"Nearly one-third of the way through a lockout-shortened NBA season, the going hasn't been easy for the rebuilding Hornets.

One week after New Orleans convened for training camp, point guard Chris Paul was shipped off to the West Coast, creating a void in on-court leadership, a vacuum that still has Hornets Coach Monty Williams searching for a voice to which his players can respond.

Youth and inexperience will continue to be the calling cards for the team in the short term, and that, Williams said, doesn't lend itself to finding a leadership presence. The hunt continues tonight when the Phoenix Suns (7-13) come to New Orleans Arena."