Who doesn't like a list, especially on a Monday morning when that's about all you can handle?
Training camps are opening, so here are five coaches likely to start feeling the heat if their teams don't get off to good starts.
Mike Dunleavy, L.A. Clippers: The Clippers head into the season with expectations, which might not be the best news for Dunleavy. He's got to figure out a way to reconfigure his relationship with Baron Davis so that the veteran point guard once again can thrive. If Dunleavy and Davis aren't on the same page, there's no hope in L.A.
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
For the past nine years the Harold Pump Foundation, created by David and Dana Pump (known as the gurus of high school and college basketball) has raised over $3.5 million dollars to fight cancer. The foundation's efforts have not gone unnoticed. Major stars such as Magic Johnson, Paul Pierce, Sugar Ray Leonard, Pete Sampras and Denzel Washington have all joined the Pump brothers. In this report we also hear from young NBA stars like Kevin Love, Brandon Jennings, and Blake Griffin.
There really are no words to describe the Hornets' 58-point home loss on Monday, in what was unquestionably a must-win playoff game against the Nuggets. But embarrassing, humiliating, inexcusable, and unconscionable are all good places to start.
After trailing by 22 points at the break, there was no fight in New Orleans to start the third quarter, and they managed just 11 points in the period while Denver continued to play as if it were Game 7 of the Finals.
Part of the blame for the second half lack of effort falls on Byron Scott, but a more than equal share should also fall on the shoulders of Chris Paul. Either way, give Denver their due for providing teams with a blueprint for how to defend one of the league's best point guards.
Less than eight minutes into Saturday's Game 3, the Hornets were down 16 points to the Denver Nuggets. But thanks to a big-time effort by point guard Chris Paul, the Hornets overcame that deficit and ended up hanging on for a two-point win.
Conventional wisdom suggests the Hornets are right back in the series, now down just two games to one. But they've still got a lot of work to do and many obstacles and challenges to overcome.
In fact, the Nuggets still have plenty of reasons to be optimistic, while the Hornets' margin for error remains small. In short, the Hornets still have some problems ... and here are five of them:
Rumor has it the Mavs brass let the powers that be in the Big Easy know before the trade deadline that they'd take the Hornets' two worst contracts off their hands in a package with Paul.
Why else would he continue to play on a sprained left ankle even as the Hornets are all but assured a playoff spot in the Western Conference?
OK, there's that issue of home-court advantage, but c'mon. What's the home-court going to do for you in the postseason if West, your two-time NBA All-Star, is hobbled? Right about now would seem like the perfect time for West to give the ankle time to heal, no?
Instead, he's pushing the ankle harder than he's ever pushed it. But that's David West for you.
The Rockets visit Louisiana in a truly handsome match-up for fans of speedster point guards running slow-like-poison offenses. At some point in the near future, perhaps April or next Christmas, pockets of bastardly revolution calling for the ouster of Byron Scott in the name of a fully unleashed Chris Paul will sprout. I'd join, were I a revolutionary bastard. But I'm cool with the mundane Paul-to-Peja so long as cohabitation with Paul-to-Chandler is plausible.
Byron Scott has turned himself into a pretty successful NBA coach. Although much maligned in New Jersey, he did lead the team to two straight NBA Finals in the 2002 and 2003 seasons. In New Orleans he's turned the Hornets into one of the best teams in the league. Of course, having Chris Paul on his side has to help him some. But either way, it's obvious that he's a pretty darn good coach.
Before his coaching days, Scott was mostly known for his successful run as the starting shooting guard for the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers. Scott's success in Los Angeles was somewhat of a fairytale, since he grew up playing ball right down the street from the Forum in Inglewood, CA.
Now that he's become a successful coach, some are wondering if the Los Angeles will be his next coaching destination.
NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.
1. NBC Washington. As you can see to the right, NBC's D.C. local team got photographic evidence of Gilbert Arenas' presidential ink.
2. Los Angeles Times. Danger, George Shinn: reigning Coach of the Year Byron Scott indicates the Lakers top gig might be one of those "dream jobs."
3. New Orleans Times-Picayune. Speaking of Shinn ...Phil Jackson comments on the duality of the Hornets owner's strict Christian beliefs with the endless Harrah's Casino ads all about New Orleans Arena.
4. Orlando Sentinel. Dwight Howard will offer a defense of his Slam Dunk title. What more can he do? He'll be asking fans that question shortly.
5. Clips Nation. Losing to the Kevin Martin-less Kings at home on longer rest ... not so good.
6. Ball Don't Lie. Where Syncing NBA Commercials to Jewel Videos Happens.
Who doesn't like a list, especially on a Monday morning when that's about all you can handle?
For the past nine years the Harold Pump Foundation, created by David and Dana Pump (known as the gurus of high school and college basketball) has raised over $3.5 million dollars to fight cancer. The foundation's efforts have not gone unnoticed. Major stars such as Magic Johnson, Paul Pierce, Sugar Ray Leonard, Pete Sampras and Denzel Washington have all joined the Pump brothers. In this report we also hear from young NBA stars like Kevin Love, Brandon Jennings, and Blake Griffin. 
There really are no words to describe the Hornets' 
Less than eight minutes into Saturday's Game 3, the Hornets were down 16 points to the Denver Nuggets. But thanks to a big-time effort by point guard Chris Paul, the Hornets overcame that deficit and ended up hanging on for a two-point win.
On Friday morning, 
Byron Scott
