So what happens when a team with 5 new players and starters with injuries face a full strength, west coast powerhouse? Nothing good. The Charlotte Hornets were without Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as the faced the Warriors last night. They also had their starting power forward, Marvin Williams, with a sore Achilles tendon. Did I mention that Kemba Walker’s back was bothering him? Gary Neal’s head bounced off of the court in the early going, and we lost him to a concussion. The Hornets were playing their 4th game in 5 days, and last night was game 2 of a back-to-back. Yeah, this isn’t a pretty picture.
Yeah, I’m not making any excuses for the Hornets. I just can’t do it today. We were out-rebounded, out-assisted, and we allowed 51% shooting by the Warriors. That’s a lethal combination. Look back a few recaps and you’ll see how that works out because we did the same thing to the Lakers. If you’re here reading a recap and you see mention of poor rebounding, assists, and poor defense, we lost. Trust me, I’ve written enough “rough” recaps because of the days of Bobcats.
I did sit and watch the whole game because there was a chance that we would get to see Noah Vonleh get his first taste of NBA action. Well, we got to see him. There he was, on the court, in the game…
Yeah, I got nothing. He looks to be thinner, but I’m guessing that he’s lost his baby fat and is trying to start putting on muscle (keep in mind he’s only 19 years old and only has 1 year of college basketball experience). Let’s just say that it’s going to take some time before he’s NBA ready. He looked like a lost puppy out on the court. He would forget to set screens for the guards, and when he got in the paint, rebounding wasn’t there. He’s far from a bust, so don’t read this in that manner. He’s just not NBA-ready right now. He’ll get there. Just like the team, we must have patience.
If you were looking for some stats, Al had 19, Brian Roberts had 17, and Lance Stephenson had 16. Cody Zeller was the high man on rebounds with 10 of them, to go with 5 points. Biyombo did not have as impressive of a night last night, but he’s still producing more than Maxiell. Biz had 3 point, 2 blocks, and 4 rebounds out of 18 minutes of play. Maxiell had 2 rebounds and a foul in 14 minutes of play. Let’s hope the Maxiell experiment is over for good. Last night, “Maxiell Time” was primarily because it was a blowout and injuries to the team.
Hopefully, the Hornets can get some rest today, and maybe watch some game films to figure out what’s going wrong on offense. They are not a fluid unit right now, and some Hornets fans, only 10 games in, are ready to throw in the towel and look towards the draft next season. Guys, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. It isn’t easy when you loose a player like Josh McRoberts at PF. We picked up other talent that can make up for it, but the talent isn’t the same skill set. Marvin Williams and Josh McRoberts play 2 completely different types of game. That means that ball movement has to come from somewhere else now. Lance Stephenson and Gerald Henderson play 2 completely different types of games, so the shooting guard position looks very different than it did last year. This team is a jigsaw puzzle right now. Coach Clifford is trying to figure out what pieces go together the best. He still hasn’t quite hit on it, but he’s getting close. Injury and exhaustion is also a factor at this point. Hopefully we get to see Michael Kidd-Gilchrist back on the court soon, and his energy re-motivates the team. I wish the guys had more than a day off so that they could rest and heal, but the upcoming schedule isn’t a friendly one. They face the Mavericks on the 17th, the Pacers on the 19th, The Magic on the 21st, The Heat on the 23rd, the Clippers on the 24th, the Trailblazers on the 26th, the Warriors on the 28th, and the Hawks on the 29th. Then, finally, they get a couple days rest before they face the Bulls on December 3rd. Let’s hope that in the upcoming stretch, chemistry builds, and the guys can get healed up. If not, November is not going to close out on a high note. If you were keeping count, that’s 5 home games out of 8 total, and 2 home-away back-to-backs.
Let’s Go Hornets!
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