NEW ORLEANS – Behind closed doors and out of plain sight for those outside the locker room, Chris Paul proved he’s still the leader of this Hornets team even if he’s not on the floor.
Sidelined for an undetermined amount of time with a left ankle sprain, Paul nonetheless might have made the biggest play of the night Tuesday in regard to New Orleans’ 110-102 win over the Clippers.
He gave General Manager/Head Coach Jeff Bower a game ball.
It was Bower’s first-ever win as a head coach.
But the move was more than ceremonial.
“We’ve been through a lot here the last couple of weeks,” Hornets guard Devin Brown said. “We’re just showing him that we’re trying as a team, as an organization to try and turn the team around and that we appreciate everything (he has) done.”
A lot, they have been through.
Owner George Shinn was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Byron Scott was relieved of head coaching duties after a disastrous start to the season.
And Paul, the All-Star point guard and emotional leader, went down with a severe ankle sprain.
Tuesday’s win was big for the Hornets, but giving Bower the game ball was bigger.
In a time when locker room divisiveness could become an issue, it shows that – for now – that won’t be a problem.
This team is putting its effort behind Bower and first-chair assistant Tim Floyd.
“It’s just step one,” Brown said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re just telling him thank you so far.”
Bower talked the past few days about what he believed needed to change. But with two games immediately following the firing of Scott, there was no time for practice, no time to institute changes.
Monday, that changed. Bower put the team through practice, settling down those still wondering what was happening, Brown said.
Tuesday night, Bower saw the fruits of that labor, even if it did come against the annual losing Los Angeles Clippers.
Afterwards, he saw that the locker room was united behind him.
“That was nice and surprising as well,” Bower said of the gesture. “But it made me feel good. They put out a great, great effort tonight.”
