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Zach Lowe Outlook on Hornets

AppHeel

By AppHeel,
in Charlotte Hornets

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AppHeel Apprentice

AppHeel

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Pretty smart take from Lowe who definitely writes a lot of the ugly truth in his post. For all of the problems he brings up he does defend Cho and Clifford and essentially says that Charlotte needs to hold tight and work on finding a good number 2 through the draft. Agree with that, though it's easier said than done.

Full article: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18699588/zach-lowe-10-things-like-featuring-charlotte-hornets-nba

10 things I like and don't like

1. The Hornets

Everything folks worried about after Charlotte turned down Boston's Godfather offer for the Frank Kaminsky pick has come to bear. The Hornets are 7-19 since just before Christmas, and they have one of the bleakest long-term outlooks in the league. That hurts to say.

The moment they traded Noah Vonleh for Nic Batum, the Hornets trapped themselves in a dilemma: Either let Batum walk, or pay him close to the max just as the cap would skyrocket -- lifting max deals with it. You could justify the deal. Batum is a very good player in his prime, and Charlotte is not a destination that could bank on luring anyone better.

 

But it's clear Batum is miscast as a second option next to the dogged and always-improving Kemba Walker. Batum is shooting a career-worst 44 percent on 2s, and an ugly 35 percent out of the pick-and-roll -- with a ghastly turnover rate on the play. Batum has coughed up the ball on 26.5 percent of his pick-and-rolls that have ended Charlotte possessions; among 150 guys who have run at least 50 of those suckers, only five have worse turnover rates, per Synergy.

You cannot give him the ball and expect him to get a bucket, and holy hell, do the Hornets need a bucket-getter.

Only about 12 percent of Batum's shots have come in the restricted area, the lowest mark of his career, per Basketball-Reference. He averages just 2.3 drives per game. Only 26 of the 86 guys logging at least 30 minutes per game record fewer drives -- and all but six of those 26 are big men.

Batum is a gifted all-around player -- a triple-double threat. But the Hornets need more. On too many nights, Walker is their only source of oxygen -- the only guy who can break his man down, get into the lane, and create something. Defenses happily switch across every other position, confident Batum, Kaminsky, Marvin Williams, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist won't do any damage against smaller players.

Everyone around Walker has plateaued or declined. Williams' 3-point shooting is down after a career year. The MKG leap hasn't happened; smart teams hide plodding power forwards on him, stick quicker wings on Williams, and switch all of Charlotte's buzzing Williams-centric screening action.

Charlotte compensated early in the season with a heap of free throws, but that well has dried up a bit.

In the bigger picture, every move Charlotte has made over the past three years has screamed: PLEASE BASKETBALL GODS, LET US WIN 45 GAMES! That's meant turning down four picks, including one of Boston's Brooklyn picks, to draft Kaminsky; going all-in on Batum; flipping last year's No. 22 pick for Marco Belinelli; and most recently, swapping two backup centers on short-term deals for one -- Miles Plumlee -- carrying a long-term eight-figure salary.

Charlotte could be capped out through 2019. That's hard to do. We all know the defense for the Belinelli swap: picks in the 20s typically return very little, and Belinelli is a proven rotation player. But he's a proven backup who's not moving the needle for a so-so team. He's not Thaddeus Young -- a proven starter for whom Indiana swapped the No. 20 pick in the same draft.

And for a team with so few long-term building blocks, a 25 percent chance at someone who might matter in five years -- and serve the first four of them on a cheapo rookie contract -- is more valuable than a veteran with a 100 percent chance of being a serviceable reserve today.

Plumlee is a nice backup center. So is Kaminsky.

Things will get better. The Hornets really miss Cody Zeller. He's their Patrick Patterson -- a middling stats jack-of-many-trades who makes life easier for everyone around him with vicious screens and relentless rim-running. But a 24-32 team counting on Cody Zeller as a savior is in a dark, dark place.

Kaminsky will be a different player when his 3-point shot comes around. Steve Clifford is a great coach. Rich Cho and Chad Buchanan, the top dogs in the front office, are smart dudes who will nail a draft pick in the middle of the first round at some point in the next few years.

In the meantime, Charlotte should resist the temptation to trade another future pick for a 30-something quick fix like Lou Williams. Search out smaller moves, try to rally for the No. 8 spot, and take a swing in the lottery if you don't pull it off.

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carpanfan96 Veteran

carpanfan96

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I think we should trade Kemba for a pick, try to get a lottery pick for him. He's got a nice contract and continually imporves. Swing Batum for a late first. Keep the younger guys and project guys, tank hard and try to get multiple lottery picks in a good draft. Blow it all up, I've said it from the start 7-8 seed max again limited team and that doesn't work in the NBA. You have to go all out for a star and try like hell to keep them once you get them. 

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Zaximus Mentor

Zaximus

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3 hours ago, carpanfan96 said:

I think we should trade Kemba for a pick, try to get a lottery pick for him. He's got a nice contract and continually imporves. Swing Batum for a late first. Keep the younger guys and project guys, tank hard and try to get multiple lottery picks in a good draft. Blow it all up, I've said it from the start 7-8 seed max again limited team and that doesn't work in the NBA. You have to go all out for a star and try like hell to keep them once you get them. 

That's the only way we'll compete with top teams, but I see it from both sides I guess.   If it doesn't pan out, you're going from mid-team to bottom dweller and the chances of getting an all-star are still small.   Being an NBA team without a star is a dreary place.  

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Mr. Miagi Newbie

Mr. Miagi

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3 hours ago, carpanfan96 said:

I think we should trade Kemba for a pick, try to get a lottery pick for him. He's got a nice contract and continually imporves. Swing Batum for a late first. Keep the younger guys and project guys, tank hard and try to get multiple lottery picks in a good draft. Blow it all up, I've said it from the start 7-8 seed max again limited team and that doesn't work in the NBA. You have to go all out for a star and try like hell to keep them once you get them. 

It's hard to let Kemba and Batum go. 

Its always good to say, let's "rebuild with the young guys". But, who the hell are the young guys? MKG, Zeller and Frank? 

We could turn this ship around faster if we get rid of the YOUNG GUYS who have been disappointing, while keeping the proven players. This team could still get a top5 lottery pick with Kemba and Batum on the roster. 

I feel like that's been the problem here in Charlotte. MJ and Cho make stupid basketball decisions and won't admit the mistakes. I will bring up the Sacramento Kings. They're not a very great team but they do own up to there mistakes. Thomas Robinson and Nic Stauskas were very high picks. They didn't stick too long. 

 

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carpanfan96 Veteran

carpanfan96

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Frank hasnt been here long, but mkg for sure if you could get a late first or keep him as an off bench scorer. 

 

You have to give up something to get something in return and Two players are worth more then thr rest of the team easily. 

 

Trade Kemba for lottery pick.

Trade Batum for a first (mid to late) 

 

Keep the rest of the young group, draft a few drafts in the top 5. Check what you have and if not enough rinse and repeat. 

 

Have to have a super star in the nba, otherwise no point in being a team with a ceiling of the 7th or 8th seed. 

 

 

I will say that Jordan was an idiot for turning boston down since it had the Brooklyn pick included. That move alone may have set the team back 10 years if not more. 

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Carl Spackler Grand Master

Carl Spackler

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42 minutes ago, carpanfan96 said:

Frank hasnt been here long, but mkg for sure if you could get a late first or keep him as an off bench scorer. 

 

You have to give up something to get something in return and Two players are worth more then thr rest of the team easily. 

 

Trade Kemba for lottery pick.

Trade Batum for a first (mid to late) 

5-77

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Carl Spackler Grand Master

Carl Spackler

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47 minutes ago, carpanfan96 said:

Frank hasnt been here long, but mkg for sure if you could get a late first or keep him as an off bench scorer. 

 

You have to give up something to get something in return and Two players are worth more then thr rest of the team easily. 

 

Trade Kemba for lottery pick.

Trade Batum for a first (mid to late) 

 

Keep the rest of the young group, draft a few drafts in the top 5. Check what you have and if not enough rinse and repeat. 

 

Have to have a super star in the nba, otherwise no point in being a team with a ceiling of the 7th or 8th seed. 

 

 

I will say that Jordan was an idiot for turning boston down since it had the Brooklyn pick included. That move alone may have set the team back 10 years if not more. 

This is a nice collection of the worst ideas of all time

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