Hornets coach says his team needs to help superstars

WESTWEGO, La. " Byron Scott sees himself as a realist, uninterested in sugarcoating the New Orleans Hornets' chances of postseason success if Chris Paul and David West don't get a little more help.

"You need seven or eight guys to play well and that's maybe some pressure on some of our guys, but it's the NBA. You've got to step up right now," the Hornets' coach said. "It can't be two or three guys, because if you have ... three guys play well, and everybody else is playing below average, then you still don't have a shot."

Then again, it's hard to get key players to step up if they can't even step on the court.

Center Tyson Chandler's painful " and painfully slow " recovery from a severe left ankle sprain remains a major concern, Scott said.

Scott added that James Posey will likely have to wear a brace on his ailing left (non-shooting) elbow for the remainder of the season.

Posey did some light shooting while wearing the brace during Tuesday's practice, and Scott said he hopes the Hornets' "sixth man" will be back in the lineup when New Orleans visits Dallas on Friday night. That means Posey will miss at least two more games; the Hornets play at Miami on Tuesday night and host Phoenix on Wednesday.

Also Tuesday, trainers allowed Chandler to remove an immobilizing boot so he could attempt to do some light work. Chandler was off in a corner of the team's practice gym in suburban New Orleans, stepping gingerly as he worked with a trainer.

"It is a positive because I'm out of the cast. That's a good thing because we're moving in the right direction, but I've still got a ways to go," Chandler said. "It's awfully frustrating watching these games ... and having so many thoughts I'm like thinking about at nighttime, knowing what I'm capable of doing and then coming out here just to rehab and not being able to do the basic things."

Chandler's 7-foot-1 frame makes him one of the Hornets' best interior defenders and a prime target for Paul's alley-oop lobs. Yet Scott wonders how durable Chandler will be even if he can return for the playoffs.

"Just watching him jog this morning didn't look good," Scott said. "My major concern is when he starts to play, every game that he plays it will get worse and worse. ... The farther we go into the playoffs, I think, the less effective he'll probably be, which is hard to say because we need him. In a lot of ways, Tyson is the heart and soul of our team. He's the one that's out there with that passion that we need on a night-to-night basis."

Despite being besieged by injuries, the Hornets need only one victory in their final six games " or one loss by Phoenix " to get into the playoffs.

They also remain in the running to repeat as Southwest Division champions, though that may require winning all remaining regular season games. New Orleans trails division leader San Antonio by two games, but catching the Spurs is not the main goal at this point.

"With us being so banged up, we're just concentrating on getting into the playoffs," Paul began, "and then we'll work our magic."

The Hornets have had some good news with the return of Peja Stojakovic from back soreness that caused him to miss 15 games. He's played limited minutes as a reserve the past two games, but is expected to start in Miami.

With the roster depleted, Paul and West routinely played more than 40 minutes a game throughout the past month. During March, Paul averaged 24.2 points and 10.8 assists during March, while West average 21.7 points and 9.9 rebounds.

West played the past three games with a sprained left ankle but didn't let it slow him much. While most of his teammates struggled in a 108-94 loss to Utah Sunday night, West had 23 points and 12 rebounds in 42 minutes.

"Just a man's desire to play," Scott said. "We've got some warriors and he's definitely one of them."

Paul had 19 points and 12 assists against Utah despite bruising his left knee and playing only 32 minutes because of foul trouble.

Still, the Hornets' losses in their last two games exemplified why Paul and West need more help. Against Utah, New Orleans' only other double-digit scorer was Rasual Butler with 21. Friday night at Golden State, Paul tied a career-high with 43 points, combining with West combined for 74 points, yet New Orleans lost by eight.

Scott said he would like the pair to play fewer minutes, but has little choice. His only option was to force Paul and West to sit out all or most of about a dozen practices in the past 30 days. Sometimes, he tells the pair to not even show up.

On Tuesday, Paul came to practice, favoring his left knee, after appearing on "Live with Regis and Kelly," which is being taped in New Orleans this week. He sat on the sideline in a sweat suit. West did a some shooting, but no hard running.

"The only way I can combat the fact that I know they're going to play a bunch of minutes is by giving them every other day off," Scott said. "I'm trying my best to keep them off their feet as much as possible."