Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets Need Frank to Make Playoffs, Clifford on Hot Seat?
Welcome to Buzz City Beat, Swarm and Sting’s daily roundup of the latest and best news surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
The Charlotte Hornets fell to the Phoenix Suns in their most recent outing as they weren’t able to defeat one of the second-worst team, record wise, in the NBA. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the team needing Frank Kaminsky to stay hot in order to make the playoffs, Steve Clifford possibly on the hot seat and Christian Wood play with a chip on his shoulder.
Hornets Need Kaminsky to Stay Hot in Order to Make Playoffs
“But even if for now Kaminsky is just a stretch 4 who can space the floor, Walker is good enough in the pick-and-roll to make it work as long as Kaminsky’s perimeter jumper is falling. He’s shooting just 32.3 percent from three-point range this season, but that went up to 38.6 percent in February. A poor man’s James Harden and Anderson should be good enough to make the playoffs in the East.” (FanRagSports.com)
It’s pretty crazy to think that the Hornets’ playoff hopes this season rest on Kaminsky. Life comes at you fast because I sure didn’t see that at the start of the year. That is where the team is at though and it’s not a bad thing. With multiple players disappointing, Frank has been a bright spot.
The sophomore slump that he has early in the season seems like a lifetime ago as he has turned into a consistent shooter/scorer over the last month. The big man recently suffered a sprained AC joint in his shoulder so if he’s out for a while, that could possibly derail the remainder of the season for Charlotte.
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Steve Clifford on the Hot Seat?
“Steve Clifford’s seat is probably more lukewarm than scalding, but it’s growing hotter as the Charlotte Hornets fall further out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Even though the team lost important bench pieces over the offseason (Jeremy Lin and Courtney Lee), it retained its core and was supposed to move into contention for home-court advantage during the postseason’s opening round.” (BleacherReport.com)
Steve Clifford is currently sitting on probably the coldest of hot seats. With recent playoff success and still a solid foundation with Charlotte, it is unlikely that he is fired this season or during the summer. The only way that will happen is if the team’s current play continues into next season.
Although Coach Clifford is only 150-157 over four seasons with the Hornets, he has helped turn around the franchise/organization and that has to count for something. Even though they have struggled this year, I tend to give Steve the benefit of the doubt going forward.
Christian Wood: Chip on His Shoulder
“For as much happiness as the NBA Draft can bring to some, it can also be a cruel, humbling experience for those who are not chosen as well. Nothing epitomized this feeling more than a widely-circulated photograph taken of Wood later that evening, who is seen bent over in his chair, staring at the floor in contemplation of what his next move will be.” (NBA.com)
Next: Kaminsky's Changing Perceptions
Wood might be the prospect with the biggest upside on the Charlotte Hornets’ roster. Every player has motivation from somewhere and Christian’s happens to come from the disappointment of not being drafted. As Sam Perley point out, it’s easy to forget that these NBA players are actual human being with emotions but this article gives us a small look at what goes on inside Wood’s head.