Rookie Collison gives Hornets a spark in Paul’s absence

The New Orleans Hornets did not have a single player who played in this weekend’s NBA All-Star game in Dallas.

The team’s lone All-Star selection, point guard Chris Paul, was forced to miss the game and is out indefinitely with a left knee injury.

But despite the injury and a wild first-half of the season that saw the team fire its coach in December, Paul said he expects the team to be stronger mentally in the final 29 games of the season.

“I think this could be a blessing in disguise,” Paul told New Orleans reporters last week. “If I don’t mess things up when I come back, we could be ready to make a push.”

One of the reasons Paul said the team could make a second-half surge is the play of his replacement, rookie Darren Collison.

With Paul out of the lineup, Collison has overcome all of the demons that sometimes haunt rookie point guards and has averaged nearly 20 points per game and eight assists per game in February.

Collison said he gives all of the credit for his success to Paul, who has been seen actively mentoring Collison from the sidelines to try to master the team’s primarily pick-and-roll offense.

“I get the chance to watch him everyday in the pick-and-roll,” Collison said following the team’s recent win against the Grizzlies. “He shows me how it’s done.”

In the team’s last game before the All-Star break, Collison dueled Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo and blistered him for 25 points and nine assists, while containing Rondo to just seven points.

Those efforts led to a 93-85 comeback win for the Hornets.

“We don’t treat him like a rookie point guard who’s filling in,” said Hornets interim coach Jeff Bower following the win. “We treat him like the point guard of our team who has a responsibility to his teammates.”

Another player who has elevated his game in the wake of Paul’s injury is veteran forward Peja Stojakovic, who has averaged 19 points per game in February – up from the 12 points per game he averages on the season.

Collison and Stojakovic will be put to the test immediately in the second half of the season as the Hornets will play five teams with winning records to close out the month, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have won 13-straight games.

The Hornets are currently tied for the No. 9 position in the Western Conference. The team is two games out of the No. 8 spot, which is the cutoff point to make the playoffs.

But because of the tightly-compact Western standings, the team is also just five games out of third place, which Bower said should make the final few months of the season fun to watch.

“We have an incredible challenge the last 29 games,” Bower said. “But I think this group is up for the challenge and is excited about what we have before us.”