SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for January and and February: 25. New Orleans Hornets

New Orleans Hornets Overall Win/Loss Record (as of February 28th) :  20-39 (fifth place, Southwest Division)	Last Month: 27	This Month: 25
Team Statistics and League Rank (as of February 28th) Points Scored: 94.2 (23rd) Points Allowed: 97.7 (15th) Team FG%: .452 (14th) Opponent’s FG%: .464 (25th) Team FT%: .770 (10th) Team Three Point FG%: .371 (7th) Rebounds per game: 41.1 (23rd) Opponents rebounds per game: 40.4 (5th) Turnovers per game: 14.3 (9th) Opponents turnovers per game: 13.4 (26th)	Individual Statistical Leaders (as of February 28th) Scoring (ppg): Ryan Anderson (16.7) Rebounds per game:  Al-Farouq Aminu (7.6) Minutes per game: Greivis Vasquez (34.1) Assists per game: Greivis Vasquez (9.4) Field Goal Percentage: Robin Lopez (.552) Free Throw Percentage: Eric Gordon (.850) Three Point FG Percentage: Ryan Anderson (.397) Steals per game: Al-Farouq Aminu (1.3) Blocked Shots per game: Anthony Davis (1.8)
Worst Player of the Month: Al-Farouq Aminu Aminu started off quite well at the season's tip-off; however, since posting career numbers in November of 9.8 points per game, his scoring has gradually diminished with each passing month as the season wears on.  From looking as if he had the potential of becoming a quality player and a possible building block for the future, Al-Farouq Aminu has become an almost non factor as both his minutes and production have taken downward turns.  Despite his significant drop in offensive production, Aminu has still remained rather efficient shooting close to .470 from the field off of only six shot attempts per game.  His rebounding and defense are probably the only two reason why head coach Monty Williams has kept Aminu in the roster, as he currently leads the team in steals per game and is second in rebounding as well.   Unfortunately, as a result of him being an almost non-factor on the offensive end after starting so strong, Aminu's stock has certainly diminished as a result and just might end up a roster casualty once the season draws to a close.	First Player of the Month:  Greivis Vasquez Forget about Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon or even Ryan Anderson--it is Greivis Vasquez who has been the Hornets best player thus far in the season and possibly one of the best kept secrets in the NBA as well.  From coming off the bench last season, Vasquez has become the catalyst of the Hornets offense leading the team in assists per game along with being fourth in league as well.  His impressive skill set, his superior court vision and basketball IQ along with his size, at 6' 6" and 211 lbs, make Vasquez a virtual match up nightmare to opposing defenses and possibly one of the most dangerous players in the league.  His play is certainly reminiscent of another Hall of Fame point guard whose size, skills, and abilities led to him to be heralded as one of the greatest players to ever play the game.  If Vasquez continues his stellar play at the point, he may earn himself the nickname of "Latin Magic" as he will certainly become a player to keep a eye on.
Analysis: Although they have only risen a couple of spots from the previous month, the New Orleans Hornets have still continued to perform rather admirably as they continue to show their opponents that despite their losing record, they still should not be underestimated in the least.  After finishing 2012 winning just seven of thirty games, the Hornets buzzed into 2013 as a fierce swarm stinging their opponent by winning seven of their first ten games.  They stumbled at the start losing their first two games against the Atlanta Hawks (1/1/2013) followed by the Houston Rockets (1/2/2013); however, they found their stride winning four straight beating three of their division rivals including an impressive upset against the first place San Antonio Spurs (1/11/2013).  After having their winning end abruptly thanks to the New York Knicks (1/13/2013), the Hornets bounced back yet again winning three of their next four games losing a heart breaker to the Golden State Warriors by just four points (1/19/2013).  Unfortunately January ended on a sour note as New Orleans finished the month winning just one of their last five games; however, despite the lackluster finish, the Hornets gave plenty of reasons that will keep their opponents wary and their fans optimistic for the future. For starters, among the eight games that they lost to in January, five of the those losses were by single digit margin with four of them being rather close at five points or less.  If the ball would had bounced the Hornets way and they would have had a couple of key defensive stops, the Hornets could have had those close games.  Against such quality teams such as the Spurs (1/23/2013), Los Angeles Lakers (1/29/2013) and the Utah Jazz (1/20/2013) the Hornets lost by a total of just fourteen points--that's just about four points per loss.  It all boiled down to defense as New Orleans struggled against team that they allowed to score 100 points or more whereas the Hornets won all except one when holding their foes to under 100 points losing to just the Atlanta Hawks despite holding them to just 95 points.  Once those games reached to the 100 point mark, the Hornets simply could not hold on and were simply outlasted by the Warriors, Spurs, Lakers and Jazz or if they were not outlasted, they were blown out by the likes of the Knicks by 13, and twice by the  Houston Rockets to the tune of 12 (1/2/2013) and 18 points (1/25/2013). Unfortunately, February would not start as well as it did the previous month losing their first two games rather embarrassingly against the Denver Nuggets by 15 (2/1/2013) and the Minnesota Timberwolves by 19 (2/2/2013).  Similar to what happened in January, the Hornets would bounce back winning four of their last five games losing to the Toronto Raptors (2/10/2013) on the road.  Unfortunately it was the same story following that four win run as the Hornets simply just could not hold on and would lose yet again by rather slim margins.  Despite holding the Chicago Bulls to 96 points, the Hornets simply could not make shots on the other end of the floor as they ended up losing  by 9 points (2/19/2013) followed by two heart breaking defeats against the Cleveland Cavaliers (2/20/2013) and the Dallas Mavericks (2/22/2013) by a total of just eight points.  They managed to take their frustration out on the visiting Sacramento Kings by simply crushing them on their home floor (2/24/2013), but as it would often happen, the Hornets could not carry that momentum as they would lose yet another heart breaker to the Brooklyn Nets by just four points (2/26/2013) followed by a humiliating loss at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder (2/27/2013).            Although a two month record 13-16  may not much be to brag about, it is certainly a step in the right direction for the New Orleans Hornets as that was certainly far better than sole seven sole victories that they had in November and December combined.  Also, considering that eight of those sixteen games were losses of just four to five points, if luck were on their side, the Hornets could have potentially finished January and February with 21 instead of just 13 games, thus tripling their win total.  A quick look at the number would also show that despite resting at the bottom of the standings, the Hornets certainly kept their opponents on their toes as their matched them almost exactly in terms of shooting, rebounding and committing turnovers.    In essence, January and February can be considered as a microcosm of the the Hornets' general performance thus far in this season--they have fought and have continued to fight regardless of the outcome.  They will certainly not gain a playoff spot, but they have probably gained something far more valuable--respect from their opponents and the league in general. It may not look like it now, but a huge and deadly swarm is on its way and the other 29 nine teams in the NBA need to stand up and take notice.  This young hungry Hornets team will not stay at the bottom for long and are more than likely a season or two away from becoming a force to be reckoned with in the NBA.  With each passing season they will grow stronger and in time, the teams that had once scraped past them will become the victims instead of the victors.  If they manage to maintain the talented young core of players that the Hornets currently possess, there will be no stopping the Swarm once it reaches to full strength.   So look your doors, batten down the hatches, and run for cover, because a storm is brewing in the Bayou and once it hits, no one within an earshot will be spared from the merciless swarm that will soon approach--just remember, you all have been fore-warned.