Charlie Yao from Roundball Mining Company joins us to answer a few key questions about tonight’s game. Update- Eric Gordon is estimated to be out 2-3 weeks, putting a real damper on the Hornets playoff hopes.
*Don’t forget about our live chat starting at 6:45 CT tonight and going on throughout the game.
1. Which matchup most favors the Nuggets?
Charlie Yao (Roundball Mining Company): I’m going with the bench. Both Andre Miller and Al Harrington are providing starter-like production as reserves and it’s helped the Nuggets maintain a high energy level throughout the game. The Hornets bench features a lot of young talent dealing with inconsistent playing time thanks to some unfortunate injuries. Denver’s had no problem getting shooting and scoring off the bench while New Orleans seems to be struggling there quite a bit.
Michael McNamara (Hornets24/7): I just don’t see how the Hornets can keep Ty Lawson from getting anywhere he wants in this game. Lawson is lightning quick and we have seen in the past that Jack is better at covering shooting guards, as is Vasquez. Look for Lawson to push the pace whenever possible and for him to get into the lane frequently when the Nuggets are in the half court.
Joe Gerrity: Last game I thought the Hornets lack of experience late in games might do them in. Same goes for this one.
2. Which matchup most favors the Hornets?
Charlie Yao (Roundball Mining Company): It’s definitely the front court matchups, especially at the Center position. Kaman and Okafor have the ability to dominate the boards against Denver’s middling rebounders. The Hornets are currently second in offensive rebound rate while the Nuggets are third-worst in the league. If they can defend and limit the Nuggets to one shot, the Hornets could have a lot of success and this is definitely an area of the game to watch closely.
Michael: I agree 100% withe Charlie here; the only way the Hornets win this game is if they control the boards. Denver is an efficient team on offense, while the Hornets are among the least efficient in the league. The formula for overcoming such a disparity us to finish the game with more attempts than your opponent.
Joe: It’s hard to disagree with Michael or Charlie. Hornest need to control the boards, and they need to finish strong when they get offensive boards under the basket.
3. Care to make some predictions about the game?
Charlie Yao (Roundball Mining Company): I don’t think the Hornets can score enough points if the game gets anywhere near Denver’s preferred pace. They’ll need to play very consistent defense and hopefully get Eric Gordon back to carry the load offensively. They’ll also have to shut down the Nuggets’ transition game and win the turnover battle.
Michael: The Hornets will play with Denver most of the game, but the Nuggets are capable of going on runs, while this Hornets team is not. I see a lot of back and forth between the two teams, but at some point Denver will go on a 16-4 type of run and pull away.
Joe: If the Hornets win this it’s going to be because they controlled the boards and were able to get hot from downtown, the latter being something they have struggled with so far this season.
22 responses to “3-on-3: Previewing Nuggets at Hornets”
Eric Gordon won’t play for the next 2-3 weeks, according to nola.com. @ this point, I just want this team to play w/passion, heart, & energy. I don’t want this team to “lay down for anyone.” I want this team to show some fight!!!
GEAUX HORNETS!!!
Just thought about something-as bad as it looks for the Hornets right now, it’s good that the city of NEW ORLEANS & LOUISIANA is excited about the SAINTS & LSU TIGERS. Hornets are an AFTERTHOUGHT right now, which is a good thing. Best thing for the Hornets is for the Saints to keep winning so the spotlight isn’t on the Hornets.
Tell that to your Australian blogger who isn’t there and who has some deep, dark NFL secrets.
Tell that to him.
That’s also according to the Hornets, so it’s legit. Doctors ordered rest. Maybe there was a rush to get him back before and the cause of the swelling wasn’t gone. Maybe he’ll be in the mindset to sign an extension if his knee is acting up on him, eh?
why trade for an injury prone player anyway it seem like a desperate move to get CP3 our town.I like that Gordon wants to be in New Orleans long term but to me theres a risk factor towards a long term deal.At this point they’re going to be 2-8 while Gordon is out but their season is over anyway looking forward to Junes draft.
Didn’t people say the same thing about Chris?
Whoever is going to buy this is team got to have deep pockets and want a winner on the court.If Gordon extends that would mean more free agent talent coming here and decent draft picks.No new ownership news yet?
Ownership news is the same.
How much free agent talent did Chris attract? Get that out of your head is my recommendation. Getting this franchise a good one to work for is what will attract them. Living on the street with Angelina Jolie or whoever is nothing compared to living along in a place with one of those roof things. Analogy.
A nagging question is did the Hornets know about the Gordon injury before they made the trade for him? Was he properly evaluated medically in NOLA? This injury precedes the trade. Gordon has not played or practiced much at all. The injury is serious. His kneee balloons up just from routine play. If he was damaged goods before the trade, is there any recourse?
In a way, this injury could be a blessing. Gordon could get worried and sign an extension at a decent price instead of a max contract or something close to it. If the injuries become too serious, we always have the ability to cut him under the amnesty clause. 5 year, $45 Million extension. That would be awesome. Do it Demps!
The injury occurred in the first game when he bumped knees with Grant Hill…
Not before the trade…
Wrong.
And where is your data? Jo D is reporting what has been reported by the team. You were speculating in another comment. Is that what this is or is there data?
I think I win here too lol
There have been reports that the injury was preexisting and was aggravated in the Suns game. Nola reported it and it was posted by Jason Calmes in the News section of this site. So I’m not sure why you’re being so critical Jason since you know that there are reports the injury existed before the Suns game.
I’m being critical because I don’t see the reports here. Also, I don’t recall the exact nature of the report, nor do I know if what was being talked about there and what the problem is here are the same thing.
I should be critical, as we all should, in the critquing sense. We should critique. We are in a world with tons of information but tons and tons of crap . . . we have to be very careful that we are dealing with good information, at least here. Asking for a source isn’t doubt so much as a request to produce, to convince, to make a gift of the truth, should it be there, to me.
Forgive me, but I live in a world of peer reviewed journals, articles, and production work. Not to be dramatic, but mistakes can cost someone a reputation, millions of dollars, or a life. This breeds something more than a habit. It’s the way I am. I also expect other folks in such research driven fields, like some who post on here, to hold a similar sort of academic standard, while I don’t expect that of others . . . that would be silly.
If I come off as harsh or somesuch, I’m willing to live with that. I’m only out for the facts, and to drive discussion, based on facts, beyond the point of mere declarations. I don’t always succeed, and a times I do more harm that good . . . I only hope I’m getting better at it.
A little update: http://www.hornets247.com/news/2011/12/31/a-time-for-reflection-and-remensuration/
Here’s the piece I had that referred to the TP piece (good recall usufruct). Again, this is JS either theorizing (not his job) or repeating what someone said (his job) about the knee injury. Now, if they were all 100% knowledgable about the situation, he would not have played Wednesday IF the current knee issue is the same as the older one. So, either they didn’t know, or it’s new. If it’s new, fine. If it’s old and they didn’t know, then did he have two issues, and bruise and X, as repeated here? Then why not 3? Why not a degenerative condition like Bo Jackson? I mean, I’m just being a healthy skeptic here about this. How do we know this isn’t new? It stands to reason it isn’t, but how many home repairs have people gone through where the issue just didn’t stand to reason, at least the initial reasoning? I have theories, but very little data. Most of them are based on what I know about my knees and those of others. I want facts, not theories, guesses, etc. I want analysis from those facts, not off the cuff declarations about the way things will be.
Gordon’s knee problems affect his future contract value. Perhaps 10-15 mil now, not max deal. We also would have the choice of using that 10-15 mil on someone else, if we draft a SG or if we are concerned about Gordon’s durability.
15 mil now is max contracts….once gordon sits out a bit he’ll be fine, 2-3 weeks is probably to make sure it doesn’t happen agai
Pair in the balcony anyone (free)?
I’ll keep my lower bowl tix
Thanks tho
We dealt with this with Paul why deal with this with Gordon trade him and get some draft picks and a player from the Pacers because Gordon don’t seem happy here when he did that twitter rant today about the fans reacting to his injury because we don’t need another drama king on the team Paul was enough.
Drastic decisions aren’t the answer… Give the team time to play and see what we have…
We have time on our side… We aren’t contending… We can afford to see how it plays out…