GT: Charlotte vs Memphis Sat Dec 26 7PM EST

[JDR720]

[bigbob]

2 days early, but i predict we win this one. The starters, especially kemba/batum will get some time off to relax and enjoy the holidays, come back and get over their slump. Plus big Al coming back as well...time to pop the cork, we got this in the bag

[Tracymcgoaty]

Batum going for 30 this game can feel it in my bones.

[therebirth]

Too bad frank is about to go into a funk. It happens every time Rick bonnell decides to write a positive article about them. The team, Cody and pj all went through it.

[DY_nasty]

gettin rekt

[Liver_Pooty]

We're screwed

[Benjamin Linus]

Are we wearing our Christmas jerseys tomorrow night or is that just something they're doing for today only?

[BatumtheGlue]

Should be my late Christmas gift. Batum's big game!

[fatlever]

Charlotte Hornets PR ‏@HornetsPR 56s56 seconds ago
Steve Clifford tell media that Cody Zeller will start tonight for @hornets. Jefferson will come off bench in first game back. #MEMatCHA

[fatlever]

Assuming Hawes will be the odd man out of the rotation.

[qiantom]

I guess the next step is to move Frank to the starting 5?

[HornetJail]

Charlotte Hornets PR ‏@HornetsPR 56s56 seconds ago
Steve Clifford tell media that Cody Zeller will start tonight for @hornets. Jefferson will come off bench in first game back. #MEMatCHA

I really hope Al thrives in that role because I really don't want to see him impeding the starting unit ever again.

[HornetJail]

I guess the next step is to move Frank to the starting 5?

Offensively, it may be good for Frank to be on the bench while Al is there, since second units will have to double-team Al to contain him. That will leave a lot of open looks for Frank and Lamb. I'm a little more worried about Lin's driving lanes to the basket, but Al's style of play has never correlated to good stats for a drive-first point guard.

[bws94]

I guess the next step is to move Frank to the starting 5?

Offensively, it may be good for Frank to be on the bench while Al is there, since second units will have to double-team Al to contain him. That will leave a lot of open looks for Frank and Lamb. I'm a little more worried about Lin's driving lanes to the basket, but Al's style of play has never correlated to good stats for a drive-first point guard.

Frank and Lamb can space the floor, Lin still has some room to operate. Also, Al and Lin have done some give and gos with each other but I would think the timing may be off due to Al's time off.

Just hoping for a win. Ugly, back from deficit, blow out, I don't care. Win the game tonight and welcome back big Al.

[HornetJail]

I guess the next step is to move Frank to the starting 5?

Offensively, it may be good for Frank to be on the bench while Al is there, since second units will have to double-team Al to contain him. That will leave a lot of open looks for Frank and Lamb. I'm a little more worried about Lin's driving lanes to the basket, but Al's style of play has never correlated to good stats for a drive-first point guard.

Frank and Lamb can space the floor, Lin still has some room to operate. Also, Al and Lin have done some give and gos with each other but I would think the timing may be off due to Al's time off.

Just hoping for a win. Ugly, back from deficit, blow out, I don't care. Win the game tonight and welcome back big Al.

If Memphis sticks with Frank and Lamb on the perimeter, they will probably sag off of Lin and make him a jump shooter or double up on Al and seal off his lane to the basket. Shooters around them or not, this is why Kemba's FG% has been in the high 30s since Al came to town. Al attracts so many double teams that it becomes really difficult to get a clean look at the basket. Guarantee they are just fine letting Lin shoot jumpers rather than get to the rim- he shoots 55% at the rim, 54% from 3-10 feet, but is shooting 32% from 16-23 feet and 32% from 3-point range. When Al is on the court, expect way more jumpers from our guards rather than drives. We're lucky Lin's percentage is rising, but Lamb needs to figure out where his shot went ASAP or they'll leave him open too just like teams are starting to do with PJ Hairston.

[gafun]

Bench - Lin, Lamb, AL, Hawes, Frank.
It looks good. Do not let Lin play with starters if he has to be the corner 3.


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[yosemiteben]

Charlotte Hornets PR ‏@HornetsPR 56s56 seconds ago
Steve Clifford tell media that Cody Zeller will start tonight for @hornets. Jefferson will come off bench in first game back. #MEMatCHA

I really hope Al thrives in that role because I really don't want to see him impeding the starting unit ever again.

I'm not sure that's been how things have gone down since he's been out. When was the last time we broke the starting lineup with a lead?

[sidestep]

The discussion has focused a lot on how to tinker the lineups with Al returning. However, there no meaningful distinction anymore between the 1st unit and the 2nd unit. Look at Kemba's minutes.

Last 4 games: 44, 41, 41, 41 minutes.

So there's only 4-7 minutes each game in which the offense is not run by Kemba, and Kemba does not handle the ball during transition. And when Kemba is absent, Batum fills in for a good deal of it.

There is no such thing as a 2nd unit anymore. The lineups have been very mixed recently.

[TTNN]

Offensively, it may be good for Frank to be on the bench while Al is there, since second units will have to double-team Al to contain him. That will leave a lot of open looks for Frank and Lamb. I'm a little more worried about Lin's driving lanes to the basket, but Al's style of play has never correlated to good stats for a drive-first point guard.

Frank and Lamb can space the floor, Lin still has some room to operate. Also, Al and Lin have done some give and gos with each other but I would think the timing may be off due to Al's time off.

Just hoping for a win. Ugly, back from deficit, blow out, I don't care. Win the game tonight and welcome back big Al.

If Memphis sticks with Frank and Lamb on the perimeter, they will probably sag off of Lin and make him a jump shooter or double up on Al and seal off his lane to the basket. Shooters around them or not, this is why Kemba's FG% has been in the high 30s since Al came to town. Al attracts so many double teams that it becomes really difficult to get a clean look at the basket. Guarantee they are just fine letting Lin shoot jumpers rather than get to the rim- he shoots 55% at the rim, 54% from 3-10 feet, but is shooting 32% from 16-23 feet and 32% from 3-point range. When Al is on the court, expect way more jumpers from our guards rather than drives. We're lucky Lin's percentage is rising, but Lamb needs to figure out where his shot went ASAP or they'll leave him open too just like teams are starting to do with PJ Hairston.

Lin need a good outlet under the basket to be more effective, so I really like the AI/Lin combo there, as long as we have Kaminsky who could stretch the floor, I think Lin should still be able to get a way to go inside and deliver the ball to AI. Getting really frustrated when Hawes/Cody could not finish under the basket. AI is really crafty there, and as long as you could get the ball to him when he is there, most of the time he could finish.

Because AI is a legit threat under the basket, thus big could not really leave him to come to stop Lin, so Lin would have better chance to finish at the rim, and if they come to stop Lin, that will be a good chance for AI to score there. So I'm kind of excited to see AI/Lin combo today, hopefully they have enough quality minutes together tonight, (I mean leave Lin/Lamb/AI together, not with Kemba or Batum in that 2nd line up and trying to take the game over.)

[DY_nasty]

Kemba barely runs an offense anyways.