– Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com
After New Orleans (32-33) overcame a 21-point deficit and prevailed in overtime at Memphis on Jan. 30, it was easy to wonder if perhaps the Hornets could withstand the injury absence of Chris Paul. Following that record-breaking performance by Darren Collison, New Orleans was actually above .500 this season in games missed by its three-time All-Star point guard.
Over the ensuing six weeks, however, reality has begun to set in for the CP3-less Hornets. Although Collison has been outstanding more often than not and done about as well as you could possibly imagine in his unexpected role, New Orleans is just 6-12 over the past 5 1/2 weeks. The Hornets are 11-16 overall in the 27 games that Paul has not played in 2009-10, not terrible given the way many NBA teams might fare without their best player, but a record that has dropped New Orleans to 5 1/2 games out of eighth place in the Western Conference.
Tracking the T'Wolves
Young Pups
Owning Up