When CP3 went down with a severe ankle sprain last Friday the first thing I thought was, “How are we going to survive this?”, I’ m sure others thought the same thing. Former coach, Byron Scott had made both the team and fans so dependent on Paul that it appeared the best thing to do would be to throw the towel in and wait to next season. The last two games maybe an indicator that we don’t have to do that.
The games against the Clippers and Suns gives renew hope that CP3 does not always have to be on the floor trying to carry this team on his shoulder all the time. It proves that if given the chance young players such as Collinson and Thornton can produce and contribute. It proves that other people on the team can step up and fill the leadership role. Now how long they can continue to do these remains to be seen.
I dare not be foolish and say that the Hornets can go an extensive length of time without Chris Paul; after all he is the heart of the team. But I am beginning to understand why Scott was let go and what the Hornets are trying to accomplish. Byron Scott failed in one of his most important duties. That is the development of players so that CP3 would not have to play nearly 48 min per game or try to score nearly thirty or forty points per night with twenty assist per game. They probably felt like they had the players in place but that they were not ready to step up in times like these and under Scott would never be ready.
Jeff Bower and Tim Floyd appear to be taking a different approach. They are taking the idea that as important as Paul is to this team he is not the only player on the team. Other players can step in and help carry the load so that one player doesn’t have to do it all the time. As I said before it would be unrealistic to think the Hornets can go a long time without Paul. But I also think that when someone like CP3 goes down there should not be that much of a drop off. At least one that doesn’t have people saying, “How are we going to survive this.”
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