October 18
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Until Saturday night, Hornets guard Peja Stojakovic had struggled to make open shots from behind the 3-point arc. In Thursday's loss to the Miami Heat, he missed all seven attempts and was scoreless. Inspired to give a better performance against the Indiana Pacers, Stojakovic finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting to lead the Hornets to a 108-96 preseason victory in front of 13,018 at the New Orleans Arena that ended a two-game losing streak. It was the effort Coach Byron Scott wanted to see that indicated Stojakovic was gearing up for the regular season in his new role of coming off the bench. Stojakovic was on target from various spots on the floor, and he made four of five 3-point ..."
April 23
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Hornets shooting guard Rasual Butler got just six shots in Sunday's Game 1 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Coach Byron Scott recognized the importance of incorporating Butler and forward Peja Stojakovic into the offense Wednesday night in Game 2. Butler got two early 3-point attempts from the right baseline, virtually uncontested, and made both. He also picked up two quick fouls and took a seat with 3:14 left in the first quarter. He was replaced by Devin Brown. Butler came back in the second quarter and hit his first 3-point try and was 3-of-3 from the outside. Stojakovic missed his first three shots before hitting one with 4:02 to go in the second period. "It's no secret when he's ..."
April 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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After missing 15 consecutive games with back spasms, Peja Stojakovic will play tonight against the Golden State Warriors. Instead of starting, Hornets Coach Byron Scott said Stojakovic will come off the bench for the next few games. Stojakovic has been sidelined with back spasms since having to leave a March 2 game against Philadelphia during the third quarter. "Minutes wise, he'd probably play about 20 to 25 minutes tonight,'' Scott said. "We want to gradually build his minutes back up. He will probably play two or three games off the bench before we insert him back in the starting lineup.'' Julian Wright, who continues to make progress, will earn his 16th consecutive start at small ..."
March 26
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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When Hornets small forward Peja Stojakovic returns, he might come off the bench instead of starting, Coach Byron Scott said before Wednesday night's game against the Denver Nuggets at the New Orleans Arena. Second-year forward Julian Wright has made significant progress in the 11 consecutive games he has started in place of Stojakovic, who remains sidelined with a sore back. "I'm going to sit down and talk to him (Stojakovic)," Scott said "JuJu has progressed that it might be a great idea to bring Peja off the bench for a few games. That would allow me to control his minutes even more so." Scott had hoped Stojakovic would return by Wednesday night, but despite working out during the ..."
March 23
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Blessed with the scheduling luxury of facing opponents with less-than-spectacular records, the Hornets continued to take a cautious route before putting two injured starters back into the lineup. Forward Peja Stojakovic, who has battled back spasms and associated leg pain for the past three weeks, and center Tyson Chandler, still recovering from a sprained left ankle, missed Sunday night's game against the Golden State Warriors at the New Orleans Arena. It was the 10th straight DNP for Stojakovic, and Chandler sat out for the third consecutive time. Chandler played in 12 consecutive games after missing 16 in a row from Jan. 21 through Feb. 21 with the ankle ailment. "They're still not ..."
March 17
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Despite missing his seventh consecutive game in Monday night's 95-84 loss to the Houston Rockets at the New Orleans Arena, injured Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic is expected to return to the lineup later this week, Coach Byron Scott said. Scott said a more aggressive approach is needed to treat Stojakovic's balky back and the pain in his legs. "That's where he is having a little bit of the pain, but I expect him to play this week," Scott said. Before Saturday night's game at Chicago, Stojakovic complained of pain racing from his lower back to his leg, a problem he experienced in 2006 when he tried to return after back surgery. Stojakovic has not played since he suffered back spasms ..."
March 7
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Though he is reportedly feeling better, New Orleans Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic will probably be held out of tonight's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Coach Byron Scott said Saturday morning. Stojakovic missed Thursday night's win over the Dallas Mavericks because of back spasms that occurred in the Hornets' win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. If Stojakovic cannot play, second-year forward Julian Wright will once again start in his place. "I still kind of rule him out for tonight," Scott said. "He said he feels better and everything, but until I can see him run a little bit, I'm going to be a little bit more cautious than I have been about him in the past."
January 27
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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There was a great deal of concern -- justifiable, as it turned out -- about the way the Hornets matched up with the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. The anxiety was so great that Byron Scott inserted seldom-used second-year player Julian Wright into the starting lineup for the first time this year. The idea was to use the Hornets' most athletically gifted player to try to guard Sixers front-line players Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young. In theory, it was a nice idea. But all the Hornets really needed was Peja Stojakovic to heat up from the outside. Stojakovic hit five consecutive 3-point shots to open the fourth quarter as the Hornets overcame the Sixers' short game to ..."
January 27
New Orleans Times-Picayune
columnist John DeShazier
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Deep and picturesque, Peja Stojakovic deposited 3-point jumpers as if standing inside New Orleans Arena alone Monday night, participating in a shooting drill, basketball splashing through net so cleanly that if the rim had been freshly painted orange, the brown ball wouldn't have had a flicker of wet paint on it. Five straight he made in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter against Philadelphia, the equivalent of five sledgehammers to the 76ers. Stojakovic didn't just loosen Philly's defense; he broke open the game for the Hornets, igniting a fourth-quarter shooting barrage that ended in a 101-86 victory by New Orleans. The Hornets entered the fourth quarter with a 69-63 lead, ..."
December 29
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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After missing five games because of back spasms and additional hip pain, Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic returned to the lineup Sunday night against Indiana where he played for part of one season. During Stojakovic's absence, the Hornets went 3-2 but lost to two of the NBA's better teams, the Lakers and Magic, and the Hornets struggled greatly shooting from distance, hitting less than 30 percent of their 3-point shots. "I've just been going day by day to see how I feel, and we decided with the trainers to give it a try tonight to see how it goes," said Stojakovic, who has converted 44 percent of his 3-point field goals in 13 games which the Hornets have won and he has played. "It feels ..."
December 22
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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On Saturday night, Hornets starting small forward Peja Stojakovic missed his second consecutive game because of back spasms against the Sacramento Kings. Since last month, Stojakovic said he has been experiencing back pain but continued to play until this past week. "I was feeling good at the very beginning (of the season), then something happened during a practice in Los Angeles," Stojakovic said Saturday. "From that day, I've been struggling trying to fight and play through it. I came to the point that I really wasn't able to manage the pain. When it went through my leg, it was time for me to go easy on it and look for treatment." Coach Byron Scott said he was told by Hornets ..."
December 1
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Until he combined to make 18 of 37 shots for a 17-point average in games last week against the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers, Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic was struggling to live up to his reputation as one of the league's better perimeter shooters. Instead of knocking down 3-pointers, Stojakovic was marred in one of his worst early-season shooting slumps in his 10-year career. He missed his first eight shots before going 3-of-13 for 10 points in a 93-86 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Nov. 12 at the New Orleans Arena. Three nights later, he missed four of five shots for three points in a 91-82 loss to Houston. He shot 3-of-13 from the field and scored ..."
November 2
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Hornets forward Rasual Butler got his first start Saturday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, replacing Peja Stojakovic, who is sidelined with a sprained right ankle. Coach Byron Scott made the announcement at the shootaround practice Saturday morning at the New Orleans Arena. Starting center Tyson Chandler missed his second consecutive game, also because of a sprained right ankle. "Tyson, I suspect, will be ready as early as Wednesday," Scott said. "Peja's ankle looked like a baseball was in there; it was that swollen." Stojakovic was injured during the fourth quarter of the Hornets' 108-95 victory against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night after he went up to contest a jump shot ..."
October 26
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Although it's approaching two years since Peja Stojakovic required season-ending back surgery, he remains fearful of another injury. Before practices and games, Stojakovic said he thinks about the sharp, lower-back pain that has plagued him since the 2005-06 season, when he was traded from the Sacramento Kings to the Indiana Pacers. The thought somewhat subsides once the game begins, but not completely. "I always think about it," said Stojakovic, who had surgery in December 2006 to remove a disc fragment. "It's always at the back of your mind that something is going to happen." So far, his back is holding up. Stojakovic has not missed practice time during training camp, and he had ..."