Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
After falling to the Philadelphia 76ers at home, the Charlotte Hornets‘ chances of making the playoffs this season fell from 16% to only 7%. (FiveThirtyEight.com) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at where Charlotte lands in the Week 21 NBA power rankings, the need to focus on the future and why the Hornets are poised for a playoff push.
Hornets fall in Week 21 NBA power rankings (USAToday.com)
"After following up their season-best five-game winning streak with three consecutive losses, any chance the Hornets had of sneaking into the playoffs is pretty much out the window."
Despite losing three-straight games Charlotte only fell one spot from No. 20 last week to No. 21 this time around. Their losing streak is now up to four games with two losses to the Sixers. Looking at the power rankings, the Hornets are barely ahead of tanking teams like the New York Knicks and the Orlando Magic. They’ve been stuck between 20-22 for what seems like the entire year.
Even the Los Angeles Lakers are ahead of the Queen City team in the power rankings and in the standings. It’s crazy to think that the Lakers may end the regular season with a better record than Charlotte but that’s where we are. Unless the Hornets go on an incredible run over the next month, they will likely finish the campaign around the No. 20 spot in the power rankings.
Focusing on the future (HashtagBasketball.com)
"That doesn’t mean the team should rest its starters or throw away games on purpose. That leaves a bad taste in the mouths of fans and players, and it could mean the organization getting fined. What it means is adjusting lineups, placing an emphasis on the promising youth that has too often been handcuffed to the bench this season."
With almost no hope for the playoffs, it’s time for Charlotte to invest in their future. Steve Clifford should be resting his starters and veterans who have played a lot of minutes this season like Kemba Walker, Dwight Howard and Marvin Williams while giving more minutes to Malik Monk, Dwayne Bacon and Willy Hernangomez. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Julyan Stone as well.
All have shown potential in the past but have spent most of their time rotting on the bench. Throw them into the fire and see what they’ve got. Not only will it help with their development but it will also allow the Hornets to further scout their young talent. Maybe they will play well, have a strong finish to the season and have confidence going into next year where they could become role players and make a direct impact. Also, it’s clear that the fans want to see the prospects play.
Charlotte’s poised for a playoff push (YardBarker.com)
"With both teams exposing real signs of vulnerability, this is where Charlotte could come in and steal a playoff spot late in the season. The schedule for the Hornets the rest of the month features the Suns, Hawks, Nets twice, Pelicans, Knicks, Grizzlies, Mavericks and the 76ers twice. That’s ten winnable games for the rest of March."
Next: 38-year old Wilkins isn't slowing down
While the Hornets may have an easy schedule to close out the season, I still don’t see them catching them passing the Detroit Pistons and catching either the Miami Heat or the Milwaukee Bucks for the eighth seed in the East. After their recent losing streak, Charlotte’s now six games out of the eighth seed with only 17 games remaining. Maybe they will go on a run and make things interesting but it’s highly improbable that they make the playoffs this year. If they weren’t so far back already, their favorable end of the year schedule would’ve been a big boost.