Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ Don’t Care About Odds, SVG Endorses Ewing
Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the latest stories from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
After winning four of their last five, the Charlotte Hornets will look to keep the train rolling as they take on the Greek Freak and the Milwaukee Bucks. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at Steve Clifford disregarding the team’s waning playoff odds, Stan Van Gundy endorses Patrick Ewing for the Georgetown head coaching job and how Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams balance basketball and fatherhood.
Steve Clifford Doesn’t Care About the Hornets’ Playoff Odds (CharlotteObserver.com)
"“I think about that stuff when I’m cheering for the Orioles in the summer, but not now,” said Clifford, whose team has won four of its past five games to edge back into the playoff conversation. “It’s for the fans. But to me, it’s wasted energy.”"
Just to give an update of the Hornets’ current playoffs odds, the team has a 7.6% chance of making the postseason in the Eastern Conference. (ESPN.com) While these numbers are fun, they essentially mean nothing. All Steve Clifford and the players can do is take it one game at a time. They know that they need to win almost every game from here on out to have the best shot at making the playoffs.
Although, Marvin Williams, along with other players, admitted to watching the outcome of other games around the league. The playoff odds are definitely more for the fans than actual coaches or players. Still, the numbers are interesting. Credit to Coach Clifford for keeping the players focused on the game at hand rather than getting distracted by the big picture.
Stan Van Gundy Endorses Patrick Ewing for Georgetown Job (NYpost.com)
"Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy gave one of the strongest endorsements yet for Patrick Ewing as the coach for Georgetown. “I cannot imagine that you’re at Georgetown and you do not hire Patrick Ewing,”"
Patrick Ewing as the Georgetown head coach seems like the perfect situation for both sides. Although Charlotte’s associate head coach has hopes of becoming an NBA head coach one day in the near future, he may have more success and a longer tenure at the college level. Considering that it is his alma mater, expect the Hall of Famer to heavily contemplate the option.
Ewing will likely test the waters of the NBA during the early days of the upcoming offseason to see which head coaching jobs are available. If those don’t pan out, it will be interesting to see if he returns to the Hornets’ coaching staff or if he chooses to go with the Georgetown gig. There is no doubt that Patrick has talent and will be the head coach somewhere soon.
Balancing Basketball and Fatherhood (NBA.com)
"Easily the biggest challenge for Batum, Williams and other fathers around the NBA is the in-season travel, which sometimes means missing special moments as their children grow and develop. Still, players make it work thanks to a big assist from modern technology."
Next: Damien Wilkins is Still Ballin' at 37
Being a dad isn’t easy but it’s got to be even tougher when you’re in the NBA and away from your child for long periods of time throughout the season. Sure these players make a lot of money to support their families but nothing replaces the memories made with your children. We sometimes forget that these stars are actual human with real life problems and families so it is nice to get a somewhat inside look at fatherhood with Nic Batum and Marvin Williams.