Homeless Hornets

If the losing continues, no one will want them

CNNSI.com's Marty Burns surveys the NBA landscape every week with his Roundball Roundup. Check back during the week for Marty's columns, power rankings and NBA mailbag. To send a question to Marty's mailbag, click here.

Forget New Orleans. Or Norfolk. Or Louisville. Or Las Vegas.

If the Hornets keep playing like they have so far this season, no city is going to want them.

After coming within one game of reaching the Eastern Conference finals a year ago, Charlotte stood a disappointing 14-18 after Saturday's home loss to the Nets. Incredibly, the Hornets are just 5-9 at the Hive, which used to be a raucous snake pit but has been largely abandoned by fans and is now a virtual ghost town.

Head coach Paul Silas says he still is optimistic the team can turn matters around, but he admits they sorely miss injured small forward Jamal Mashburn, who has sat out the last 23 games with a pulled abdominal muscle. "He's making progress," Silas says. "We're all keeping our fingers crossed."

Mashburn spent a week last month in Vancouver seeing a specialist who has treated Shaquille O'Neal and several NHL players for similar injuries. The specialist is now in Charlotte, and a decision on whether Mashburn will require season-ending surgery could be made as early as next week. "Jamal is really our go-to guy," Silas says. "Down the stretch, he was the guy we could turn to for a basket."

Mavs facing sudden adversity

After a 10-game win streak, the Mavs have suffered back-to-back losses to the Knicks and Spurs. Now they will be without All-Star guard Michael Finley for a stretch as well. Finley reaggravated his strained left hamstring late in Saturday's home loss to the Spurs, and it appears he could miss several games. Meanwhile, head coach Don Nelson will miss two games this week to be with his wife, Joy, as she begins treatment for breast cancer. To top it off, owner Mark Cuban faces another fine from the NBA after criticizing the officiating in the Spurs loss. "It's hard to play five against eight," Cuban said, referring to the officiating crew that worked the game.

Green could keep Brown in Philly

Sixers' head coach Larry Brown has plenty of incentive to stick it out in Philadelphia this season, despite swirling rumors that he plans to step down. For one, Brown is said to still be loyal to team owner Ed Snider. Brown decided not to retire last summer in part, he said, because the Sixers had just lost team president Pat Croce and Brown didn't want to leave Snider completely in the lurch. Brown's contract also reportedly features stock options and other perks tied to his length of service with the club. Such incentives could push the value of Brown's deal well above the $19 million he is set to be paid over the next three years.

Heat showing signs of life

Just when it seemed like the Heat were dead and buried, head coach Pat Riley's crew had won three straight through Monday. In Sunday's 92-84 win over Golden State, which followed victories over Boston and Indiana, center Alonzo Mourning had 21 points (on 7-of-10 shooting), 11 rebounds and four blocks against the Warriors. It followed similarly strong outings by 'Zo over his past few games, giving Heat fans hope that he might finally be regaining his strength after an uneven start to the season. Point guard Rod Strickland also has been a key to their recent mini-surge. Against the Warriors, he had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

An opposing team's assistant coach gives the lowdown on Bulls small forward Ron Artest, who has come back strong after missing the first 23 games with a finger injury. "He's one of the best on-ball defenders in the league. He might be the best on the perimeter. He's that good. He's got those long arms and quick hands. He moves well laterally. He's got a knack for the ball. He knows how to get up inside you, and he's strong enough that you can't shed him. We try to teach our young guys how to play defense like that. He's somewhat limited offensively, but when his outside shot is falling he can get you 15 to 20 points. He can shoot the 3, and he's good at using his strength to get in the paint. I think he's a real good young player. I wish we had him."
This week's theme: Iron men
1. Who currently holds the NBA lead for most consecutive games played (367 through Jan. 5)? a. Andre Miller, Cavaliers b. Shandon Anderson, Knicks c. Reggie Miller, Pacers 2. Who ranks second all-time in most consecutive games played, behind A.C. Green (906)? a. Larry Smith b. Randy Smith c. Kenny Smith 3. Who ranks third all-time in most consecutive games played (844)? a. Vern Mikkelsen b. John Kerr c. Jack Sikma Answers: b, b, b To send a question to Marty's mailbag click here.

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