Good to have Ariza back. Need Emeka back now. Hornets defense definitely struggles without those two.
Good to have Ariza back. Need Emeka back now. Hornets defense definitely struggles without those two.
Last edited by hambone29; 02-13-2011 at 07:31 PM.
Getting killed in the paint!
Game after game, it's the same thing.
Okafur would definitely help.
The hornets finally get a national tv game this wednesday vs. the clippers!!!
Tough loss tonight for the Hornets. If you want to be a contender you can't lose at home to teams under .500
If you check the boxscore another problem is they lost but they had a lot of their big time players playing 40 minutes and upper 30's. They need to get CP3 and Wests minutes down while still be competitive if they want to be fresh for the playoffs. Which brings us to the ultimate problem with N.O. They have one of the worst benches in the entire league. I know they have no $$$$. BUT if they can ever get a deep bench they will be instant contenders but the way it stands they will come up and bite teams like the Mavs, Spurs or Celtics once in a while but they will never win consistently.
Tonight the Mavs were losing by 19 points. Yet they managed to come back and win by 18. While playing Dirk 34 minutes and Kidd only 26 minutes. That was because Marion got 20, Terry got 19, Barea got 9 assists and ran the team the entire 4th quarter. I'm convinced N.O. can become elite without adding an all-star. Get a real owner and instead of spending all his cash on a over-rated star get 3 horses that you can rely on to put on your bench. Guys like George Hill in San Antonio for instance or Jared Dudley for Phoenix. Get some guys like that and N.O. will be a force.
This will be the exact reason all the fuss over the Knicks getting Melo is all for nothing. In addition to the fact that their two biggest stars, Amare and Melo, both hate/won't play defense, they also have no bench. They stripped the team to get Melo. They have no chance at winning the East this year despite all the "NY, East Coast Pub" they are getting.
The best way to tell who is a real contender are these 2 things, do they win 40 before they lose 20?? And road record. Are they significantly over .500 on the road? Sick of hearing about the Knicks. They aren't contenders no matter how bad the media tries to turn them into such.
Bummer!
I think you are a little premature on your assessment of the Knicks. I think they are contenders this year and will be for the next few years. Don't sleep on Billups. They have more than Melo and Amare. And don't let being sick of hearing about the Knicks cloud your view. They are good and will be scary in the playoffs.
I do agree about the Hornets needing bench players. Hopefully Landry will prove to be a great addition.
I think the Knicks are a poor man's Heat. They are lacking one more star (CP3, if they can afford him). I think they will be able to play well in spurts, but ultimately lack the depth to win it all.
I think the same of the Heat, but they will fare better with the extra star, plus have a chance to win it all because star players can play big in the playoffs and there is no doubt that Lebron is consistenly great (Wade and Bosh have both been up and down this season from I have seen). However, for them to win it, those 3 will have to bring their A game every night in the playoffs. They lack the depth to get just 10 or 12 poins out of any of these 3.
Oh I agree, no way I sleep on Billups. The guy is golden. A real winner. (and he DOES play defense)
Being a fan of a Western Conference team and the NBA in general I have just watched Amare and Melo their whole careers and compared to a DWade or Kobe for example they just typicaly play on only one end of the floor. On top of that they have a coach who doesn't emphasize defense either. Don't let their win over Miami fool you. Both teams played horribly. It was an ugly, ugly game that the Knicks "happened" to have won and not a sign of how good they can be. In the East I would still put the Knicks behind (in no order) Miami, Boston, Chicago and Orlando. (maybe tied with Orlando for 4th best)
I am also down on the Heat because they are winning on pure talent right now (and admittedly they have a ton of talent) But the reason I think the Spurs would annihilate them in a 7 game series and the reason the Mavs have swept them again is while the Heat play like 3 elite superstars, the Spurs for instance play like a team. And that goes for the Celtics, Mavs and Lakers as well. The Heat look like they are about to sign Bibby though and that could make a huge difference for them. (I think Boston just signed T. Murphy)
Even after all the player movement from this summer and this most recent trade deadline, I think the top 3 teams in the West would beat all 4 of the top teams in the East in a 7 game series. As of right now the Mavs are 6-0 vs. Lakers, Boston,Miami and NY. The Spurs have the best record and most experience in the league by a country mile (and IMO the best coach) and the Lakers are just now kicking it into gear.
As for the Hornets, I think Landry will make a difference, they just need two more just like him sitting on the bench. The only starting position I would worry about too much is SG, they need help at the 2 real bad. But again they don't need a superstar. Just an upgrade and then spend the rest on depth. And is West still not resigned? If they are going to keep CP3 then they need to make signing him a top priority. If not then let him go and totally rebuild.
Good article on CP3:
http://espn.go.com/blog/TrueHoop/pos...for-chris-paul