It's NOOCHy time!
STARTERS:
PG - The trade of Mike Bibby, should it happen in the next week, would be more bittersweet than the trades of Webber and Peja, I'm thinking.
SG - Kevin Martin's scoring is rolling at a November level, again...
SF - Ron Artest has to love the freedom of Eric Musselman's offense, if nothing else: career highs twice this year, for a seven-year veteran.
PF - Remember how Kenny Thomas morphed into Mr. Double-Double this time last year? Still waiting...
C - Shareef Abdur-Rahim should take some jumpers early to test his legs and pull Tyson Chandler away from the rim.
NEW ORLEANS
PG - Chris Paul was reportedly awful last night - 0-7, though he had 10 assists.
SG - Devin Brown is a frightening opponent.
SF - Desmond Mason has already destroyed Ron Artest twice this season.
PF - David West, if he stays healthy, will finish the season strong. That will cause roughly 200 columnists to announce the Hornets are a 2008 playoff team this summer.
C - Tyson Chandler is possessed.
THE LINE:
The Hornets are 6-point favorites. Two competing demons here: The Kings have done nothing but get their asses kicked in Oklahoma City the last two years, and the way the Kings could most infuriate its fanbase going into the All-Star break is by smoking the Hornets tonight. Which means the Kings will smoke the Hornets tonight. (All that said, the Kings have played well save one half the last two weeks. When they play like that, they should be able to beat NOOCH.) Take the Kings.
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT NOTE:
There's, like, 13 games tonight! On Valentine's Day. And Kings/NOOCH isn't the least exciting. That award will be shared by Memphis/Indy, Boston/Milwaukee, and Golden State/New York. Yikes.
BONUS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT NOTE:
There's a Hallmark in the K Street Mall downtown, on Sunrise in Citrus Heights, in Country Club Plaza out at Watt and El Camino, at Arden Fair, in Loehmann's Plaza in Fair Oaks, at Lakecrest in South Sac, in Elk Grove at Laguna Crossroads, at the Galleria in Roseville, on Douglas in Roseville - no excuses.
PREGAME AIRING OF GRIEVANCES:
I am angered more NBA pundits are not thoroughly laying out rebuilding plans for our Kings. Help Petrie help us!
(Yes, the grievances are back.)
I will not be partaking in this fine hoops fare this eve, so we'll hit you with a just-the-box-score recap in the morning.