N.O. sees positives in preseason finale

LOS ANGELES -- Relief far outweighed disappointment Friday night at Staples Center, as the Hornets ended the exhibition season with a 91-88 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Peja Stojakovic led the Hornets with 19 points off the bench. He shot 3-of-3 on 3-point attempts in the second quarter. David West, who missed Thursday's game against Golden State with a minor ankle sprain, played 35-plus minutes and scored 18 points.

Meanwhile, Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul spent the game on the bench, his only venture on the court coming in the fourth quarter, when he voiced his disapproval about a non-foul call. But the upper-respiratory illness that kept Paul out is not expected to be a problem when the Hornets begin the regular season Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs.

New Orleans went 2-6 in the preseason. However, center Hilton Armstrong, who scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds Friday, said that's no indication of how the Hornets will be this season.

"We had a rough preseason, but I strongly believe that once we come together and get our full team healthy, we'll be a factor this season," Armstrong said.

But it could take time for newcomers Emeka Okafor and Ike Diogu to fit in the Hornets' schemes. Asked after the game what areas needed immediate attention, Coach Byron Scott answered quickly.

"Defensive rotation and communication are the two areas we have to get better in," Scott said. "The initial part of our defense was pretty good tonight. So, I was pretty happy about that. But on some of the rotations, guys are still standing around when the ball is moving."

That resulted in the Clippers getting uncontested dunks, particularly by second-year center DeAndre Jordan, whose 6-of-6 shooting consisted entirely of dunks.

With Paul unavailable, Scott placed the responsibility of running the offense in the hands of second-year guard Bobby Brown, who starred locally at Westchester High School and then Cal State Fullerton. Brown had five assists, 12 points and no turnovers in 33-plus minutes.

Scott said he feels confident he can trim back Paul's minutes to 33 or 34 this season. The same goes for West, who led the team in minutes played last season.

"Last year, (Paul) was at 39 and David West was at a high 39," Scott said. "That's too many minutes for those guys every single night, because it just wears them down before the playoffs even start. This year, I think I have the luxury in Bobby Brown and Darren (Collison) where I only have to play CP 33 minutes. Darius Songaila and I think James Posey can both back up D West. So, I feel pretty confident going into the season that (Paul and West) won't have to carry the load as much as they did last year."

Scott said his intention is to stick to the nine- to 10-man rotation he primarily has used throughout his coaching career.

Collison played well in the first half Friday but struggled in the second half, when he committed all three of his turnovers.

"(Brown and Collison are) going to be in the learning process. There's no doubt about it," Scott said. "Both of them are very young, and they've got a long way to go. But I'm very happy with the way they've played this preseason, and I'm looking forward to the future. Both of these guys' futures are very bright."

Despite the Hornets' dismal preseason record, confidence appears high among the players and coaching staff.

"It's going to be a challenging season for us, but we're hoping for the best," Stojakovic said. "We have the capability of playing different styles of basketball. We can play fast basketball, or we can play half court. We have that type of talent on this team that we can do it. But it's up to us."