On the surface, adding Terrence Williams to the Houston Rockets’ lineup seems like a disaster waiting to happen. After all, Williams has been labeled somewhat of a problem child during his time in New Jersey, with multiple disciplinary actions already on his record, the most recent being a stint in the D-League after a  . . .strong disagreement . . .with Nets head coach Avery Johnson. Ironically, it was precisely that brief stint in the D-League that showed some teams around the NBA that Williams might have more to offer than what we’ve seen in New Jersey.

The Rockets have always been a team that looks beyond the surface in determining the value of a player, and in the case of Terrence Williams they really liked seeing him average a triple-double in the D-League. Yes, in three games with the Springfield Armor Williams averaged 28.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 10.7 assists while shooting 43% from the field, 50% from three, and 80% from the line. Sure, it’s the D-League, so stats aren’t necessarily telling a complete story. But there is an interesting story within a story here.

What does it say that a 6’6", 220 wing player was able to grab 11.3 rebounds over three games? What does it say that while he was clearly trying to send a message with his dominant scoring, he also bothered himself with dishing out 10.7 assists? Here’s what it tells the Houston Rockets, who love to find a diamond in the rough. It tells the Rockets that Williams is a force to be reckoned with when he’s given an opportunity, and who better to give him that opportunity than Rick "Clean Slate" Adelman.

Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings is making that all-important leap between strong rookie season and improved sophomore campaign. His scoring and efficiency are up and he’s starting to get a good feel for the NBA game. HOOPSWORLD sat down with Jennings to talk about the recent improved play of the Bucks, his own areas of improvement, the important advice Jason Kidd gave him, and more, in this exclusive interview:

{AUTHOR_BOX}A Franchise In Turmoil – Part III

HOOPSWORLD has been offering unmatched coverage of the situation in New Orleans, from ownership issues and a possible relocation to trades and trade rumors that threaten to rip apart the fabric of the team. We started with an in-depth interview with team president Hugh Weber, which you can find here. On Monday we ran the first part of our conversation with GM Dell Demps, who covered the reasons behind the Peja Stojakovic trade and gave his take on the team’s strong start and recent struggles, which you can find here. Today we conclude our mini-series with the second half of our conversation with Demps.

One thing Demps and his team wanted to establish was a strong sense of culture for his team, and one of the ways he did that was by framing a jersey of deceased Hornets guard Bobby Phills and prominently displaying it in the team’s offices. He wants his current players to feel connected to the rich history of the franchise and the city, giving them a little something extra to play for.

"The most important thing we wanted to do coming in was establish a culture and identity and make this a special place," says Demps. "Numerous players have mentioned to me that they notice the change. It’s not that we go ask them, but it does make you feel good when they come and say that they like the situation and like being a part of this because it’s about the players."

One thing Demps learned about the culture of the Hornets right away was just how much Chris Paul is committed to the team and committed to winning.

"The thing about Chris that I didn’t know – not that it was a surprise – is how much a student of the game he is. He watches a lot of film, watches a lot of games, and he has a lot of ideas. I actually learn from him when I talk to him. I don’t want to make it sound like we’re bosom buddies or that we talk every three minutes, but in the conversations that we have, some of his insight is interesting. He is truly an extension of the coach on the court. He’s a verbal leader and the guys trust him. The guys understand that he makes them better, and that winning is very important to him."

Of course, there are also roster changes involved in culture changes and the Hornets recently made a move to give themselves future flexibility when they sent Stojakovic and Jerryd Bayless to the Toronto Raptors. In that deal they got Jarrett Jack, who was their primary target, but the oft-traded, seldom-played Marcus Banks was also included in the deal. Demps made it clear that he is not in the Hornets’ plans.

"We talked to Marcus. I called him on the phone and had a conversation with him, and both sides mutually agreed that the best thing for him was not to report. The reason was simple: we have a number of guys at that position. Marcus Thornton is having a hard time getting on the court as it is, so Marcus Banks would be in that same situation. We just didn’t see that as being beneficial for either party. He has an ending contract, and whenever a situation arises where we can improve the organization, we’re going to look to do it. We don’t like to talk about specific players being traded, but we did mutually agree that it would be a better situation for him if he didn’t report."

Don’t expect to hear anything else about Chris Paul being traded, at least not from the Hornets, but there will be additional roster tweaks. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them move Marcus Thornton, who had a promising rookie season last year but hasn’t been able to find a way into head coach Monty Williams’ rotation.

"I think it’s a situation where the team’s winning, and we have three shooting guards in Marcus, Willie (Green), and Marco (Belinelli). Marco’s having a career year, Willie’s having a career year, and it’s hard to play three shooting guards. Someone was going to be left out on the deal, and we opened it up to a competition. To Marcus’ credit, he’s come in and helped us win in at least four games, where he was a crucial part of a win. He’s been a pro, and it’s unfortunate that you can’t play all of them. I take my hat off to him because he comes in and works hard every day, doesn’t complain about playing time, and he’s been the ultimate pro. When he’s called upon, he comes in the game and does his best. He doesn’t mope or have a bad attitude, it’s just one of those situations where what we’re going is working."

The Hornets are definitely in the middle of a season of change. They have a new GM, new head coach, new management team, and the NBA is taking over ownership of the club for now in an effort to keep them in New Orleans. With so much going on off the court, it’s no surprise that the team is struggling to maintain their focus on it. Still, the new faces in New Orleans are some of the up-and-coming talents in the NBA, and they’re confident they can not only answer the challenges presented to their team on the court on a nightly basis, but also answer the challenges being presented by tough economic times.

After all, the City of New Orleans has been through much worse and still managed to hold together as a community. Their NBA team is now a perfect reflection of the city they represent.

More Twitter: HOOPSWORLD has launched a new Twitter module where we will be releasing more breaking news and insider-type information via Twitter. Make sure you are following all of our guys to insure you are getting the very latest from our team: @stevekylerNBA, @AlexKennedyNBA, @jfleminghoops, @TheRocketGuy, @EricPincus, @joelbrigham, @TommyBeer and @YannisHW.

NBA Chats: There will be three NBA Chats today starting with Steve Kyler’s NBA Rumors Chat at 11am EST. Salary Cap Guru Larry Coon will host his next Salary Cap Chat at 3pm EST. Senior NBA Writer Tommy Beer will host the late day chat at 8pm EST. Tommy is HOOPSWORLD’s Fantasy Sports editor and also covers the Knicks for HOOPSWORLD. You can always the next chat here: Upcoming NBA Chats.