There’s a reason that scientists in those classic, white lab coats have worn protective eyewear all these years.
Sometimes, experiments can blow up in your face.
Here’s hoping that the New Orleans Hornets’ brass have had their goggles on through the first seven games of this NBA season because the Julian Wright experiment hasn’t gone quite the way they had hoped.
Before I go any further, let me say that I’m a Wright fan and I wish for nothing but the best for him throughout his NBA career. Furthermore, I truly do believe that the guy has NBA talent. I just don’t think we’ll ever see it emerge as long as he’s in New Orleans.
Here’s why.
Through seven games as starter with the Hornets this season, Wright’s stats have been rather invisible. He’s averaging 5 points and 4 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per contest. Not exactly the kind of numbers teams are looking for from their starting small forward. Then again, most of the Hornets weren’t exactly looking to Wright to be their starter anyway. That would be the fault of management, who ever-so-gently nudged head coach Byron Scott into giving Wright the job heading into training camp.
Scott jumped on board and gave Wright his first true chance since joining the league.
“I think we’ve been very patient with Julian and I think his development is coming,” Scott told the New Orleans Times Picayune. “This is the most driven I’ve heard in my conversations with him,” Scott added of Wright who averaged 4.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 54 games a year ago. “I still believe Julian is going to be a heck of a basketball player. This could be his breakout year.”
Or maybe not.
To Wright’s credit, he did not lose the spot in the preseason. But after starting the first seven games of the season — New Orleans went 2-5 during that stretch — Wright was back on the bench when the ball was tipped on Monday night. The result? Wright played 6 minutes (all in the fourth quarter) and finished with next to nothing to show for it.
The worst part? New Orelans rolled to a 112-84 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. OK, so it was the Clippers (who entered the game at 3-4) and not the Lakers, Celtics or someone like that. But the fact that Hornets appeared to play better with Wright out of the way was not a good sign for his future on the bayou.
So here’s the question: Have the Hornets reached the point where they’re willing to say that Wright’s just not right for them? Are they willing to move him at the risk of watching him develop with another team into the lottery pick they thought he was when they drafted him?
At this point, I think the only answer they can reach is, ‘Yes.’
Moving him might not be easy, though. There’s no way they’ll cut him. They’re paying him too much money (and already have invested too much in him) to just cut ties with him and say thanks for nothing. At the very worst, he sits on the bench, plays sparingly and disappears when his contract expires at the end of the season. That might be the most likely scenario. But there’s always the possibility that the Hornets will find a way to give Wright a change of scenery.
If they’re in contention, maybe they’ll move him and his “upside” for a veteran who can help them down the stretch. If they’re out of it, maybe they’ll clear cap space (big-named, high-priced commodities Peja Stojakovic, David West and James Posey all could go) and use Wright as a throw-in in a bigger deal.
And then, of course, there’s always the possibility that at some point this season, Wright gets another shot and has that light-bulb moment, when he puts all of that talent and potential together and takes the league by storm.
But with veteran’s Stojakovic and Posey clearely ahead of him at the position, things don’t look too promising for Wright to remain in New Orleans past this season. That’s too bad. Because, just as he was at KU, he’s become a bit of a fan-favorite in Louisiana and has done some big-time things in the community.
But, unfortunately, in the business world of NBA basketball, it’s not about what kind of a guy you are or who you make smile, it’s about what you do on the hardwood when the lights are shining and the cameras are rolling.
For those who like to deal in numbers, here’s a look at Wright’s stats from the first eight games of the season. After looking at them, it’s not too hard to see why the Hornets gave up on the Julian Wright Experiment eight games in.
Julian Wright, SF, New Orleans Hornets 2009-2010 per-game stats
Game 1: 28 min, 4-for-9, 4 reb, 1 ast, 0 steal, 1 TO, 8 pts
Game 2: 29 min, 4-for-8, 7 reb, 2 ast, 0 steal, 2 TOs, 11 pts
Game 3: 19 min, 3-for-6, 4 reb, 1 ast, 0 steal, 2 TOs, 7 pts
Game 4: 22 min, 1-for-3, 6 reb, 0 ast, 0 steal, 2 TOs, 2 pts
Game 5: 18 min, 0-for-3, 7 reb, 1 ast, 0 steal, 1 TO, 0 pts
Game 6: 24 min, 3-for-5, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 steal, 0 TOs, 6 pts
Game 7: 18 min, 1-for-3, 0 reb, 1 ast, 1 steal, 3 TOs, 2 pts
Game 8: 6 min, 0-for-1, 0 reb, 1 ast, 0 steal, 1 TO, 0 pts
Totals: 20.5 mpg, 4.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.0 apg 0.25 apg, 12 TOs, 36 pts
For those not interested in taking my word for it, here’s a look at some recent links that essentially say the same thing… Some nicer than others.
Coach Scott contemplating lineup changes
