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More Zing in your Curry
This week’s game of the week is to be battled out between fellow Eastern rebuilding foes in the Charlotte Hornets and the Chicago Bulls. We’ve chosen this match-up to help give some hope to two teams who are in it for the long haul, and math up pretty well on paper we feel. So here we go!
The Hornets: The Hornets, despite all they have done in the efforts of rebuilding, still find themselves to feel a little like that middling team that surprises with victories but doesn’t have that real strong hope of making it to the playoffs right now, particularly in the strong East. They’re sitting on 18 wins for the season, which puts them in around 21st on the overall standings, hovering at the top 10 pick area, but 7 games below the 8th slot out East. With assets not all that in hot demand, at least the ones they want to move, the build has been slow to this point over the 1.5 years, and GM Digeze keeps preaching to #TrustTheProcess, as he turns guys like (at the time) top 10 NLL ranked Eric Gordon into multiple assets and picks, Alec Burks into multiple 1st round picks, and continues to shop ready contributors like Khris Humphries, Carl Landry and Mike Dunleavy in the hopes of still finding more assets for the future. The team is young, rolling out 2 rookies, 2 sophomores and a 5 year vet in the starting line-up, and there is a solid foundation for the future.
The Bulls: The Bulls have turned to the “full minus Steph†rebuild mode this season, and the move is probably long overdue. GM Daz has been attempting to retool the roster for a couple of years now that realistically, unless it gelled perfectly, wasn’t going to be particularly competitive anyhow with the holes the line-ups often had. That’s not a knock on Daz, just his mindset for whatever reason, outside pressure? Fan pressure? Was to try and win now, and it left him with what was a few weeks ago a fair shell of a team looking for that next step. He finally pulled the cord though, and turned the few assets he had into a handful of useful assets…and low and behold, he also started to win some games too as the team was suddenly deeper and had a clear strategy. Now winning a few games to get to 13 total isn’t a major step, or particularly desired in a rebuild, but it is a promising start to see a few things click and go right for a franchise who has been starved of such for the past year and a bit while trying to win. They are now armed with 4 2016 1sts and picked up some solid pieces like Meyers Leonard and Jodie Meeks along the way also. The majority of the rest of their acquisitions are expiring, so should be at least looked at moving out at the trade deadline to teams requiring contributors, but until then, the Bulls have turned onto Splash City rolling out a 3 point bombers paradise of a line-up, and entertaining the fans.
The Match-Ups: C: Myles Turner Vs Meyers Leonard Turner missed a big chunk of the season to date, but upon
his return and finding his feet for a couple of weeks he has been thrust
straight into the fire and started as he did in Week 1. He has shown marked
improvement from that time, averaging 8 points, 9 boards and a smattering of
other stats, and the kid is showing some really nice potential that GM Dig knew
he had. He’s still learning, but early signs are good.
PF: Kristaps Porzingis Vs Anthony Tolliver Zinga has not come as advertised this season. He was billed
as a project, 2 years away, the guy with possibly the highest upside in the
draft but also the most risk due to his developmental needs…well more fool
everyone! He’s averaging 16 points and 11.5 rebounds on the season while adding
nearly 2 blocks and at 7’3 with limitless range, there literally is no ceiling
here right now. He’s super quick and athletic for a guy his size and he’s not
even 21 yet! Ermagerd!
SF: Iman Shumpert Vs Mirza Teletovic Shump survived all the trade speculation last season to
resign with the Hornets but started the season out injured. He’s burst onto the
scene though since then averaging 19 points, 5 boards and 3 assists and is the
lone “veteran†presence in the Hornets starting line-up. The trade speculation
still remains, but he’s putting up too much production and his contract is so
friendly that it would be a surprise to see him move.
SG: Gary Harris Vs Randy Foye Harris was a Digeze special. He was drafted a fair way
higher than what most expected but he was young and a genuine 2 way guy, and he’s
started to come on in his 2nd season. He’s starting now, particularly
since Gordon is gone and he’s averaged 14 points, 3 boards and 4 assists as a
starter showing some potential. Get another season into the kid and he’ll be
right there for Dig.
PG: Elfrid Payton Vs Stephen Curry Payton was last years draft shooting star and it’s hard not
to be too excited about the kid who values D and getting his team involved
above all else. He’s not quite at the gaudy steal numbers he had last year, but
2 a game is nothing to sneeze at, and he’s averaging 14 points, 5 boards and 7
assists a game. Payton is never going to be a shooter, as evidenced by his 9%
from deep and 64% FTs, but then again neither is Rajon Rondo.
Bench V Bench: Tim Frazier, Mario Hezonja, Gerald
Henderson, Kosta Koufos and Carl Landry. The Hornets bench is actually a very solid looking bench.
Veterans like Koufos, Landry and Henderson are all more than capable players
and the overall balance is nice looking. Inside, outside, size and offence.
Hezonja is another of the rookies in the stable and is still finding his
groove, while Frazier has played his way into a role, but does little other
than carry the ball up and dump it off.
Head to Head Prediction: Who wants it least? Nah just kidding…or am I? Let’s be honest, neither team is going to be cursing if they drop this one, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less of a contest. Bulls bombing triples, Hornets showcasing the future game in and game out, Curry doing what Curry does, and just putting on a show for the fans who are sticking by their teams in times of need. It might be a Bulls home game, but the Hornets are the higher placed team for a reason. Although that reason now plays for Utah, the Hornets are still good to go though and as long as they can bother enough triples along the way, they should get over the Bulls. #LiveOrDieByThe3 #TrustTheProcess |
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X-Factor |
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Rebounding. In particular, Offensive rebounding. Neither team is particularly great on the boards and their season stats are near identical with the Bulls having the edge. That said, the Bulls have been staying in games and winning games recently on the back of their 3 ball performance and that can generate a lot of rebounding opportunities. It can also generate a lot of long rebounds and the Bulls have been quick to punish teams that allow that with a quick kick out and the 2nd triple is up in a flash. The Hornets will need to limit these 2nd chances as a key to locking the game down and taking it for their own. |