Linkin' and Previewin'

Got a lot of good information to point y'all to, and got my take on tonights game against Portland. So let's get right down to it:

• After watching Tyson in that pre-season opener, I felt I needed to write about him. Go take a look at it over at MVN.com. It's clearly the most important thing you'll ever read.
• Dave Berri of the Wages of Wins evaluates the Rookies that played in the pre-season after discovering the pre-season does give some good indication of a Rookie's relative worth doing the regular season. Our boy, Julian Wright, comes in 2nd on the list. It's a fascinating read, go take a look.
• The Sacramento Bee reports that there was a trade discussed between the Kings and Hornets this off-season: Bobby Jackson and Rasual Butler for Kenny Thomas. Thomas has a longer contract than both, and he's worse than both. I think we know why the Hornets turned it down.
• Byron Scott's patience has already run out for some of his second unit. I'm hoping it's with Ely, not Armstrong. The good news is that Julian Wright will play tonight.
• For the upcoming game tonight - go take a look at what the Blazer's Edge has to say about the Hornets. I think he under-rates Peterson as a defender, but otherwise, he's not far off. It's amazing what a year can do. Suddenly we're a perimeter monster. Last year we didn't know what a perimeter shot looked like.
• And I will again plug our bloggerview with Chad Shinn - the Hornets Executive of the Board. First part here at Hornets247, second part here.

And now, what you've all been waiting for: The Game Preview!

Opponent: Portland Trailblazers(0-1)
Relevant Opposing Blogger(and enjoyable read): Blazer's Edge

The Portland Trailblazers roll into New Orleans tonight to face the Hornets. The visitors had an impressive opening game against the San Antonio Spurs, refusing to give up and pushing the defending Champs a little on both ends of the floor. It's clear that the game was a moral victory for this young Portland team, and they come into the Crescent City confident they can play with the big boys. We may see a little let down in the trail blazers play, however. They did have a long stretch to prepare for the Spurs, and you know they were up for that game - well coached teams are always up for the big challenges.

For tonight's game it's essential that the Hornets come out and stomp on them. They've got to break that confidence early, or they'll be in for a hard fight. The Hornets also must get more out of their bench. Julian Wright should play, and I'm sure he'll help, I just hope he's taking minutes from Ely and not Armstrong.

Positional Analysis:

Jarrett Jack vs. Chris Paul
Advantage: Hornets
Jack didn't have the best opening game,(5 points, 1 assist, 2 turnovers) and since I'm sure he's feeling pressure from the Portland Backup PG Corps of Sergio Rodriguez, Steve Blake and Taureen Green, I expect to see more out of him this game. Still, Chris Paul is going to eat his lunch, being better at just about every phase of the game.

Brandon Roy vs. Morris Peterson
Advantage: Blazers
Roy is a good player, despite being smothered last game. I'm not sure how much that has to do with an injury that was bothering him in training camp, or if it was Bruce Bowen, but I'm leaning towards Bowen. Peterson is not Bowen, though he showed some pretty solid defense last game. I think their scoring numbers won't be very different, but Roy does have a better floor game and will gain his advantage that way.

Martell Webster vs. Peja Stojakovic
Advantage: Hornets
This is close. If Martell Webster can keep up what he did opening night, then the Blazers will have the advantage here. But he's been a really inconsistent player. Peja, however, is not inconsistent. He'll get his 17-20 points a game through various savvy veteran moves and long-distance bombs. So until Martell proves himself, Stojakovic's got this one.

LaMarcus Aldridge vs. David West
Advantage: Hornets
Aldridge oozes potential, and his game against the Spurs was impressive. But I'll have to repeat what I said with Martell. Aldridge hasn't proven he can do it consistently. David West has, even on a bum ankle. Still, if this is one of Aldridge's nights, this position could go to the Blazers.

Joel Pryzbilla vs. Tyson Chandler
Advantage: Hornets
Pryzbilla wins the battle of size down low, but Chandler gets the athleticism. Both are players that give the same things to their teams - defense, shotblocking, and rebounding - but Chandler does it all on a much higher level. I also expect to see Chandler beating Pryzbilla down court at least a couple times for easy baskets.

Bench
Advantage: Blazers
The Blazers are a fairly deep team with solid talent at almost every backup position. The Hornets have 3-4 guys who can come off the bench and do a lot. If the Hornets backups play like they should, this advantage will be minimized. If they play like they did last game, the Blazers second unit is going to hurt us.