Peja Stojakovic entered Sunday night's game against the Houston Rockets shooting just 28 percent from the field, but no one seemed concerned about the team's biggest off-season acquisition.
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He broke out of that with a 5-of-8 performance from 3-point range against the Rockets. He finished with 16 points.
Said coach Byron Scott before the game: "If he's shooting 27 percent by January I'll be concerned.
"It's something that you've got to work out as a shooter. The last thing that he needs to hear is that he's in a slump."
Scott attributed much of Stojakovic's early troubles to a grueling preseason, one Scott said Stojakovic spent running more than he probably ever has in his career. It'll take some time, Scott said, for Stojakovic to get his legs re-adjusted.
Before Sunday night's game, Stojakovic, a career 18.4-point scorer, was averaging just 9.5 points.
• Stern says he's not trying to eliminate emotion: NBA commissioner David Stern explained before Sunday night's game that the league's decision to more strictly issue technical fouls for players and coaches who argue calls by officials is being made to prevent disputes from serving as a distraction to the game itself.
"We are not taking the emotion out of the game and it's not a zero-tolerance policy," Stern said. "We think heat of the moment expressions and emotions are good for the game. We don't expect players to be robotic.
• New Orleans home opener a sellout: The Hornets announced Sunday night's game as a sellout although hundreds of seats in the 300 level remained empty throughout the evening. The most seats that went unfilled were in the upper end zones, the same area Hornets owner George Shinn said the team was having trouble selling. A sold-out game is based on tickets sold not how many fans are actually in attendance.
"It feels great," Shinn said of the announced sellout. "It's very, very important to me. I think it sends a very, very positive signal and it's something that we've been looking for. We've all been looking for positives. And this is a positive."
• Snyder enjoying Houston: Former Hornets guard Kirk Snyder said he never expected to be traded to the Rockets this offseason, but he added that he's enjoying himself in Houston.
"Obviously with the strides they made I was excited," Snyder said. "I watch them whenever I can and wish them the best."
By Darnell Mayberry
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