Post by John on Dec 6, 2006 11:54:25 GMT -4
From the Oklahoman...
So Jannero Pargo wasn't signed this offseason solely for insurance purposes.
That much has been proven by how he's averaged 16 minutes in his first 16 games with the Hornets.
But now that the Hornets are in full-blown crisis mode, can the third-string point guard play a leading role?
The Hornets need him to as they start a three-game road trip Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Hornets will be playing without David West (injured right elbow), Peja Stojakovic (sore back) and Bobby Jackson, who said Monday that he doesn't expect to play Wednesday because of lingering pain in his ribs.
Wednesday will be the 10th consecutive game that West will miss, the fourth consecutive for Stojakovic and the second straight game Jackson will have missed. That trio is three of the Hornets' top four scorers.
"Anybody that plays, we need (better) play from them right now," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "When you're as shorthanded as we are and you play eight or nine guys, you need all eight or nine guys to really play well."
But without Jackson, the team's top reserve, Pargo is left as the Hornets' only scoring threat off the bench.
Customary reserve forward Rasual Butler is starting in place of Stojakovic at shooting guard, and normal backup Marc Jackson has replaced West as the starting power forward.
That means, at least for the next few games, the 6-foot-1 Pargo must serve as the team's backup point guard and shooting guard. He must score and set up his teammates.
"I feel like I can do a lot," Pargo said. "I just have to go out there and be aggressive and play with confidence. When I do that, the sky's the limit with what I can bring to this team, both offensively and defensively."
Pargo, now in his fifth season out of Arkansas, is averaging 6.6 points and 1.4 assists. Similar to almost every other Hornet, though, Pargo has battled inconsistency.
Heralded as an excellent perimeter shooter when the team signed him to a free-agent contract this summer, Pargo is shooting just 38 percent from the field, including a career-low 22.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
But Pargo has played his best ball of late. He scored 13 points in 22 minutes last week against Minnesota; a season-high 19 points in 29 minutes against Dallas; and 18 points in 28 minutes against Chicago.
"I've been doing a pretty good job," Pargo said. "Offensively, whenever I go out there with the mindset of being aggressive I can be effective."
The Hornets are relying on Pargo to be just as effective as Jackson, who is fourth on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game. Jackson had scored in double figures in 11 of his 15 games before sustaining bruised ribs last Tuesday against the Toronto Raptors.
Both Jackson and Pargo can score in bunches off the bench, and both are solid defenders. The only thing that separates Jackson from Pargo is experience. Jackson is in his 10th NBA season.
"He's learning," Scott said of Pargo. "This is probably the most he's played since he's been in the league. So you've got another young guy that's learning a new system and he's still finding his way. He knows what I want from him, but he's also trying to learn the system and other guys as well.
"I think that's the one thing that's (limiting) J.P. And he might need that same type (playing) time as Bobby. Bobby's going to get 20, 25 minutes a game. Jannero is going to get 10, 15 minutes a game. But right now, with the way we're going, he's going to get more than that."
With extended minutes, Jackson said Pargo needs to make better decisions with the ball in order to become more consistent. Jackson thinks Pargo must have better shot selection and do a better job of getting his teammates involved.
"He's always going to be a scorer," Jackson said. "I think for him it's just doing the little things. He needs to continue to be aggressive offensively and defensively, rebounding and being smart about when to take shots.
"He's a fifth-year guy. Everybody knows he can score and shoot the ball. He's just got to keep that up."
So Jannero Pargo wasn't signed this offseason solely for insurance purposes.
That much has been proven by how he's averaged 16 minutes in his first 16 games with the Hornets.
But now that the Hornets are in full-blown crisis mode, can the third-string point guard play a leading role?
The Hornets need him to as they start a three-game road trip Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Hornets will be playing without David West (injured right elbow), Peja Stojakovic (sore back) and Bobby Jackson, who said Monday that he doesn't expect to play Wednesday because of lingering pain in his ribs.
Wednesday will be the 10th consecutive game that West will miss, the fourth consecutive for Stojakovic and the second straight game Jackson will have missed. That trio is three of the Hornets' top four scorers.
"Anybody that plays, we need (better) play from them right now," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "When you're as shorthanded as we are and you play eight or nine guys, you need all eight or nine guys to really play well."
But without Jackson, the team's top reserve, Pargo is left as the Hornets' only scoring threat off the bench.
Customary reserve forward Rasual Butler is starting in place of Stojakovic at shooting guard, and normal backup Marc Jackson has replaced West as the starting power forward.
That means, at least for the next few games, the 6-foot-1 Pargo must serve as the team's backup point guard and shooting guard. He must score and set up his teammates.
"I feel like I can do a lot," Pargo said. "I just have to go out there and be aggressive and play with confidence. When I do that, the sky's the limit with what I can bring to this team, both offensively and defensively."
Pargo, now in his fifth season out of Arkansas, is averaging 6.6 points and 1.4 assists. Similar to almost every other Hornet, though, Pargo has battled inconsistency.
Heralded as an excellent perimeter shooter when the team signed him to a free-agent contract this summer, Pargo is shooting just 38 percent from the field, including a career-low 22.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
But Pargo has played his best ball of late. He scored 13 points in 22 minutes last week against Minnesota; a season-high 19 points in 29 minutes against Dallas; and 18 points in 28 minutes against Chicago.
"I've been doing a pretty good job," Pargo said. "Offensively, whenever I go out there with the mindset of being aggressive I can be effective."
The Hornets are relying on Pargo to be just as effective as Jackson, who is fourth on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game. Jackson had scored in double figures in 11 of his 15 games before sustaining bruised ribs last Tuesday against the Toronto Raptors.
Both Jackson and Pargo can score in bunches off the bench, and both are solid defenders. The only thing that separates Jackson from Pargo is experience. Jackson is in his 10th NBA season.
"He's learning," Scott said of Pargo. "This is probably the most he's played since he's been in the league. So you've got another young guy that's learning a new system and he's still finding his way. He knows what I want from him, but he's also trying to learn the system and other guys as well.
"I think that's the one thing that's (limiting) J.P. And he might need that same type (playing) time as Bobby. Bobby's going to get 20, 25 minutes a game. Jannero is going to get 10, 15 minutes a game. But right now, with the way we're going, he's going to get more than that."
With extended minutes, Jackson said Pargo needs to make better decisions with the ball in order to become more consistent. Jackson thinks Pargo must have better shot selection and do a better job of getting his teammates involved.
"He's always going to be a scorer," Jackson said. "I think for him it's just doing the little things. He needs to continue to be aggressive offensively and defensively, rebounding and being smart about when to take shots.
"He's a fifth-year guy. Everybody knows he can score and shoot the ball. He's just got to keep that up."