Playoff Hunt Thread

[JDR720]

Figured we could use a place to talk about the road to the playoffs. And a place we can pretend to be Pelicans fans so we can take their 1st rounder.

Current Standings:

[KingCat]

Hello 12th pick

[JMAC3]

Bottom of West is so bad compared to East. Knicks a playoff lock out West... smh

[fatlever]

Hello 12th pick

The Bobcat Special

Sent from my SM-G973U using RealGM mobile app

[CuseMayne]

I've got a 39+ wins season long bet this year...and it was certainly looking pretty good until this ugly streak (which has felt like every game since that mayhem of a 158 point night). Add in Hayward likely being done for the year, and it really is going to be interesting if the Hornets make zero moves tomorrow. At the very least, we're going to have to start playing the prospects. We're pretty damn thin at this point, and it's unclear when McD/Martin/Bouknight will be back from injuries. Playing 7-8 guys huge minutes will lead to us fizzling out. So even though I'm sure the plan was to give the young'ns a year under the system before they were really given the chance to have a role in the rotation, Richards/Thor/Kai/Carey/Bouknight/Lewis/Kulboka is a long list of prospects that are taking up spots on the roster. Hubie Brown pointed out that our only available guard off the bench was Ish Smith tonight against the Bulls, at home, on ESPN, with the Hornets coming in having lost the last 5 games. That's honestly absurd, and it needs to get figured out quickly. I think it's clear that a few of the prospects need to go so that we can acquire playable guys at this point. Too much positional redundancy, and as an organization they need to make some decisions.

-Richards: Shown a lot of improvement that honestly has shocked me. Didn't see it in him, but glad that he seems to have somehow turned a corner. Clearly should keep him. Honestly was rooting for them to cut him over Martin and Uwundu to begin the season as one of the 3 had to go (imagine us cutting both Martins just for both of them to go off for their next teams). He can shoot, too...I bet JB tells him not to shoot any 3s. Would be awesome if he can be a servicable Center, with anything else being a nice bonus. Really weird how they are bringing him along...he's already 24. Give the guy a fair chance to prove he's a rotation player.

-Thor: Definitely shows a lot of promise and offensive/defensive versatility. Looks to be an early 2nd round pick where we got a 1st round pick type talent. Still extremely young but has already shown flashes in non-garbage time. Definitely has a game in a similar mold as McDaniels...but that brings a very interesting option of having versatile 3 and D guys who can allow you to switch everything on defense. Athletic and shows decent touch, and his 3 point stroke looks efficient and smooth for a 6'9 guy with a 7'3 wingspan. Excited to see how he develops.

-Kai: Showing a lot of potential in the G-League...it REALLY seems like this is the guy that they want to bring along slowly...but TBH how damaging would it be to give him some real burn? We mine as well see where he's at, because what he can bring could help us now. I feel like it would help him solidify playing the role we need him to play. If he struggles a bit, so be it. If he loses confidence because he takes it to heart, then that'll either motivate him to work harder in the summer, or be a wake up call that he's actually 2-3 years away.

-Carey: Oh Big Vern...feeling like he's gonna be the odd man out. I'd much rather play these first 3 guys over him, and they're all 4s and 5s. Definitely a talented offensive big man, but his defense is just too much of a liability, which would exacerbate arguably the team's biggest weakness for the entirety of James Borrego's tenure. Maybe we can include him in a trade tomorrow, but I don't have much faith at this point, and clearly JB doesn't either.

-Bouknight: Obviously keeping him...really sucks that he somehow got injured and has missed the last 2 games where he would've definitely gotten 15+ minutes in both games out of pure necessity. Not in love with his body language, him and JB having a little disagreement recently was a bad look, and he can get some tunnel vision. He's pretty talented though, and still super young with a pretty good body/frame for a combo guard. He's uber athletic, and if he finds his way here he'd be an intriguing guard to pair with Melo. Fingers crossed that he can figure it out.

-Lewis: Should be given a more fair shot to play during these last few games with a bunch of our usual guys ahead of him on the depth chart sitting with injuries. I thought he looked pretty good in SL, and could be a playable 2 guard with his incredible athleticism, good defensive instincts, and some ability to drive and shoot 3s. Why are we using a two-way contract on a guy who just doesn't ever play?

-Kulboka: Again...why are we using a two-way contract on a guy who just doesn't ever play? Hah...if I recall they randomly gave him a few minutes of 2nd quarter run, and he just didn't look like he belonged physically. He would just make our defense worse, and seemingly is just a one trick pony as a shooter. A bit disappointing, as I found it fun to watch his highlights here and there for the past few years.

I'm hopeful that Mitch makes at least some sort of move, and am completely good with him including Carey and Kulboka in anything to help a deal get done. I'd like to see where Lewis is after a full season with the organization, and obviously the plan has been to play the long game with Kai, although I don't entirely agree with it. Bouknight, Richards, and Thor are all guys we should keep...although if Bouknight is the difference in a deal that helps us acquire what we really need to balance out our roster, it could become justifiable depending on who else we send out and the caliber of player we're getting.

Side note, if the Hornets do make a deal tomorrow, I'd be really surprised if the main piece we were giving up was anyone/anything other than PJ Washington. I could maybe see Plumlee, and perhaps Oubre, but PJ seems like the guy to me. Pretty wild, as he started his career with what seemed like a statement, but that has faded into an inconsistent player, although to be fair, he's been asked to play as a 5 for a long time now when he should just be a 4.

Really curious to see what tomorrow brings. It's a pivitol event in the franchise's trajectory.

[Chapelchilla]

I've got a 39+ wins season long bet this year...and it was certainly looking pretty good until this ugly streak (which has felt like every game since that mayhem of a 158 point night). Add in Hayward likely being done for the year, and it really is going to be interesting if the Hornets make zero moves tomorrow. At the very least, we're going to have to start playing the prospects. We're pretty damn thin at this point, and it's unclear when McD/Martin/Bouknight will be back from injuries. Playing 7-8 guys huge minutes will lead to us fizzling out. So even though I'm sure the plan was to give the young'ns a year under the system before they were really given the chance to have a role in the rotation, Richards/Thor/Kai/Carey/Bouknight/Lewis/Kulboka is a long list of prospects that are taking up spots on the roster. Hubie Brown pointed out that our only available guard off the bench was Ish Smith tonight against the Bulls, at home, on ESPN, with the Hornets coming in having lost the last 5 games. That's honestly absurd, and it needs to get figured out quickly. I think it's clear that a few of the prospects need to go so that we can acquire playable guys at this point. Too much positional redundancy, and as an organization they need to make some decisions.

-Richards: Shown a lot of improvement that honestly has shocked me. Didn't see it in him, but glad that he seems to have somehow turned a corner. Clearly should keep him. Honestly was rooting for them to cut him over Martin and Uwundu to begin the season as one of the 3 had to go (imagine us cutting both Martins just for both of them to go off for their next teams). He can shoot, too...I bet JB tells him not to shoot any 3s. Would be awesome if he can be a servicable Center, with anything else being a nice bonus. Really weird how they are bringing him along...he's already 24. Give the guy a fair chance to prove he's a rotation player.

-Thor: Definitely shows a lot of promise and offensive/defensive versatility. Looks to be an early 2nd round pick where we got a 1st round pick type talent. Still extremely young but has already shown flashes in non-garbage time. Definitely has a game in a similar mold as McDaniels...but that brings a very interesting option of having versatile 3 and D guys who can allow you to switch everything on defense. Athletic and shows decent touch, and his 3 point stroke looks efficient and smooth for a 6'9 guy with a 7'3 wingspan. Excited to see how he develops.

-Kai: Showing a lot of potential in the G-League...it REALLY seems like this is the guy that they want to bring along slowly...but TBH how damaging would it be to give him some real burn? We mine as well see where he's at, because what he can bring could help us now. I feel like it would help him solidify playing the role we need him to play. If he struggles a bit, so be it. If he loses confidence because he takes it to heart, then that'll either motivate him to work harder in the summer, or be a wake up call that he's actually 2-3 years away.

-Carey: Oh Big Vern...feeling like he's gonna be the odd man out. I'd much rather play these first 3 guys over him, and they're all 4s and 5s. Definitely a talented offensive big man, but his defense is just too much of a liability, which would exacerbate arguably the team's biggest weakness for the entirety of James Borrego's tenure. Maybe we can include him in a trade tomorrow, but I don't have much faith at this point, and clearly JB doesn't either.

-Bouknight: Obviously keeping him...really sucks that he somehow got injured and has missed the last 2 games where he would've definitely gotten 15+ minutes in both games out of pure necessity. Not in love with his body language, him and JB having a little disagreement recently was a bad look, and he can get some tunnel vision. He's pretty talented though, and still super young with a pretty good body/frame for a combo guard. He's uber athletic, and if he finds his way here he'd be an intriguing guard to pair with Melo. Fingers crossed that he can figure it out.

-Lewis: Should be given a more fair shot to play during these last few games with a bunch of our usual guys ahead of him on the depth chart sitting with injuries. I thought he looked pretty good in SL, and could be a playable 2 guard with his incredible athleticism, good defensive instincts, and some ability to drive and shoot 3s. Why are we using a two-way contract on a guy who just doesn't ever play?

-Kulboka: Again...why are we using a two-way contract on a guy who just doesn't ever play? Hah...if I recall they randomly gave him a few minutes of 2nd quarter run, and he just didn't look like he belonged physically. He would just make our defense worse, and seemingly is just a one trick pony as a shooter. A bit disappointing, as I found it fun to watch his highlights here and there for the past few years.

I'm hopeful that Mitch makes at least some sort of move, and am completely good with him including Carey and Kulboka in anything to help a deal get done. I'd like to see where Lewis is after a full season with the organization, and obviously the plan has been to play the long game with Kai, although I don't entirely agree with it. Bouknight, Richards, and Thor are all guys we should keep...although if Bouknight is the difference in a deal that helps us acquire what we really need to balance out our roster, it could become justifiable depending on who else we send out and the caliber of player we're getting.

Side note, if the Hornets do make a deal tomorrow, I'd be really surprised if the main piece we were giving up was anyone/anything other than PJ Washington. I could maybe see Plumlee, and perhaps Oubre, but PJ seems like the guy to me. Pretty wild, as he started his career with what seemed like a statement, but that has faded into an inconsistent player, although to be fair, he's been asked to play as a 5 for a long time now when he should just be a 4.

Really curious to see what tomorrow brings. It's a pivitol event in the franchise's trajectory.

Well written and completely on point.

[Snidely FC]

Zach Lowe:

The Hornets are 3-11 since Jan. 28, costing them a chance to seize the No. 8 spot as the Brooklyn Nets imploded amid injuries and melodrama. Charlotte would be in danger of falling out of the play-in if any of the East's bottom five had both interest in and ability to win games.

The Hornets' main culprit lately is bricky shooting, with one exception: They have fallen apart on the defensive glass. The Hornets profile as a poor rebounding team, but more attention to detail could pull them within spitting distance of league average. As is, they're 29th in defensive rebounding rate.

Small cracks have cascaded into an avalanche. Charlotte is undersized up front, especially when it plays P.J. Washington at center. Its real centers -- Mason Plumlee and Montrezl Harrell -- are minus rebounders. Gordon Hayward's injury has hurt. The Hornets have faced a bundle of offensive rebounding brutes over the last 10 games.

LaMelo Ball might be their best pound-for-pound rebounder, and he's often far from the rim. Ball and several other Hornets leak out instead of gang rebounding. If Charlotte hides Ball on a bigger wing, more opponents are nudging that guy to crash; P.J. Tucker jackknifed Ball for several offensive boards in one recent game.

Too many Hornets watch and jump instead of boxing out.

Charlotte even resorted to playing Plumlee and Harrell together, only to somehow leak more rebounds.

Harrell fills a nominal need, and he's one of those high-motor guys who drags you through regular-season games when no one else on either team matches his energy. Still: I have this nagging feeling Charlotte might sacrifice at the altar of size.

Charlotte's non-center groups have played well. It has enough wings to bust out long, super-switchy lineups with either Washington or even Miles Bridges at center. You might not be able to play 48 or even 24 minutes that way, but it was successful enough to be more than a change-up.

Harrell is a below-average defender. He doesn't stretch the floor. He's not the rim-running lob-catcher Charlotte dreams of pairing with Ball.

Charlotte will make some gains playing entire games with a center, but at what cost?

[Chapelchilla]

Other than selfishly hoping that they are competing hard at the Mav's game that I am looking forward to attending soon, I think it would be smarter to tank it out at this point.
If the Pelicans continue to be competitive down the stretch, 2 first round picks with one in the lotto would be lot more helpful in the future then sneaking in for a play-in game loss. This team is still too young and incomplete with that super soft defense to win without a healthy Hayward keeping them calm, accountable and competitive.
It sucks but it's proven true.

[luciano-davidwesley]

Other than selfishly hoping that they are competing hard at the Mav's game that I am looking forward to attending soon, I think it would be smarter to tank it out at this point.
If the Pelicans continue to be competitive down the stretch, 2 first round picks with one in the lotto would be lot more helpful in the future then sneaking in for a play-in game loss. This team is still too young and incomplete with that super soft defense to win without a healthy Hayward keeping them calm, accountable and competitive.
It sucks but it's proven true.

You know MJ loves getting the 11th & 12th picks every year. 12 + 11 = 23

[Chapelchilla]

Other than selfishly hoping that they are competing hard at the Mav's game that I am looking forward to attending soon, I think it would be smarter to tank it out at this point.
If the Pelicans continue to be competitive down the stretch, 2 first round picks with one in the lotto would be lot more helpful in the future then sneaking in for a play-in game loss. This team is still too young and incomplete with that super soft defense to win without a healthy Hayward keeping them calm, accountable and competitive.
It sucks but it's proven true.

You know MJ loves getting the 11th & 12th picks every year. 12 + 11 = 23

LOL. Thats pretty good.
Surprisingly, I would be thrilled to have the 11 and 12 this year. We could still have none.

[yosemiteben]

We're 1 game behind Brooklyn, who has a pretty ridiculous remaining schedule - UTA, @ MEM, @ MIA, CHA, DET, MIL.

Not impossible that we and ATL jump them.

[Liver_Pooty]

Chicago is not playing well at all. Only 12 games but I can see them losing 8 of them if we could keep it rolling. 5.5 games back of them. Crazier things have happened.

[yosemiteben]

Read on Twitter

So we're selling tickets to potential home play-in and playoff games? Hm

[BigSlam]

So we're selling tickets to potential home play-in and playoff games? Hm

It's like they are trying to will it into existence!!

[Liver_Pooty]

We need that 8 seed badly.

[Liver_Pooty]

3 way tie for 8th now. We own tiebreaker over nets. Can't remember if we do over Atlanta. Only 2 back from the free falling depleted Cavs.

[Goodecharlotte]

Every games big now but we've got 76's next, Nets at Atlanta also Saturday. Going to be interesting to see how the weekend plays out. We keep winning and we'll be 7th or 8th the Cav's have crumbled with all their injuries

[amcoolio]

Our most likely outcome is 10th based on schedules. We need to win 4 out of these last 5 games, which means we need to beat 2 of Philly, Chicago and Miami

The Knicks and Nuggets losses really hurt. Also, goes to show that every game matters. We lost a bull buzzer beater game to Detroit, that bull Cleveland game, the Lowry non-3, the 146-144 Rockets game....we win those games, we are comfortably the 7th seed and closing in on Chicago and Toronto.

[LofJ]

I feel confident that this team can beat any of the other 7-10 teams in the play-in with the exception of the Nets. They're going to get preferential treatment from the referees. They'd have to play at the level of a contender to overcome the BS that would certainly be thrown in front of them in a play-in against the Nets.

[Soul Rebel]

Our most likely outcome is 10th based on schedules. We need to win 4 out of these last 5 games, which means we need to beat 2 of Philly, Chicago and Miami

The Knicks and Nuggets losses really hurt. Also, goes to show that every game matters. We lost a bull buzzer beater game to Detroit, that bull Cleveland game, the Lowry non-3, the 146-144 Rockets game....we win those games, we are comfortably the 7th seed and closing in on Chicago and Toronto.

Let's not forget that garbage loss to Orlando too.