If batum is available, do you play him for the games against MIA?

[HornetJail]

Uhhhh, yeah... He better not be available if he's in bad shape, and if he is in shape, then he's the 3rd best player in this series. No chance we hold him out if he's good to go.

[2k15]

http://www.nba.com/hornets/video/teams/hornets/2016/04/26/1461710550793-160426-Nic.m4v-477373

He ran and did some work today. Waiting to see how the ankle reacts tomorrow before making a decision.

[ChokeFasncists]

Limited minutes would be nice.

Too little rest for Lee and Lin.

Definitely don't wanna play him too much and potentially mess up the good thing there, especially if he's still hobbled.

[Braggins]

We need him for games 6 and 7. No need to rush it.

[antique0o0]

Of course. Hornets will need his 3 pointer shooting.
Batum is supposed to be there to make Kemba better. And starters get one more scorer.
The question is who will head to the bench?
Which new starting lineup will Clifford use?
Walker/Lee/Batum/Marvin/Cody same as g1 and g2

OR
Walker/Batum/Marvin/Frank/Al
Walker/Batum/Marvin/Frank/Cody
These two lineups are bigger. Cody is better than Al defensively. Al's offense is hard to predict.

OR
Walker/Lee/Batum/Marvin/Al
This is a small lineup and very similar to the lineup Clifford used at the beginning of this season.

According to my understanding of Clifford, he'll choose the g1 and g2 starting lineup,
that is Walk/Lee/Batum/Marvin/Cody, for defensive reason.
Although g1 and g2 defense were terrible.
I would say this this starting lineup will not out score Heat starters.
And because Al rejoins the bench, the second unit will lose their fast pace and the bench defense will be worse. Hard to predict the bench production.

[bws94]

antique, Batum has great chemistry with Cody. So I think it is the normal starting lineup. The only significant guys coming off the bench are Lin, the dribble-penetrator and facilitator, Al, the post presence, and the rookie Frank who is another stretch big. Hawes, a stretch big, is used more sparingly. Cliff may keep a good amount of Lin/Kemba pairing if it is still able to provide the penetration that it did in Charlotte. Also how much Batum plays may depend on how much his ankle limits him. Hopefully, with Batum, we can avoid the big runs that the Heat had in the last game.

[antique0o0]

antique, Batum has great chemistry with Cody. So I think it is the normal starting lineup. The only significant guys coming off the bench are Lin, the dribble-penetrator and facilitator, Al, the post presence, and the rookie Frank who is another stretch big. Hawes, a stretch big, is used more sparingly. Cliff may keep a good amount of Lin/Kemba pairing if it is still able to provide the penetration that it did in Charlotte. Also how much Batum plays may depend on how much his ankle limits him. Hopefully, with Batum, we can avoid the big runs that the Heat had in the last game.

Hornets ball movement has been taken away by Heat 1 on 1 defense, along with 3 pointer shootings.
That's why the assist numbers are so low from g1 to G4. And it's also why Walker and Lin have space to penetrate and score. Those Chemistry is gone. And because Batum cannot really attack the rim, all he can do is taking advantage of his height to shoot the ball and score, which Hornets need.

Al's low post offense isn't efficient. And his defense isn't there. With Al in the center, neither Kemba nor Lin can drive to the rim at their will.
What Frank can do now is stretching the floor. Heat will not give him more mismatches, and they will be more physical toward him, like in game 4.

[bravor]

I like your conclusions, because obviously Miami will keep following the same strategy as during last two games...

The question is not Batum or not Batum, it is what will be Miami and Hornets game plan. Right now, noone knows. Both teams won on their home court and three games were not even close.
We could see winslow starting for them to set the tone, with Johnson boosting their bench. They could just focus on execution, etc.

If he is cleared to play, he will be cleared for limited minutes. And for totday's game, if he sees the court it would most likely means that Clifford needs his lenght or 3 point shots because of Miami's adjustments and/or game scenario.

[bws94]

Looks like he's playing. Now, is the lineup back to the usual lineup with Cody? probably.

[qiantom]

I would put Batum on the bench first. If the starters are able to hang with the Heat, I am optimistic that Batum, Lin and Cody are going to beat up the Heat bench. If the starters struggle, Cliff should make quick subs.

[KungFuJoe]

You play him and you start him. He's not a max player, and never will be, but he's still a damn good player and one of the most versatile in the league. Sometimes he does tend to get into shot jacking mode and that's when he can be a detriment, but he rebounds, moves the ball well and can play good defense. His scoring is basically a bonus.

[MasterIchiro]

Yeah he is a max contract glue guy just like Marvin is a 20 million dollar stretch power forward. Both are precious commodities in our system. Well here's to Batum playing well. He's in tonight.

[ChokeFasncists]

Didn't do much but made two huge threes.

Played 25 mins, maybe a bit too much, but surely no more exhaustion for Lin and Lee.