Official Game Thread: Hornets at Hawks -- The Home Finale!

[lethalweapon3]

“Listen close, I’ve got two words for ya! Tread. Carefully.”

 

“COACH! It’s an honor to have you here in The Queen City. How was breakfast with Gabe and Rick?”

Oh, the eclairs at Amelie’s are out of this world, Mr. Peterson. You fellas sure know how to fatten me up!

“Oh, please, call me Jeff. El Jefe, if you like! Hee hee. I’m sure you have lots of questions about our evolving operations, here at Charlotte Hornets Sports and Entertainment. But allow me to answer The Burning Question so many of our candidates here at The Hive have asked.”

Sure. Shoot! I mean, please, proceed!

“We highly regard all of the movers and shakers here in Charlotte that have helped make Hornets Basketball so… compelling… over the past decade! But rest assured, Coach, that I am in charge of all things basketball operations, and our new owners only intend to collaborate with the decisions I would make in partnership with you, as our next head coach.”

OK! So that means… with respect to Mr. Jordan…

“Yes, about that! As far as the former majority owner, now minority owner and alternate governor, is concerned… and Mitch Kupchak, the GM I replaced… and Steve Clifford, whose seat you’ll fill once this season ends… well, Gabe and Rick are keeping them all in-house, in advisory capacities. Michael’s nephew is a scout, sure, but that’s as far as it goes. They’ll all be so far in the background, you’ll hardly even know they’re in the building. These aren't the days when Kenny Atkinson went all Marilyn Munster's boyfriend on us. Trust me!”

Alright, if you say so. Speaking of buildings, where is the practice facility?

“So glad you asked! Peer out the window over there. Do you see across the street?”

That… the gravel parking lot?

“Yes indeed! That’s where we’re building a new facility for our team. Financing has been hung up while the old regime was bickering with the local government for years, but we should be shovel-ready by this time next year. Now, a question for you, Coach! Share with me your strategy for enhancing the play around our valued core of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges. Me? I’m a pace and space guy myself. A Bud Ball man, y’know.”

Oh! Uhh, Bridges, you say? I was under the impression he…

“Was an unrestricted free agent? See, we’re already finishing each others’ thoughts! Simpatico! Yes, but Miles has been so faithful to us, and we to him! Well, THEY to him, I just got here, y’know. Besides, he’s our minutes leader now, and what with everything he had going on… allegedly… where else has he got to go?”

‘Kay. So, Ball. Brandon, Bridges…

“The Triple-Bees! So poetic, if I say so myself. Our marketing team is already on it. Oops, can’t forget the Williams Boys! Mark, Grant… full squad!”

It’d help to know LaMelo’s condition to start next season.

“No worries! Melo could go tonight in Atlanta at the Hawks game (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast in ATL and CLT, 92.9 FM) if we let him. We just shut him down every season once we know we’re out of the running for the Play-Ins. Which was, like, early February, in our case. Their case, that is, since…”

…you just got here.

“Gee, you’re getting good at this!”

Thanks.

“Davis Bertans will probably pick up his ETO, so he’ll be back in the fold. As will Vasa Micic, our grizzled Eurostash rookie, and Cody Martin. Veteran leadership! Can’t have enough of that. Tack on Tre Mann and Nick Smith, Jr. for the youth movement behind Melo, and our next lottery pick, and I’ll hardly have to lift a finger this summer! You like whitewater rafting? I heard Hawk Island by the Catawba in July is CRAZY.”

How do you think these guys will fare tonight?

“Way better than last night, eh? At least Luka didn’t drop 73 in our building. We wouldn’t let him anyway. We mailed in that fourth quarter so we could hit the airport and have fresh-ish bodies for Atlanta today. Did you see those Hawks drag the heat through hell and back last night? Two overtimes, whew. If Dejounte Murray didn’t try to etch his name in the halls of Springfield with some of those crazy shots, they might have been able to pull it… whoops, terribly sorry, I HAVE to take this call.”

Sure. Should I…

“No, you’re fine, hold tight. It’ll take just a minute… El Jefe on the line… what do you mean you can’t find him any Wheaties? When His Airness wants his cereal in the afternoons, you Just Do It!... NO! I told you, He wants Tar. Heel. Blue. Gatorade. In His office fountain. We are not having this conversation again. That is all… Sorry, Coach. Buzz Peterson’s hearing is so gone these days. Anyways, Atlanta’s probably missing that jackrabbit Jalen Johnson, he twisted one of those rubbery ankles again last night.”

If I recall, the Hawks didn’t have Johnson the last time the Hornets were in Atlanta, either.

“Psshh. That 132-91 loss was such a one-off. Nobody other than Miles could buy a bucket for us. And they surely can’t expect Bruno Fernando to go off for 25 points again. Not by the hair of Aleksei’s chinny chin-chin!”

Did you just call Pokusevski a little pig?

“Oh, relax, Coach, it’s the Carolinas! Around here, calling somebody porcine is taken as a compliment. As I was saying, even if Trae Young makes it on the court today, it’s just window dressing for the Hawks (36-43). You know how Fan Appreciation Nights go. How enamored are you with the Triangle offense? I’d like to…”

Gabe and Rick wouldn’t say for sure, but do they expect a quick fix? With LaMelo’s rookie extension kicking in next season?

“Heavens, no! First of all, thanks to Atlanta’s Murray deal, our first-rounder is lottery-protected from the Spurs next year, too…”

Who did we get when we gave up control of that pick?

“Kai Jones. I know, crazy, right? Remember, They, Coach, not We. So, sure, we could hit the skids again next year if the occasion calls for it. They gave up our second-round pick going after Nick Richards in 2020’s draft, and at least he’s still here. But Mitch got one back from Houston when he dumped Gordon Hayward on OKC, so not all is lost. Plus, when Kupchak ditched P.J. Washington and Terry Rozier, we wound up with a treasure trove of potential first-round picks for 2027!”

You’re suggesting, then, that we’ve got plenty of time to turn things around.

“I sure do… I mean, WE sure do. I’m still working on pronouns. Just between us, we’ve got in-house training on that stuff next Friday. So, hey, cheer up. Things could be worse. You could be stuck working under Schlenk and the Wizards, am I right? That poor fella. Oh, it looks our working lunch is here! Care to share some BBQ and some Krispy Kreme, Coach?”

It sure feels like you guys are fattening me up, for something…

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

"Get ready to unlearn French, buddy!"

Cody Martin and Seth Curry (sprained ankles) have been shelved-for-the-season since March, as has Mark Williams (back contusion). And we already know this Melo does miss. Weeks before mothballing Ball, the Charlotte Observer's Roderick Boone observed that the star point guard was, "doing just about everything except playing in actual games.” So he'll be the offseason MVP if the post-Lottery results move the Hornets up a couple spots once again.

Boo-Boo Reports are not out since both teams are on SEGABABAs, but the only variable for the Hornets is lightly-used two-way guard Amari Bailey (illness, DNP'd since March 29). Bridges, Miller, Grant Williams and Mann logged between 32-36 minutes in last night's home finale, Bridges and Williams hardly at all in the final quarter, so the core Hornet starters should be a full-go. Charlotte (8-30 in away games) is 1-4 in road SEGABABAs.

As you likely know from this morning's Wojsparkler...

 

How much Trae will play, if at all, will depend on how much on-court time he can get with the probable Play-In starters, made complex by Jalen Johnson's ankle sprain.

There are five active Serbians in The Association, and 60% of them could share the floor together again, today, if Charlotte's Micic and Pokusevski are joined by the Hawks' Bogi Bogdanovic (45 minutes vs. MIA, 1-for-11 on threes last night to keep The Threak alive at 87). Bogi can move up the All-Time Threak list to 7th place if he sinks a triple in the remaining contests, ahead of Buddy Hield (87 in 2019-21) and Dana Barros (89 in 1994-96).

 

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Gray Mule]

HAWKS MAY TRAE TONIGHT !!

[JayBirdHawk]

C'mon squawkers, make it a great game thread tonight. 

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

Now Murray and Hunter are out.  You can't make this shit up. LOLOLOL

(yeah - I know 2 OTs last night)

 

 

[Gray Mule]

Don't forget who has our number this season.  Yep.  Them.  Tonight's opponent.

GO ATL HAWKS !!

[JayBirdHawk]

Who do we have available? 10 guys

Potential starters: Trae, Bogi, Mathews, Vit, CC

Bench: Kobe, Trent, Windler, Gueye, Bruno

[Spud2nique]

6 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

El Jefe

It’s what @kg01 makes us call him during a cookout in the sac after a few St. Ides back in the day. 

 

6 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Cody Martin. Veteran leadership!

Let’s get him or his brother on our team in the next couple of years. I like those cats like the aforementioned sac does.

 

6 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

“Kai Jones.

@JayBirdHawk  for a min.

 

6 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Nick Richards

Why does dude play and put up stats like Zo of the did to us many moons ago? Get him on the Hawks too!  

 

Any vet!!! Thanks @lethalweapon3 beautiful as always!  

 

GO HAWKS!!!

[Spud2nique]

6 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

There are five active Serbians in The Association, and 60% of them could share the floor together again, today, if Charlotte's Micic and Pokusevski are joined by the Hawks' Bogi Bogdanovic (45 minutes vs. MIA, 1-for-11 on threes last night to keep The Threak alive at 87).

That’s awesome  

 

4 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

So 3 dudes play 5 positions on the floor? Yo I can’t run my 2K sim here with everyone sidelined yall killin me!  

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

C'mon squawkers, make it a great game thread tonight. 

I’m ridin live from start to finish with y’all. I’ve had a tough month of life and miss my friends here.  

[JayBirdHawk]

6 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

As always, thanks for great season @lethalweapon3 (not over quite yet).

[Spud2nique]

26 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

Don't forget who has our number this season.  Yep.  Them.  Tonight's opponent.

GO ATL HAWKS !!

Nick Richards is as strong against us as Armon “the “ Gilliam was back in the day I tell ya.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

40 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Now Murray and Hunter are out.  You can't make this shit up. LOLOLOL

(yeah - I know 2 OTs last night)

 

 

As soon as I saw that Trae was active, I said to myself . . . now watch DJ be out.

And sure enough . . . lol.

 

He deserves some rest.  Quin has ran him into the ground these past 5 - 6 weeks.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

The Nick Richards vs our Centers, is the matchup I'm watching tonight.

[lethalweapon3]

Your clubhouse leader for tonight's Malachi Flynn Award is Amari Bailey, a two-way who was just Activated after being DNP'd due to illness. Bailey was Out for the last four games but popped into games in five of the prior ten, averaging 3.2 minutes per night. Silent... but deadly? 

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

He's still got it!

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

Will Trae start?