It's time for Preview!

Three quick items, and then on to the game preview:

• I have a new post at MVN about the Hornets December Schedule
• CP3 has a new Website - and it's looking pretty sharp. It even mentions something called CP3TV. Yes please.
• Dave Berri over at the Wages of Wins again promotes CP3 - pointing out he's infinitely cooler than Deron Williams. I never tire of hearing that, though Jazz fans apparently do judging by the comments.

Game Preview
Opponent: Detroit Pistons(12-5)
Relevant Opposing Blogger: Motoring

The Pistons bang into New Orleans tonight after pounding the Hawks into submission last night in Atlanta. They are on a roll at the moment, having won four straight, but are going to come up against one of their toughest challenges to date. Really. If there is any team in the league that has faced an easier schedule than the Hornets(and maybe Celtics) it's these Pistons. So far, the only tests they've faced are Orlando and Utah. They got 0-5 Golden State before SJax came back and Cleveland without Lebron, and the only two other teams with decent records they've faced were the Lakers and New Jersey.

Here's hoping for a tough game, with both teams trying to see what sort of mettle they have. Or better yet, a blowout, with Rasheed Wallace foaming at the mouth in the locker room at half time.

Positional Analysis
PG: Chauncey Billups vs. Chris Paul
Advantage: Hornets
The Detroit PG gets to say hello to the new model tonight, as CP3 takes on former Finals MVP Chauncey Billups. Mr. Big Shot is still a good PG, but Paul is outstripping him at pretty much everything at this point; He's a better rebounder, assist-man, ballhawk, scorer and shooter. In fact, the car analogy continues to hold - like an older vehicle compared to a modern one, the only thing Billups has on Paul is size and weight. That's not likely to be enough.

SG: Rip Hamilton vs. Morris Peterson
Advantage: Pistons
The Piston's Iron Man isn't proving to be so Iron this year, shooting well below average in every category in only 34 minutes a game. At least his assists are up. He's still a little better than Morris, though this isn't the advantage it used to be: Morris is playing very well in his limited minutes.

SF: Tayshaun Prince vs. Peja Stojakovic
Advantage: Pistons
Tyson Chandler's High School team mate is having one of his best years shooting the ball. He's filling it up on that corner 3-ball, and Peja is going to have to close on him fast to disrupt him. of course, the same can be said for Peja - so the advantage is actually in defense. Prince is still a good one-on-one defender with long arms to harass ball handling. His defense gives him the edge unless Peja gets hot.

PF: Antonio McDyess vs. David West
Advantage: Hornets
The exceptional part of McDyess's game vanished with the soundness of his kneecap a few years back, but he's still a solid veteran PF who gets along with sound fundamentals and veteran wile. West has never been accused of being a freak athelete, but his skills are excellent, and far outstrip McDyess on the offensive end. Both of them are about equal on Defense.

C: Rasheed Wallace v Tyson Chandler
Advantage: Hornets
Wallace is treated like a big star, but he's offensively mediocre, takes way too many long-range shots, rebounds poorly, and whines like a two year old. Other than the one half-season he played hard after being traded to the Pistons, Wallace has always under-achieved. Tyson Chandler is playing aggressively again now that his knee is feeling better. He'll outhustle and out-bang Wallace in the post, and his defense is on par with the Piston Center. The only thing to worry about is if Chandler riles up Wallace, and Rasheed decides this is one of the ten games this year he's going to play hard in.

Bench:
Advantage: Pistons
The Pistons have several good Bench Players in Jason Maxiell(finally getting mintes), Jarvis Hayes(Finally found his shot) and Nazr Mohammed. Even Flip Murray has his moments. The Hornets have a collection of streaky, up-and-down players who of late hurt the team more than they help. I keep hoping they'll return to the same form they showed in the first half-dozen games, but that seems more and more unlikely all the time.

Hornets win, 99-93