GT: CHA @ UTA, 2/4 9:00 PM EST

[yosemiteben]

I remember a lot of complaints about Kemba hero ball at the end of games last year and now that he's passing it to teammates instead of playing hero ball we're still complaining.

Big difference between hero ball and disappearing. On nights like tonight where he goes 6-17 I guess I like to see him at least make an impact to close out the game.

[Joest2003]

Depressing time to be a Hornets fan. Started off the year so hot now we look like complete trash. We are just awful without Zeller theres no other way to put it. Honestly might be the second most important player on the roster. I dont remember falling apart like this when MKG or Batum are out for a period of time.

[Hornet Mania]

I think one reason Kemba hasn't been able to turn it up a notch in the 4th quarter this season, relative to the last few years, is because his offensive load in general has been so much bigger. In the Alfense era he could lay back and then assert himself late in games, even last year he didn't have as much weight on his shoulders with Lin around as a solid backup. Now Kemba is the offense, way too often, and it's not his fault it's just necessity. When Sessions comes in we're ****, so too often Kemba is exerting a lot of effort digging us out of a hole. Maybe it's putting a drag on his ability to have that extra burst in the last few minutes.. That's just a thought anyway, no way to really know. Even though he hasn't been as clutch as previous years he's had his moments this year too, just not recently.

I agree with yosemite, I think Plumlee looked pretty good. He definitely didn't know where to go after setting the screen but he was still getting us loose for shots and when he learns the system it will be that much more effective. His rebounding and general effort were high, I hope he brings that every night. I don't expect miracles from him, and his contract will always be too expensive, but if he can build on what he did last night he can help us win games.

We definitely need a new second option (or even 1st option to make Kemba a high-end 2nd) but that player isn't walking through that door anytime soon unless we win the lottery or something. I still think we're a good team when healthy. Our record with Zeller is good, our backup C spot may have been upgraded, and if we can just get a good backup PG we can be a frisky team in this awful conference. The only question is can Zeller get back in time for us to pull ourselves out of this hole we're digging, and if we can remain healthy for the stretch run.

I really hope we draft a PG. This is supposed to be the deep PG draft filled with guys who have potential all the way into the early 20s. Let's get one of them, and try to fix this backup issue once and for all. Instead of hoping Cho pulls a rabbit out of his hat with the bi-annual exception or something.

[Snidely FC]

as good as Lamb looked in short bursts as a scorer he once again shot 0% from 3. We need shooting guards who can knock down 3s

was disappointed we didn't catch a glimpse of McCallum. They can't possibly think Roberts is passable backup PG can they?

they beat us without Rodney Hood; good teams have depth

[catch20two]

They can't possibly think Roberts is passable backup PG can they?

They did a couple years ago when they signed him to be the primary backup PG.

[catch20two]

I remember a lot of complaints about Kemba hero ball at the end of games last year and now that he's passing it to teammates instead of playing hero ball we're still complaining.

Big difference between hero ball and disappearing. On nights like tonight where he goes 6-17 I guess I like to see him at least make an impact to close out the game.

Kemba is 16th in the NBA in 4th quarter ppg with 6.1 points on 49% shooting this year. Last year Kemba averaged 5.5 ppg on 42% shooting in the 4th quarter. C'mon Yosemite. Don't get lazy on the analysis. It's unlike you.

This year Kemba is making the right plays and the bums are airballing open 3s and etcetera.

[yosemiteben]

Fair, guess when I keep seeing us fall apart in Q4 it makes me envious of IT over in BOS. I did look up Q4 stats for him this season vs. last season after seeing fatlever's post, and he's actually been more productive and efficient this season but he hasn't been great recently (30th in Q4 scoring and 27% Q4 3PT% in our last 15 games). I guess it's the lack of game winners / carrying the team when we're struggling like we saw last January, like that massive 52 point game or whatever it was against the Jazz where he blew by Gobert for the game winner.

Fair or not, now that he's an AS and has shown what he can do guys like Lowry and IT are the measuring stick, and he's not measuring up. His bar is incredibly high right now, but if he wants to earn that All Star label expecting him to carry the team when we need it shouldn't be that unreasonable.

Look, I'm a huge Kemba fan and think he has shown the potential is there for him to be the best PG in the East. With that said, he has had a rough patch of games recently.

[amcoolio]

Marvin completely sucks and has fallen off the earth

Odd night to bring up Marvin. 16pts, 12reb, 3stl, 2blks (counting the Exum foul) 5-of-10. That's about as good as you can ever expect from Marvin.

Marvin needs to be 4th option, not 3rd. Batum needs to be 3rd option not 2nd. Guys just being asked (and paid) to do more than they are capable.

You are right, Marv had a decent game. But they are far and few between. My post was about the general state of the team.

My feeling is based on the way Marv is playing, he would be a decent backup. But we paid him to be the starting PF. And this offseason too, on a long term deal. PF is clearly the weak link on our team and we just spent a bunch of money on it.

[yosemiteben]

I just couldn't disagree more with that.

Here is our stats over the last 15 games (so during our extended losing streak) - link

Marv: 13.3 pts, 44.8% FG, 39% 3PT on 5.5 3PTAs, 58.9% TS, 6.1 boards

Frank: 10.1 pts, 41.6% FG, 36.4% 3PT on 4.4 3PTAs, 52.9% TS, 3.3 boards

Taking starters and backups together, I don't think we have had a more consistent position over the Iast 15 games than PF.