Hornets Playoff Watch

Liver_Pooty · Post #141 » by **Liver_Pooty** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:53 am

I honestly have no idea how a true fan can cheer for your favorite team to lose for a draft pick. I was cheering for us when we went 7-59 for Christ sake. Ridiculous.

TheKingofSting · Post #142 » by **TheKingofSting** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:54 am

We need to stop winning them.

-Ian- · Post #143 » by **-Ian-** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 4:00 am

I also want us to make the playoffs. First year back as the Hornets and we'd want us to miss the playoffs? I honestly don't care if we lose in the first round.

Making the playoffs (hopefully) means more media mileage for the team and more playoff experience for Kemba and MKG — two of our young guys that I'm sure Cliff will give a lot of playing time in the playoffs.

MasterIchiro · Post #144 » by **MasterIchiro** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 4:03 am

Liver_Pooty wrote:I honestly have no idea how a true fan can cheer for your favorite team to lose for a draft pick. I was cheering for us when we went 7-59 for Christ sake. Ridiculous.

I would feel more angry about a loss and more happy with a win if I felt there were other avenues to improve upon a team I consider shark bait for Lebron or the Hawks. But I see the same team next year. If Al opts out and the Hornets wisely pass, I'd want an upgrade of Hendo, but if Hendo opts in, we would need to use that 13.5 on a fill in center and Mo.

This year I feel we're locked into a roster I don't like and I don't see FA improving the roster and we all know about Cho's trade dud-lines by now. He'll make a small move.

A part of me wants a future star/superstar and you know how I feel about Russell.

If you told me I'm guaranteed to have Oubre or I'm guaranteed to get steamrolled by Lebron where I have to listen to announcers suck him off and fans go berserk when he, Love and Kyrie start playing like the Harlem Globetrotters on us…

It's a tough call for me.

I like certainty.

I don't want to feel halfway good about something.

I want to feel fully good.

So at the deadline I was waiting to see if we'd make a bold move towards higher seeding to make up for last year, when positioned in a similar spot where we were capable of seed 5 or 6, we came up with Gary Neal.

Take away free agency, take away the draft lottery and stick Lebron in my face and what is left?

Post #145 » by **JDR720** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 4:29 am

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/570802307409027073[/tweet]

would be amazing if we all somehow tied

tondi123 · Post #146 » by **tondi123** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:46 pm

Winning these next 3 would be big. I'm all in for the playoffs, even if we have no chance, because I want to continue getting playoff experience for our young guys. Hopefully that experience will pay off in the future if we can ever figure out how to become more than a borderline playoff team.

Braggins · Post #147 » by **Braggins** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 8:46 pm

Wasnt sure where to post this. I was thinking about our salary cap situation. If Hendo opts and Al resigns at a discount, we should have enough cap to resign MKG, Biz, and Mo, and stay below the tax line. If we resign Al at for 9, Biz for 7, and MKG for 11, that would leave us with 58 million in guaranteed salary in 2016, when the salary may be well over 70 million. We would need to resign Cody, if we are inclined to do so, but we would have enough room to sign a near max player and then extend Cody. I would still rather Hendo and Al opt out and let them walk, but the worst case scenario is that we are stuck with a similar, but hopefully healthy, team next season and have the potential to resign our entire core and have near max money in 2016. If Al and Hendo are both gone in 2016 we'll be able to resign all our young players and have tons of cap to add high end talent and/or extend Vonleh.

SeanBobcats · Post #148 » by **SeanBobcats** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:22 pm

Liver_Pooty wrote:I honestly have no idea how a true fan can cheer for your favorite team to lose for a draft pick. I was cheering for us when we went 7-59 for Christ sake. Ridiculous.

Because a true fan can still hope for a better team for the long term future. Charlotte has never had a superstar. We've seen in this league that it's very difficult to win a championship without having a superstar.

I am currently indifferent on us making the playoffs or not, but I understand the side to both arguments.

Post #149 » by **yosemiteben** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:29 pm

It's not clear that there has been a superstar since the 2012 draft. A top 3 pick has certainly never been a guarantee of a superstar. Banking on one is a terrible franchise building strategy and it's ass backwards to turn down potential playoff success now in hopes of maybe getting lucky in the lottery.

HornetJail · Post #150 » by **HornetJail** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 1:30 am

JDR720 wrote:[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/570802307409027073[/tweet]

would be amazing if we all somehow tied

With no Bosh, Miami doesn't have enough of a cushion to be left out of this discussion. There's six teams fighting for two playoff spots, barring some epic collapse by the Wizards or Bucks.

catch20two · Post #151 » by **catch20two** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 1:35 am

yosemiteben wrote:It's not clear that there has been a superstar since the 2012 draft. A top 3 pick has certainly never been a guarantee of a superstar. Banking on one is a terrible franchise building strategy and it's ass backwards to turn down potential playoff success now in hopes of maybe getting lucky in the lottery.

Well wasn't that Cho's initial building strategy? Lol. Just he was unlucky or allegedly f*cked over by Stern so he ended up with MKG instead of Anthony Davis. Then the following year he ended up with Zeller.

Snidely FC · Post #152 » by **Snidely FC** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 4:13 am

I want to make the playoffs.

Only possible benefit I see from missing the playoffs is that might force mgmt to recognize that certain players, like Al Jeff, are not leading this team of young and quickly improving talent to the playoffs and need to be replaced.

MasterIchiro · Post #153 » by **MasterIchiro** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 11:49 am

Kemba - MKG - Vonleh - Cody - Biz could be a nice core but the team is starving for a scorer/range shooter to wedge between Kemba and MKG and I have zero faith the Hornets can find that missing piece through free agency or the trade market. I think by now Cho realizes he needs to diversify his drafting strategy. I think they would have taken Stauskas had the Kings taken Vonleh. There was interest in Jeremy Lamb before the Nets reneged. There was interest in Hayward.

The playoffs I see as imminent humiliation and potential nothing. The offense is not ready to compete.

Adding Russell is the longest of long shots but it could be a franchise altering event. I feel getting dusted by Lebron and the Cleveland Globetrotters would either set us back or have neutral impact.

I feel missing the playoffs would force more aggressive personnel movement rather than this paranoid, conservative approach we're seeing now. I feel Cho should be on the hot seat and I would like to see Clifford forced to play PJ and Vonleh even though they suck. MJ needs to start thinking about the future not half-assing it into the playoffs and stumbling in by default because everybody sucks more. It's unbecoming. MJ never settled for anything but the best. Not this.

Hornet Mania · Post #154 » by **Hornet Mania** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 4:35 pm

Kyrie is having his shoulder checked out, could be nothing or could be a nagging injury. It's always worth it to make the playoffs, you never know what could happen. I'm not hoping for injury by any means, but the Sixers beat the Bulls a couple years ago after Rose went down. The Pacers looked invincible last year before they mysteriously went into a swoon just before the playoffs. Stuff happens on occasion, if you don't make the tournament you have no shot at getting that lucky break. The Cavs are a crap matchup for us, no doubt, but what exactly have the Hawks proven in the postseason? Nothing. Give me meaningful basketball in the postseason over praying for a 17% chance at the 3rd pick or whatever.

Liver_Pooty · Post #155 » by **Liver_Pooty** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 1:37 am

Blatt resting Lebron tonight against Indy, and of course the Pacers are winning.
Detroit winning, and will probably beat New York
Washington in a good game against Philly. That team is falling apart.
Brooklyn up 11 over Houston

We need this game tonight

TheKingofSting · Post #156 » by **TheKingofSting** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 2:16 am

If we lose tonight we will be in a mess.

Flip Murray · Post #157 » by **Flip Murray** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 3:02 am

this was my nightmare win a big one against the bulls and blow one like idiots to the celtics. win or lose pick one ya freaking jabronies

TheKingofSting · Post #158 » by **TheKingofSting** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 3:04 am

If its up to Clifford we will lose.

Post #159 » by **yosemiteben** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 3:43 am

MIA, BRK and DET all lose. DET had a much worse loss than we did. IND lucked out tonight.

KDATX · Post #160 » by **KDATX** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 5:33 am

Pacers next 6 could put them way up there in the standings. 76ers, Knicks, Bulls, Knicks, Magic, Bucks, Celtics

Bulls and Bucks are tough, but very winnable for the Pacers. Having Lebron and Kyrie sit out tonight was a gift.