, he has been able to put up points and help drive the Hornets back into playoff contention.

Ultimately, I think Thornton will be an excellent scorer off the bench for a contending team. He has supreme confidence in his ability to get a bucket from anywhere.

And, Collison is runner-up for Best Rookie Passer:

I picked Collison over Brandon Jennings basically in a coin flip. I love how they both attack ball screens, creating 5-on-4 situations to put pressure on the defense, and then find the best teammate to throw it to.

Collison may be stuck behind the league's best point guard in Chris Paul, but he's shown major flashes of brilliance when Paul has been out -- he dropped a whopping 18 assists and 14 assists in the Hornets' last two games. With CP3 now sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury, we'll be treated to more games like this from him.

More for ESPN insiders.

Taylor Smith examines the possibility of a trade involving Chris Paul.

For next season, New Orleans already has over $73 million committed in payroll to their players.

So, clearly, New Orleans (specifically, owner George Shinn) must be extremely interested in cutting a significant amount off of that number. 

You may be asking, "The Hornets have several players with high salaries, why shouldn't they just trade those guys without letting Paul leave?"

Frankly, the Hornets' roster isn't oozing with desirable talent.

From Fanhouse:

It will be news in Serbia when Peja Stojakovic later this season sets the NBA's all-time Serbian scoring record.

It will be bigger news in his homeland when Stojakovic decides after next season what he does with his future.

Retire? Keep playing in the NBA? Head back to Europe for his final years?

Neil Tardy, Special to ESPN.com

Neil Tardy discusses which Hornets players are good selections for your Fantasy league teams given Chris Paul's injury.

So get Collison, but don't forget about Marcus Thornton. Thornton is the second-round draft pick who moved into the Hornets' starting lineup after the team dealt Devin Brown. After going for 25 points and 5 3-pointers against the Suns, the rookie is averaging 19.2 points and 2.8 treys as a starter. While Thornton's fantasy value is mostly limited to points and 3s, he apparently will continue to log some minutes at the point when Collison rests. So, as a bonus, you could see more nights like Monday's four-assist showing. Thornton is available in about 90 percent of ESPN.com leagues.

Ticktock of Hornets Hype talks about Mardi Gras Baby.

Hornets beat writer John Reid talks about Chris Paul's left knee injury and Darren Collison's rookie season.