Watching the Media Availability videos for Seth and Grant, and it’s pretty cool to acquire two guys who legit love the Hornets. Seth it’s pretty obvious, but it was cool to see Grant talk about “Bring Back the Buzz” and how he saw himself playing here at some point in his career. Good to see professionals who are invested in the team already.
EDIT: not sure you could have asked for a better first interview than Grant Williams’.
Damn, I really want to go to the game Monday in Charlotte.
Almost too emotional to create an appreciation post for Kyle. Too many memories to try organize in my head.
My custom Lowry Hornets jersey hasn’t even arrived in the mail yet…I’ll have to retire it next to my Tony Parker hornets jersey, and CDR bobcats jersey.
Locker room after the game. Miller looks stoked. Cliff looks like 10 years were just added to his life.
Cliff is probably feeling like shit, I can do some real coaching again with NBA players and vets. Lol
It will be interesting if the more he installs his system with the new guys, we see them settle into confusion. They admittedly didn’t have any complexity to tonight’s gameplan to simplify it for the 5 new joiners.
Maybe, but Cliff doesn’t strike me as an especially complex strategist. One comment that DB (I think) made was that it made things a lot easier having several guys come in at once as opposed to just being one or two because more time is taken to make sure the new guys fit in. I’m just guessing, but I’d imagine they focus on guys playing the right way and finding their spots and trying to bring at least some of the young guys along for the ride with a veteran team that is more stable and can play as a system.
I think the biggest fear is that we get figured out quickly and then we try to be too cute in how we play. But I don’t suspect that from Cliff.
Grant Williams and I agree:
https://x.com/Meloleague/status/1756519495449919969?s=20
“Yeah, that’s what’s gonna take for this team. They’re gonna have to be at level of trust and belief in guys. We have guys who are capable of making plays, but fortunately enough, you have when Lamelo comes back, you’re gonna have a little bit of possession where you have to trust and create an isolation. But when throughout the course of the game, that’s not how you have to play. You have to move the ball, you have to be able to trust one another. Even if that guy hasn’t made two threes in a row, and you don’t think he’s gonna make the four, you still have to give it to him. Because not only is it instill confidence in that person shooting the basketball, but it makes a level of camaraderie within the team that shows that you trust one another, and that’s how offenses really have success. It’s the belief that everybody here is really capable and able and can encourage others to be great at what they do.”
This was a moral victory and actual victory we desparately needed. But let’s be real, we need to lose lose lose the rest if the season. Anything else would be a waste of a waste of a season if that makes sense. This is operation get a high pick at this point. I am afraid in typical steve clifford fasion we will do what we did last season and not get lucky this time and end up with the 9th pick from the dumpster fire of a season we have had this year which would be unacceptable.
We desperately need another top 5 pick in this draft even if it is a weak one.
I think we will lose a lot of games but I am just saying I will be pissed if we somehow go .500 the rest of the way like we did last season. I doubt that is possible with Nick Richards as our center but getting Lamelo back with competence off the bench could make a big difference.
It’s tricky now for sure, especially with Mark Williams possibly done for the season. (or needing to be) I don’t think we have to worry too much about ruining our draft position, but given what people keep saying about this year’s draft, I’m ready for the bizarro next 10 weeks where Vasa blows everyone’s minds and we end up going on a playoff run.
The most important thing for us the rest of the season is to establish good habits and start shaping a winning basketball culture. If we do that, I’m not overly concerned about dropping a couple of spots. There are some nice looking guards in the second half of the lottery.
I definitely hear you though: now’s not the time to make a half-hearted run.
Don’t think a Top 5 pick matters much in this draft, based on what everyone has been saying. It’s more important to see how everyone integrates and give Cliff a real evaluation to see if he deserves one last run with a competent NBA roster.
A top 5 pick would be a lot better than a 9th or 10th pick no doubt regardless of draft
Do we get anything out of buying out Lowry?
So, they’re blaming the Hornets too. No accountability from Bouknight, and a swift passing of the blame bucket by those close to him too. Hardly surprising. Take f’ing responsibility and own your mistakes, or be doomed to repeat them.
Totally agree. It’s time to develop winning habits. Remember the Suns in the bubble? They developed winning habits there then in the offseason added a vet in Chris Paul and took off.
I’d like the same scenario- be frisky the rest of this season then use cap space and draft picks to add missing pieces to then have us rocking in the Hive next season.
Nope. I’ve seen enough. New coach please. If you want to move him towards the FO, fine. Or if accepts assistant position to stay with org, fine. But no more head coach cliff
I love that grant notices that melo needs a ton of work in how he plays the game.
You have to know that other players in the league notice these things too.
Well the good news is that this draft doesn’t carry the weight that others do. It lacks top heavy talent. It could be the worst draft of two decades