Hornets’ Borrego sends unambiguous message: Scratch and claw or ‘we’re gonna move on’
P.J. Washington, starting NBA center.
I don’t know whether Washington and Miles Bridges will start for the Charlotte Hornets Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers. But it certainly wouldn’t surprise me. Coach James Borrego was sufficiently ticked off at halftime that he benched centers Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo.
Shaking up the rotation helped the Hornets make up a 15-point deficit against the Los Angeles Lakers in the third quarter. Charlotte still lost Thursday, 116-105, but Borrego sent a warning to his players about what will and won’t be tolerated.
“Everybody who steps on the floor has got to compete at a higher level. Plain and simple,” Borrego said. “Big guys, small guys. If you get minutes on the floor, if you want to beat teams like this, you’ve got to compete at a higher level.
“If not, we’ll move on.”
That’s exactly what Borrego did regarding the center rotation. Zeller, who had started in 20 of his 23 game appearances this season, never set foot on the court after halftime. Backup Biyombo played three minutes in the second half.
Instead, Bridges moved into the starters at power forward and Washington shifted over to center. That’s not ideal matchup-wise, with Washington playing center at 6-7. While Borrego has used lots of small-ball, he has yet to start Washington and Bridges together this season.
Based on Thursday, that’s now in play.
“Me and Miles, we’re kind of like the glue guys,” Washington said after finishing with 18 points and eight rebounds.
What needed fixing?
“For us, it’s really want-to,” Washington said of the Hornets. “Sometimes guys are tired, sometimes guys aren’t feeling great. We’ve just got to fight past that...
“For us to win, we’ve got to bring it from the jump. And sometimes we don’t.”
LaMelo Ball brought the energy home to L.A.
Losing to the Denver Nuggets and Lakers on the road is no shame, but the Hornets didn’t put up a fight in Denver Wednesday and still looked lethargic Thursday in the first half.
That can’t be a pattern if the Hornets expect to break a four-season streak without a playoff appearance.
There was a different spirit in the third quarter when the Hornets outscored the Lakers 34-23. Rookie LaMelo Ball, playing his first NBA game in his native Southern California, totaled eight points, three rebounds and two assists that quarter.
Ball’s fourth-quarter minutes were limited Thursday by his fifth foul, but he, Washington and Bridges created an energy so lacking in Denver.
Borrego craves that energy on a more regular basis. Center has been a problem position the past two seasons, and the coach took action Thursday.
Zeller has been OK this season when he isn’t injured, but he needs help. Biyombo, in his 11th NBA season, is not a night-in/night-out option. It’s obvious that if the Hornets make a deal before the March 25 trade deadline, that should be the position to address.
James Borrego: ‘No margin for error’
In his 2 1/2 seasons as Hornets coach, Borrego has never shunned trying the unorthodox. He told me his first season in Charlotte that he didn’t want to be “reactionary.” By that, he meant talking himself out of putting his best players on the court because they might not match up ideally to an opponent.
Thursday, he explored the unorthodox in the second half. Nothing bad happened and it served as a reminder to his players that their minutes aren’t guaranteed if they don’t perform.
“I’m not afraid to change lineups,” Borrego said. “I’ve got to find five guys who are going to fight and compete and scratch and claw.
“There’s no margin for error for us. If you’re not giving great effort, and you’re not defending, and if you’re not protecting the rim and running the floor, we’re gonna move on.”
