April 18
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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New Orleans Hornets starting center Chris Kaman is expected to miss the remainder of the season after his left tibia was bruised in Sunday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Kaman did not accompany the team on its two-game road trip that ends tonight at Memphis. Kaman's injury adds to a long list of maladies for the Hornets. Last week, the Hornets announced that starting point guard Jarrett Jack will miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his right foot after an MRI test revealed the extent of the injury."
March 13
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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In a scenario that has been oddly reminiscent of the cloak of secrecy that surrounded the knee injury to shooting guard Eric Gordon, injured Hornets center Emeka Okafor was said to be undergoing additional tests on his sore left knee, according to Coach Monty Williams. The Hornets have not revealed the nature or extent of Okafor's injury, other than to describe it as "a sore left knee." He was not at the team's shootaround when the media was allowed access Monday morning, but he was on the bench Monday night. Okafor shed little light on the injury after a 73-71 loss to his old team, the Charlotte Bobcats. "I've just got to take a little more time," said Okafor, who has missed 15 games in a"
February 8
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Searching for a ray of sunshine in what has been an overcast season for the New Orleans Hornets, one need look no further than the list of the NBA's leaders in field-goal percentage. Sitting in the eighth spot, converting 53.6 percent from the field, is New Orleans center Emeka Okafor, the only player who has started every game for the Hornets this season."
April 28
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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After five playoff games against the two-time defending champion Lakers, New Orleans Hornets center Emeka Okafor still is struggling to find his way. Okafor, listed at 6 feet 10, has been hindered by foul problems and has struggled to make an impact against 7-footers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. And in Tuesday night's Game 5, Lakers star Kobe Bryant drove the lane and made a thunderous dunk over him that sparked the Lakers to a 106-90 victory and 3-2 series lead. "As far as matchups, it's difficult,'' said Okafor, who has averaged 7.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in his first playoff series. "They have a lot of size, strength and skill. You know Kobe is going to play, no matter what, even if has"
February 23
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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New Orleans Hornets Coach Monty Williams said he doesn't foresee injured starting center Emeka Okafor playing tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers. Okafor, who has missed the past nine games with a sprained left oblique muscle, had practiced the past two days, including going through contact drills on Tuesday. "We'd love for him to play, but he doesn't feel comfortable and we just have to wait until he does,'' Williams said."
February 2
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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New Orleans Hornets center Emeka Okafor, in street clothes during a regular-season NBA game for the first time in 3 1/2 years, admitted he had found the circumstance to be somewhat disconcerting. "It's all quite new, to be honest," said Okafor, who is expected to miss the next one to three weeks with a strained left oblique muscle. Okafor had played 306 consecutive games before missing Tuesday night's game at the New Orleans Arena against the Washington Wizards. During that time, Okafor has played, he said, with a variety of ailments he deemed in the moments after sustaining the injury Sunday far more severe than his muscle pull. "We're still trying to figure out what the best course of"
February 1
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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An MRI has revealed the left oblique strain suffered by New Orleans Hornets center Emeka Okafor is more serious than first believed and he'll likely miss the the next one to three weeks, sources said Tuesday morning. Okafor will have his streak of playing in 306 consecutive games snapped tonight when the Hornets host the Washington Wizards. He was injured in the final two minutes of the first half of Sunday night's 104-102 loss at the Phoenix Suns in US Airways Center. Okafor strained the muscle when he was making a spin move to the basket and immediately doubled over in pain."
February 1
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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It has been 3 1/2 seasons, a total of 306 consecutive regular-season games, since New Orleans Hornets center Emeka Okafor has not played in an NBA contest. But he'll miss tonight's home game against the Washington Wizards with a left oblique strain, the team announced Monday night. Okafor left Sunday night's 104-102 loss to the Phoenix Suns with 1:59 remaining in the first half after he strained a left hip muscle on a spin move to the basket. Bending over in pain, he walked off the court even before the Hornets could make a substitution. He went to the dressing room and did not play the rest of the night, though he did return to the Hornets' bench late in the second half. His replacement"
January 27
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The starters for the NBA's All-Star Game will be announced tonight, and if the vote holds true from the first three announced tabulations, Hornets guard Chris Paul should earn his fourth consecutive appearance, third as a starter. However, Hornets Coach Monty Williams was lamenting the fact Wednesday night, as New Orleans prepared to play the Golden State Warriors with a nine-game winning streak on the line, that two other players on his roster were equally deserving. And, that he likely didn't have enough sway to earn them a spot. Forward David West and center Emeka Okafor are putting up statistics worthy of notoriety, but neither will make the team without the support of Western"
December 24
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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It's not uncommon to see opponents sending their center to double-team Hornets leading scorer David West. And center Emeka Okafor has been taking advantage of the power forwards trying to guard him in return. In Wednesday night's 105-91 victory against the New Jersey Nets, when 7-foot center Brook Lopez tried to help defend West, Okafor had his way against Travis Outlook and Kris Humphries, getting 21 points and 10 rebounds. In Monday night's 94-93 loss at Indiana, Okafor scored 19 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, had three blocks and two steals. "I'm seeing a lot of attention being put on David, and I'm just finding the creases" to score in the lane, Okafor said. "The thing he does is"
October 29
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Glancing quickly at Wednesday night's box score, it would appear Hornets center Emeka Okafor wasn't much of a contributor: no points, not even a field-goal attempt -- for the first time in his NBA career -- nine rebounds, one offensive board. But a review of the Milwaukee Bucks' penultimate possession, trailing 94-91 with 27 seconds remaining and the ball on the Hornets' side of the midcourt line after a timeout, would indicate otherwise. Caught in a defensive switch, Okafor, 6 feet 10, was forced to shadow Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings, a dangerous 3-point shooter, for what seemed an eternity, until Trevor Ariza could get back to assist. Ariza stole the ball from John Salmons with"
September 28
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As the New Orleans Hornets offseason's steady stream of stories regarding Chris Paul's reported unhappiness continued almost incessantly, the common thread woven in each was Paul's apparent dissatisfaction regarding the makeup of the team's roster and the resulting inability to contend for an NBA championship. The players around Paul weren't good enough, so the stories went, not a flattering portrait of his teammates to be sure. Yet the other two members of the Hornets' big three, forward David West and center Emeka Okafor, weren't offended they said Monday at the team's media day gathering. "He was honest, " said West, the senior member of the team who has been with the Hornets since"
March 7
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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In the cramped visitors' locker room at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland last month, Hornets center Emeka Okafor went through his extensive pregame routine before facing Shaquille O'Neal and the Cavaliers. Okafor's right foot was raised, his left foot was on a wobbly exercise board, and he had a stopwatch in hand, timing his balancing act as if he were doing a ballet maneuver. He worked out in silence, appearing to meditate before raising his left foot and planting his right foot on the board for another five-minute interval. He goes through this ritual to combat potential ankle sprains. While most of his teammates were on the court taking shots, Okafor remained in the locker room taking"
January 15
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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During the past few weeks, New Orleans Hornets center Emeka Okafor has spent extra time talking with point guard Chris Paul about finding better ways to execute pick-and-roll plays. It appears their discussions have made a difference, because Paul is going often to Okafor, who is making a bigger impact offensively than he did in the first month of the season. With Okafor's recent assertiveness, the Hornets don't have to rely so heavily on forward David West and Paul for scoring. West and Paul missed a combined 10 of 14 shots in the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night at the New Orleans Arena, but the Hornets still led 50-48 at halftime before pushing to a"
January 5
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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New Orleans Hornets center Emeka Okafor considers rebounding a priority, something he says he never has to think about while on the floor. In 13 of 19 games, Okafor has grabbed 10 or more rebounds, which includes a season-high 16 in last Saturday night's 99-95 victory against the Houston Rockets at the New Orleans Arena. "That's my bread and butter, " Okafor said. "When you have been doing it so long, you know how to consciously get into position." Okafor carries a presence at 6 feet 10, 255 pounds, but he does not dominate by utilizing his physical strength. Instead, he moves through small seams in the post and is persistent in his pursuit of the ball. Acquired in a trade last"
October 28
New Orleans Times-Picayune
columnist John DeShazier
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Emeka Okafor couldn't have planned it better if he'd tried. Not suggesting the New Orleans Hornets' new starting center tried, mind you. Because to suggest Okafor purposefully skipped all of training camp and every preseason game, and that he stunningly recovered sufficiently from a toe injury in time to start in tonight's season opener at San Antonio, would be close to accusing the man of faking injury, or of laying down on the job, or of some combination of the two. And it's never really wise to question whether an athlete can or can't play with whatever injury he has been diagnosed with. First, you don't do that because everyone has a different level of pain tolerance. Just because we"
October 28
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Buoyed by a relatively pain-free three days of practice, Hornets center Emeka Okafor left the Alario Center practice floor Tuesday fully expecting to play in tonight's opener against Southwest Division-rival San Antonio. Okafor, who missed all eight preseason games and a month of practice with a sprained right second toe, has worked without incident since Sunday, and said he'll be in the lineup for the nationally televised game against the Spurs at the AT&T Center. "I plan on playing," Okafor said. "It's cool. I wanted to get it manageable, and that's what it is right now. It's manageable. So I'll go out there and do what I have to do." Hornets Coach Byron Scott said Okafor's on-court"
October 26
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Taking the time to clarify what he thought was a somewhat misleading report last week on his extended absence, Hornets center Emeka Okafor on Sunday said he is not ruling out the chance he could play in the team's regular-season opener Wednesday night at San Antonio. Okafor participated in all of the team's rigorous practice Sunday at the Alario Center except for the five-on-five, full-contact scrimmages, and the center said the sprained second toe on his right foot responded favorably. A story on Yahoo.com on Friday indicated that Okafor had received medical clearance to fully resume activities two weeks ago but seemed reluctant to participate in all phases of team workouts. "There were a"
October 22
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As another extended practice came to a close Wednesday, Hornets center Emeka Okafor stood alone as his teammates went through a half-court drill. Okafor did not miss a regular-season game in two seasons when he played for the Charlotte Bobcats, but he has been mostly a spectator since the opening day of training camp last month with the Hornets because of a strained toe on his right foot. It has been a setback for the Hornets, who considered Okafor, a 6-foot-10, 260-pound center, their biggest acquisition in their summer of retooling that involved bringing in six new players. They obtained Okafor from the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for center Tyson Chandler, who had an injury-filled"
October 1
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Emeka Okafor, the Hornets' biggest offseason acquisition, was held out of contact work for the second consecutive day Wednesday because of soreness below his knee. "We haven't done any contact stuff with him because we just don't know what he can take right now," Hornets Coach Byron Scott said after Wednesday's practice, in which Okafor mostly watched from the sideline. "We have some concerns of something that he did this summer, so we just want to make sure he's OK before we try to put him through a full day of practice." Okafor, 6 feet 10, 255 pounds and the team's starting center, will be evaluated by trainer Terry Kofler today, and Scott did not rule out that he could be held out the"