Buzz City Beat: NBA Experts Pick Against the Charlotte Hornets, MKG at Power Forward
Buzz City Beat is a daily roundup of the latest and greatest articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
After winning back to back games, the Charlotte Hornets hit the road to take on the Miami Heat as they attempt to defeat their divisional rivals for the third time this season. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at NBA experts picking against the team, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at power forward and how they make the postseason.
NBA Experts Pick Charlotte to Miss the Playoffs (NBA.com)
"Each week, we ask our stable of scribes across the globe to weigh in on the most important NBA topics of the day. More likely to miss the playoffs this season: The 28-35 Charlotte Hornets? Or the 27-35 Portland Trail Blazers?"
David Aldridge, Steve Aschburner, Fran Blinebury, Scott Howard-Cooper, Shaun Powell, John Schuhmann, Sekou Smith, Ian Thomsen and Lang Whitaker all picked against the Hornets and instead, in favor of the Portland Trail Blazers as the more likely team to make the playoffs. Not one expert that was asked thought Charlotte could pull off a late push for the postseason. They are only three games back of their eighth seed but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy.
There are about five teams battling for the final two seeds in the Eastern Conference. Steve Clifford’s side has the worst record of those five teams and they don’t necessarily have momentum on their side. Still, you would think at least one of the experts would side with Charlotte.
MKG at Power Forward (HashtagBasketball.com)
"There’s a lineup change Steve Clifford could make that might help MKG be even more valuable. Sliding Kidd-Gilchrist up a position to power forward could go a long way toward opening the floor and letting the offense breathe. With the team not competing at as high a level as planned, there’s not much to lose by experimenting – especially with the potential upside of the move. It’s time for MKG to play power forward."
While many have flirted with the idea of Kidd-Gilchrist moving to the power forward position in the past, Steve Clifford has never shown any inclination of actually making it happen. We have seen Michael play the four a few times in small-ball situations but never on a consistent basis. With MKG’s poor shooting, nice rim runs and surprisingly good ability to rebound, moving him to the power forward spot might not be the worst idea.
It would allow Jeremy Lamb or Marco Belinelli to move into the starting lineup which would create more space for the offense by adding an outside shooting threat. Marvin Williams would add leadership to the bench. The only problem is that at 6’7, MKG is a bit undersized and will have problems defending bigger players. I think the idea is at least worth a shot.
How the Hornets Make the Postseason (CharlotteObserver.com)
"It’s go time for the Charlotte Hornets and a late-season push for the NBA playoffs. Here’s what the Hornets (28-35) must do to make the playoffs for a second consecutive season:"
Next: Post All-Star Game Kemba is on a Mission
Keep up the defensive pressure, concentrate on the process, ride the backcourt, take advantage at home and get/remain healthy going forward are the keys for the Charlotte Hornets to have the best chance at making the playoffs this season. All of that is a lot easier said than done. It will not only take doing all of those things to make the postseason but also for teams ahead of them to lose multiple games so that they can catch them.