26 PPG, 9.8 rebounds, 53% FG, 81% FT, 40 MPG, 20 shots per contest- those are LaMarcus Aldridge’s numbers in 2011. If there is a hotter player in the league right now, I don’t know of him, and consequently his team is one of the hottest in the league as well. Portland enters this game with a league-high five game winning streak, and have won 11 of 15 overall. Less than three weeks ago, the Blazers were six and a half games back of the Hornets, but with a win tonight they would actually pull percentage points ahead of New Orleans.
While the Blazers are clearly on their way up, the Hornets have been reeling as of late, due in part to injuries, but Monty Williams will not let the team off that easily, and truthfully the problems extend far beyond the injury report. The offensive sets have been stagnant and the team has settled for jumpers far too often. Defensively, rotations simply aren’t being made and the team is just not being as physical as they were earlier in the season. Okafor will help tremendously, but he won’t be in there tonight, and the Hornets cannot simply afford to continue to lose games waiting for him to come and save them.
When the Hornets Have the Ball:
There is good news and bad news for the Hornets with this matchup. The good news is that the Hornets love to fire away from the perimeter and Portland will allow you to do that. The bad news is that the Hornets have been horrible from the perimeter on the road as a team. In each of the match-ups against Portland, the Hornets drained eight three pointers, which is almost 3 more than their season average. Marco Belinelli, especially, has enjoyed playing against Portland, as he has combined to go 8 of 11 from deep in the two games and is averaging 16 points on just over 8 shots per contest.
Willie Green has also faired well against the Blazers this year, taking 20 shots and connecting on 12 of them, averaging 15 PPG. Portland is so concerned with protecting the interior of their defense, that they are willing to concede jump shots and that is why it is imperative that Chris Paul regain his confidence for the Hornets to steal this game tonight. Shots will be there and probability states that at least 2 of the 4 wings will hit their shots tonight, therefore both Paul and Jarrett Jack will be tipping points in this contest.
When Portland Has the Ball:
Portland has no shame in the fact that they run some of their plays over and over again to the point of exhaustion, but when nobody can stop it, why should they adjust? Expect to see an elbow pick and pop at least a dozen times tonight between Miller and Aldridge, along with several cross screens that will get LaMarcus the ball on the left block. So far this season, West has done a terrific job on Aldridge, holding him nearly 10 points below his season average, and forcing him to shoot under 35% from the field. Aldridge is a different player now than he was in November, however, so don’t expect him to post another 4 for 14 performance.
Wesley Matthews has also been playing at an entirely different level since Brandon Roy left the lineup. He’s been averaging over 18 PPG since becoming the full-time starter and is one of the most consistent and proficient three point shooters in the league. Oddly, however, he is shooting much better on the road than he is at home ( 46% FG, 45% three-point on road vs. 41% and 34% at home), so perhaps the Hornets will catch a break tonight with Portland’s number two scorer.
Other News and Notes:
– Blazers are 19-5 this season when scoring 100 or more points. Since Emeka went out, allowing over 100 points has become common place. Hornets have to change that to get a win tonight.
– Don’t read Marc Stein’s column today on Bill Simmons interview with David Stern (who quite candidly talks about the NBA/Hornets situation), just go straight to the source and listen to the podcast, which was amazingly entertaining (as is anything Simmons does). First of all I don’t know how Stein has the nerve to take another man’s interview and steal a column out of it, but more importantly, he just twisted Stern’s words and used them out of context to get more reads. I am tempted from time to time, as a writer, to do this as well, but I actually like looking at myself in the mirror because I am quite a handsome guy, or so my mother tells me.
– Rumors abound about the Hornets looking at several players, including JR Smith from Denver, a big man from Portland, Troy Murphy, and Antawn Jamison (if they are bought out). Checked into some things on my end and this is what I got back:
– From both contacts in front offices, they confirmed it was true that Hornets were among the most active, but their assets aren’t very valued around the league. Teams are interested in first round picks and the Hornets don’t have one this year and aren’t willing to give up unprotected future picks. Several teams are interested in an unprotected 2013 or 2014 pick from the Hornets (b/c they assume CP3 is going to leave) but Demps is not willing to do that right now.
– Antawn Jamison will not be bought out. I am told by someone I trust more than I trust myself that the chance of that happening is “less than zero”
– Demps would feverishly go after Murphy and might even be willing to negotiate multiple years if Murphy was open to it. The question is whether Murphy would choose the Hornets over teams that most believe have a better chance of competing this year.
– Offer for JR Smith would include either Marco or MT5, depending on Denver’s preference. Will only happen after Denver has agreed on trading Melo, if at all.
– Hornets are 5 point underdogs and the over/under is 183. No clue how to bet this one, so since I have been wrong so often this season, I will pull a George Costanza and say the opposite of what I really think- take the Hornets and the over. Enjoy the Game!
85 responses to “Game On: Hornets @ Blazers (and Juicy Rumors!!)”
If the Hornets trade Marcus Thornton for JR Smith, I am not responsible for my actions. Things will be broken.
I agree things will be broken and chihuahua’s will be tortured if Thornton is traded for JR Smith… We need to be smart about this
…because J.R. Smith is just so much better a fit with the team’s defense-first identity, right?
Like others not sure how well JR would fit in with Monty’s defensive focus, I’m more intrigued by the big men options, but knowing there’s not a lot out there and we don’t have the greatest assets to make something happen I wont anticipate much and be pleasantly surprised if Demps pulls something dramatic off.
As for the game tonight, I’ll be there, a bit hard to get super excited about it after what we’ve seen lately, but I will be there and I will be amped and blowing my Hornets trumpet loud to give the Bees some support.
It’s crazy to see that despite our two winning streaks and all the Blazers struggles with injuries and what not that we could essentially be going into the break even with them. I’m not sure what the answer is but the guys need to find some energy and get back to playing inspired basketball, it’s frustrating knowing how good they can play as a team (ex. Orlando game) then seeing them trot out lazy half hearted efforts against the bottom rungs of teams.
The second half schedule may be statistically easier than the first half but it actually concerns me a bit more seeing the Hornets pension for dropping games to what should be the easier teams in the league. I hope the break gets them refocused and reinspired.
Amen, but I’d we lose tonite I’m still breakin things
Double team Lamarcus Aldridge.
LaMarcus Aldridge has gotten pretty good at passing out of the double team. Last game he did so and Dante Cunningham scored 18 points.
Rudy and Wesley Matthews were also beneficiaries of his passing out of double teams…
J.R. Smith is 10-times better than Marcus Thornton!!!
Yawl better stop playing!
He shoots better, creates better, attacks better, finishes better, and would play better with CP3!
C’mon yawl … be real … who could deny this starting five;
F-West, F-Ariza, C-Okafor, G-J.Smith, G-Paul ?
…and yes, J.R. Smith can play defense better than MT5!
L_REAZY
But JR Smith doesn’t even start on the Nuggets, and you can’t say it’s because Afflalo is a better scorer. Karl keeps Smith on the bench because that’s what he’s good for — offensive production off the pine. Afflalo is his big defender/rare shooting threat. And I’m not sure if he’s that much of an upgrade over Thornton. He’s inconsistent, has an attitude problem, and probably wouldn’t be that great as a starting 2.
Reazy,
I’m not going to debate your points becuase, partly, I’m not sure I’d win.
I don’t like the guy. I prefer to not have to root for him.
Totally irrational, I agree.
i am far from a JR lover but plain and simple our offense is a joke. We hit patches where we dont score for possession after possession. Jr is better than marcus right now. (the undisputables) He has 6 years in the league and 4 inches on marcus not to mention he is more athletic. Defense wise they both leave something to be desired but certainly the extra length from JR tips the scale for him being a better defender. Ultimately marcus could be the superior player but it is a winless argument to say Marcus is better than Jr today. We need offense in the worst way and jr is better than anything we have, if its swapping guard for guards i dont think theres anything to be concerned with.
reazy…. jr smith is not a good defender… im just telling you this cuz ive seen him play and he is not a good defender. he is a bigger black hole than marcus for sure and his attitude sucks.
plus i think its pretty classy that we have very few tattoos on players and jr smith with make our tattoo numbers go up 10 fold… i dont like the guy too selfish not a good fit with how our team wants to play
JR Smith is a head case.
Aldridge gets the (deserved) attention, but they have a lot of players who can hurt us. Miller is one of the league’s best at posting smaller guards, and Rudy and Batum can light it up from downtown. They aren’t a great rebounding team, so look for our bigs to get some tap-outs and 2nd chance points. I will be at this game and plan on seeing us go into the break with a W
“…but their assets aren’t very valued around the league”
That’s what I was afraid of. Combined with the understandable unwillingness to spend, we’ll have to rely on Demp’s abilities more than anything. With a season that keeps seeming to be 1 step forward, 1 step back, I’m hoping we can find some consistency. Winning, that is.
You all forget one thing, Monty’s knows Portland. He know’s Nate personally. I am sure he is preparing our guys based on his knowledge and past with Portland, which should be an advantage! Even with our current skid.
I agree that Monty being in Portland’s system the last several years does give him some insight into the teams game plan, but there are two things I feel make the advantage negligible, the first being that Aldridge has stepped up mightily for them this season and he’s playing at a level significantly above what he was when Monty was there.
Secondly, the players still have to execute, Monty can give them all the coaching insight and scouting reports in the world, but none of them will help if the team doesn’t bring the energy and desire to execute. This is what I feel has been the biggest up and down for the team this year is whether they come out wanting to play up to their potential.
Monty doesn’t know Portland’s play post Roy…any better than Nate knows NO’s play.
They both know each other..I think it’s a draw at this point on this issue.
heck no to JR
New Orleans drivers are bad enough as it is. I saw 4 wreaks while driving to the OKC game a few weeks ago. I don’t need J.R Smith running me off the Freeway.
Could be worse we could have Desperado….i mean delonte cruisin around on his bike with his guitar case
Awesome.
Didn’t the Hornets have JR back in the day? And isn’t it a bad idea to try and repeat history?
We did.
I’m not sure how much of a repeat it is given the team flux since then, but I prefer to not have him.
We had him back when Scott was coach.
Scott + young players = nothing good
back in the day lol make it seem like it was ages ago. He was on the hornets like yesterday
When Scott was Coach he helped a young Chris Paul reach his apex, and become the greatest point guard since Magic Johnson. I’m not sure if Monty can help JR reach his, assuming JR has not already done so.
Nevertheless, I would prefer the Hornets get a solid back-up center before they think of replacing one polarizing shooting guard for another. It’s not what this team needs IMPO.
I wouldn’t sneeze at a backup center or pf or ‘big’, but I want, for personal reasons, a solid, clear-cut, starting 2 guard. I’d like our guards and wings to be clear cut and play the inside by committee if we had to choose which to do that by.
I just haven’t seen a solid 2 guard in 5 years
The Hornets are, at the very least, a team of high character guys. Why compromise that with signing a guy like JR Smith. The guy is a volume scorer, and not all that efficient. Beyond that, he is, to put it plainly, a steaming turd. He may be my least favorite player in the NBA. No way I’d make a trade for both Marco and Thornton. Thornton is way too cheap for the production the Hornets get from him. If that Murphy trade can be pulled off, I wouldn’t mind a deal for JR smith for, say, DJ Mbenga and Marco.
yes trading for Jr wouldnt make since considering monty likes defense and thats one of the main reason why he doesnt play MT5 when at least Mt5 try on defense
lol well for the sake of PeeDee lets hope the hornets never lose another game. Got any cool shit you want to leave to a humbe hornets247er?
yeah i got a new 50 inch tv that make cst away games look decent lol
has anyone ever seen David West take a charge? Random but thats just something thats been disturbing me lately…
nope, we have to take baby steps with dwest. Hes never been a give it your all player (except offensively), its amazing someone actually got him to play defense this year. And you can tell hes actually trying to rebound. but on a side note hes the only player i cant think of trying to take a charge for us, but in his defense charges look like they probably hurt
everybody else big men step up and take charges but Dwest…..Teams know this thats why they attack the rim so hard we hes under there..either he going to foul or give up a easy bucket
It’s hard for guys like him to take a charge. He’s got so much power in his lower body. He can’t fall. I have the same problem. I had a 6’7, 240 lb guy run into me, and I took the charge, but I cant fall. Can’t even fake it. I’ve got really good balance but can’t get a charge call worth a damn. Because of that, I get blocking calls called pretty often. Guys with more upper body strength than lower body strength have an easier time taking charges, like Derek Fisher.
Here’s a new question. Anyone see DWest get blocking calls get called on him? I have.
AgentZiko, sorry dude, but that’s nonsense IMO! Trust me, DWest could definately take a charge if he wanted, problem is he never places himself in any position to take one; generally he moves out of the way prior to!! I’ve always felt that DWest is overly concerned with getting too many fouls, and the result is…well…!
LoL. I think you missed the point there Thunder. He doesn’t want to get in foul trouble because he has a hard time taking charges and not getting called for blocking fouls.
What’s up yall. New to hornets247.. but huge Hornets fan…
All good comments so far.. and im with you PeeDee.. we better win tonight.
What caught my attention in this article was Rumors abound about the Hornets looking at several players, including JR Smith from Denver, ****a big man from Portland,***
** We can’t deny it.. were a solid team with Okafor in the paint.. but with out MeK… Gray, Smith and Mbenga leave a lot to be desired!!
well…they are all back ups.
As such, they are what they are.
If you are offering another possibilty, what is it?
Most starting center do out perform their back ups.
However, like 42 above, the real long term position to solve is elsewhere.
At guard.
In fact, IF I could wish, I would wish not for a change at center, but for a real good shooting guard and a good, playsetting off the bench guard.
This is addressing the real serious issue with this team right now towards the season finish line.
how can anyone refuse a player like jr. after what we’ve seen the last 2 weeks i believe we’re 26th in offense imagine how we would be with jr. with an average offense and a great defense if monty can make dw play defense then why cant he with jr. i know he has an attitude but monty is a no non-sense type of coach and i dont think dell would make this if he thought it couldnt help he also brings energy and more athleticism in addition to ariza especially with him running the floor and getting highlights he would definitely be helpful. also he is a 6 year vet that was taking out of high school he’s only 23 or 24 and he was runner up or third the last 2 years in the sixth man award
I like the idea of Murphy better than JR because he can space the floor well with his 3 point shot and he isnt a black hole like many you have said about JR. He seems like he will buy into the system and he is a great rebounder something the Bee’s have been lacking during this stretch without Mek
well i hear dell is looking for multiple players a scorer and a big men
I hope the Bees can get a win. I think David West has a big game because he can big man Aldrige all day. If Willie Green gets 20 I think we win this game by about 10. That’s my prediction. Hornets by 10.
David West may be in for a little surprise. LaMarcus was just learning his moves in the game against the Hornets in Portland. I was at the game and he missed an incredible amt of close to the basket shots….because this was NEW to him…he was learning. Not any more.
And another thing the Hornets don’t have going for them tonight…Ken Mauer isn’t officiating this game. The Hornets got to the basket 30 times last game in Portland. The Blazers amazingly (NOT) only got to the basket 14 times. Mauer HATES Portland for some reason.
Yea People..MT is Nice..But JR is the Shit..But We need To shake things up..We’re playing Like shit right now..A big man is not the answer..Our Wings need to Get Consistent..But we Always play good against Good teams..So Im Expecting A Win Tonight!!…….Hornets All Day Bitches
This is why I don’t want JR. He may have some skill, but his baggage and attitude are horrible. Even the fans who appear to like him use low-class language. I agree that we need to go for high-character guys, which in general means minimal tattoos and no taunting whenever you happen to make a shot….
I like JR but hope we dont deal MT for him. He doesnt even fit into our system so idk y we wud want him. If we are willing to deal for JR i wud really like K-Mart. That wud take a lot of contracts but not necessarily any vital pieces. Besides Kenyon, i only want either Melo or Lawson from the nuggets
dont mean to be rude but u dont see any hornet player doing this some flashes from marcus but yea……http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAhutJ1ojug
If Marcus is involved in the trade for J.R. Smith talks I would be very upset. I think J.R. and Monty would clash heads more than Marcus and Monty. Troy Murphy however, is a perfect fit in my opinion. I would give up Marcus for him in a heartbeat.
The defense thing was sort of my sacarcastic way of stating that neither of them (J.R. or Marcus) are good at it anyway, so to say JR is a better defender than MT5 isn’t saying much. I just stated it before anyway could try and make a case for MT5’s defense over J.R.’s.
‘….Steven’, dawg, we need more scoring bruh. Plain-and-simple. J.R. will give that more often than Marcus.
As for his attitude … I just don’t think J. R. liked Byron Scott, and he wouldn’t be the first player to feel that way (Jason Kidd & Baron Davis). He, CP3, and David West are friends. Furthermore, Monty Williams has a better personality than Coach Scott; one that younger players respect more!
J. R. will be find as a Hornet, and he might surprise people with his ability of being a possible ‘closer’.
L_REAZY
someone please give me some stats of points scored per minute i guarentee marcus has better numbers
Mek was out in warmups shooting around… looked good can’t wait to get him back!
I want a big but irrational or not JR gas been my favorite player in the league since he entered it, Monty may be able to straighten him out a bit??
I’ll be on the Daily Dime Chat if anyone wants to stop by.
Been mulling this possibility all day.
Before I start, since so many of you think I’m a “Marcus Hater” as I was dubbed one by Doghouse, I want to make it COMPLETELY clear that I actually think Marcus is better than JR Smith. Marcus attacks the basket more, and he plays harder than JR does, and though he has shown some attitude, I don’t see the personality issues in him that I see in JR.
That being said…
From Denver’s point of view: Marcus Banks and Marco Belinelli? Or Marcus Banks and Marcus Thornton?
IF they are looking to change the culture of their team, which they might try since they had so many character issues til now, it makes sense for them to ask for Marco Belinelli in this deal. Marco gives them a shooter to help space the floor with the newly acquired players, and will be a decent guy off the bench behind Afflalo.
But if Denver chooses Marcus, they actual save a little over $1 million THIS season. AND they upgrade the back up shooting guard position. The cleared cap space won’t make a difference this summer regardless if both guys bolt and find new teams.
My guess is that they will PROBABLY ask for Marcus.
My opinion of the deal is that I am NOT for it. But I needed to consider it from the point of the Hornets.
WHY would we do this deal?
I really only see one reason. It’s been noted numerous times now that Chris Pauls 3 closest friends in this league are Jarrett Jack, Rudy Gay, and JR Smith.
My HONEST opinion… I HAVE to think the CP is behind this in some way shape or form. From our end, it really isn’t an upgrade. It’s actually a HASTLE. So what if this isn’t Demps decision? What if CP is telling Monty and Dell… Bring me JR and I stay?
Imagine that from CP’s point of view? Having Jarrett Jack and JR Smith on his team for long term, and with a few more pieces added to further improve the roster… Why would CP leave? His friends will be here. He’ll have a good team built around him. It just seems like to me that the Hornets are making moves to APPEASE Paul.
I still don’t think we made the trade to “ACQUIRE” Jarrett Jack for his talents. I really think we did it for cap relief and to make CP happy. I think the same is going to happen with JR.
So I ask you all… Two years from now… Would you rather have CP and JR, OR Jack and Thornton as your starting guards?
CP & Thornton & JR. Forget Marco & Jack
Ziko, I thumbs up’d this post. What’s funny about this is my GF had just been talking about this literally 2 minutes prior to reading this. You shed a VERY well thought out light on the subject. I have to give you props.
Let’s be honest. If CP3 can get JR to care AT ALL, then we could have ourselves a steal.
Let’s be honest. We can enjoy MT5 on another team. I root for Indy. I can’t hate a Melo, JR, Billups, Jones, Kmart-less Denver.
Let’s be honest. Watching those 360 reverse layups and 12 foot fastbreak dunks in person would be pretty cool.
Thanks Doghouse. If Marcus gets traded to Denver, I hope the Nugs trade Melo for Bynum. I’d root for Denver BIG TIME if I saw them have a lineup of Bynum. Nene. Afflalo. Thornton. Billups. That be pretty damn good for them.
Smith starting over Gray was an excellent decision.
Damn we are looking absolutely terrible.
Chris Paul isn’t interested in being there….no energy
I dont think Ariza should be allowed to dribble…Why does he think hes Wade going to the basket?!?
CP3 is not interested at all..
Thank god the Lakers are so terrible right now that they make the Hornets terrible play lately a back-story.
Our defense is atrocious.
Yea losing to Cleveland tonight…That says it all…Jeez Dwest looked clueless on defense on that last Blazer possession
Yea our defense has been so bad..No one does look like they want to play
on our way to let them score 140
That’s like the 10th wide open three Marco has allowed tonight now.
That was possibly goaltending and definitely off Aldridge. The crowd boos so they give it to Portland anyway.
Great defense in that 2nd quarter. That’s what we need to do EVERY quarter!
third layup missed in the third, no effort and energy, no answer to their zone and CP3 doing nothing…. Oh god
sorry to say but chris paul is not in the top 5 in pgs anymore
He’s still the best PG. He’s just injured and struggling. Wait til after the all star break.
God I wish he’d decide to just skip it.
I’ve never seen CP3 play this badly. Ever.
i guess im bout to kill myself 🙁
embarassing. They do a single pass and find the open man for an easy shot. Jack can’t defend his shadow, Hornets don’t help eachother, don’t attack the basket, don’t have any energy. We are going to end up 7th or 8th at best if we continue to play like this
dude if we continue playing like this were gonna be fighting for the 10
th spot.
new rule, i wont watch hornet games without emeka until the fourth when we blow it or i know i didnt waste all my nite
Are we not trying anymore? Because that’s what it looks like. It just looks like we don’t care. And for someone who cares about this team so much, it hurts to watch.
Time to start workin the phones Demps…unless u want CP to leave
<—- Just broke stuff as promised SMH CP3 can't close games out! And why did we steer away from West we should have used him like they used LA…
come on Hornets, let’s get it together
Chris Paul has been playing like Derrick Fisher lately and its really pissing me off…he hasnt been in attack mode in a long time…
After the ASW break I can see they have 4 “winnable games” (LAC, Minny, Hou and Tor). But hey, these hornets have already lose to some of them. Even the warriors have a chance to bump us out of the playoff picture. If we keep losing to these teams we’ll be lottery bound. Arrrrggh. Oh and goodbye CP3.