The team formerly known as the Charlotte Bobcats was supposed to be a heck of a lot better than they are. The Hornets begin this week with a nine-game losing streak, and compounding the misery is the fact that coach Steve Clifford has benched prized offseason acquisition Lance Stephenson in the fourth quarters of several games, including two last week.
Under the “we’ve seen this movie before” theory, when a star play is at odds with a losing coach, there is usually a clear-cut winner (the player) and a clear-cut loser (the coach). It makes things extra tenuous when you are playing for an owner, Michael Jordan, who is one of the most competitive people to ever walk the planet.
My prediction is he won’t make it through next weekend if the losing streak gets to 11 when the Knicks come into Charlotte on Friday night. (There is no chance Charlotte beats Chicago on Wednesday).
The blame for the Hornets’ recent losing streak can be spread around. As Chris Bernucca notes in his always fantastic Monday around-the-NBA column, Clifford is not exactly pumping up Stephenson as a savior.
“To be fair, one of the things that’s made it more difficult for him is that he came here and people proclaimed him as this next superstar,” Clifford said. “He’s not a star. He’s a guy that has talent to become a star. To be a star in this league, you have to do it over years.” In Saturday’s loss at Atlanta, however, the Hornets looked like they were in a fog and trailed 64-28 at halftime, a performance Clifford called “unacceptable.” When asked about changes, he said, “It doesn’t matter what you tweak if you don’t show up to play. They have an obligation to each other, to the franchise, to the fans, to put forth a professional effort. I’m in charge of that.” Stephenson certainly has to play better – he’s averaging 9.6 points and shooting below 37 percent – and find some compatibility with his coach. But remember something: A year ago, Charlotte was eight games under .500 in the second half of last season with a lesser roster and put together a 24-12 closing surge. It would help if Kemba Walker (.364 shooting) and Gerald Henderson (6.8 ppg) picked it up a little, too.
More on Clifford, along with a discussion about the hapless Philadelphia 76ers, and the early frontrunners in the MVP race (I have Marc Gasol No. 1 and Stephen Curry No. 2 in my latest MVP rankings), in this video report with CineSport’s Noah Coslov.
Chris Sheridan is publisher and editor in chief of SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.
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