It took three long months for the Charlotte Hornets to get into the playoff picture, and just one bad week to knock them right out.
After really picking up some steam in January behind the strong play of Kemba Walker, the Hornets found themselves sitting comfortably in the seventh spot out East. Then, as it tends to do, the trade deadline hit on Feb. 19, and while Charlotte remained quiet (they had acquired Mo Williams just a few days prior), their fringe-playoff peers in the East didn’t.
The Miami Heat added Goran Dragic to their solid core of Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, Hassan Whiteside and Chris Bosh (who would be ruled out for the season just two days later), the Brooklyn Nets stole Thaddeus Young from the Timberwolves, Detroit added Reggie Jackson, and the Celtics acquired Isaiah Thomas from the Suns.
In fact, the only prospective playoff squad in the East that stood pat was the Indiana Pacers, who have actually been playing good basketball as of late while they wait for Paul George to return to the lineup. probably within the next month or so.
Now, while trading for Mo Williams was a good decision by Rich Cho, one must remember that Williams is simply holding down the fort while Kemba Walker works his way back from knee surgery.
Mo has been playing an other-worldly brand of basketball since he was traded to Charlotte (23.4 points, 7.0 assists, .462/.422/.824), even better than Kemba’s stellar January (statistically speaking), but the chances of Charlotte relegating their $48 million man to a bench role are virtually nonexistent.
And while the stats are certainly impressive, Williams’ play hasn’t been able to power the Hornets to a winning record; the team has won just two of five games since his arrival.
Of course, two of the three losses came to two Western Conference playoff teams, and the Hornets have been playing better in the past week than they were in the days leading up to the All-Star break, in which they dropped three consecutive contests to the Sixers, Pacers, and Pistons.
The big issue has been the poor defense. From Jan 1. to Feb. 7, the Hornets allowed 100 points in just one game. That impressive feat equated to 12 wins in 17 tries.
Since Feb. 7, though, Charlotte has surrendered 100 points in four games, all of them losses. Unfortunately, this team lacks both the firepower and the coaching to consistently get the job done on the offensive end of the court, so when the defense slips, the chances of a win drastically shrink. Especially with the club’s leading scorer sidelined, the grit-and-grind attitude — the scrappy, chippy play — simply must be embraced.
Expect Bismack Biyombo‘s return (assuming he gets some minutes) to give the Hornets a big boost on the defensive end. He was, after all, a big reason that the Hornets’ D was so good during that month-long stretch. Still, a backup center isn’t going to completely solve the problem…
Unfortunately, Charlotte just hasn’t been good overall, and their struggles have come at a bad time. As previously stated, the East is getting a bit deeper, despite the slew of injuries, and the Hornets’ chances at a postseason berth don’t fall entirely on their shoulders — the other clubs have to start (or continue to, in some cases) losing.
The Hornets need answers, and fast. Nine games below the .500 mark, and more importantly, far from a legitimate playoff threat, Charlotte’s time is running out. The time proceeding the All-Star break was supposed to be when the team put everything together — questions weren’t supposed to re-surface, they were supposed to be answered.
It’s been nothing but confusion in the Queen City, and Brooklyn, Indiana, Boston, and Detroit couldn’t be happier. Qualifying playoff appearance for the guys in teal and purple is an uphill battle, but the goal isn’t unattainable. 25 games remain on the schedule, and each one matters.
This season, the Hornets have constantly struggled down the stretch. Let’s hope that doesn’t perpetuate when it really counts.
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