Wow, it has not been pretty in Charlotte. With Charlotte deciding to go back to the Hornets, times were going well. After making the playoffs last season, expectations were only going to grow for the re-vamped Charlotte Hornets. Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson have taken the leadership roles of this team, and they were exceeding in those roles. And this past offseason, they were able to acquire up and coming guard Lance Stephenson in free agency. With Stephenson coming on board, this Hornet team looked to be one of the more competitive teams in the Eastern Conference. They certainly aren’t contenders, but they seemed to become one of the more exciting teams to watch. But boy, have things taken a turn. Charlotte was off to a solid start this season, but things have taken a turn for the worst. The Hornets are on a nine game losing streak and are currently standing at 4-14. What exactly is going on in Charlotte? Is it time for Michael Jordan to start making some changes to this team?
The thing that bothers me most about this losing streak for the Hornets is the way they are losing some of these games. Four of the nine games they have lost on this streak have been by more than 20 points. Just the other night, they lost to the Atlanta Hawks by 30. Not taking anything away from a talented Hawks team, but this game should’ve been a lot closer. They also faced two close losses to the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic, games that the Hornets easily should’ve won. Luckily for the Hornets, their next three games are against the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, and the Boston Celtics. I don’t expect to see them beat the Bulls, but this losing streak could very well end against the Knicks or Celtics. If the Hornets want to get back in the playoff race, they need to start winning, and they need to start winning quickly. It’s a long 82 game season, but you don’t’ want to dig a hole that becomes impossible to get out of.
If there’s one player who hasn’t quite lived up to expectations, it has to be newly acquired guard Lance Stephenson. This season, Stephenson is averaging 9.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. The disappointing part for these stats is that Stephenson is shooting 37% from the field and a very disappointing 18% from three point land. After his last season with the Indiana Pacers, it seemed that Lance would have a break out season as one of the better guards in the league. He had some dumb on-court antics during the Eastern Conference Finals with LeBron James, but it seemed that Stephenson would finally move on from that and truly mature with the Charlotte Hornets. He hasn’t made any mistakes on the court, but his play has been very poor.
Even though Lance Stephenson wanted to get paid, Indiana seemed to be a perfect fit for him. The fans loved him, and he had a special connection with the teammates down there. At this point, it seems that Stephenson may have made a mistake in leaving Indiana for Charlotte. Money was a factor, but he should’ve gone with the team that he was happy with, and that team was the Indiana Pacers.
As times get worse for the Charlotte Hornets, rumors have started that the Hornets are going to start making calls about trading Lance Stephenson. Even though he was just signed to a 3-year/$27 million dollar deal, this may be the right move for both Charlotte and Stephenson. Expect to see rumors heat up about Stephenson slowly being on his way out of Charlotte.
If Charlotte decides not to trade him, they need to figure out what is going on. If not, it is going to be a long season for the Hornets.
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