Can These Hornets Actually Buzz?

[JMD]

You're making some brilliant trades, man. I hope we can grab the title!

[Tim Moungey]

You're making some brilliant trades, man. I hope we can grab the title!

Thanks! (He says months later) - Hopefully we do some damage

[Tim Moungey]

Emotional damage after a 79-89 home loss to Boston to open March. Kemba Walker carves us up for 32 points, 12 assists, and 4 steals. Revenge game is revenge.

Nic Batum leads us in scoring with 22 points and 4 steals and Steven Adams has 11 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, but it's Jimmy Butler who takes PotG with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and a block in our 101-87 rout of Indiana. 12 points, 5 rebounds for Pat Connaughton off the bench.

Our offense shorts out again in a 68-100 home loss to the Heat. We're 1-2 so far - all at home. Maybe my being away so long made us all forget how to score?

Steven Adams is injured in the first game of a B2B and we lose both. He's out another week yet after the second game, and Miserable March is officially upon us. We still have trouble putting the ball in the bucket and just lost one of our top offensive options.

Thankfully we play the trash Thunder on the front end of another B2B and Jimmy Butler (24 points), Monte Morris (20 points), Cody Martin (17 bench points), and Cory Joseph (14 bench points) are enough to get us over the hump. Naturally Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving curbstomp us in Brooklyn the very next night.

Steven Adams returns, allowing us to murder the Pacers 101-81 on his 18 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, a block, and 4 steals, with Cory Joseph (12 points) and Cody Martin (10 points) playing bench support.

3 straight losses follow - including a heartbreaking 103-105 OT loss to Utah that features Steven Adams breaking his wrist out and going out a month and a half.

The losing streak stretches to 5 before we finally beat the bad Wizards 101-91 on the last day of the month, on the front end of a B2B. Jimmy Butler scores 20, with 10 and 11 respective bench points from Cody Martin and Cory Joseph. Just missing the double-double is Jason Minor with 9 points, 13 rebounds. Oh, and Nerlens Noel got hurt and is Out a week and a half.

So to recap how awful this month has been - We finally get to 42 wins to beat last year's record, but we've fallen to third in the Southeast behind Atlanta and Orlando, and are 7th in the East Conference playoff race. And one of our best players is still out over a month.

On the bright side - Jason Minor was named Rookie of the Month. Good thing to, because Xavier Smith has been a complete lottery bust, with not much hope of getting better. And I'm already envisioning how to shake this team up in the offseason with a massive overhaul.

[Tim Moungey]

Let's just grind through to the end of the regular season. We've built up enough of a buffer that we *should* still make the playoffs (we're 3 games ahead of the Cavaliers and Celtics), but given how awfully we played in March and all the injuries, I'm not holding my breath.

51 points and 10 rebounds for Monte Morris as we have to play an 8 man rotation due to all the injuries... aaaand we still lose in Milwaukee. Jason Minor plays all 48 minutes in a loss to New Orleans. Work on getting that endurance up, rookie!

In fact, we lose all of our remaining games and back into the playoffs as an 8 seed at 42-40, winning the tiebreaker over the Boston Celtics. At least Jason Minor wins Rookie of the Month again?



There's our reward for not making the lottery. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. With Steven Adams still out 22 days, it's not even worth doing a playoff preview. It'll be a sweep squash. Kyrie Irving averages 40 points the first two games and it's the Kevin Durant show at 30 and 43 points in Games 3 and 4 to complete the sweep. The 76ers also swept the Magic, while out West only Utah gives Sacramento the broom treatment. Blazers and Warriors advance in 5 while the Cavaliers stun Anthony Davis' Hawks in 6 after Trae Young breaks his nose so badly, he can't play. Clippers win in 6, while Chicago shows game in taking the Knicks to 7 before the three-headed hydra of Julius Randle, Dennis Smith Jr, and Elfrid Payton is too much to overcome in the deciding contest. Wait, the Knicks actually won a playoff series?!

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard conspire to crush the Warriors in a stunning sweep while the Cavaliers end New York's hopes and dreams in 5. The Blazers surprise Utah in 7 and the Nets have it all to do in fending off the 76ers at full limit.

With such an easy opponent, Brooklyn has no problem netting the sweep. The West is tighter but the Clippers win a decisive road contest in Game 5 to become Western Conference champions in 6.

As good as the PG13/Kawhi pairing is, I feel like this is KD/Kyrie's Finals to lose. But then Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan get injured in Game 5 and the Clippers take this in 6 games!!!!

Hard luck for Brooklyn here. Two key players injured at just the wrong time cost them the ring. Feels bad, man. Or maybe not. Because, you know, Kyrie kraziness.

How'd we do?









We're the definition of a treadmill team at this point and the Jimmy Butler trade is looking super toxic from a financial standpoint. On the bright side, we get out from under Nic Batum's $27 million+ contract, even with Monte Morris up for a payday after his rookie deal.

Draft Lottery Notes
Indiana jumps from 8 to 4
Washington jumps from 10 to 1, which is the biggest BS ever since they're in our division

Player of the Year
Karl-Anthony Towns - Minnesota Timberwolves

Defensive Player of the Year
Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks

Rookie of the Year
Jason Minor - Charlotte Hornets

6th Man of the Year
Darius Garland - Utah Jazz

Coach of the Year
Steve Kerr - Golden State Warriors

All NBA 1st Team
PG Damian Lillard - Portland Trailblazers
SG Donavan Mitchell - Cleveland Cavaliers
SF Paul George - Los Angeles Clippers
PF Anthony Davis - Atlanta Hawks
CE Karl-Anthony Towns - Minnesota Timberwolves

All NBA 2nd Team
PG Stephen Curry - Golden State Warriors
SG Devin Booker - Phoenix Suns
SF LeBron James - Los Angeles Lakers
PF Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks
CE Joel Embiid - Philadelphia 76ers

All NBA 3rd Team
PG Luka Doncic - Dallas Mavericks
SG Bradley Beal - Washington Wizards
SF Jayson Tatum - Boston Celtics
PF Kristaps Porzingis - Dallas Mavericks
CE Nikola Jokic - Denver Nuggets

All Defense 1st Team
PG DeAaron Fox - Sacramento Kings
SG Donavan Mitchell - Cleveland Cavaliers
SF Paul George - Los Angeles Clippers
PF Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks
CE Joel Embiid - Philadelphia 76ers

All Defense 2nd Team
PG Luka Doncic - Dallas Mavericks
SG Jimmy Butler - Charlotte Hornets
SF Jayson Tatum - Boston Celtics
PF Kristaps Porzingis - Dallas Mavericks
CE Rudy Gobert - Utah Jazz

All Rookie 1st Team
PG Sam Murphy - Detroit Pistons
SG Kenyatta Granger - Chicago Bulls
SF Leroy Rashaw - Portland Trailblazers
PF Kenny Williams - Phoenix Suns
CE Jason Minor - Charlotte Hornets

All Rookie 2nd Team
PG Xavier Smith - Charlotte Hornets (lolwut)
SG James Walton - Brooklyn Nets
SF Jamal Powell - Miami Heat
PF Zvonimir Bicanic - Atlanta Hawks
CE Kirk Miller - Toronto Raptors

I'm gonna be honest here - Miller should have won Rookie of the Year. This class tanked their first season - Not a single player scored more than 9 points a game. We'll see if they look better in a few seasons, but the start of this was a real woof.

Annnd my game got caught in a loop trying to advance the season so this save file is probably dead?

Yeah, I forgot to save later, so it reset to the beginning of the month. Not doing that again.