For the New Orleans Hornets, there's nothing but pride left to play for this season. Coach Monty Williams' team stands at 12-37, the second-worst record in the NBA, having lost seven of its last 10 and 14 of its last 20 with a 29th-ranked offense that has averaged less than a point per possession on the year. With a month left in the regular season and no chance at a playoff berth, it would be perfectly understandable if the Hornets just closed up shop, played out the string and rolled up as many losses as possible to keep their ping-pong-ball count high. So, naturally, they're expected to bring back long-lost guard Eric Gordon, who was expected to be the team's offensive centerpiece before missing all but two games with a right knee injury, to give the team a shot in the arm for the stretch run. Wait, what? Word of Gordon's possible return started to spread Monday after Monty Williams said the injured shooting guard "could be back on the floor in 'five days to a week,'" according to Hornets.com's Jim Eichenhofer . The talk solidified Tuesday, when Gordon was slated to go through a full practice that Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune called the "final step in...