You’re reading correctly Hornets fans. The Hornets won their 3rd game in a row last night against the New Orleans Pelicans. At one point in the first half, things were looking grim as the Hornets trailed the Pelicans. That Pelican lead grew into double figures, but our beloved bugs roared back, led by Kemba Walker and his 3rd 30+ point game in a row. Now granted, those 31 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal were definitely a big factor in the win, so was good TEAM basketball. We had 5 players in double figures again. Gerald Henderson continues to play up to his potential, scoring 16 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and a block. Cody and Biz had quiet games, but I personally expected that with Anthony Davis swarming around in our paint. Not much of a chance for either to do a whole lot. Cody had 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and a block. Biz had 3 points and 7 rebounds. That left the game up to our wings, all of whom have been historically weak this season, to carry the team to victory. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist did not fail to impress among the starters. He had 13 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and a block. Again, the starters gave us 71 points. We must have that sort of contribution in order to win games.
Our bench finally did what it needed to do. While they were on the floor, they were able to not fall apart. They actually held their own and scored points too! Brian Roberts had 10 points and 2 rebounds. Jason Maxiell had 9 points 4 rebounds, and a block. Gary Neal had 5 points, an assist, and a rebound. The biggest bench guy last night was Marvin Williams. He only had 3 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists, but his biggest stat number of the night was his 4 steals. The last steal came at the end of the game on an inbounds pass. That secured our victory.
It’s all about good defense and team basketball. The Hornets didn’t shoot as well as the Pelicans from the floor (45% vs 43%). We didn’t out-rebound them either (43-43). We didn’t even beat them in assists (19-18). We just played smart and really locked down and fought our way to a victory. A number that stood out to me was that we only took 14 3-pointers. We only hit 4 of them. I’m pleased with that. It’s a sub-30% number, but it was only 14 shots. That shot has not been working for us, and I’m glad to see that we abandoned it in favor of a higher percentage 2-point shot. You can’t will 3-pointers to go in, so if they aren’t falling, you have to move on to something else. We finally did that last night.
Here’s something to ponder; how quickly do we want Al back? Believe me, I love the guy and I’m glad he’s here; however, to be honest, the team looks better without him out there. That half-court offense is hard to watch when it’s working, and it is brutal to watch when it isn’t. Last season, Al was a double-double machine, and this year, it just isn’t happening. I still believe that if you study enough film, you can figure out how to stop a team, and I mean any team. For us, it was the Al and Kemba show last season. Once this season was under way, it was the same show, but with dramatically different results. I often wonder if Al was less than 100% from the start of the season and he just got to the point he was totally ineffective, or of teams just figured out how to shut him down, and he got hurt along the way. Whatever the case, we weren’t winning games. The result has been that the “new guy” was the problem for the losses. Lance Stephenson cannot thrive in a half-court, slow, offense.
So what am I saying? Well, for the fans, I’m taking the low road. I’m taking the less popular opinion and I’ll take the heat from everyone that I’m wrong. I want Lance Stephenson back and healthy before Al Jefferson. There. I said it. I want to see Lance in this current offensive scheme before I pass any sort of judgment on him that he doesn’t fit here. I believe that Lance will thrive in a motion offense where there are constant players cutting to the basket, chances for fast breaks, and the ball just being constantly in motion. You really don’t need a guy like Lance if the plan is to get the ball to one side of the court and pass it to the center who is going to work and finesse for 2 points. It will work if Al can catch, make his move, and score the ball quickly. If he can’t, the ball has to come back out and move around more. I just don’t know that the team can be effective if he can’t score in 5 seconds. If he can’t get the ball in the basket in that time, he has to get it back out and something else has to be tried. Most of the time, however, if the ball comes back out, it goes right back in to him. That doesn’t work well because everyone is just standing around, waiting for him to shoot.
I’m not saying that Al needs to be traded. I’m not saying that Lance needs to be traded. I’m just saying that every single offensive play can’t be Kemba to Al. This stretch minus Al is revealing that others can score. That would mean that it is time to get past Al carrying the team. 3 games at 30+ points for Kemba show that he can carry a team. Last year’s game plan doesn’t work. I believe that Lance will be back before Al, and at that point, with Lance at 100%, as he’s worked into a faster paced offense, we will see his usefulness to this team. If anyone was keeping notes, Hendo has had 15 assists in the last 2 games. That stat points to having a passer at the SG position is a good thing. You move Hendo to the 2nd unit, and Lance works his way into the starting 5, you still have a low teens scorer who can rebound and distribute the ball. Kemba, Lance, MKG, Cody, and Biz could be insanely fun to watch. I won’t go any further because our wings blur my vision as to what to do with the second unit. If Taylor returns and is a “3 and D” guy, the second unit could be Roberts, Hendo, Taylor, Marvin, and Maxiell. Hendo and Taylor could really boost the defense on that second unit, but it also throws a wrench in the works as to what to do with Neal and PJ.
So, I’ve started the pot to simmering with this one. I can’t wait to hear the feedback.
Tonight we are facing a strong Toronto team. Anything can happen folks and I’m looking to sting those Raptors tonight to extend the streak to 4.
Let’s go Hornets!
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