Hornets struggle without guard Chris Paul

After going 5-8 during the past month, the New Orleans Hornets find themselves on the outside of the playoff bubble. After finishing January with the seventh-best record in the Western Conference, New Orleans has let inconsistent play — no doubt caused by the loss of Chris Paul — drag them out of the playoffs and into mediocrity.

At publication, the Hornets sit one game above .500 at 31-30. While such a record might be sufficient in the weaker Eastern Conference, due to the team’s odd placement in the much tougher Western Conference, an average record simply isn’t good enough. After last Monday’s 106-92 one-sided loss to the Spurs, the Hornets find themselves four games behind eighth seed Portland and 15 behind the league-leading Lakers. Without All-Star and driving force Chris Paul on the court, The Hornets have found trouble both gaining a lead and maintaining it late in the game.

After Monday’s loss, a number of Hornets players were asked for comment. Both Hornets guard Darren Collison and forward Peja Stojakovic agreed that in order for the team to stop its ongoing skid, it has to prevent opposing teams from putting up early double-digit advantages. This has been a huge problem for New Orleans lately, as in most of their recent losses they have trailed by more than 10 at halftime.

Another recent failure for the team has been its inability to win close, fourth-quarter decisions. Again, the fault here can be attributed to the absence of Chris Paul. A staple of any contending NBA team is a franchise shooter who everyone knows is getting the ball at the end of the game. Without that player, teams fall apart. While Paul’s replacement, rookie Darren Collison, has played surprisingly well in Paul’s absence, his inaccuracy from the field and general lack of scoring power — 10.4 PPG compared to Paul’s 20.4—have left the team hurting as it approaches the end of the season.

Despite Paul’s injury, many players remain optimistic of the Hornet’s potential playoff push. In his official Hornets blog, center Sean Marks, “Injuries are certainly part of the game and as all of our fans know we have had our fair share this year. Fingers are crossed that we all remain healthy and the guys that are currently out return soon so the team will be at full strength for our final stretch before the playoffs.”

With six weeks and 21 games left, the Hornets have quite a bit to accomplish in order to stake claim as a low-level seed. In that span, New Orleans will essentially face each Western Conference team one more time. Key matchups include bouts with the Lakers, Spurs and Mavericks.

The most important game, however, falls on March 27 when the Hornets take on the Portland Trailblazers in what will hopefully still be a fight for the eighth seed. A win here would give the Hornets the momentum necessary to carry the last eight games after that and sneak into the playoffs.