Before I get to the game, I want to hammer a point home: Those of you blaming Monty Williams for the past few losses – you’re wrong. The reason the Hornets are losing is because of the talent level behind their starters. It’s well documented that the Hornets subs are terrible, and in fact, Only Aaron Gray, David Anderson and Marcus Thornton are producing at a higher level than replacement – and we’re only talking barely higher. None of them are producing above average at their positions.
So, essentially, this team has lost its two best defenders and replaced them with two of its worst in Aaron Gray and the inexperienced rookie Quincy Pondexter.(he’s a rookie and he’s not yet savvy or strong enough to be a shut down defeder, sorry)Â The result is the Hornets are scoring the same amount per posession they have all season since Gray/Anderson and Pondexter aren’t far from Okafor/Ariza offensively, but the team’s defense has slipped dramatically, falling two spots in the rankings in just over 4 games.
What do you think Monty can do to solve this? Make Willie Green grow 4 inches? Make Pavlovic absorb the defensive schemes via a brain link like the one in the Matrix? Instantly improve Gray and Mbenga’s agility and Andersen’s strength?
It seems many of you simply want Monty Williams to damn the torpedoes and go full speed ahead by playing Marcus Thornton. Well, Marcus Thornton is scoring 1.065 per shot this season. Remember that Trevor Ariza guy we ridicule for his awful offense? He scores 1.097 points per shot.
We can scream “Potential” – I know I have multiple times this season – but that doesn’t change the fact the team actually scores LESS per posession when Marcus is playing this season. So here’s the reality – Thornton is not likely to help the team score enough to make this team overcome it’s injury-related defensive deficiencies, even given more playing time. There is no magic bullet.
Rant over, Game time.
Matchup: Hornets(32-21) @ Nets(15-37)
Off Efficiency: Hornets 103.4(18th), Nets 99.6(27th)
Def Efficiency: Hornets 100.0(5th), Nets 106.2(16th)
The Nets are a terrible offensive team due to their offensive struggles. Surprisingly, they actually have a trio of competent scorers in Morrow, Lopez, and Harris. Instead their issues derive from high turnover numbers, terrible offensive rebounding, and a slew of roleplayers who can’t shoot to save their lives, but really, really like to shoot.
As always, with the wounded team the Hornets are fielding right now, there is some concern they’ll drop one to a team they shouldn’t lose to. I have a feeling, however, that after the debacle against Minnesota, that our guys will have enough pride to not less this one to go the same way.
Injuries:
Hornets: Emeka Okafor and Ariza will still be out.
Nets: Jordan Farmer will most likely return from injury tonight.
Positional Analysis
PG: Devin Harris v Chris Paul
Advantage: Hornets
Harris is what makes the Nets at all dangerous. His shooting hasn’t been good, but he’s still efficient by getting a large number of free throws. He’s also key to the rest of his team’s offensive attack by breaking down the defense of the opposing team and finding Morrow or Lopez for finishes. Of course, he’s still no Chris Paul.
SG: Anthony Morrow v Marco Belinelli
Advantage: Nets
Morrow started the season pretty badly, but of late, Harris has picked up his playmaking and Morrow has benefited by drilling a high percentage of his shots over the last month and a half. His shooting numbers keep climbing, and he’s now scoring 1.318 points per shot. That’s some efficiency, and it makes up somewhat for the fact he makes Marco Belinelli look like a champion rebounder and he produces in a whole game less assists and steals than Chris Paul does in the first 2 minutes of a game.
SF: Travis Outlaw v Quincy Pondexter
Advantage: Even
Yes, Quincy has not produced anything that great in his time on the floor. Travis Outlaw, however, has been laying a big turd of a season so far. 1.053 points per shot on terrible shooting percentages and a pair of free throws a game. No rebounding, blocks, assists, or steals to speak of. He’s been downright awful. Pondexter won’t have the defensive challenges this game he had against Beasley in Minnesota.
PF: Derrick Favors v David West
Advantage: Hornets
Favors has the frame to be a solid big, but right now his rebounding and shooting numbers are average, and his turnover rate is abysmal – as you’d expect for a rookie labeled as “raw”. I expect West to use his veteran savvy to control this contest with little difficulty.
C: Brook Lopez v Aaron Gray
Advantage: Nets
Lopez is an awful, awful rebounder, and if you look at his shooting percentages this season, he’s not that impressive either. However – though his rebounding numbers haven’t improved, his scoring has dramatically improved over the last month, and he’s been scoring about 22 points on 53% shooting over that span. He’s getting to the line more, and simply scoring in the post more than he had to start the season. Some blame his early start on mononucleosis he caught during the summer. That may be, but for now, I expect him to torch Aaron Gray.
Bench
Kris Humphries, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmer, Johan Petro, Ben Uzoh, Quinton Ross vs
Marcus Thornton, Jason Smith, Sasha Pavlovic, Willie Green, Jarret Yack
Advantage: Nets
Humphries is a very strong rebounder and fairly efficient scorer. His size prevents him from being that great as a defender in the paint, but he’s a good third big on any team. Sasha Vujacic produces the scoring punch off the bench, though he’s low efficiency, and never gets to the line. Together, they provide enough oomph off the bench that they surpass what the Hornets have been getting from their bench. Maybe Andersen and Pavlovic will continue their solid play and even this out, but I’m not yet ready to count on that.
Enjoy the game!
277 responses to “Game On: Hornets @ Nets”
How’s the old saying go? There are lies, damn lies, and there are are statistics? Marcus scores less points per shot than Ariza because he plays with JJ. Jack pounds the ball and only passes to Thorton with 8 or fewer seconds left on the clock after he has failed to do anything with his pounding. Marcus is forced to try and create for his team mates or himself off of just one screen, which if defended right, forces him into a bad shot.
Want to know why Monta Ellis stopped being terrible and is now actually efficient on offense? No he did not get “smarter” and started to take better shots. Stephen Curry came to town and he got to play with someone who isn’t the worst like JJ. Thorton was awesome last year because he got to play with Collison. I’m embarassed you writers can’t understand this.
One of the best observations I’ve seen all year. Thank you.
Amen.
The excuses for Monty playing Beli keep coming, one way or the other.
Here’s a question for you Ryan. Who would you give the advantage to if Marcus was in the starting lineup tonight?
If it was a true observation, then yes, it might be a good one. Sadly, it’s not.
The two line-ups that Marcus Thornton has played more than 63% of his on-court time:
Paul-Thornton-Ariza-West-Okafor
Paul-Thornton-Ariza-West-Smith
He has spent 85% of his playing time with either West or Paul on the floor with him.
So apparently, the 15% of his time when he’s stuck with some permutation of Jack, Pondexter, Green, Gray, Smith and Mbenga is the reason why he can’t finish a shot the other 85% of the time.
He is shooting 15% worse from 10 feet and in. He is not getting as many free throws, and he’s finishing them slightly worse.
The only truth to the argument is he’s being assisted 8% less often then last year.
Should I act similarly snotty and act “embarassed” that you didn’t know this?
You didn’t answer my question. I bet at the very least it would be “Even”
I’ll be snotty and point out that you both didn’t know that the answer is clearly Marcus Banks
Sorry, Monty – I was responded when you posted. Would I give an Even? Possibly. Marcus’s rebounding is superior to Belinelli’s.
I’m not arguing above that Marco is a better player than Thornton. I’m arguing that Thornton’s total impact will not cure the Hornets problems. Considering how they’ve played this year – the reality, not the perception – It’s replacing a barely adequate player with a close to adequate player.
Damning with faint praise.
Also, the reason that number has ballooned to 63% is because Marcus got 6th man minutes during our 10 game winning streak. Before that, the percentage of minutes he played with CP3 was significantly worse. You are also not showing us what his stats are during the 63% time and the 37% time, so your point doesn’t really carry much weight when it comes to Thornton having to force the issue when it comes to playing with Jack and the 2nd unit.
Please link me to what site you obtained this information from. I am curious to see how many of these minutes with Paul are in games where we are down double digits and Marcus is brought in for the sole purpose of trying to get the Hornets back into the game. I have noticed him trying to take over in some of the games we are getting destroyed in (hurting his stats since he is a good SG not an all-star capable of doing so), but that is because he is put on the floor when we are down 10-20 points.
THANK YOU
Wonderful conclusion.
May I see your analysis or do you just know?
I know Aaron Gray is the best point guard in the league, but I can’t prove it because coaches don’t give him the chance. Sigh…
im tired of this Thornton debate…i do feel he deserve more time…because beilli and willie and jack are horrible just awful 80 percent of the time….but lets leave it alone people
The Thornton argument is honestly silly. Him playing big minutes will not bring us wins. It just wont.
Also i agree that Aaron Gray is the best PG. At least hes better than that Rose guy
So wait, are u predicting a loss? This is the Nets we are talking about! I see a big W
run thornton off the the same sets given to belinelli, and we’ll solve our scoring issues. run thornton off the same screens, give him the same corner threes, and he nails them FAR FAR more often than belli. simple.
There is no truth to this. Last year Thornton was deadly accurate at the rim and solid on the perimeter. His mid-range game was by far the worst aspect of his offense. The sets we run for Belinelli generate elbow jumpers and mid-range shots.
He would benefit from playing with Paul – who wouldn’t – but the last thing I want is to see him getting the same plays run for him that we run for Belinelli.
Oh, and do I need to mention that Belinelli is shooting the same percentage from three this year, than Thornton did last year? Marcus is shooting worse this year.
Marco had a really hot November, however. Since he’s been back from Injury (1/17- 12 games)
Belli is 29% from 3 vs Marcus’s 41%.
Just from looking at the stats marcus seems to get more steals, assists and rebounds per minute lately as well, with the rebounding difference being the only number that’s significantly different.
From the “eye-test” Marcus has gotten a lot of good looks, layups, that he just hasn’t been able to convert at a rate we’d like, and its possible that’s just confidence related. Marco doesn’t seem to even get in a position to get those looks.
Although from the “eye-test” Marco is hurt by people thinking he’s Peja for a split second before the shot goes up.
edited to note that the home/road splits show a CLEAR picture that Marcus plays significantly better at home than on the road and Belli is the opposite.
Marcus is 45% from three at home and 20% on the road.
Belli is 35% from three at home and 41% on the road
Is there a way to figure out how many of those looks are open looks as opposed to contested?? There is no way Marcus missed as many WIDE OPEN 3s like Beli has this year.
Go Ryan Go. Go Ryan Go. Go Ryan Go.
Come on Ryan was that a serious column? Put Marcus out there with the starters and maybe when we go to the bench we won’t be down points because of Belineli’s terrible play. Marcus plays with a terrible second unit with a back up PG that is playing the worst ball of his career. What were his stats last year when he played alongside Collison? Maybe Marcus shouldn’t be the 8th or 9th guy off of the bench. Marco is here for his shooting and he is not capable of filling that role. We have seen a big enough sample to make an judgement on that.
Monty’s rotations are terrible. Monty has his guys (Green, Jack). Guys that he has a personal relationship with that the Hornets brought in. He will run them out there no matter how bad they play. They obviously have to play some but not before and more then Marcus. His starting SG is the worst starting SG in the league but yet he fails to even TRY someone else. He is over his head. I wish just once an originazation would correct a mistake immediately. He has proven nothing. Just being around Pops or McMillan doesn’t automaticaly make you a good coach.
I’m sorry, but nobody is worse than Keith Bogans.
You mistake why Marco is playing. It’s for his defense – and ability to hit threes. Take a look at this roster. Do you see a better three-point shooter not named Paul? You won’t find one.
As to the nonsense about who plays with whom, I addressed that with my response to the first comment in the thread.
Thor..
ok let’s not go there.
I am also tired of watching Belli throw up brick after brick. If MT got the same sets we would see a huge difference in his production. He would not have to get off 8 shots in rushed minutes. If Monty showed confidence in him things would change dramatically for him and the team. Just look at his production with the starterson the floor. Imagine the possibilities of him playing 30+ minutes and Belli playing 11.
@ ryan- what i dont think you somewhat understand is that the points per shot is not really a great indicator for marcus’s ability. as i have said before when your out on the floor with jack q pon anderson and gray or mbenga marcus is often forced to make something happen offensively, defenses collapse around him and he is way too pressured to make things happen… if you give him minutes that marco or willie gets with the best players on the team i can guarentee you that this stat will go up, there is no doubt about that…it is ridicuolous to evaluate marcus soley based on stats like that because hey if chris paul was playing out there with jack q pon anderson and gray i can almost certainly say that his numbers would not be as impressive as they are now. so for everyone thinking marcus is not any answer to our woes offensively or to the team, i personally think you are wrong and need to get over saying marcus is where he should be because he isnt and the team is and would be much better off with marcus getting 30 min a game and playing the majority of those minutes with our other key players. simple as that
Steven. I’m going to continue our conversation from the last page here.
I agree. Marcus should get more minutes. I never argued against that. All I’ve argued against is the bashing of the other players as a reasoning to get more minutes for Marcus.
Marco has slumped, but he played pretty damn well the first half of the season when he averaged 14 points a game and his PER was 14-15 a game, as our third leading scorer, and he was getting bashed even during that stretch. To say he is not an NBA player is uncalled for.
I said from the beginning of the year that Marcus was going to be our Manu Ginobili / Jason Terry 6th man. I got SLAMMED for that. People here were calling Marcus a “perennial all star, superstar”. And I think that’s thinking too highly of him and setting a bar that he can’t reach.
I agree, he should play more. But with the time he has gotten, we are still a VASTLY improved team this year, and are winning a lot of games. Who would have guessed we’d be 32-21 in the midst of the injury bug? NO ONE. So how can you SERIOUSLY argue and blame Monty for these things?
I don’t evaluate Marcus simply on stats. I KNOW what he can do. And that’s why I think he SHOULD be playing 20-30 minutes a game. But at who’s cost? My opinion: Willie Green’s, and Jarrett Jacks.
You said you were a walk on at USC Steven. If you’re going to tell me that you played college ball and can’t see the mistakes that Marcus makes on the court, then you should be ashamed dude. You should know basketball well enough to know what are bad shots. And where the weak side is on the defensive end due to lack of rotations. Marcus has gotten better defensively, but it’s still not comparable to Belinelli’s.
I don’t favor Marco over Marcus. And I have NEVER said Marcus is where he should be. I WANT him in the game.
People think I’m a Marcus hater because a certain jerk off with multi personality disorder who makes 20 different names on here and bashes on the whole team except for Thornton, and thinks we don’t know that all those names are his, has twisted my words.
I don’t think you’re crazy for saying Marcus will have numbers like Manu Ginobilis. I HAVE SAID ALL YEAR THAT I COMPARE HIM TO MANU AND TERRY. I think Mike M, 42, Ryan, and Joe would back that up since they read all this crap.
Ziko, playing like crap over a 40 game span is not a slump. Get over it. And holy crap he must be really sucking lately to nosedive his PER from 14-15 to 10.
Also, you are very annoying and you are right about one thing. Better ask the moderators if what you are saying is true because no one else on this earth reads your self righteous, over the top, Italian sausage-loving, lengthy essays anymore.
Really Doghouse? You’re gonna give me that “sausage” line. If anyone is obsessed with someones sausage, I’d assume it be the guy who’s psychotically obsessive over MT5’s. Of all people, you should be the last to give anyone that line.
oooooh dis dis disssss
I hate arguing about Marcus because it never goes anywhere. I really just wish Monty would play him at least 25 minutes a game for a nice stretch of 5-7 games, and that would help make me feel better.
And besides, (to everyone here) regarding Ryan’s conversation about Thornton’s points per shot, they might be statistically worse offensively when he’s on the floor yes, maybe. But wasn’t it Joe who wrote the article detailing how the Hornets are actually BETTER defensively when MT is playing?? What happened to that argument? It was discussed for a day, and then we all seemed to forget it. Defense can get you out on the break, in which Thornton is a gunner, which generates easier points and/or FTs. How about we focus more on that for a while?
ziko i think your confusing my words with other peoples… i have never said marcus is the next superstar but have said that if we want to get out of the first week of playoffs then marcus is the one guy on our team besides the big 3 that can make that difference for us.
also i have always commented on mistakes marcus has made if u read every one of my posts i always mention something he can improve on. whether its fighting through screens more since he gets stuck on them, or he recovers somewhat slowly out of double teams, or he focuses sometimes too much on the ball and when it gets reversed to his man sometimes he is late. or even offensively i have said he needs to create contact more rather than looking for a nice finish or go up stronger to the rim since we know he can dunk (gerald wallace knows too) so dont question my basketball knowledge or say im one sided since i have always left areas of improvement in my comments for marcus
but honestly i have watched probably 80% of the hornets games this year and i do not see much of a drop defensively from marco to marcus, and monty is starting to realize his improvements also since he has been putting marcus on better offensive players when he used to just put him on the worst guard the other team puts out there
and in regards to marco i have never said he isnt an nba player but i do not think he is a starting guard on a playoff team. he is supposed to be a deadly shooter but is wayyyy wayyy wayyy to streaky and often his bad streaks way outweigh his good streaks. i would love a rotation of 25-30 min marcus and willie marco and jack spilt the remaining 30 or so with more going to jack since i think he is our best “PG” option outside of chris. jack just needs to stop trying to get his numbers up and worry about running the offense
He’s played minutes with the starters. Go snag those numbers; I’d love to help crunch them.
i know he ahs played minutes with starters and i think ryan posted a while back the +/- and other stats of all the 5 man rotations and paul marcus ariza smith and okafor were leading in most of the stat categories i believe
and you forgot to include kim kardashian on the nets bench…. im sure she motivates some of their players
Motivates or distracts?
http://whattherap.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/screen-shot-2011-01-25-at-2-10-50-pm.png
definately motivates since they all try to impress he knowing in a couple weeks they got a chance with her
I don’t blame Monty for the recent losses. I blame Beli. No idea why he is still in the starting lineup. Hell, with each passing game, I have no idea why he is still in the NBA.
How you can blame 1 player for a loss is ridiculous.
He shouldn’t be starter at all, but it’s not his fault alone. I would blame Gray, Mbenga, Smith, and Jack together before Beli, because they are just AWFUL talent individually and collectively. Jack might not be awful talent on his own, but with his team he is awful. The play of those guys in combination with Marco’s abysmal shooting is what is blameworthy.
Stew…and who do you think us responsible for setting the starting lineup?
Ryan, I think it is true that Williams is an excellent coach. The defense has turned around amazingly. The offense, however, is stagnant. Maybe that’s just execution, I don’t know. But my major objection to Williams’ coaching has been his rotations. Gray > Mbenga. Thornton > Green. Quincy as back 3 > 3-guard rotations. No small ball. The arguments why have all been made before.
I don’t necessarily care one way or another if Belinelli starts, as long as MT5 is the first one off the bench and finishes. No surprise that this was Buckets’ role during much of our 10-0 streak. Everyone likes to compare MT5 to Jason Terry or J.R. Smith, but despite his skill, he never gets minutes like those guys. Until he is The Guy in the second unit, our back-ups will continue to struggle.
Thumbs up m-W.
I’ll agree with those statements except for the Quincy one. Quincy has shown potential but no production. His defense is not that good.
Still, the idea that Marcus will fix all the problems – that has no basis in fact. It’s a theory.
It’s a theory I’d like to see tested, but it’s still just a theory.
I’ll get together some stats for a journal soon, but I’m thinking about those Ws over Magic, Thunder, Spurs, Hawks, and Grizzlies in which Thornton was either THE GUY or one of our go-to guys. Thornton was THE GUY in OT against Magic and Grizzlies. Played very well against the Spurs and Hawks, and kept us in the game in the first half against Thunder, otherwise that could’ve been a blowout. He is absolutely a way to fix many problems, just not ALL of them.
Aren’t they all just that…Theories??
Disagree. Monty is not a hood coach, he’s only a good assistant coach. Having a great defense is only part of the game. Knowing your players and their abilities is crucial and as we can plainly see Monty does not understand this. It’s all to obvious with the lineups he put on the floor every game. After 50+ games a coach should know his team better. It is easy when you are on a roll but a good coach adapts and adjust to game situations and also injuries. Many people on her have stated their opinion on here about the rotations and Monty admitted it on his post game the other night. He said that he stayed with players to long and should have changed thing up. I find that unacceptable this far into a season. Monty is not a recreational league coach, he gets paid to do his job. So he should understand his team better.
Last year: losing record
This year: winning record
Whoever made this turn around sucks and i want him as the assistant coach.
I’m beginning to think the same…I’m optimistic, though, he’s gotta see some of these things as well. I’d expect to see some changes…FINGERS CROSSED!
First, if the Hornets lose to another terrible team, my head is going to explode. Second, I know a lot of you revel in stats, but as a coach, I believe a lot more in chemistry. How would Marcus do as a starter? Who the hell knows? He hasn’t had the chance. After that putrid performance Monday night, maybe it’s time to shake things up and put Marcus on the floor to start the game. If it doesn’t work, fine, put him back with the second unit. But……what if it does work? Huh?
When Marcus Thornton is on the floor, the offensive scheme Monty has in place gets wrecked. Marcus only gives up the ball when he can see now way to get off a shot himself. If he were to play the same way with the starters, then David West and Chris Paul would be reduced to a significant degree to watching Marcus operate offensively. He changes the entire system for the worse.
In other words, not the finely tuned offensive machine we saw Mon. might?
If Belinelli or Pavlovic hit 1/2 of their open shots that’s a 100 pt performance. Not sure what you’re trying to be sarcastic about
BS. Marcus and CP3 play decently together and our offensive movement actually generates better shots. Teams have to respect MT5. They don’t just pack the lane with 1 extra guy and watch Belinelli brick shot after shot.
This argument is ridiculous…how often does David West force up a shot? Only difference is no one cares because he is scoring effectively, because when he slumps in one quarter we allow him to play through it for three others. I’m not a Marcus not hugger. I didn’t care one bit he never saw the floor when Belli and Ariza were hitting shots at the beginning of the season. Nor did I care during our most recent win streak when Okafor was playing beast mode, and we HAD THE SCORING AND DEFENSE to meet Monty’s scheme. We no longer have the defense, time to fix the scoring. It’s Marcus’s turn to shine.
hahaha oh man. You return in bland fashion, Mr. James. Have you watched Marcus at all in the last 3 weeks? Clearly not. Good day.
James Online, what are you speaking of? That was post info from 30+ games ago…dude, that is old stuff & I’ve seen tremendous improvement regarding this! If you watch the games, you’d see that Marcus is actually passing the ball off more now than ever; in fact, there have been many opportunities I felt he could have driven or shot, and he didn’t! If you’re tryn to make an argument, please come with something better than that!
Really, what is the harm in giving Marcus a 5-game stint as a starter?
Great rant, I agree with it 100%…Lets grab this W…
35 comments on a Game On post before 2 PM? I was puzzled, until I read your article. I looked at the comments first and assumed either trade or injury news. And then I saw it- the immortal sin that I have been guilty of before. Ryan has now taken a bite of the apple as well. He dares to claim that Marcus is not the answer for all our problems!! How dare he!
Marcus is the sole missing piece and any time he fails it is someone else’s fault! How do you not know this by now Ryan?
Sarcasm aside, take it easy on Ryan guys. Nowhere in his rant does he say Marcus sucks or Belly and Willie are better. He simply states that he is not the difference between a likely one and done (or two and done) playoff run and an NBA title. Not only that, but with Ariza and Okafor out, he will not be the difference in winning most of these games pre ALl-Star break and losing them.
Or we can ignore all his evidence and cast blame on a coach who has far exceeded expectations and has made this squad an elite level defense when he has a healthy roster, fostered two impressive win streaks, etc.
Pretty much the same things I’ve said. But once you take a bite of that apple, prepare for war out here. Marcus Thornton is practically god to some people.
mike- im not sure many people actually say marcus is the key to winning a championship… however I along with many people do believe in order for us to not lose by an avergae of 30 points a game again in the playoffs we need to get marcus used to playing with our key guys and recieveing many more minutes than he is now. he is the one guy beside d west and chris who can do effective things offensively and gives us a much needed scoring boost when we need one.
I definately think marcus is the second biggest key to us winning a playoff series, behind okafor playing like he was pre injury
Dear Jake Stephens.
Just so you know, yes, it was I who said Jack can start on 20 out of the 30 teams in this league, and I still think that. But I also DID quote Chris Paul when he said that “Jarrett Jack IS a starter in this league”. David West ALSO said “having Jarrett Jack and Chris Paul on the team is like having two starting Point Guards”. The article I got that from was in the NEWS section of THIS WEBSITE, and it was 42 who posted it.
I don’t have time to look for it while I’m at work, but when I get home, I will find it, and I will post it AGAIN for you. I know you have trouble reading, and especially with big words, but why not take the time to read it CAREFULLY before you call someone a liar. I have already proven you wrong multiple times with stats and numbers, and with quotes from articles, yet you keep bringing them up as if I am pulling stuff out of my a**.
Speaking of. I remember you once saying that EVERY major sports writer in the “country” thinks that Marcus Thornton should start. I remember seeing ONE guy say anything about that.
I even posted a link to an article for you that John Hollinger wrote about Marcus Thornton about how he is better served to start, and that it was better for the overall team if Marco Belinelli started. I’d say John Hollinger is a pretty major sports writer. Why would he say something like that?
Did you have trouble reading that article too? Or did you simply ignore it and continue to twist every word I say? I will find those articles again just to prove you’re nothing more than a biased jerk, who twists peoples words around.
As for writing on the “internet”. I don’t choose to be a jack ass like you do. I am a VERY friendly person who gets along well with anyone and everyone. You have continually stated that I “attack” you, when in all actuality, it is you who continues to attack me.
This is a blog. It’s set up for people all around the world to comment on. There are fans here from California, to Kansas, from Boston, to England, and to Australia. Excuse us for not being from New Orleans, but still being die hard fans who are looking for others to talk to.
Excuse me. Hollinger said Marcus is better served as a 6th man.
Wonder if West and Paul still have the same nice things to say about JJ….players saying fluff about their new team mate, that must be regarded as fact….
Realistically SJ. It’s just not a good fit. I think it be better for Jack, and for the team, if we went after someone who was more suited to play back up minutes (Beno Udrih), and allow Jack to go to a team where he can get starters minutes and play his game.
I said when we got him. He’s got an ego. He doesn’t want to play 10-15 minutes a game. He wants 35.
I have never insulted the intelligence of anyone on this site except for yours. You claim on a weekly basis that those of us that don’t play semi-pro know nothing about basketball. At least I’m blunt instead of acting like I’m some sneaky super-pro that is the end all, be all of basketball knowledge. But keep acting like I’m the bad guy. I just get tired of you telling people they don’t know shit about basketball. I’ll take being a jerk for telling you to STFU.
Fellas: when you get the urge to insult each other, insult me instead. I’m easy to pick on, and there’s so much fodder that it’ll never get old.
Here: I dislike the Black Eyed Peas, who are, for some reason, popular.
I dislike the Black Eyed Peas too. Maybe get me started on JEW, Linkin Park, Lostprophets, or something.
Linkin Park hasn’t been to NOLA since 2003. That’s a good jumping off point to get me pissed!
*woof*
I lied. They handed out supplies at Riverdale for a full week after Katrina. They haven’t performed since 2003.
Voodoo 2011
*crosses fingers*
I don’t know JEW or Lostphrophets.
I like Linkin Park overall.
How about this: I saw Nirvana live.
Yes, yes, thank you, no autographs please…
“You said you were a walk on at USC Steven. If you’re going to tell me that you played college ball and can’t see the mistakes that Marcus makes on the court, then you should be ashamed dude.”
Yep
ya that was a pretty ignorant comment
You said you never insulted anyone other than me on this site before? I’m pretty sure Hornet and Schmide would disagree with that after your spat with them on the Forum.
Jarret Yack
LOL…
Isn’t Marcus a restricted free agent after this year? If Marcus is as great as many of you think (and assuming the new CBA isn’t too different than what we have now), he’ll get a big offer from some team in the offseason, and be gone (a la Wesley Matthews). Maybe Monty and Dell Demps are so diabolically brilliant that they’re letting Marcus grow as a player somewhat slowly so that they’ll be able to keep him around after this year. I say this a bit tongue in cheek, but be careful not to lose sight of the big picture with a guy like Marcus. He’s in his second year, and he still needs to do a lot to establish his consistency. I love the guy, but see nothing wrong with patiently letting him develop his entire game.
I agree he has plenty of room for improvement and it will come with time on the floor and not the bench. Why is MT the last sub used? Why wait until we are 10 to 20 points down? Why not let him have more minutes? I’m not saying he is the answer to all our problems, but obviously what we have is not working. How many times has MT come off the bench and helped start a comeback from what appeared to be a sure lose? I’m not saying he does it all by himself but you can’t deny that the energy level he brings when he’s on the floor. It lifts the crowd as well as the team. So let’s give him some floor time without being down by 20 and expecting miracles.
What the heck does that have to do with the price of tea in China?
Laugh… And maybe, maybe, maybe…blah blah blah
Sorry, my comment was regarding that of Bywater!! Just A Fan, point well taken! I totally agree & would love to see just that! Marcus isn’t in this alone, but his plus factor outweighs the minus! I agree, he has things to learn (hell, they all do), so I hope Monty & Co., will see it too!
I was being somewhat facetious, but my point is this: If Marcus plays 35 minutes a game, and puts up, say 20 points per game and 7 boards, as many of y’all think he would, then he’d be as good as gone next year. Other teams around the league could sign him to a front-loaded contract (i.e., lots of money in the first couple years, less as it goes along), which the Hornets would be unlikely to match, as they’re going to presumably prioritize re-signing DWest, while probably staying under any luxury tax. This is exactly what Portland did when it signed Wesley Matthews away from Utah. I don’t seriously think the Hornets are limiting Marcus’ minutes just to keep him affordable for his next contract, but that is what it has to do with the price of tea China.
Agentziko my one goal this season is to hear you say Belineli is the worst starting SG in the league. Jack could start for 20 out of 30? On a serious note I like your passion for the Hornets and I’m glad I found this website. Long time Hornets fan that first started rooting for them when they drafted JR Reid. In my high school days I thought JR Reid was one bad dude. I have went to Denver or Dallas (once to Minnesota) every year since 93 to watch a Hornets game live. this year I am taking my wife to New Orleans end of March to watch the Hornets play the Blazers and the Grizzlies.
Nice to see well thought out posts even if I don’t agree with all of them.
As long as Keith Bogans, Branon Rush, Jodie Meeks, and Deshaun Stevenson are starters, I’ll never say that.
I have also consistently said that I think Marco and Marcus are both better suited to come off the bench. But right now, with the guys we have, I think it serves us better to have Marco start, and have Marcus play more.
Until we land a guy like Iguodala, Stephen Jackson, or Kevin Martin, this is what we’ve got.
I really thought some of you were over this Marcus vs Marco crap a long time ago….here we go again.
I don’t care who plays well or not, I just want a win. It was embarrassing losing to the Timberwolves..TWICE!!! With our two best defenders out, it’s hard for me to really blame a single person for the losses. They win as a TEAM and lose as a TEAM. Most of us love to watch MT5 play, but some of us take it too far. As for Jack, I think we can agree, he is a giant disappointment. No matter how much Belineli sucks, we still win with him as the starting SG. I can’t expect him to play any better (that’s not possible, he sucks) just because two of our main 4 people are out. At the end of the day, I think we know who we really NEEDS to play for us to win; CP3, West, Mek and Ariza. We have been winning with our defense, so for me to even begin to think that an offensive player will guarantee a win, is odd (?). Whatever.
Go Hornets!!!! Let’s hope they take out their anger on the Nets!!!
Amen Blue!!!! Seriously all this drama has been unnecessary….we definitely need a string of victories to calm the storm down (hopefully)
Who’d of thought the loss to Minnesota would have injected so much poison and disdain into this board. I can’t think of another pre-game that had everyone at one anothers throats so much. I love the passion for the Hornets from people on this site but there is a line, in the grand scheme of things a basketball team is hardly something to start attacking and insulting people about. Lets leave that to the Laker trolls…
To me one of the best things about this site has been that the people who comment here have always written well thought out, and respectful responses, whether in agreement or disagreement. When the discussion degrades into insults, profanities, or all around snottiness it shuts down any meaningful discussion which frankly is lame. I’m not saying everyone has to agree here I just think if you are going to take the time to respond keep it respectful and try to contribute meaningful substance to the conversation.
Just my two cents.
In terms of the Hornets problems, I don’t think either of Marco or Marcus solves them, frankly because I don’t believe the problem is offense. Offense is something that comes and goes and is all around fickle. In my opinion the problem lies with the defense we have lost in Okafor and Ariza’s absence. As Ryan noted we’re trying to fill a major gap with Pondexter and Gray, which would possibly be passable if the rest of the team realized they aren’t equivalent to Ariza and Mek. The team needs to step up the team defense dramatically to help Gray and Pondexter and to help soften the blow of losing the two best defenders.
Gray can’t be on an island locking down the middle like Okafor could, it’s just not in his skill set. Pondexter can’t take on the other teams best scorer on his own at this point, maybe in time but not now. The players need to step up the energy and get back to playing team defense, the offense will come and go, but if we don’t stop teams putting up 100-105 points every night the offensive output wont matter. The Hornets aren’t built and don’t operate to have shoot-outs with their opponents. They operate on the ability to restrict their opponents and do enough offensively to get by.
Stop the Violence!!! Increase the Peace!! lol
Well said personas. I agree with you 100%. If we came out and had shoot outs with teams, we’d have the record we had last season.
I am pretty new to the site 2 but I dont know why everyones getting at Bellinelli yes he struggling, but everyone does at some point. Hes very unselfish player and takes good shots and the ball moves around better with him which is what we need. The ball usually ends up starting and ending with Thornton. Plus we have a better winning percentage with him then Thornton on the floor with the starting 4 other guys. I think Thorntons a better talent but I get the point Ryans trying to make; the hornets still woulda lost those games regardless of Thornton or Belli in the game.
Now with that being said, I don’t get the chance to watch the Hornets as much as I like. This is most definitely a case of Thornton really not gotten his opportunity with the starters in a larger sample size. Him only gettin 5 minutes a game with the starters is not fair for him after hes earned it on several occasions
Hahaha Not trying to offend anyone
http://www.82games.com/1011/1011NOH2.HTM
Everyone is getting at Belli because he’s not Marcus Thornton, and they seem him as the reason that Marcus isn’t getting more time.
Both of which are true, but that doesn’t change who Marco is/can be as a player.
joe- i dont see belly becoming much more of a talent… maybe he can be more consistent with the jumper but i unfrotunately do not see much “potential”…. everyone thinks i hate marco- i dont- but his poor play and especially his poor shooting just dont fit well with this team when he is not hitting shots.
perhaps he can become a solid starter for an nba sometime in his career but i doubt he will ever be a solid caliber sg for a PLAYOFF and desired championship contender, it wont happen… thats why we got him for julian wright
Steven. I have a question for you.
I don’t think Marco is a solid starter either. I think he’s a great guy to have off the bench as a 7th, 8th man. Thats my honest opinion of him. Put aside how many minutes Marcus has played until now.
If YOU were coach, and you had to plan out a strategy, wouldn’t you agree that using Marcus as a 6th man for a scorer and energy guy off the bench would be a perfect role for him?
ziko- i would start paul willie(or belly reluctantly) ariza west oak…. however belly or willie would come out with 5 min left in the first so he can get run time with starters then carry the second unit at beggining of second quarter… then have jj play with belly more since jj cant shoot and needs a shooter out there to give him some room to drive…. but then id do the same thing in second half except give marcus more rest at begginnig of 4th and let him finish it like the mavericks and spurs do with terry and manu when he was a sixth man and hawks with jamal
That’s exactly what I’d do. And it’s been my stance all season long.
JS.
That is awesome. Absolutely awesome. Love that. Every time Jake Stevens says another word, I will copy and paste that page as a response. Thank you. I owe you a drink. Make it 2!
Please do. It hasn’t been updated since the last Orlando game at least.
You truly are desparate to find any way to make MT5 look bad.
But honestly Steven the way the Hornets were playing early on all it takes is health and better play from the bench and the team is where it needs to be. Now the teams potential with the better play stems from giving Thornton more minutes which is true. Maybe were not the best team at that point but definitely a team that can contend and keep CP.
Why was the team winning before Defense…Belinelli didnt make our defense any worse. Now a few guys are out and everyone wants to panick.
i see alot of people are baggin on jj but where were u when he led us to wins against houston and toronto let me ask you one question who would you have backing paul up? Jack, Bayless, Janero, Pargo, bobby jackson, mike james, and antonie daniels, just a few names of the back up pgs that we’ve had with the exception of dc because of ariza
I always liked Pargo. I hope Dell brings him back if Jack doesn’t work out.
Some of you praise Marcus Thorton like a golden calf, and then a select few of you praise Gray like he’s a demigod. I don’t share those sentiments at all, but I would like them to do well. This is a team game and if Thorton can out-defend Green, and Gray can stay out of foul trouble for 60 seconds, then maybe they deserve more playing time. If not, they should be traded or let go, because Monty is not the problem it’s them.
why cant i see comments
Anyone else see the similarities between this situation and Jordan Jefferson/Jarrett Lee?
*Treasure Hunt Alert*
Has anyone seen a sports writer side with Monty regarding MT5’s playing time? Make fun of certain national writers all you want, but the majority of them watch considerably more basketball than those of us who comment here and having every single one wonder when enough is going to be enough says at least something.
Where are the ones that don’t take his side?
I have yet to see one who really cares.
green and Pavlovic is starting
I’m amazed! Can you believe that…the worst is that Monty stated in pregame that Green has ‘earned’ his minutes, and he went on to say that all others should learn this as well! WOW…I must be dreaming…wake up, wake up…wake up!!!
Breaking News:
Marco Belinelli and Quincy Pondexter benched. Willie Green and Sasha Pavlovic to start.
Another great coaching blunder.
oh shut up. you’re all the same person. himynameissteven, monty’s doghouse, etc
MARCUS DID NOT CONSISTENTLY START UNTIL MARCH OF LAST YEAR AND OUR RECORD WAS 4-7.
I think Steven is a real guy. But the other ones are all Doghouse. He has like 36 profiles now. Weirdo.
And you’re all the same person. Hornet, Ziko, Seantonio, etc. It’s definitely Marcus’ fault that we finished the season poorly.
No. Actually we aren’t. Hornet is still a teenager. And Mr. Sean is almost as cool as 42. Both are 6+ feet. Im slightly shorter =/
…and Marcus’ favorite color is blue, and he was 5’3″ in the third grade, and last year he had his tonsils removed…YOUR POINT? Oh, and who are you to tell another fan to shut up since you may not agree with his comments? LOL…, don’t take this shit too serious…heart attacks aren’t good?
im only one very intelligent person
I have trouble counting all the voices in my head with my pants on, but a couple of us are smart. Others . . .
He has like 36 profiles now. Weirdo.
The term is “sock puppet”.
…or TROLL!
Woah on the Green and Pavlovic…
And to all Hornets fans, can’t we all just realize this MT5 arguing is going nowhere? I have my opinions on it but I’ve given up arguing because it just leads to an unnecessary comment war. Let’s just all agree that Devin Brown is the worst SG in history and watch us beat the nets (knock on wood).
no, it’s still keith bogans lol.
When Keith Bogans scores 6 moints are more, the Bulls are 12-1. What’s more surprising, the record, or the fact that the starting SG has only scored 6 or more points in 13 games nearly at the All Star break?
Devin Brown v. Keith Bogans, greatest.matchup.ever.
lol
Ziko, Brandon Rush is better than Marco. That’s the only thing I STRONGLY disagree with, of what you wrote.
Thank you AllBall. But Brandon Rush is like Von Wafer in this league to me. A really streaky shooter who contributes nothing else on the court.
So….who comes off bench first? Marcus or Marco?
Also, I join the refrain to keep the comments about the game, not each other. Every regular reader knows where I stand in the Buckets/Green/Marco drama, but Monty is an excellent coach, that is still learning his rotations.
Let’s talk pros and cons of those rotations, of those players. Oh, and about how much the Nets suck!
Oh my god! I’m pretty sure I just had a freaking brain aneurysm. Willie Green starting? AGHHHHHHHH!!!!
http://www.82games.com/1011/1011NOH2.HTM
Enjoy, Doghouse.
Please keep proving what an idiot you are.
1) That site hasn’t been updated in a month.
2) The highest amount of minutes MT5 has played with starters on that page says 37.5. What a sample size.
I know it does. It only irritates you more, doesn’t it?
Please keep grasping at desperate straws.
Nets do suck. Monty just said Green has earned his time to start and the rest of the team should take note of this. Monty is a joke of a coach and this team will go nowhere with his guidance. We will be lucky to finish the season with a 500 record.
I cant even comprehend what in the world made you come to this conclusion! I don’t think Green should have started either but how is Monty “a joke of a coach?” Did you even watch last year? Did you see how Jeff Bower ran the team? Do you not see a difference?
I usually ignore the dummies on here but that statement has to have taken the cake so I had to respond…still not sure why?
A joke of a coach? Would you like Byron Scott back, the coach with the most consecutive losses of all time? And about finishing with a 500 record, if we barely keep our heads above water (say 16-13 or 15-14) over the remainder of the season, we’ll still have 50 wins. 50! We finished 37-45 last season. Close to a 15 game improvement for a rookie head coach, and you’re calling him a joke? Monty’s earned my respect, the least you could do is give credit where it’s due.
He’s established the Hornets as a defensive powerhouse in one season’s time, set the franchise record for consecutive wins, and helped Emeka get closer to the player he was supposed to be coming out of UConn.
This team is (when healthy) within striking distance of the 3rd seed in the Western Conference. Have you forgotten already what it’s like to be in the playoffs?
Of course we’re going to lose games with two of our top 4 players out with injuries, look at what happened to the Heat when Bosh and LeBron had injuries earlier this season. Take a pill, and relax. Like they say, you learn more from defeat than victory. Once we get our players (including Paul) back to 100%, we have a shot to beat any team in a 7 game series.
I don’t agree with Willie starting. Honestly I don’t. But I actually like Sasha starting. I think if he gets signed for the remainder of the season, he will beat out Marco and start alongside Ariza. I wonder what Doghouse will think of this?
STARTERS:
Okafor. West. Ariza. Pavlovic. Paul.
RESERVES:
Gray. Smith. Belinelli. Thornton. Jack
Mbenga. Anderson. Pondextor. Green.
P.S. I think this simply from a strategy standpoint. Pavlovic starting allows Marco to be another scorer off the bench. Pavlovic’s role would simply be to play defense for 15 minutes a game.
Aaorn Gray got scored on twice now.
Go get you some Willie
Willie Green – 4/4 shooting with 9 pts…He must’ve heard what you all said about him before the game! haha
Willie G. is on fire. He looks like he invented the jump shot.
weird how i said earlier i like willie starting
I guess JJ has earned the right to be the first off the bench. What a joke!!!
Excellent move in benching Gray. Lopez and Favors were posterizing him down low.
im loving monty’s new rotation… i think willie is a solid fit in starting line-up as long as he is hitting some outside shots…. and perfect getting marcus in early enough… i would like if belly gets some minutes here with marcus and jj in the backcourt i think that might work well
not liking the huge minutes cp3 and west are playing in the first half though
One of the worst efforts I’ve ever seen in this 2nd quarter.
Man what the hell happened to Jack? He can’t do anything right. He is our worst perimeter defender by far.
I love how NJ’s announcers try soo hard to praise CP, hoping he comes to NJ one day.
so umm refs…….blow the effffinn whistle
I’ve seen Paul get fouled about 10 times getting a total of 0 calls.
Exactly, somethin is wrong with the fking refs
They’ve swallowed their whistles tonight.
Jarrett Jack the shooting guard!
Can I get a thumbs down?
It’s become evident that we need Emeka and Ariza back. Our perimeter defense is nonexistent and our inside offense only consists of prayers.
lmao alll u with ur fake lineups monty knows what he’s doing just sit back and enjoy the game
Really? Does he?
Something is wrong with Williams as well, CP n West both have not take a seat at bench at all against this nets team
i like the dual point guard cp and jarrett
You have got to be kidding me.
I’m sorry Monty. I really am. I did not think it could get worse. You have shown me that it can. I would like Belinelli back instead of this Jarrett Jack SG 6th man nonsense please.
Is it possible? We’re finally on the same page?
I hate Jack and he is horrible
I’m with you Seantonio.
in order to win you do what you must
My starting line-up while missing Okafor and Ariza:
Paul
Belinelli
Anderson
West
Gray
Substitutes:
Thornton for Bellinelli after his third miss. Green for Thornton after the man he’s supposed to guard gets his 2nd open 3.
Mbenga for Gray after his 2nd foul. Switch back every 2 fouls. Smith if they both foul out.
Jack for Paul after his 2nd major ankle injury
Smith for West after his 23rd “and one” or third foul.
Pondexter for Anderson after his third miss. Green for Pondexter if he gets smoked.
NOEngineer, you actually took the time to type that…?
LOL @ “the battle of the Sashas!!!”
There’s such a void in the middle. Emeka, please come back.
Thank God for West.
CP3…. SCORE THE BASKETBALL
We were at the Timberwolves game at halftime and my friend said “Yeah, let’s celebrate our All-Star who has 2 points at the half.” I understand that Chris has to create, and I am willing to forgive minimal offensive output from him, but he has to get it going soon. Hopefully another big third quarter awaits.
Monty at his best….JJ really showing why he shouldn’t even be in a uniform. Just plain bad coaching again. If you need an example LOOK st the score.
Let’s look at the score at the end if we are going to take scores as the puddings in which the proofs lie.
im with 42.
Just a thought here. Maybe Green didn’t “earn” his spot. Maybe Marco isn’t starting because he is possibly being traded tonight?
Are you being capricious or did you actually read this somewhere?
No. I’m actually curious. There was a rumor that either he, Green, or Thornton will be involved in a deal before the deadline. I couldn’t help but wonder if one is happening. They usually bench a player if they know he’s gonna be dealt.
Capricious means something else.
It’s ok. I love bombast.
Or maybe Monty had to find a way to play CP3 and Jack a combined 80 minutes. Another theory!
Seeing Jack at SG stinking up the floor is beyond maddening. It’s just disheartening. At least Belinelli played defense.
Marcus is gone after this season. I’m 100% certain now. All this arguing with each other will be a moot point.
I certainly hope so…I’d love to see how well he would do with another team! I’m confident he would!!
ziko interesting point i heard that its quincy and marco who are probably going to be traded. For a back up big, word is demps been running the phones
I heard Q too. I heard ONE of the guards will be moved, whether it’s Willie, Marco, Q, Marcus, I don’t know. But I know one of those guys will be gone so that they can clear out the jam they have there.
I was thinking the same thing. Then MT5 in the starting lineup Ziko? : )
Ziko – I didn’t watch last nights IND/MIA game, but earlier in the year I watched B Rush flat out ‘out play D Wade. No way could Marco do that. Obviously that alone doesn’t warrant Rush>Marco, but in the games I have watched i’ve seen a Brandon who can score/defend/rebound and create for himself.
For everyone complaing about the calls on CP, the refs are being consistent and not calling it when he is initiating contact. No doubt CP will have a monster 3rd Q, whether it comes through points/assists/defence whatever.
Hey guys im at work can somebody give me the run down on whats going on in the game>
omg i cant watch this no defense playin game
Gray might be the softest big man in the NBA
Gray brings us into the penalty just like the last game.
Shouldn’t one blame the guys who got the first few fouls and not the guy who got the last one?
Like Willie’s quick 2?
if i was coaching id put the best 5 who want to win on the court
But I thought us having an opinion on Monty’s rotation is ridiculous?
Chris Paul’s uncharacteristic inefficient play is killing the Hornets. He is either going to take over this game or fight Joe Crawford. That charge was BS.
Bellinelli answering the critics
MARCOOO
ummm i think monty’s message was sent to marco….. who said monty doesnt know what he’s doin
WHERE MY ITALIAN FLAGS AT
Marco is telling his haters to suck it and Willie G. is telling them to swallow.
JCS, dude…that’s just plain elementary. Perhaps you should leave the comments to the adults! Think a little before you type…please!
Marco!!!!!!
We got a goal-tending call!!
this page needed the ingame chat 😀
This page needed a pre-game chat.
If You dont Like DWest you Should kill yourself…JustSaying
How old are you….JustCurious
Are you talking to me dude?
Yes
Well. If they were thinkin of trading Marco, I think they might have changed their minds. Btw. I remember people saying Sasha Vujacic is terrible? I’d love to have him on our team. Ahead of Marco and Pavlovic.
why do you hate america? =)
Haha. I don’t. I love CP more than anyone and who’s more “America” then he? Larry the Cable Guy? Maybe.
There are people who are terrible (e.g. Hilton ‘Shining Wizard’ Armstrong). Then there are people who are terrible to root for (e.g. Kobe ‘bought that diamond for a reason’ Bryant). For me, I just don’t want to have to root for him.
This doesn’t make basketball-winning sense, no. It makes 42-fan sense.
See: I’m know if nucking futs. I wish you guys would admit that you are, too, just differently.
And who the hell were you saying is almost as cool as me? If you weren’t talking about Fonzy, we may have a problem . . .
It’s terrible to root for Kobe? Are you serious? Come on 42. Don’t let all the media hoopla surrounding the kid influence your view of him. Guy is one of the nicest guys in the league. I’m very happy for him. Hope he passes Jordan and gets 7 titles. That way Lebron doesn’t.
And yea, Fonzy is catchin up on you.
Ha!
Good man.
I just don’t like him. It’s just taste. I respect the guy’s game, and I’d go watch him play more if it weren’t for the sickening cheers in our Arena for him. But, yeah, I’d have a problem rooting for him.
I don’t know him, and if I did I may change my mind. However, I just don’t like him. How can you not like people you don’t know? I don’t know, but people do it all the time.
Kobe is more likable than Iverson. There; I said a nice thing.
Well, Fonzy is obviously right there, so that’s cool.
Sasha V. was the player that had their best game of the season against the Hornets tonight. It’s someone new every night.
aaron gray is so horrible
That he is.
i expect avrey johnson to score a three during the fourth
D WEST!
C’mon you blue bastards!
GREEEEN
Willie G. is on fire!!!
Gray with the hook shot. What the hell?
AG!!!
What happened to Chris Paul’s offense?
I remember many moons ago i said willie green should be our starter and i got flizzamed. I stand by it regardless of how this game turns out
lol @ flizzamed
horrible d to give up that dunk
I wish our superstar would take some games over..
Career high for that fella with the strange hair
5 points down… sigh
so Ariza’s absence causes all teams with wins in the teens to shoot over 50% from the 3pt line???? wtf is going on
Yes Marco!
…and Gray with awful defense on Lopez
Aaron Gray you idiot
Why did Monty just take Marco out?
WOW PAUL GOT NAILED
5 SECOND CALLL HA!
5 SECOND CALL!
Why Green why?
really chris
THREE FUCKIN IN-AND-OUT in the clutch omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m going to punch the next person I see
its safe to say that this was chris paul worst game in a few year……#shrugs
Wow rim are you serious
42, “Let’s look at the score at the end if we are going to take scores as the puddings in which the proofs lie”, great performances by some, but I’m sorry it wasn’t enough. BAD COACHING AGAINST ANOTHER LOSING TEAM!!!! So what flavor pudding do you like? Hey…it was your comment!!!
He’ll take some whine and Jack-cheese with that pudding.
Yes it was.
I’m glad we agree this is superior.
It will lead to better discussion, as opposed to the guys picking on Aaron Gray and his double double
Official low point of the season… All-star break can’t get here soon enough, I don’t know that they can win any of the games between now and then…
Paul: 4-15 from the field with 0 FT’s in 51 minutes.
Sorry Chris but we will lose more than not when you can’t put up 10 pts in a game where we have 2 injured starters.
I know we didn’t lose just because of his game, but come on.
Thank God this genius played Marcus only 5 minutes…so his performance cannot be the blame for this one!
ive never seen a game where the rims, the reffs, and the players made it so the hornets couldnt win. are you kidding me???? why would u take the hardest shot in basketball to win? then take a VERY similar shot to tie? not only that but holy god the reffs called nothing. CP was TACKLED!! i mean wtf. not only all this but ALL of the last shots went down and then came back out. it was ridiculous. how many games can we play where the post game will say “sometimes the shots just dont drop” or “teams dont usually shoot that well” ?!?!?!! i mean cmon I KNOW that NJ doesnt shoot THAT well form 3 pt land. AND they were almost all contested. simply, ridiculous
Chris Paul is going to be kicking himself after this one. Seven turnovers and missing the game winning shot.
seriously the nets!!! we have problems right now. this is the worse ball ive seen all year. nothing went right tonight. yea the game was close, but we had every opportunity to win this one. the game was all summed up by that last shot. NOT MEANT TO BE
I’ll stand by Philly as the worst
Is it a bad idea to disown this team for a couple of days??? There’s no excuse to be playing THIS bad. I didn’t know the absence of Ariza and Okafor would’ve made this team look like a lottery one
oo and thornton doesnt play at all the second half. i know this forum doesnt like talking about this, but cmon. he should atleast get on the court when we have 3 players not playing!!! Bad decisions!
our 2 guards are what kept us in the game. without belli and green there was not game
Monty’s decision to use Jack as our main 2 guard cost us this game.
A) Paul had to play 50 minutes because we didn’t have Monty’s favorite “Backup PG”
B) Jack couldn’t guard Vujacic.
I was joking when I said they’d combine for 80 minutes.
End of the fourth: CP3 Jumper for the win, around the basket and goes out
During the ot: CP3 Jumper from 18 feet, around the basket and goes out
8 secs left in the OT: Willie Green jumper for the tie, around the basket and goes out
End of the fourth: CP3 for three for the win, around the basket TWO TIMES and GOES OUT OMG
Meanwhile Sasha Vujacic 25 points. WTF?!?! Is there some kind of curse on the hornets?
It’s called being tired. Monty asked way to much of the 1.5 legged wonder tonight.
No
Green had a awesome game, 19 points in 33 minutes! Oh wait zero assist and 1 reb. Also no forced turnovers, if we wanted SG who could just score then we could have played Marcus….Oh wait our most explosive guard got 2 minutes while Jarret Jack played 27 half of that at the 2 guard…If we were going to play our back up PG at SG why wouldn’t you keep Bayless. Also David Anderson who shoots over 50% for us gets 2 minutes. FUBAR and last but not least over 48 minutes for Paul and David and we still lose to a 8 win team.
Green really stepped up man… And I hate Green. But if it weren’t for him we would’ve been down at half time by a good 10 points or so. Paul’s minutes were the reason Thornton’s minutes went down. On Paul’s worst game in a LONG time, I have NO clue why he played so many damn minutes.
*Rumor*
The Hornets are looking to trade Aaron Gray after his latest strong performance for a backup wingman after discovering that Jarrett Jack can play all 5 positions very poorly.
At what point did you turn into a troll and how many accounts do you have?
Come on now. Using Ziko’s jokes is pretty damn lame. Other people are fed up with Marcus not playing. It happens. People on other sites are not so generous towards Monty as they are on this one.
I’m not using anyone’s jokes. It’s just remember you commenting that you changed your name from BeesGiving Effort to Monty’s Doghouse. But why? Doghouse is a trolltastic name and writing stuff like “Jarrett Jack can play all 5 positions very poorly” seems like you’re just asking for attention. Do you have more than one account or no?
Oh please. That was a joke you maroon.
He has like 5 JCS. he changes them so people will leave him alone but then makes it blatently obvious who he is by his pessemistic and mean comments.
i’m pissed chris played as much as he did. that was stupid.
Dear Hornets,
you suck you suck you suck you suck you suck you suck Jack sucks you suck you Jack can’t play D you suck you suck you suck Jack let Vujacic score 25+ points you suck you suck
Too Much Bashing going on..Were gonna be ok..Just like we can lose 4 straight..We can win 6 straight..Shots just didnt fall tonight
Well I can’t wait to see what rabbit Monty pulls out of his hat next game. I mean he did such a fantastic job against a 15 win team, I’m sure Orlando is shaking in their shoes. I mean he’s on the fast trac to coach of the year…right behind B. Scott.
HiMyNameIsSteven = Monty’s Doghouse = Just A Fan = SJ = Hordan
Just go away.
hornet i have only one account
stop talking unless you have something usefull to say
and if u think i am the same as those guys look at other posts since i tend to disagree with alot those guys say… they are very very very pro marcus being a starter playing 30+ min and hate jack willie and marco…. if u actually read my stuff i never say this stuff and am fine with amrcus off the bench as long as he gets the minutes he should get and should get with starters, and do think the other guys are solid bench contributors
The evidence points to all these folks being distinct people.
oh, my bad steven. i thought i remember you saying you switched your name to monty’s doghouse.
ah right im thinking of beesgivingeffort.
got if confused for w/e reason
Im sorry but this game was flat out embarassing we NEED MEK BACK BADDDDDDD…. and really marcus 6 min and west and chris over 50. im sorry monty but ur really starting to look like a rookie coach with that one. I realize they are our best players but u got to get them some rest. if chris is well rested he is making those shots at the end.
I thought marco played well and im glad he did.
Cant believe marcus didnt play more im starting to get really fed up with it. he didnt look bad at all out there had one bad missed shot thats it. jack played the worst defense ive ever seen and gave up so many offensive rebounds that marcus would not have. sorry monty u have to recogniuze these things
you should be a coach. you seem to know what you’re doing.
loved to be coach for this team just not right now haha. i understand its really tough shuffling the line up with our 2 guards playing so streaky, our by far best center out, and really our only talented 3 out, but i really disagree with playing those guys over 50 minutes and then having jack in there when he was not doing the one thing monty says is our team philosophy defense and defensive rebounding
yeah i agree chris’ minutes were insane considering how bad he played. i think monty knew we needed a win so he pushed the minutes. we’ve got orlando and chicago next. if we lose both which is looking likely unless okafor and ariza are back for chicago, then that’s 6 in a row. paul should’ve gotten the typical 35 minute game + 5 with OT being 40, not 50. the extra 10 should’ve gone to MT. Belinelli and green played very well though, can’t deny that.
Hated the loss to the lowly nets.
But, Grey looked like he can become a more physical presense in the front court than what we have coming off the bench in the front court.
Belinelli gets benched as a starter. He come out and scores 17 after half time and is 5 of 7 from three pt range. Go figure.