Around the NBA 8.0

[TinmanZBoy]

Of course, had to subtly rock the purple and teal.

is there a thing called closeted Hornets fan?

[MPM]

Of course, had to subtly rock the purple and teal.

is there a thing called closeted Hornets fan?

I'm hiding my shame.

[Braggins]

Portland is starting Noah Vonleh and they've won as many games as us...

[fatlever]

Portland is starting Noah Vonleh and they've won as many games as us...

Are we laughing at them or praising them?

[Braggins]

Portland is starting Noah Vonleh and they've won as many games as us...

Are we laughing at them or praising them?

I dont even know anymore lol. Its depressing for us regardless.

[fatlever]

I'm not too beat up about losing Vonleh. He has the body of a greek god, and the highlights that make you drool, but then you watch him play and he does absolutely nothing. I think it was totally worth losing him to have a chance at getting Batum here long-term. Yeah, it will suck balls of Batum leaves this summer, but I don't blame Cho for taking that gamble. Vonleh is still 3-4 years away from being a player that might make us regret losing him.

[Braggins]

I'm not too beat up about losing Vonleh. He has the body of a greek god, and the highlights that make you drool, but then you watch him play and he does absolutely nothing. I think it was totally worth losing him to have a chance at getting Batum here long-term. Yeah, it will suck balls of Batum leaves this summer, but I don't blame Cho for taking that gamble. Vonleh is still 3-4 years away from being a player that might make us regret losing him.

Ive come around on the situation as well. Hes so far away mentally that its impossible to tell what he'll be eventually. He has all the tools to be really good but he still might top out as a solid contributor or even less.

I mostly think the Portland situation is so depressing because he is playing so awful this season and they are still as good as us with him starting.

The fact that we are starting PJ, who is almost as bad statistically, makes me feel a little better about it.

[fatlever]

Random thought, but Detroit has really been very lucky this year to avoid any injuries to their top 6 players. Drummond, Jackson, KCP, Morris, Ilyasova and Stanley have combined to miss 1 game.

Sure Jennings has been out, but I'm not how crucial he is to that they are doing, just nice depth to have behind Jackson.

Their starting lineup has played 790 minutes together, by far, tops in the league, and that lineup is +5 rating for the season. The next highest minute total by a 5-man unit in the entire league is 490 by the Knicks (300 minutes behind Detroit). Our top lineup in minutes is 264 (Kemba, PJ, Batum, Marvin, Zeller).

Detroit was one of the teams that could least afford any injuries this year to their core guys.

[fatlever]

I'm not too beat up about losing Vonleh. He has the body of a greek god, and the highlights that make you drool, but then you watch him play and he does absolutely nothing. I think it was totally worth losing him to have a chance at getting Batum here long-term. Yeah, it will suck balls of Batum leaves this summer, but I don't blame Cho for taking that gamble. Vonleh is still 3-4 years away from being a player that might make us regret losing him.

Ive come around on the situation as well. Hes so far away mentally that its impossible to tell what he'll be eventually. He has all the tools to be really good but he still might top out as a solid contributor or even less.

I mostly think the Portland situation is so depressing because he is playing so awful this season and they are still as good as us with him starting.

The fact that we are starting PJ, who is almost as bad statistically, makes me feel a little better about it.

It is surprising they have been so good. Plumlee and Aminu (and maybe Vonleh) make their respectable defensively and on the boards, which is just enough to let McCollum and Lillard go nuts. If one of them gets hot, they have a chance to win. If both get hot, game over. I think McCollum might actually be the better of the two players.

[yosemiteben]

If anyone has the right to be still upset with the Batum trade, it's the POR fanbase who got a year of Hendo and a totally not ready Vonleh instead of a perfect opportunity for Batum to step up as a leader of that team.

[Braggins]

I'm not too beat up about losing Vonleh. He has the body of a greek god, and the highlights that make you drool, but then you watch him play and he does absolutely nothing. I think it was totally worth losing him to have a chance at getting Batum here long-term. Yeah, it will suck balls of Batum leaves this summer, but I don't blame Cho for taking that gamble. Vonleh is still 3-4 years away from being a player that might make us regret losing him.

Ive come around on the situation as well. Hes so far away mentally that its impossible to tell what he'll be eventually. He has all the tools to be really good but he still might top out as a solid contributor or even less.

I mostly think the Portland situation is so depressing because he is playing so awful this season and they are still as good as us with him starting.

The fact that we are starting PJ, who is almost as bad statistically, makes me feel a little better about it.

It is surprising they have been so good. Plumlee and Aminu (and maybe Vonleh) make their respectable defensively and on the boards, which is just enough to let McCollum and Lillard go nuts. If one of them gets hot, they have a chance to win. If both get hot, game over. I think McCollum might actually be the better of the two players.

I havent seen much of McCollum this season, but the stats speak for themselves.

I really like Aminu. Id love him on our team as an MKG stand in.

[HornetJail]

lmao the Cavs are getting dicked. I hope the Warriors beat them by 60

[TinmanZBoy]

Chria Paul to Kevin Love: "once upon a time, the hawks and hornets love each other very much"...lol when?

[Braggins]

If anyone has the right to be still upset with the Batum trade, it's the POR fanbase who got a year of Hendo and a totally not ready Vonleh instead of a perfect opportunity for Batum to step up as a leader of that team.

I think they underestimated how good they could be without Aldridge, probably due to not expecting Mccollum to be so good so soon. Batum would the perfect fit as a SF next to Lillard/Mccollum. Given the regression of the West this season they probably could have made a run at the playoffs.

[Braggins]

Of course, had to subtly rock the purple and teal.

You've got more style in one foot than I could ever dream of having.

[fatlever]

http://www.si.com/nba/2016/01/19/nba-midseason-grades-warriors-spurs-cavaliers-knicks-pelicans

Charlotte Hornets: C

Record: 19–22
Off. Rating: 10 | Def. Rating: 14 | Net Rating: 13

Admittedly, the Hornets are a victim of the artificial “midseason” deadline. Rewind to as recently as late December, when Charlotte was riding high at 17-13, and Steve Clifford and company would have been in the “A” neighborhood. But two-plus weeks of losing, even if it was easily explained by injuries and a tough road trip, requires a recalibration. At its best, Charlotte has been consistently functional and legitimately entertaining on offense for the first time in years. At its worst, especially in a few ugly showings without Nicolas Batum, who has rightfully earned some All-Star buzz this year, Charlotte has reverted to totally forgettable and flat play.

After initially looking like they had undergone a serious and sustainable makeover, the net result at the midway point is instead a host of familiar, as-yet-unanswered questions. Was the strong start a mirage or can this group, which isn’t overwhelmingly deep or talented, right itself? Have scouts caught on to the Hornets’ new offensive approach or are the injuries to blame? Will both Batum and Jefferson be inclined to return once they hit free agency in the summer, or will Charlotte retool around one of them (Batum is the more likely candidate), or will Michael Jordan face another major rebuilding effort? The positive subplots—good minutes from Jeremy Lamb, Jeremy Lin and others—pale in comparison to these greater uncertainties.

[HornetJail]

Very fair assessment. Though, not even a mention of the new offense helping Kemba break out into a legit all-star caliber PG?

[fatlever]

Lowe's All-Star Team (hint: no Kemba, no Batum)

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14598808/who-deserves-represent-their-conference-nba-all-star-game

[yosemiteben]

Eric Gordon broke his hand tonight.

[TinmanZBoy]

the bucks are sweeping the southeast