48-34. Reg Season Wrap-Up Thread

[TheKingofSting]

It would sure be the Raptors worst nightmare. MKG can and would eliminate Derozen.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves. We got a series to win first.

But yeah, finishing 48-34 without MKG is remarkable. MKG is at least good for 7 more wins, meaning we could have approached 60! this season if he stayed healthy.

I was trying last night to figure out how many wins he would have added just if he hadn't got injured the second time. I'm not sure how many wins he would have brought had he not been injured at all could even be computed.


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[catch20two]

We're gonna need MKG if we make it to Lebron. I hope he's ready if possible. One step at a time tho.

[spaceballer]

Really good article:

http://nba.nbcsports.com/2016/04/14/hornets-full-of-expiring-contracts-pulling-together/

The Hornets made a virtue out of necessity. It showed a lot of leadership from Cliff in that preseason speech, of finding the best way forward to motivate guys given the hand he was dealt by the front office of all these expiring contracts.

With so many guys on expiring contracts, he convinced them that they would all get paid big money in the summer if they sacrificed their personal stats to help the team win. He gave specific examples of how free agents with lower stats on winning teams get new contracts for more money (even if it involves changing teams in free agency) than free agents with higher stats on losing teams. It became the ethos of the team, so much so that even late additions like C.Lee picked it up. Sacrifice your personal stats to help the team win, and you will get bigger contracts in the summer than if you put up better stats on a losing team.

Of course, when the summer comes, and it's time to pay the piper and everyone expects to get a bigger contract in the off-season in return for sacrificing their stats to be on a winning team, and to get paid more than if they'd been stat-padding, the Hornets won't be able to pay everyone. If Cliff's words hold true though, they'll get paid, even if it's not by the Hornets.

So this is indeed a special season, a confluence of events that won't happen easily again, with everyone on the team expecting to get paid this summer for their sacrifice. Let's enjoy this playoff run.

Cliff did the impossible. Randy Wittman (who just got fired) said that it's impossible to win with a team with so many free agents because everyone will play selfishly in a contract year and there will be jealousy in the locker room.

From the very beginning of preseason, Cliff convinced these pending free agents to sacrifice their stats for the team, and that they'll get paid a lot more in the off-season if they're on a winning team than if they stat-padded on a losing one, even if it means leaving the Hornets in the summer to get that big contract. He got them all to buy in and sacrifice for their summer reward of big money, making a virtue out of necessity, doing what Randy Wittman said was impossible.

Cliff won with a team of free agents, even if he's able to hold them together for only one special season (I don't think it's likely for them to give discounts in the summer, if the motivator for them to sacrifice stats was that they would get paid for winning). Hats off to Cliff.

And credit to the FO for getting pending free agents who were experienced enough in the league and smart enough (one of them is from Harvard, none of them are knucklehead headcases) to understand and embrace Cliff's point professionally and make it a rallying cry for the team. Sacrifice, win, get paid more in the summer (with the Hornets or elswhere).

This was truly a unique and special season, with a rare confluence of pending free agents that are both talented and smart/mature enough to understand Cliff's point.

The impossible season: winning with a team of free agents. Cliff>>>>Wittman.

[LofJ]

We have the money to pay most of them. Courtney Lee said it himself, a lot of them are likely to be back next season.

[SWedd523]

BroDave leaves to root for another team, we promptly have the best season in a decade and finish tied for third in the suddenly very competitive East.

I think we figured out what the problem was

[-Ian-]

BroDave leaves to root for another team, we promptly have the best season in a decade and finish tied for third in the suddenly very competitive East.

I think we figured out what the problem was

Wait. Which team is he rooting for now? Toronto?

[BigSlam]

BroDave leaves to root for another team, we promptly have the best season in a decade and finish tied for third in the suddenly very competitive East.

I think we figured out what the problem was

Wait. Which team is he rooting for now? Toronto?

It's not "team" with him. It's "teams (which I don't get).

My guess is Toronto, Detroit AND Phoenix.


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[fatlever]

Really good article:

http://nba.nbcsports.com/2016/04/14/hornets-full-of-expiring-contracts-pulling-together/

Another great example of the chemistry this team has, on and off the court.

[fatlever]

posting this from the Lin thread.

Lin wrote about everyone on the team today on Reddit. Really good insight to the team. Recommended reading for sure

Playoffs here we come ... (self.CharlotteHornets)

submitted 43 minutes ago by jeremylin07

Playoffs are right around the corner and a lot of people, including you guys, have noticed we have a really special team here. Having had a wide range of experiences playing basketball my whole life, I've always believed that basketball is the most fun when everyone buys in and plays for each other. That's what has helped our team this season and it has also made playing on the court really enjoyable. So this post is dedicated to my teammates.

For us, it all started on our preseason trip to China. We really bonded there and clicked as a group off the court and I think it has carried onto the court. So what I thought I would do is talk a little bit about each teammate.

Jorge Gutiérrez: He just joined the team, so I haven't been able to spend as much time with him, but Jorge is slowly getting more comfortable around the team. He played ball at Cal so we've talked about how awesome California is. He's also talked about how when he's done playing, he wants to spend time working with underprivileged children in Mexico...gotta respect that!!

Tyler Hansbrough: I call him T-Hans or Psycho T. I think he has the best one-liners of anyone on the team. When I first met him, I didn't know what to expect, but this dude works really, really hard and has the most hilarious and unexpected one-liners. He's also the one person on the team I'd never want to fight.

Al Jefferson: Funniest person on the team and candidate for funniest teammate I've ever had. When Al talks or laughs, everybody listens, partially because he's going to say something hilarious and partially because he talks hella loud. I sit right in front of him on the bus, so when he talks, I need to turn my music volume all the way up. Al is also the most generous person ever and has a great heart! Many people say they want to win, but Al genuinely just wants to win. He has sacrificed so much for our team and been all-in for the team.

Frank Kaminsky: Man...this rookie is so crazy. You never know what he's going to say or do. He's always keeping us on our toes and doing unexpected things (i.e. the dance-off in China). Tank (his nickname) is going to be a great player because he's just so skilled. He's also the team's designated Chipotle runner as well as Al's personal Jimmy John's courier. His locker is next to mine, so needless to say, I've lost quite a few brain cells having so many conversations with him in the locker room.

Aaron Harrison: We call him Twin. I'm not sure if Twin spoke the first 4 weeks of training camp, but since then he has started opening up. I also think he's going to be really good because he works hard, he pays attention and tries to constantly learn. We don't often scrimmage because of our game schedule, but recently Aaron has been playing well in scrimmages and picking up a ton of tricks just from watching certain guys during the games. I've been impressed by how much he has learned. Sometimes I make fun of Twin, but he just looks at me awkwardly and doesn't say anything, so I don't make fun of him that much anymore lol.

Troy Daniels: If Al wasn't on the team, this dude would be the funniest dude. Me and Troy go back to Houston when he made the game-winning shot in a playoff game right after getting called up from the D-League. Whenever Troy gets subbed into the game, he scores right away. It's unbelievable. The thing I'm most impressed with about Troy is his confidence in his own shot. He never ever gets down on himself or stops shooting, so I've learned a lot just by watching his mindset and how he approaches basketball. On behalf of the human population, we also would like to thank Troy for recently using Invisalign. We all know he needs it...

Nic Batum: Slick Nic. If Nic and Twin were put in the same room, it would be complete silence. Nic barely ever talked early on, but after he got comfortable, I started realizing how funny he is. Obviously on the court, he has enjoyed an unbelievable breakout year and he's so fun to play with because he can make plays in so many different ways. He is the most laid back person ever. Sometimes, he shows up to practice on a Segway lol. He's on the other side of me in the locker room, so when I'm sick of having childish conversations with Tank, I turn to the other side and have refined conversations with Nic.

Cody Zeller: This dude runs and jumps like a gazelle. It's crazy. He's also wildly popular in Indiana and very calm and stable. When Coach gets on Cody it's the funniest thing, because Cody has no expression, response or anything. He just sits there and we're all wondering what Cody is thinking. But then he just comes out and plays super hard. Cody loves sandwiches like me, so on the road, I always ask him where the best and nearest sandwich spots are.

Marvin Williams: We call him Marv. He will be tied with Jared Jeffries for the best teammate I have ever had. He's the most genuinely nice and polite person ever, seriously. He says "sir" a lot when talking to us, he always asks us about our families and takes care of everyone. He gives his per diem (which adds up to a lot of money) to Twin just out of generosity. In my opinion, Marv is the voice of our team and our glue guy. He also anchors our D.

Kemba Walker: Kemba is the most down-to-earth dude. I was really impressed when I first met him and he has totally handled his well-deserved success this season with such grace. When we're all hanging out, you would never know he is our star player. First off, he's like 6-12 inches shorter than everybody. Secondly, he always wears a backpack as big as him, so he looks like a middle schooler on the first day of school...it's hilarious! He plays with everything he has every night and has carried us on his back for many games.

Courtney Lee: CLee. I've known him since Houston, where we first originated our handshake. Courtney has been a huge, huge addition for us since MKG has been hurt. Courtney and I love talking trash and starting shooting competitions with each other, and he's always been a great guy on and off the court. I was excited when we got him after the trade deadline.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: Mike. I feel bad for him because he has had some bad luck with injuries, but this guy works incredibly hard and plays soooo hard. People would knock him for his jumper in the past, but if you knew anything about basketball, you would realize how good MKG really is defensively AND offensively. I love playing with this guy and we established a good on-court connection early on since he was always cutting for open layups. He's gonna come back strong and be an absolute beast.

Jeremy Lamb: We call him JLamb. He gets my vote for best dancer on the team. JLamb is really laid back and has that California personality even though he's not from there. He's so talented and will be a big time player. For the first part of the season, JLamb and I were playing really well off each other, and he has really helped take some pressure off of me and the second unit. He's also a bball junkie, so you might see him at the arena getting shots up late at night.

Spencer Hawes: Spence or the Needle are his nicknames. We often talk about how awesome the West Coast is and Spence is also a huge foodie, so we always talk about restaurants at the cities we go to. My favorite food is sushi so Spence has been someone I can talk to about sushi, since a lot of my teammates don't eat raw fish. We've enjoyed some nice meals on the road, and of course, he is my hair mentor.

Hopefully that helps you guys get to know us a little bit better as a team. I think we have a really special group and we are ready to give the playoffs our all. Thank you for rooting for us all year! #BuzzCity

[LofJ]

Lin, Marvin, Batum, and Troy absolutely have to come back next year. That **** is non-negotiable. Go ahead and buy a house in Charlotte if you haven't already guys, we're not going to let you leave.

And wow at Marvin giving his per diem to Aaron.

[Flip Murray]

damn that's some feel-good **** right there

[wincan459]

The best thing for the team is they have great chemistry, the worst thing for the team is MKG is injured. With him the Hornets would have done a lot more damages to other teams.
And Clifford has done a great job so far.

[wincan459]

Considering his young age and his outstanding performance this season, Walker is remarkably mature and humble, with my limited observation.
I wouldn't trade him for Harden straight up.

[HornetJail]

Your hate for James Harden seems kinda personal

[bws94]

I don't think guys like playing with Harden. He doesn't try on the defensive end most of the time and his offensive play has him very ball dominant. A very solid player like Ty Lawson never got it going in Houston. Kemba gives effort on defense and isn't as ball-dominant. Plus he seems like a much better presence in the locker room and much more of a leader.