Hornets' Andersen on road to recovery
Just before the Hornets' Chris Andersen was reinstated to the NBA after a lengthy absence, there were rumors the Celtics were interested in him. "The Birdman" was intrigued about the prospects of flying with the Celtics, too.
But Andersen returned to New Orleans after a two-year ban for substance abuse.
"I was told I wasn't going back to the Hornets at first," Andersen said. "It seemed that they weren't going to bring me back to my old contract prorated; they wanted me as a free agent. But everything worked out better than I was hoping. I was worried and stressed out. But I let it go and I came into a good situation.
"Boston has a lot of history and a lot of legends and the rumor of possibly having the opportunity to play for a franchise like that was flattering and motivating."
Andersen was suspended Jan. 27, 2006, after violating the anti-drug policy. He admitted he was an alcoholic. He completed an alcohol rehabilitation program in Malibu, Calif., shortly after being suspended and says he has been alcohol- and drug-free since.
After Andersen was reinstated, the Hornets had the option of signing him to a prorated amount of his contract for the rest of the season or allowing him to be a free agent. The Hornets re-signed him March 5 and he'll be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
P.J. Brown, who played with Andersen, is happy to see him back on the court. Andersen has played sparingly in three games since his return. Last night, he played 12 minutes but was held scoreless in the Hornets' 112-92 loss to the Celtics.
"I'm very excited to see him back and I'm very happy for him," said Brown, who played with the Hornets from 2002-06. "He's a great guy and he was a great teammate when I played with him. I'm very glad to see him come back and hopefully 'Bird' keeps going in the right direction."
Andersen is hopeful his story could motivate others. "The main objective was to get back. With what I've accomplished, it makes it more rewarding when you get to where you once were, where you are actually playing and trying to produce. To actually tell your story means a lot more now to kids."
Personal favorite
Hornets coach Byron Scott described his point guard, Chris Paul, as the front-runner for Most Valuable Player, followed by the Lakers' Kobe Bryant and Cleveland's LeBron James. Omitted from Scott's discussion was Kevin Garnett."Kevin would be up there, I guess, really," Scott said. "But Kevin has Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Kevin has two guys that have been established for years."
Top priority
Celtics coach Doc Rivers said "the most important thing" for the rest of the regular season is getting reserve guard Tony Allen playing at a high level. Allen, who missed the last 48 games last season because of left knee surgery, is averaging 6.3 points and 2.2 rebounds. "I got to do a better job with him," Rivers said. "I know he can play." . . . Celtics rookie guard Gabe Pruitt could be back from his third and final stint with Utah of the NBA Development League in about two weeks. If Utah doesn't make the playoffs, its final game will be April 12. "He'll come back as soon as it's over there," said director of basketball operations Danny Ainge . . . Ainge has been in Phoenix scouting the NCAA Tournament and might attend the Final Four in San Antonio . . . The Celtics have canceled morning shootarounds for all three home games this week and have had late afternoon workouts instead to give players more rest. The team is expected to do the same for tomorrow's game against Miami. "I don't like keeping them on the same schedule," Rivers said. "We'll have shootarounds and no practice to keep things interesting. It's good to keep changing." . . . The Celtics-Wizards game April 9 will be on ESPN at 7 p.m.
