<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">OKLAHOMA CITY -- Hornets shooting guard Peja Stojakovic was cleared to practice Wednesday without restrictions for the first time since November, when he required surgery to remove a disk fragment in his lower back. Stojakovic, who missed 51 games, participated in a three-on-three half-court scrimmage and a few other drills that involved contact. Coach Byron Scott said Stojakovic will be put through four or five more practices before determining when he can return to the lineup. "The Lakers game (March 23 in New Orleans) will probably be the game we'll sit down and talk about seeing if he's ready," Scott said. "It will be his decision. We'll talk to him to see how he feels, and if he says he needs more time, if that's 10 practices from now, we'll wait until then." Stojakovic was the Hornets' top acquisition last summer when he received a five-year, $64 million contract in a sign-and-trade deal with the Indiana Pacers. Stojakovic played 13 games this season before he was sidelined. "I'm feeling good, pain free, but they (doctors) told me not to push over the limit," Stojakovic said. "Coming back from a major injury is hard. You have to work much more harder to come back." The Hornets are desperate for a turnaround after losing six consecutive games and remaining winless in March. Since last month's All-Star break, they have lost eight of 11 games and dropped to the 12th spot in the Western Conference playoff race. "The best thing about Peja is that his offense is probably his best defense," Scott said. "You have to pay attention to him wherever he is on the court. When teams start to think about him, especially when he's at 100 percent, it opens it a little more for David West, Desmond Mason, Tyson Chandler and so on. He's a weapon." </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">SITTING OUT: Starting point guard Chris Paul sat out Wednesday's practice and Scott said he was unaware of Paul having an injury other than feeling fatigue from playing 47 games this season. But in a statement released by the team Wednesday night, General Manager Jeff Bower said Paul underwent an MRI test after experiencing soreness in his left foot after Tuesday night's 112-108 loss to the New Jersey Nets. "The results showed a stress reaction, but he is not expected to miss any time on the floor," Bower said. </div> Source
<div class="quote_poster">Kobe24bryant Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">How effective can Peja rally be to the hornets offense?</div> Consideirng he is their leading scorer I would say very affective....the Hornets can't seem to catch a break. I know for a fact Chris Paul will do whatever it takes to finish out the season, if at all possible, but with CP3 hurting this Hornets team is like a one legged man in a foot race.
