FanHouse JulianWright

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Julian Wright can jump very high.

When I say that, I don't mean that he jumps really high for normal people. I'm talking, he jumps high for NBA guys. For grasshoppers in relative height. When I caught him in front of his old college crowd in Kansas City last Thursday, I could almost hear the sound of a 747 going by. If Billy Bob Thornton and John Cusack had been around, they would have been parked in the photography section waiting to get blown backwards to St. Louis. The dude jumps like Skywalker in Empire, only he doesn't have to get his legs under him at all. Not kidding, HSA is giving thought to labeling him as a "flight risk." Wakka wakka wakka.

Okay, I'm done telling you how high Julian Wright can jump.

FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Time at the peak isn't supposed to be this short.

The Hornets jolted the West in 2008, nearly taking the first seed in the conference one season after missing the postseason entirely. After waxing Dallas in what would become Avery Johnson's final playoff series there, the Hornets went all the way to Game 7 against the defending champion Spurs. The Hornets lost, and didn't get close in 2008-09.

You can believe one of three things. The Hornets' short triumph could be over, more flash in the sky than formation of a new star. The Hornets could have experienced just a brief setback, a defeat at the hands of a bad match-up and an injury-riddled season. Or, the Hornets could have just ran into some structural problems in need of fixing, which they possibly have this summer.

Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.

Brett showed you what Dwyane Wade pulled to end Miami's double overtime thriller against the Bulls. But Flash did a bunch to get to that point, as well. Wade racked up 48 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, four steals and three blocks.

Since at least 1986-87, no player has gone for 48 points, 12 assists and three blocks. Only one man -- Michael Jordan -- has had 40 points with 12 assists and three blocks. Heck, only two players since 1986-87 have done the 48 points/12 assists bit: Larry Joe Bird and Stephon Marbury. (!) Wade is unbelievable.

Whenever I get on the phone with the Hornets, it's like I'm calling a house party. Maybe it's just timing, but it always sounds like everyone on the other end of the line is having more fun than I could possibly be having. You constantly hear guys in the background laughing, talking, giving each other grief (as the kids say), and generally sounding like men under thirty years old who make several million dollars a year.

It's also probably because the Hornets have managed to capture a rare dynamic. They are a team that's professional and dedicated to its goals, but is also fully in sync and actually enjoys playing and being together. I try and imagine what it must have been like for a rookie to come into that situation, with Byron Scott at the helm and Chris Paul directing traffic. And I realize that Julian Wright, the lightning bug sophomore for the Hornets headed into his second season with a championship contender, may be in the best spot of all.

I was lucky enough to catch up with Julian a few days ago and we talked about his defensive energy, his relationship with Scott and whether he and Chris Paul have bowled to the death yet.

MM: What was the biggest thing you learned last year?

JW: I would say just getting extra work in when you need it. Sometimes when things aren't working right and your shot's not falling, you have to just get work in and be professional about it. You also need to remember it's a long season and you have to take care of your body. Those are the main things.

Game Seven. No way out except onward. The defending champs responded at home and sent a message about their physical approach. Now the Hornets are at home, hoping to knock off the Spurs and keep them from their "one for the thumb." In an expanded edition of our playoff game previews, here are seven things to keep an eye on in tonight's Spurs-Hornets Game 7.





1. Let's Get The Ugliness Out Of The Way: David West will play. So will Robert Horry. And it'll probably be fine and nothing else will happen. But the tension will be there. And don't be completely shocked if there's another incident of "good playoff basketball" somewhere that ends up with West clutching his back again. These things "just happen." Meanwhile, Horry will be booed like he probably never has been before. Suns fans didn't get another shot at him that season and are notoriously civil. I would not expect the same treatment from the New Orleans folks. There's going to be a lot of physical play and don't be surprised if we see more technical fouls as both teams are really getting to dislike one another.

2. Duncan Versus West: Mano A Mano: The Spurs are 1-1 in putting Tim Duncan on David West one on one. Duncan was able to shut down the All-Star before the "good hard playoff basketball" by using his size and length in conjunction with a cohesive Spurs effort that jacked up the spacing for the Hornets on the offensive end. Conversely, in Game 5, with a healthy David West and the confidence of homecourt, West was nearly unstoppable. If he gets separation from Duncan and freezes him with the drive fake, he can get his jumper going, and that's when he gets scary. Conversely, Tyson Chandler has the job of guarding Duncan on the defensive end, but West has held his own. You never know which Tim Duncan is going to show up anymore. The bamboozled veteran that seems to slow and too clumsy to ever get anything going, or the best power forward in the history of the game. The Spurs can win without Duncan going off, and they can lose with Duncan scoring 30+, but both scenarios are very difficult to achieve.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Hornets-Spurs Western Conference Semifinals Game 4 this afternoon.

1. Manu Happy Returns: Manu Ginobili returned to playoff form in Game 4, lighting up the Hornets for 31 points and 6 assists in Game 3. What's better, for the Spurs, is that he finally seemed to attack the rim after being held to the perimeter in New Orleans. Instead of his customary drive from the key, he instead used the wing more, driving in for albeit contested layups, and got back on defense instead of crying for the foul. Well, less so, anyway. He was downright brilliant offensively, though, nailing 3 three pointers and helping to open previously clogged lanes. He needs to repeat that performance tomorrow night against the Hornets for San Antonio to tie this thing up.

2. The Ineffective One Man Show: Chris Paul was a lot of things in Game 3. The words "amazing," "irradiant," and "transcendent" were just a few I read and heard about his performance. One word that did not describe Paul after that game, though, was "winner." The Spurs took a defending-Kobe-Bryant-like approach to Paul, choosing to let the All-Star point guard have his way, as long as his teammates were held in check. And for one game at least, the strategy proved effective. The issue will become whether they can keep the support players for New Orleans in check after a terrible Game 3 in which the Hornets were still within range until late in the fourth quarter. The Spurs also have to make sure Paul doesn't go too far. You can give the dog some slack to run around as long as he doesn't start choking you with it.

Playoffs are here. You've read the zillion previews going over the main stuff about this game, including our most recent masterpiece on the game. But what about the little things (that kill) so to speak? Here are five things to focus on during Mavericks vs. Hornets.

1. Spring The Trap: The Mavericks happened upon something I hadn't seen a team do against the Hornets this season. They immediately trapped Paul on the perimeter with the strong side. If Chris Paul has any weakness, it's his size. By forcing his passing lanes away from West and Chandler, the Mavs made an inconsistent (this year) Peja Stojakovic and Mo Peterson the primary scorers. Needless to say, that did not end well for the Hornets. The only cost is bringing either Dirk Nowitzki or Bass off of West to trap, which can burn you. If Avery Johnson is able to effectively pull the perimeter defenders to trap Paul, they can limit CP3's effectiveness.

2. The Assassin Versus Dirkalicous: David West's versatility is a key factor in the Hornets' offense. They need him to be able to produce. Dirk has been tremendous since coming back from the injury. The Mavs need him to be the Man he's been. This could very well be the best player on player matchup in the playoffs. West's post game has improved as the season has progressed, but Dirk's touch is amazing combined with his size. This should be a clinic on both sides.