2012-13 New Orleans Hornets Media Day

[NickMalone77]

Media Day

We had all these dreams of grandeur. We sat on the bedside and looked out the window to find our hope. All that came back was this dark hole off in the far distance, sucking in the sun, the happiness, the laughter, and emotion of pride. It's the darkness that can swallow us whole if we allow it to happen. Even the Beignets tasted flat and hollow which is hard to fathom when it's coated in sugar and fried.

32

Normally that kind of win total leaves you in the middle of a decent pick that can one day maybe produce into something. We attempted the entire year to change the identity of this team after injuries controlled our fate. Unfortunately guys we had on our books we sent elsewhere to clear as much cap as we could going into the offseason. Some signings didn't work out the way we hoped. Some trades didn't exactly click the way we hoped. It's the kind of plan you always pen out but can change when the league itself changes it's identity from team to team. Teams are constantly getting younger and evolving. So when the draft lotto happened, we had 0 plans of actually seeing our pick rise into a top spot the way it did. Instead of Harrison Barnes or Evan Fornier, luckily we were able to select a true cornerstone player that we (and here's that word again) "hope" can change the way people not only view the game but view the city of New Orleans as well, in Damian Lillard.

Along with selecting Lillard, we filmed a series documenting his journey to the NBA and rise hopefully into the player we can see him become here for the proud people of New Orleans.

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GM Nick Malone: We know it's a long journey that has it's forks in the road but we will take this time to protect the future. That hope. That way out of the darkness and into the light. Rising from the abyss into one of the top teams not only in the conference but the entire NBA, again.

Not only did we select Damian Lillard but we also laid the groundwork to raise the profile of this team through the draft. Some will stick and some may fall by the wayside but it'll all be earned either way. That's why we worked out a draft day trade with the Knicks to send last years point guard, Mike Conley in exchange for prospects Chris Copeland, Pablo Prigioni, and Tyler Zeller. Used the Celtics pick we acquired in the Brandon Roy trade to select Jae Crowder (who was then flipped for a pick in the next draft to Chicago), and also traded for Terrence Jones during the draft with Phoenix. Our current training staff will not be returning given the results after the most recent training camp.

GM Nick Malone: Given our core identity, we needed another anchor. A battle trusted veteran that has fought against some of the toughest centers in the entire league that could be our nucleus next to Damian. We followed closely throughout free agency and given the depth of both RFA and UFA and our cap space, confident we could find that anchor through some means.

We struck out during RFA uncharacteristically. We thought we had inked Omer Asik to a deal but due to a computer error with the league office that rearranged one of our bids, he ended up signing that offer sheet instead with Van Memphis. So with RFA out of the way, we knew Dwight Howard had discussed his displeasure privately playing for Detroit and Orlando. We showed him the city and the love and financial means that he really could be a benefit to New Orleans. He liked what we had to say enough and decided from the boatload of offers he received, ours was the best and signed on for the next chapter of his life to begin in New Orleans.



Now with our Dwight to our Dame, we attempted to fill out our roster the best we could. Sent multiple offers out and managed to bring back a familiar face like Andre Iguodala and Mike Dunleavy through trade and even signed some vets like Shawn Marion. We used the free for all period to bring in young guys looking for a chance to get minutes and improve their game like JJ Hickson, Jonas Jerebko, and Sonny Weems.

Hope

When life gives you certain evils, you gotta face it head on. In spite of all the hate, you are that force that can change and be a positive for the people you play for. This is something bigger than us and we're realistic that this thing won't instantly change and improve overnight. Gradually, we can get through this and we can rise even if it'll take time to do so. Without any further ado, I now present Damian Lillard, performing his new hit single as Dame D.O.L.L.A. "Isley"

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[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: It's rather difficult to determine the season forecast and overall direction of the team just by looking at the roster. Could you shed a bit of light on your goals for the short-term?

[NickMalone77]

Random Reporter: It's rather difficult to determine the season forecast and overall direction of the team just by looking at the roster. Could you shed a bit of light on your goals for the short-term?

GM Nick Malone: We try to make it as cloudy as possible to confuse the media when the sun will arrive. For now, our goal is to postpone the rain as much as possible. Harness the solar power on the super arms of Dwight and score like we're on prom night with the baby faced assassin, Damian Lillard. Will that be a reality? Maybe.

[garbageman]

Damian Lillard and Dwight Howard will obviously see a lot of minutes at PG and C respectively. However, your other 3 spots seem to be a lot more flexible with a lot of players who could potentially fill those roles. Coming out of training camp and the preseason, any early indications for who will be in the starting 5 and who will be your big players off the bench?

[NickMalone77]

Damian Lillard and Dwight Howard will obviously see a lot of minutes at PG and C respectively. However, your other 3 spots seem to be a lot more flexible with a lot of players who could potentially fill those roles. Coming out of training camp and the preseason, any early indications for who will be in the starting 5 and who will be your big players off the bench?

I think we'll get a chance to see Iggy and Brandon Roy play and interchange at the 2/3 a lot this year with guys like Shawn Marion and Chris Copeland, and Mike Dunleavy all battling for minutes behind them. Then we have a lot of competition on who'll get minutes at the 4 next to Dwight. One of the lone bright spots out of TC was the chance we gave to Jonas Jerebko. He battled with a lot of guys and rose his potential up to the next level. His rebounding and defense need a bit of work but for his size and speed, his offensive game isn't that bad as a jump shooter than can stretch opposing defenses. Expect to see Jerebko get the lionshare of minutes at the 4 with Haslem and Terrence Jones backing him up.

[kucoach7]

You brought back Iggy, who many would say is only a shell of his former self. What are your expectations for him contributing on and off the court?

[WigNosy]

What did you see in Mike Dunleavy that made you anxious to bring him in?

[NickMalone77]

You brought back Iggy, who many would say is only a shell of his former self. What are your expectations for him contributing on and off the court?

GM Nick Malone: While many would consider Iggy "done" per say, at his age and experience, Iggys roots run deep here in NOLA. We value his veteran IQ and ability to play the wing that could switch depending on the matchups with Brandon Roy. He has a strong ability to find the best routes and lanes to exploit in motion with and without the ball. Also, he will be able to guide young Damian on and off the court.

[NickMalone77]

What did you see in Mike Dunleavy that made you anxious to bring him in?

GM Nick Malone: Another case like Iggy that we are familiar with his game and what his limitations are. We aren't expecting Mike to start but he can still stretch the floor and shoot the three ball possibly better than anyone else currently on this team. Also, given the rate of contracts that were handed out this past free agency, Dunleavys deal won't really hinder what we can do on the next FA market. He's much more developed right now and maybe down the road, could be an asset some teams may find valuable when looking to combine contracts to offset maybe some larger deals they are looking to dump down the road.

[78#]

Has the goals changed for the season by now focusing long-term roster construction after training camp or do you see this team being competitive for a playoff spot?

[NickMalone77]

Has the goals changed for the season by now focusing long-term roster construction after training camp or do you see this team being competitive for a playoff spot?

If we are to make the playoffs, I think a lot of things have to break right for us honestly. We've won 32 games each the last two years now and we have to be more consistent. We have our long term pieces in Dame and Dwight but I think if we can manage to make a few moves, we can tweak it and still find our long term course.

[C-Prej]

Do you feel that Lillard is a true PG or being forced to play there since no other hdl/pass pg is available?

[fearthebrow]

Random Dallas Mavericks reporter:

Do you have buyer's remorse signing Dwight Howard and seeing him tumble in training camp? Still feel good about him? In the end he's still Dwight Howard.

[NickMalone77]

Do you feel that Lillard is a true PG or being forced to play there since no other hdl/pass pg is available?

With the way the lotto worked out, we were very fortunate to grab a player like Damian. Given that the NBA is almost transitioning to a very guard driven game right now, you're lost if you don't have a guy with Lillard's versatility. That's why we've seen transcendent talents like Jason Kidd, Baron Davis, and Chauncey Billips, come along and thrive at the highest possible difficulty. Lillard will take some time to develop but if he rises according to his skill set, we're very lucky to have Dame as a cornerstone of our franchise and feel really good about the kind of player he can become in this league if he's willing to put in the work and from all intensive purposes, he definitely wants it.

[NickMalone77]

Random Dallas Mavericks reporter:

Do you have buyer's remorse signing Dwight Howard and seeing him tumble in training camp? Still feel good about him? In the end he's still Dwight Howard.

Remorse? No. Disappointment? Possibly. We're still thrilled to have Dwight on our side now than when we had to play him when he was with the Magic and Pistons. Dwight probably enjoyed himself a bit too much on Bourbon street than we expected but he's still an important anchor for our team going forward. He still maintained his potentials so hopefully he'll come into next camp reinvigorated, fully knowing who he's playing with and knows that he now has a home in Metairie. A great suburb of NOLA.