Michael Beasley

Michael Beasley said Thursday that he has no regrets about his heated exchange with teammate Quentin Richardson during Wednesday’s loss to the Hornets.

“I’m not a rookie no more,” Beasley said. “I felt like I was where I was supposed to be.”

On the play, Peja Stojakovic was left open for a three-pointer. Beasley admitted that he would have kept quiet when he was a rookie last season.

“I would have shut up,” he said. “He would have thought he was right.”

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David West

Some NBA executives believe that the Hornets may not be able to avoid dealing away David West before the February 18 trade deadline.

Trading West would ensure that the Hornets stay under this season’s luxury tax threshold.

The Hornets would likely prefer to move Emeka Okafor, Peja Stojakovic, James Posey, Mo Peterson, Darius Songaila or Julian Wright.

But finding a taker for any of these other players will be more difficult than doing so for West.

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Peja Stojakovic

With a steep learning curve and limited practices, Peja Stojakovic showed Thursday night against the Suns that he has grasped Jeff Bower’s system enough to make a significant impact.

Stojokovic scored a game-high 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Hornets to a 110-103 upset victory against the Suns before 14,520 at the New Orleans Arena.

It was his first double-double since last January.

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Photo by Zander St. Pierre

New Orleans Hornets Coach Byron Scott made one lineup change before Sunday night’s 104-88 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers inserting Devin Brown as the No. 1 shooting guard.

He will make another Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Peja Stojakovic will return as the starting small forward against the Clippers, sending third-year pro Julian Wright to the bench as Scott struggles to find a starting unit that can win a game as the Hornets have started 2-5.

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Photo by Adam Lazzarato

Byron Scott said Morris Peterson definitely will start the opener next week against San Antonio ahead of rookie Marcus Thornton and Peja Stojakovic at shooting guard.

But Scott said the backup point guard position is undecided between Bobby Brown and first-round draft pick Darren Collison.

They have been battling since training camp opened last month, and Scott plans to use a two-point guard lineup on occasion with Brown or Collison paired with starter Chris Paul.

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