When everyone gets healthy...

[JDR720]

What should the rotation be?

What i want to happen: Lance should be the 6th man, Neal gets benched forever and wouldn't mind Al coming off the bench but I know Cliff wont do that.

When Lance gets back i think he comes off the bench initially but he will end up starting again like MKG and as soon as Al gets healthy he will start.

[MasterIchiro]

Kemba Walker - PG
Gerald Henderson - SG (turn him into Afflalo via trade or if Hendo opts out use the money towards Afflalo in free agency)
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - SF
Cody Zeller - PF
Bismack Biyombo - C

The 1st unit continues to produce at the current clip or even better if Afflalo or a comparable shooter is added in place of Hendo. This simply creates more open space for Kemba and we already see how the absence of Al clogging driving lanes has benefited Kemba.

Brian Roberts - PG
Lance Stephenson - SG
PJ Hairston - SF
Marvin Williams - PF
Al Jefferson - C

The key here is Al and Lance would turn our bench from a huge liability to a significant asset. That 2nd unit works for Roberts with Lance as ball handler and it works for Al being surrounded by 3 shooters and a playmaker. It works for Kemba because you can keep Roberts on the floor longer with Lance running offense.

This way we get better overall now and develop better for the future and don't have to sell off assets for pennies on the dollar.

[yosemiteben]

All depends on what Lance looks like, but I don't think running him with Al is going to end as the best strategy.

[MasterIchiro]

Essentially you have Lance replacing Neal and Al Jefferson replacing Maxiell on the 2nd unit to support our 1st unit which would remain undisturbed. Don't tamper with it, fortify it with a legit 2nd unit.

[MasterIchiro]

Also Roberts is killing us and Kemba so we absolutely have to put Lance on the 2nd unit.

[bad boy]

bobgod

[MKGsMotor]

Lance as a 6th man unless he starts playing like last season and then he starts.

Trade Al. Or wait until he starts playing in his 20/10 form and trade him at the deadline.

Overall, it doesn't matter what we want, because we know Clifford will go back to the old ways as soon as possible.

[yosemiteben]

Also Roberts is killing us and Kemba so we absolutely have to put Lance on the 2nd unit.

In his last five he's shooting 43% FG%, 36% 3PT%, 87% FT% with only 0.6 to. He's hardly killing us.

[MasterIchiro]

“This is the best offense that we’ve played over these last number of games. Even in a couple of games we lost (1st 2 losses without Al?), I thought our offense was getting better,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.

“We have our way. We have to be good defensively, we can’t turn the ball over, and we need good ball movement – that ball needs to be moving....

“We have enough ways between shooting, driving the ball and having versatile guys who can (make plays), that we can get good shots.”...

“We haven’t had, literally, our whole team all year, from training camp on,” he said. “That’s been a factor, and we’ve played a lot of games early, so we haven’t had as much practice time."...

“We have a stretch here where we’re home more a little bit, we can practice and hopefully make some more progress.”

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2015/0 ... rylink=cpy

[fatlever]

Between Biz, Al, Cody and Marv, but I'd like to see those 4 play in pairings as much as possible with Al and Cody together and Biz and Marv together. We all know Al is going to start when healthy, but hopefully we can reduce his minutes and work on making him mesh better with the talent around him.

Lance needs to come off the bench.

Neal, Roberts and PJ all need to have short leashes when they do play.

Kemba
Hendo
MKG
Cody
Al

Roberts
PJ (or Neal if he gets his act together)
Lance
Marvin
Biz

Have the 4 bigs basically playing 24 minutes a piece. Less Alfense, more screens for Kemba. Stop closing games with the offense only group if they cant get stops.

[LofJ]

Kemba Walker - PG
Gerald Henderson - SG (turn him into Afflalo via trade or if Hendo opts out use the money towards Afflalo in free agency)
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - SF
Cody Zeller - PF
Bismack Biyombo - C

The 1st unit continues to produce at the current clip or even better if Afflalo or a comparable shooter is added in place of Hendo. This simply creates more open space for Kemba and we already see how the absence of Al clogging driving lanes has benefited Kemba.

Brian Roberts - PG
Lance Stephenson - SG
PJ Hairston - SF
Marvin Williams - PF
Al Jefferson - C

The key here is Al and Lance would turn our bench from a huge liability to a significant asset. That 2nd unit works for Roberts with Lance as ball handler and it works for Al being surrounded by 3 shooters and a playmaker. It works for Kemba because you can keep Roberts on the floor longer with Lance running offense.

This way we get better overall now and develop better for the future and don't have to sell off assets for pennies on the dollar.

If we play our current lineup with Al and Lance off the bench and keep our chemistry together we can compete with any team in the East. We're clicking at the right time. Our schedule the rest of this month and in February is fairly easy, March will be rough, but April is a breeze. I feel good about where we are now. Our young guys pulled it together when we needed them to most. Anyone in here not happy about that has to be crazy.

[Hornet Mania]

...we'll force-feed Al the ball especially in the 4th when he's totally gassed, Kemba will look muzzled, MKG will chill in the shame corner, Hendo will go back to being an awful bench player rather than a pleasantly surprising starter, we'll lose 2-3 tough ones and the board will collectively cry:



That's pretty much what I expect to happen, but I really hope I'm wrong. What I hope will happen instead:
-Play Al and Lance both off the bench to start, see how things go
-Play Al 25mpg or less until he stops making it seem like he plays every game at high altitude.
-Use the return of Lance to nail Neal to bench so he can experience a "come to Jesus" moment with his shot selection
-If/when Neal stops jacking up crazy shots, repeat the last step except this time with PJ
-Trade Al/Lance when either/both play well enough to warrant a respectable offer
-?????
-Profit

I'm in agreement with basically everyone else. The run we've put together the past few games proves this roster can be much better if we play to our speed, defense and athleticism. If we want to be successful this year, and make a playoff run, we simply cannot return to the Alfense + bad defense formula that killed us earlier in the season.

[Braggins]

All depends on what Lance looks like, but I don't think running him with Al is going to end as the best strategy.

I definitely think the key is seperating Al and Lance. It doesnt matter as much which starts as long as they are seperated as much as possible. I would start Lance and bring Al off the bench. I think Kemba and Lance can coexist fine and are at least a better fit than Kemba/Al. Al fits worse with MKG as well even if Lance isnt the ideal fit.

[JDR720]

Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford gets a lot of questions these days about who does and doesn’t play in any given game.

His reply?

“You can’t play them all,” Clifford said Wednesday, following a 78-76 victory over the Miami Heat.

Some of the questions media and fans are asking: Will center Bismack Biyombo still have a featured role once Al Jefferson regains game shape? Why does rookie P.J. Hairston play in some games and not others? How does backup point guard Brian Roberts fit in with Kemba Walker getting back to heavy minutes?

Those questions harken back to what has been a season-long problem: The series of injuries to core players has made it hard for Clifford to set a rotation where players know precisely what their roles are.

“We haven’t established playing groups,” Clifford said, and by that he means some players (Hairston, Gary Neal and Roberts, for instance) play heavy minutes one game and little or none the next.

That’s not how Clifford wants to coach. He’d prefer to narrow the rotation to no more than nine players who could count on steady enough minutes to establish a rhythm the rest of the season.

Clifford played 10 against the Heat, which he says is one too many. Eleven he considers out of the question.

“Playing 10 is not good coaching,” Clifford said. “To really play really good, you play nine. Playing 11 is impossible.”

Clifford said Monday he’d like to play Hairston more than he has, but there just aren’t enough minutes. He emphasized Wednesday that Hairston not playing wasn’t about how he’s performed, but rather the circumstance of having an abundance of wings.

“It’s not really a reflection on him,” Clifford said. “I’ve said he has a bright future.”

Something similar happened early last season when Clifford chose to sit Ben Gordon in order to get steadier minutes for Jeff Taylor. Clifford’s philosophy is players can’t perform playing only spot minutes.

“It’s very, very difficult to play well if a player is getting 12 minutes a night,” Clifford said.

As an example, Clifford mentioned how Roberts thrived when an injury to Walker raised his playing time to 20 or more minutes a game. That isn’t always possible because Walker is so crucial to the Hornets’ offense.

Bottom-line, Clifford has to move toward a more settled rotation in the remaining 39 games and have players accept those decisions.

“That’s going to be key for our team,” Clifford said. “Figuring out how best to do it and then guys embracing their roles.”

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2015/0 ... MGTgHMo6tU#storylink=cpy

Im not sure a 9 man rotation is possible for this team

[HornetJail]

Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford gets a lot of questions these days about who does and doesn’t play in any given game.

His reply?

“You can’t play them all,” Clifford said Wednesday, following a 78-76 victory over the Miami Heat.

Some of the questions media and fans are asking: Will center Bismack Biyombo still have a featured role once Al Jefferson regains game shape? Why does rookie P.J. Hairston play in some games and not others? How does backup point guard Brian Roberts fit in with Kemba Walker getting back to heavy minutes?

Those questions harken back to what has been a season-long problem: The series of injuries to core players has made it hard for Clifford to set a rotation where players know precisely what their roles are.

“We haven’t established playing groups,” Clifford said, and by that he means some players (Hairston, Gary Neal and Roberts, for instance) play heavy minutes one game and little or none the next.

That’s not how Clifford wants to coach. He’d prefer to narrow the rotation to no more than nine players who could count on steady enough minutes to establish a rhythm the rest of the season.

Clifford played 10 against the Heat, which he says is one too many. Eleven he considers out of the question.

“Playing 10 is not good coaching,” Clifford said. “To really play really good, you play nine. Playing 11 is impossible.”

Clifford said Monday he’d like to play Hairston more than he has, but there just aren’t enough minutes. He emphasized Wednesday that Hairston not playing wasn’t about how he’s performed, but rather the circumstance of having an abundance of wings.

“It’s not really a reflection on him,” Clifford said. “I’ve said he has a bright future.”

Something similar happened early last season when Clifford chose to sit Ben Gordon in order to get steadier minutes for Jeff Taylor. Clifford’s philosophy is players can’t perform playing only spot minutes.

“It’s very, very difficult to play well if a player is getting 12 minutes a night,” Clifford said.

As an example, Clifford mentioned how Roberts thrived when an injury to Walker raised his playing time to 20 or more minutes a game. That isn’t always possible because Walker is so crucial to the Hornets’ offense.

Bottom-line, Clifford has to move toward a more settled rotation in the remaining 39 games and have players accept those decisions.

“That’s going to be key for our team,” Clifford said. “Figuring out how best to do it and then guys embracing their roles.”

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2015/0 ... MGTgHMo6tU#storylink=cpy

Im not sure a 9 man rotation is possible for this team

Sure it is.

Biz [24]/Al [24]
Zeller [30]/Marvin [18]
MKG [30]/Hairston [18]
Hendo [30] /Lance [18]
Kemba [36]/Lance [12]


Kemba gets 36mpg
MKG, Hendo, Zeller, and Lance get 30mpg
Biz and All get 24mpg
Hairston and Marvin (or Vonleh) get 18mpg
Maxiell, Roberts, Neal, Taylor, Pargo, and one of Vonleh/Marvin don't see the floor.

[catch20two]

Im not sure a 9 man rotation is possible for this team

It's possible if Cliff is willing to cut his boytoy Neal out of the rotation.

Kemba (33)/Roberts (15)
Hendo (30)/Lance (18)
MKG (27)/Lance (9)/Marv (9)
Zeller (25)/Marv (18)/MKG (5)
Biz (20)/Al (28)/Zeller (if necessary)

The way I see it is that there should always be a point in the game where we try to run small ball with MKG at PF (Kemba/Hendo/Lance/MKG/Biz or Al). Other teams do it but we don't because Cliff the Stiff is too damn stubborn and inflexible.

Messy Marv is naturally a SF. I'm surprised that Cliff hardly ever even run him at that spot. He's playing out of position at PF.

[Liver_Pooty]

Can't play Lance with Kemba. Apparently can't play him with Jefferson. Him and Zeller havent been on the same page multiple times as well. Maybe Lance should change his game up a little bit to fit others.

[catch20two]

Can't play Lance with Kemba. Apparently can't play him with Jefferson. Him and Zeller havent been on the same page multiple times as well. Maybe Lance should change his game up a little bit to fit others.

My question is what type of player fit next to Lance? He don't pass the ball on time to perimeter players because he's too busy dribbling or stopping the ball. Him and Biz work because Biz defender never even pay him any attention because he's not a scoring threat. But outside of Biz nobody actually benefits from Lance. Personally I want Lance traded but nobody want him so we gotta play him until he either (a) fit in or (b) build his trade value up enough to dump him or (c) none of the above and just become a horrible contract that we have to eat while giving him DNPS.

[Liver_Pooty]

Can't play Lance with Kemba. Apparently can't play him with Jefferson. Him and Zeller havent been on the same page multiple times as well. Maybe Lance should change his game up a little bit to fit others.

My question is what type of player fit next to Lance? He don't pass the ball on time to perimeter players because he's too busy dribbling or stopping the ball. Him and Biz work because Biz defender never even pay him any attention because he's not a scoring threat. But outside of Biz nobody actually benefits from Lance. Personally I want Lance traded but nobody want him so we gotta play him until he either (a) fit in or (b) build his trade value up enough to dump him or (c) none of the above and just become a horrible contract that we have to eat while giving him DNPS.

He needs to focus on just facilitating. I don't care what anyone says he was a 4th option a lot of the time last year behind George, Hibbert, and Hill. He let the offseason hype get to his head. He can still be a great contributor, but he's going to have to change his game up.

[catch20two]

Can't play Lance with Kemba. Apparently can't play him with Jefferson. Him and Zeller havent been on the same page multiple times as well. Maybe Lance should change his game up a little bit to fit others.

My question is what type of player fit next to Lance? He don't pass the ball on time to perimeter players because he's too busy dribbling or stopping the ball. Him and Biz work because Biz defender never even pay him any attention because he's not a scoring threat. But outside of Biz nobody actually benefits from Lance. Personally I want Lance traded but nobody want him so we gotta play him until he either (a) fit in or (b) build his trade value up enough to dump him or (c) none of the above and just become a horrible contract that we have to eat while giving him DNPS.

He needs to focus on just facilitating. I don't care what anyone says he was a 4th option a lot of the time last year behind George, Hibbert, and Hill. He let the offseason hype get to his head. He can still be a great contributor, but he's going to have to change his game up.

How about facilitating with less turnovers and better defense? I haven't seen sh*t from him that has made me like the signing in 3 months. How long do I have to wait for this clown to look better than Hendo on a off day?