Is It Back to the Drawing Board If Charlotte Hornets Miss NBA Playoffs?
The 33-43 Charlotte Hornets sit in 11th place in the Eastern Conference with just six games to go. Needing to jump over three teams and make up a 1.5-game deficit for the No. 8 seed, their hopes are slim. The grand prize is the honor of getting unceremoniously dismantled in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks.
Should they miss out on the postseason, big questions will need to be answered regarding the team's future. There is no worse place to be in the NBA than in the middle of the road.
Is this a bump in the road, or have the Hornets peaked with the current regime?
The resounding answer is that they have peaked. There is almost no way to imagine this situation improving too much. The young guys like Cody Zeller, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Noah Vonleh and P.J. Hairston are sure to improve, but you have to wonder if they are in the right system to make that happen right now. As they improve, other players will be phased out.
Where do they go from here? Straight back to the drawing board.
What's the Problem?
This campaign has been eerily similar to that of the 2010-11 Bobcats. In 2009-10, the Cats earned their first playoff berth behind a gritty defensive-minded roster led by Gerald Wallace, Stephen Jackson and Tyson Chandler. Of course, having Larry Brown as coach didn't hurt.
Charlotte stormed to the franchise's first playoff berth, earning the seventh seed with a 44-38 record before getting crushed in four games to the mighty Orlando Magic.
Sound familiar?
Last year's Bobcats finished 43-39, earning the No. 7 seed before falling flat in a four-game sweep at the hands of two-time defending champion Miami Heat.
The 2010-11 Bobcats fell apart and limped to a 34-48 finish amid heightened expectations. One quick look at the Hornets' remaining schedule suggests that record could be in play once again. Especially with Al Jefferson possibly being shut down for the final stretch.
The problem is that the big guns aren't firing. This squad was supposed to be led by a lethal three-headed attack anchored by Jefferson, Kemba Walker and Lance Stephenson. All three have underwhelmed, particularly the latter.
Things have gotten so bad that Stephenson has actually not seen the court at all in two of the past seven games, while not logging more than more than 14 minutes in any of them. As Charlotte is fighting for its playoff lives, Clifford hasn't sugarcoated his handling of the enigmatic shooting guard, at least according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
“Lance is here because of me. I’m the one that wanted Lance,” Clifford said after not playing him for the second consecutive game. “It’s simply that I can’t find a group that plays well when he’s out there.”
That is an alarming statement to make about a player on your roster, particularly one who was once so highly regarded. It is admirable that Clifford was so straightforward about the situation, but by the sound of things, it doesn't sound like there is any way to patch up this ordeal.
On the court, the product continues to draw ire due to lack of transition play, the league's worst outside shooting and failure to develop younger players. Vonleh and Hairston have been given short leashes. We haven't seen big jumps in production from Zeller or Bismack Biyombo either. Jeff Taylor has regressed. Walker may have peaked.
The point is, Charlotte is not getting the most out of its talent whatsoever. The offensive system is a huge issue because Jefferson cannot carry a franchise the way he could as early as last season. Using him as a crutch is not going to get Charlotte anywhere. It will only stunt the growth of the young guys.
How to Fix it?
First things first: Either Clifford goes or Stephenson goes. That much is certain. There will also most likely be conversations of both being shown the door.
Stephenson trade rumors have been going on for the entire season, and it is obvious this marriage is irreparable. General manager Rich Cho is in the unenviable position of having to sell low on what should be one of his best assets. Stephenson's free fall will result in a poor return on investment, but the negative impact of his presence on the roster outweighs any potential trade.
As far as the players, they seem to be 100 percent behind Clifford. Just ask Walker. In another piece by Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, the point guard offered his unwavering support for his coach:
"It has nothing to do with him. He does a great job, he's a fantastic coach. He always does his best to give us the right game plan, to try and get wins. ... It hasn't been the best season for us this year, but he is definitely not to blame. We're the ones out there playing, we're the ones who have to execute, we're the ones who have to win those games. I think it's on us.
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If Clifford stays, he'll have to call a few audibles. He has pushed this roster to play more uptempo but often sees them resort back to unproductive half-court offense. He will have to get more out of his youngsters and find some sort of way to milk more out of the offensive end. That being said, it is easier to make changes to an offense than a defense.
The big hammer that needs to drop is a Jefferson trade. It is too early to tell what will become of that situation, but with one year left on his deal and slightly waning production, it will be something to keep an eye on over the summer.
Jefferson makes this squad better, but the Hornets simply rely on him too much. In order to ultimately succeed, everyone will have to step up around him and make the offense more of a team effort instead of rolling the ball into him on the low block whenever times get tough.
There are a few certainties and guaranteed changes on the way, but the Jefferson situation will be the most interesting. He never led his previous Utah Jazz or Minnesota Timberwolves squads very far, and at this point in his career, he needs more help. Charlotte might be better off biting the bullet and wiping that drawing board somewhat clean.
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