What's up with the team?

[absalom]

As of today they have choked four winnable games (LAL, PORT, IND and now ORL) and they could have lost to MIL, ATL, MIA and PHO either.

They better get winning soon or else MJ would be blasted by the media again.

[rufuspaul]

A combination of factors:

1. Injury: Losing MKG is huge. He's the team's best defender and his cutting/slashing on offense is sorely needed. His shooting has also improved greatly. Other injuries to Gerald Henderson (missed the preseason), Noah Vonleh, PJ Hairston and Gary Neal have hindered the offensive flow and forced Clifford to go with some odd rotations.

2. Chemistry: Kemba and Lance are learning how best to play together. It's a totally different mix from last year. Marvin Williams is playing the 4 when he's better as a 3 imo and he's not the passer that McBob was.

3. Schedule: The Hornets have had a brutal early schedule with a lot of back-to-backs against some of the best teams in the league. There has been little time for practice.


The good news is that all of these things can be improved with time. The team is getting a breather this week which will allow for injuries to heal and for some much needed practice and film time. The chemistry issue will work its way out over time also. The team played much better the 2nd half of the season last year and hopefully that will be the case this season.