Getting to the playoffs is a pretty big deal, moreso in the Western conference than the Eastern. Hate to play up the West coast, but seriously, would you rather be competing against the Trail Blazers, Spurs, Suns, Thunder, Rockets, and Grizzlies for a seed or against the Raptors, Bucks, Bulls, Bobcats, and Heat?
Not that it really matters. The parity in the east is such that if you sneak in there (the eighth seed) and you're not based out of Charlotte, you're starting your offseason in late April. No '99 Knicks or '07 Warriors to worry about here.
I digress. This post is about the Hornets, and more specifically, Chris Paul's injury. I'm guessing that he probably came back from his injury too soon the first time, which led to the second one.
(I'm not a medical expert, and I don't remember enough about it to definitively say that, but that's the assumption that I'm operating under, and if it's inaccurate, please, let me know.)
So, he came back too soon and re-injured his knee. Understandable before surgery, common mistake to make. Most NBA players want to play basketball, no matter what Vince Carter may make you believe, and will risk (re)injury to do so. His team was in the playoff hunt, and that was a decision that made sense for Chris Paul (20 points, 11 assists, dominant force on his team, loves winning) and the Hornets (playoffs good for business, also enjoy winning because it is good for business, chance to unload ugly, ugly contracts during the offseason which is good for the team). Now, the Hornets are valiantly grasping for a .500 record, 5.5 games away from the eighth seed. Probably not the best time to bring your star back and risk further injury. There is nothing wrong with a lottery pick, which would be a cheap influx of talent when your team is desperately in need of both tax relief and a deeper bench. I'm not saying tank, but missing the playoffs would not be the worst thing in the world. Take consolation in Jan Vesely, Stanley Robinson, or Larry Sanders (Go Rams!). There are definitely worse things...
...like ending up with a lower draft pick, a first round playoff exit, and a star player with chronic knee injuries.
Just let Darren Collison do the heavy lifting for now. It'll all be okay. Next year will be better.
Showing posts with label Sixth Man. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sixth Man. Show all posts
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The Importance of Being Buckets
Marcus Thornton is a good basketball player. This is a pretty easy observation to make, as anyone who has watched a Hornets game can probably extol the virtues of this guy. He's been averaging 26.2 points per game over the past 5 on 54% shooting (overall AND on threes) in a fairly brief 33 minutes per game. This level of efficiency culminated in last night's explosion of 30 points in 27 minutes. Save for a single garbage time three, ala J.R. Smith, he was absolutely perfect from beyond the arc.
In short, the guy is red hot right now. The obvious conclusion seems to be to start him in favor of Mo Pete. For one, Morris Peterson is a pretty awful basketball player, or simply looks that way next to Thornton. Secondly, every starter had a negative adjusted plus/minus. This may indicate a change is necessary.
I disagree with that notion.
I think Marcus Thornton has a chance to be a spark plug on an otherwise exceedingly thin Hornets bench. The fact is that he had ten times as many points as the next Hornets bench player while only playing four minutes more. Posey gives out great hugs, but he's not the guy you want running your secondary. By some miracle, they've found a backcourt tandem that could definitely run the show.
Collison is doing a pretty admirable job (turnovers and all) of leading this Hornets team through what would be a horrid season under normal circumstances. NOLA may only be one game over .500, but that's without the heart and soul of their team, Chris Paul. When CP3 comes back, he'll be able to ease his way back into starter's minutes because of Collison, and eventually, he'll reclaim the job. It's a pretty good situation to come into when you're recovering from injury, and from that point on, they can sort out this somewhat favorable situation. One All-Star and two potential All-Stars in your back court is nothing to sneeze at.
The Hornets are looking at a situation where they have an explosive scorer able to come off the bench and take over when their starters are resting, or they can take him off the bench as instant offense. In that sense, I see him fulfilling a sort of Ginobili or Terry role: integral part of the team, making starter's money, but just coming off the bench and filling up the stat sheet where it needs filling. When the Hornets bring Thornton off the bench, he already knows what he's supposed to do: score, score often, and put pressure on the other team so that his teammates can get open. He already is good at his job in the ruins of what used to be the Hornets. Imagine how valuable he'll be on the Hornets when they're ready to contend.
Beyond the ridiculous bucket-getting, it's worth noting that his game seems fairly polished already, and given that it's his rookie season, he's probably only going to get better.
Could he thrive in a starting role? I wouldn't doubt it. Shooting guards of his (potential) caliber are incredibly rare. However, he's done so well coming off the bench, and finding a player that can come off the bench and devastate the other team is even rarer. The Hornets are in a good place as far as the production possibilities of their backcourt. What remains to be seen is how it will all fit together.
In short, the guy is red hot right now. The obvious conclusion seems to be to start him in favor of Mo Pete. For one, Morris Peterson is a pretty awful basketball player, or simply looks that way next to Thornton. Secondly, every starter had a negative adjusted plus/minus. This may indicate a change is necessary.
I disagree with that notion.
I think Marcus Thornton has a chance to be a spark plug on an otherwise exceedingly thin Hornets bench. The fact is that he had ten times as many points as the next Hornets bench player while only playing four minutes more. Posey gives out great hugs, but he's not the guy you want running your secondary. By some miracle, they've found a backcourt tandem that could definitely run the show.
Collison is doing a pretty admirable job (turnovers and all) of leading this Hornets team through what would be a horrid season under normal circumstances. NOLA may only be one game over .500, but that's without the heart and soul of their team, Chris Paul. When CP3 comes back, he'll be able to ease his way back into starter's minutes because of Collison, and eventually, he'll reclaim the job. It's a pretty good situation to come into when you're recovering from injury, and from that point on, they can sort out this somewhat favorable situation. One All-Star and two potential All-Stars in your back court is nothing to sneeze at.
The Hornets are looking at a situation where they have an explosive scorer able to come off the bench and take over when their starters are resting, or they can take him off the bench as instant offense. In that sense, I see him fulfilling a sort of Ginobili or Terry role: integral part of the team, making starter's money, but just coming off the bench and filling up the stat sheet where it needs filling. When the Hornets bring Thornton off the bench, he already knows what he's supposed to do: score, score often, and put pressure on the other team so that his teammates can get open. He already is good at his job in the ruins of what used to be the Hornets. Imagine how valuable he'll be on the Hornets when they're ready to contend.
Beyond the ridiculous bucket-getting, it's worth noting that his game seems fairly polished already, and given that it's his rookie season, he's probably only going to get better.
Could he thrive in a starting role? I wouldn't doubt it. Shooting guards of his (potential) caliber are incredibly rare. However, he's done so well coming off the bench, and finding a player that can come off the bench and devastate the other team is even rarer. The Hornets are in a good place as far as the production possibilities of their backcourt. What remains to be seen is how it will all fit together.
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