No LaMelo, almost no problem. How Hornets reacted after falling short in loss to New York
Perhaps Black Friday provided the perfect distraction, giving avid followers of the Charlotte Hornets something else to focus on for a few hours.
That’s where things appear to be at this early stage of the season, a byproduct of a litany of injuries that seem to have no mercy. All it takes is a quick peek at the Hornets’ bench, a clear indicator due to the number of key players in street clothes nearly matching the amount of guys first-year coach Charles Lee had at his disposal.
Including LaMelo Ball, three-fifths of the Hornets’ projected starting lineup was missing for Friday’s East Group A NBA Cup action, rendered cheerleaders because of assorted ailments. So, that’s likely what made the Hornets’ 99-98 loss to the New York Knicks at Spectrum Center — during which they led following each of the first three quarters — all the more difficult to stomach.
Down six of their highest-paid players, the Hornets (6-13) were right there in hanging with a team considered to be a contender for the Eastern Conference crown, but couldn’t muster enough critical plays to pull off the upset. Total health simply hasn’t been in the cards for the Hornets, leading to situations like they faced against the Knicks.
“I think it’s just been the same thing as every game this year — we haven’t had our full team,” Josh Green said. “I think the guys are ready, the young guys were ready to play. When guys are out, it’s a new opportunity. KJ (Simpson) and Nick (Smith Jr.) were able to come in and have some impactful minutes.”
The Hornets’ minuscule margin for error, thanks to all the lost manpower, will keep them out of the next stage of the NBA Cup. They have no chance to finish at least second in the group after falling to 0-3 before their first-round finale against Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Instead, the Hornets will be playing for pride in a sense when they welcome the 76ers to town. But they aren’t asking for sympathy, understanding that it won’t always be this way. At least that’s the hope.
“I think these guys understand that it’s a daily grind,” Lee said. “We are obsessed with daily improvement at the end of the day, and that never changes for us, whoever is in the lineup. I think these guys are all working their tails off, and staying ready for their opportunities, which allows us to compete versus a good Knicks team no matter who plays.
“So, a lot of optimism from me in terms of potentially getting guys back, but also just optimism in this group. I think that we’ve shown no matter who is available on a night-to-day basis, we just continue to play the right way. We compete and we’re together. And they have an open mind to adjust to whatever we need to do.”
What’s happening with LaMelo Ball?
Even with the Hornets’ spirited effort, it did little to answer the question that was probably on the minds of more than a handful of patrons looking to score a good deal on the official jersey or any purple and teal memorabilia emblazoned with the name or number of the team’s most popular player.
Many inquiring minds want to know what’s happening with LaMelo Ball.
Not having their star point guard available for the first time all season surely felt a bit weird for the Hornets, especially since things flow through him. Ball was instead in street clothes, his head initially covered by a sweatshirt hood, and joined Miles Bridges (knee), Tre Mann (low back), Nick Richards (rib) and Mark Williams (foot) as spectators.
Ball got hurt on the final sequence of Wednesday night’s loss to the Miami Heat, and there’s no definitive timetable for how long he’ll be out. Little clarity has been given about his status beyond their matchup with the Knicks, but it would be a surprise if he suited up on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks on the tail end of a back-to-back, which will also be the Hornets’ third game in four nights.
“I think he just felt something toward the end of the game trying to get open on that last play,” Lee said. “He just felt a little something and obviously with the holiday yesterday and the early tip today, we haven’t had a ton of time to evaluate him and stuff. They’re going to continue to do that. It’s an unfortunate situation but we’ll get it under control and report something later.”
Until this week, Ball mostly avoided the injury bug, fighting through a bruised tailbone in late October and shaking off a pesky sore wrist. He’s played at an All-Star level, ranking first in the NBA in total points (559), second in points per game (31.1), second in total made 3-pointers (84) and second in 3-pointers per game (4.7).
On top of that, Ball leads the league in fourth-quarter points per game (11.1), field goals per game (3.9) and 3-pointers per game (1.6). Making up for the lost production won’t be easy while the team’s main offensive weapon is sidelined, and it’s imperative for everyone to do their part without going overboard.
Staying ready is paramount.
“Everybody always talks about it,” said Simpson, who posted a career-best 11 points. “That’s all I heard about coming in as a rookie. But I feel like you don’t really understand it until you experience it. And so now to experience it and to have this moment … Taj (Gibson) kind of joked around like, ‘Yeah, shake off the rust. You’re good. You’ve got your opportunity. Now, let’s build off of it.’
“I saw what I could do when I had the confidence. My teammates, they had the confidence in me, the coaching staff had the confidence in me. So, it’s just building off that and remaining consistent.”
