<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">MEMPHIS, TENN. -- There's no comparison between the Hornets team that Memphis coach Mike Fratello went against Tuesday night and the one Fratello witnessed as a TNT television analyst in the Eastern Conference playoffs against the 76ers in 2003. Fratello, who saw the Sixers take the Hornets down in six games, said he prefers this younger, more athletic version. "It becomes different when players are different. Obviously, the players are different," Fratello said. "There are many different players on this one than the one back then. There's no Baron Davis or (Jamaal) Magloire or (George) Lynch. This is a different group. "This is a quick, fast, blend of youth with a guy who has been around a while like P.J. (Brown). They're in a transition period right now. But I like what I see with this group. They play very hard. Their style is a slashing, driving, get-to-the-rim kind of style. "As they add and pick and choose which way they want to go, the team will grow and develop." IT'S WARM INSIDE: J.R. Smith had his best game as a professional March 26 when the Hornets beat the Grizzlies 96-85. Smith scored 33 points on 13-of-18 shooting, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range. "This is a great shooting arena, a great arena period, because there's no ice (under the floor because of hockey games)," Smith said. "It's warm in here. You don't need to take a lot of time to get ready. In some arenas, you just have that vibe. This is one of them, definitely." In the Hornets' past four wins, Smith averaged 15 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He shot 41 percent from the field during that span. NACHBAR UPDATE: Hornets trainer Terry Kofler said forward Bostjan Nachbar, who sprained his right knee on Nov. 28 at Golden State, might test it before tonight's game in Oklahoma City against the Boston Celtics. A CT scan last week revealed a stretched medial collateral ligament, Kofler said, but it's possible Nachbar could return during the Hornets' upcoming three-game trip to the West Coast that begins Friday in Portland. "After the scan, they said it would be a week-to-week basis," Hornets coach Byron Scott said of Nachbar, who didn't accompany the team to last Saturday's game at Dallas and or Tuesday's game at Memphis. "If there had been damage, it would have been four to six weeks. "Now we're just waiting to see how fast it heals. He can't do anything laterally. He can go straight up and down. "We'll evaluate again and go from there." </div> Source
