Cut Steve Clifford A Little Slack

[cbarrier90]

how can you expect the guy to become an NBA championship coach over night. he was an assistant his whole career. its a learning process for him. He'll get it. Takes time.

See: Budenholzer, Mike. Kerr, Steve.

You are overrating a coach based off a season in which we finished a whopping four games over .500 in a mediocre conference and didn't even win a playoff game.

Sure the roster sucks and yeah we had a ton of injuries, but Clifford never came close to getting the maximum out of the roster he was given this year like he did last season and that's what good coaches do.

It's okay to have expectations for basketball.

[TheRed]

Cliff needs weapons. You can understand that right?

 

I'm not saying that we don't need a few upgrades on the roster. But everyone else has been blamed. Clifford is responsible for this too.

[KendrickPanther]

I don't understand this theory that keeping Cliff is accepting mediocrity. We've been hiring and firing coaches every 1-2 years since the NBA came back to Charlotte. The truth is we've never had much of a roster. We can read off a mile long list of players we should have drafted but didn't. Do you think that Eric Spoelstra won the Heat two titles? Do you think Steve Kerr and Marc Jackson are amazing coaches? 

 

We need better players more than anything else.

[KendrickPanther]

I'm not saying that we don't need a few upgrades on the roster. But everyone else has been blamed. Clifford is responsible for this too.

 

Yeah he deserves blame too. I just think we are better off with him than without.

[Zaximus]

I don't understand this theory that keeping Cliff is accepting mediocrity. We've been hiring and firing coaches every 1-2 years since the NBA came back to Charlotte. The truth is we've never had much of a roster. We can read off a mile long list of players we should have drafted but didn't. Do you think that Eric Spoelstra won the Heat two titles? Do you think Steve Kerr and Marc Jackson are amazing coaches? 

 

We need better players more than anything else.

 

 

Bad rotations, bad minutes, and bad coaching leading to losing leads almost every game, is all on coaching.

[PiratePanther189]

See: Budenholzer, Mike. Kerr, Steve.

You are overrating a coach based off a season in which we finished a whopping four games over .500 in a mediocre conference and didn't even win a playoff game.

Sure the roster sucks and yeah we had a ton of injuries, but Clifford never came close to getting the maximum out of the roster he was given this year like he did last season and that's what good coaches do.

It's okay to have expectations for basketball.

 

I'm not a Steve Clifford lover, but I will say I'm more in the camp of blaming a Marvin Williams 7 mil a year deal and a Lance Stephenson going full retard than I am blaming our losing games on Clifford playing Jason Maxiell or his rotation.

 

I also think it's worth noting that comparing Clifford to Bud, a Thibedoux-like coaching genius that was Pop's right hand man for 17 years, and Steve Kerr, a rookie coach with front office experience and the most powerful dynamic duo in the league, is somewhat ridiculous. I'm not saying that we didn't drop the ball by not hiring Bud or Kerr, but let's be real. You have to realistically understand what you have, and although we don't have a tactical master like Bud, we don't have a coach that's a bad as you guys say or think he is. Verdict is still out on Kerr who appears to be a really good coach, but I can tell you that if you think he wouldn't struggle with this roster you should reconsider that opinion.

[MountainHeel66]

I don't think ANYONE believes this team, or any team  for that matter, won't go through struggles and wont be fighting for a middle to bottom slot at this point in time. The problem is that Clifford has been as big a cause for our let downs as anyone. I'm tired of the Marvin Williams 7mil argument because the figure he got paid has VERY little to do with on court performance. And YES Lance was TERRIBLE which I do blame somewhat. But even with both of those scenarios and players, how many times did we blow leads, play terrible situational ball at the end of the game, take hot players and rotations out of the game to put in cold dead lineups, COMPLETELY IGNORE young talent on the roster without giving them even a second thought. IDGARA about Noah being 19, he still has room to grow and had some very nice moments on the floor this year and yet there are ZERO minutes to be found for your #9 overall pick!?!?!? PJ while not a polished player by any means had some good stretches and looked like he could really have a bright future with some experience and rounding out of his game... but apparently both of these players are supposed to get magically better riding the bench while we get spanked night in and night out. Sorry, I'm not buying into Clifford AT ALL.... NEXT!!

[TopCat]

This "team" has no fight.

It's almost amazing how we're able to field a team that loses by 40 to the Pistons. The Pistons. Detroit. 40.

When the lakers play on television I always complain "why are these scrubs getting TV time." Then in the 4th quarter when they actually have a chance at beating a western conference playoff team it's not that bad I got a good game. Somehow Byron Scott is able to push a team that literally uses like 6 players, all of which are nba outcast, and compete almost every game. It's what every laker fan should want. Compete every game, lose, draft positioning going up. All of a sudden next year the lakers will have a starting 5 that can push them into the playoffs.

Steve Clifford needs to go. And rich cho too. The ending of this season, poo the whole season is unacceptable. How do we go from a playoff contender to getting absolutely embarrassed almost every game. Yeah yeah injuries, that was a thing. This all started before Al and MKG went down. But Watching these guys play offense is pitiful. The whole team can't shoot, it's ridiculous what are they doing in practice? Our star Kemba can't make a shot to save his life, his confidence right now is at a extreme low. We can't win games strictly off of Gerald Henderson fadeaways. Big Al has been hurt for awhile now but even before that he wasn't doing anything. Maybe make a offensive bucket and then just watch on defense. It's unacceptable. Our only bright light is a guy who plays defense really well. Sad.

Clifford needs to light a fire in these boys. Right now I'm believing he's lost the team. All of us are still bamboozled on how our top ten draft pick only played the end of the season. And he's playing well go figure.

Jordan needs to take a look at his staff this offseason. Yes we did make the playoffs last year. As a 8 seed in a year when only 2 of the 8 eastern conference teams would have made the playoffs in the west. This team is pitiful.

[Chaos]

Clifford had been saying all year that his team lacks talent to compete, and that they need 150% effort every game to have a shot to win. That stance of his has always bothered me, sort of this built in excuse "remember guys, when we fold at the end of the season, I said we didn't have talent"

[MadHatter]

This "team" has no fight.

It's almost amazing how we're able to field a team that loses by 40 to the Pistons. The Pistons. Detroit. 40.

When the lakers play on television I always complain "why are these scrubs getting TV time." Then in the 4th quarter when they actually have a chance at beating a western conference playoff team it's not that bad I got a good game. Somehow Byron Scott is able to push a team that literally uses like 6 players, all of which are nba outcast, and compete almost every game. It's what every laker fan should want. Compete every game, lose, draft positioning going up. All of a sudden next year the lakers will have a starting 5 that can push them into the playoffs.

Steve Clifford needs to go. And rich cho too. The ending of this season, poo the whole season is unacceptable. How do we go from a playoff contender to getting absolutely embarrassed almost every game. Yeah yeah injuries, that was a thing. This all started before Al and MKG went down. But Watching these guys play offense is pitiful. The whole team can't shoot, it's ridiculous what are they doing in practice? Our star Kemba can't make a shot to save his life, his confidence right now is at a extreme low. We can't win games strictly off of Gerald Henderson fadeaways. Big Al has been hurt for awhile now but even before that he wasn't doing anything. Maybe make a offensive bucket and then just watch on defense. It's unacceptable. Our only bright light is a guy who plays defense really well. Sad.

Clifford needs to light a fire in these boys. Right now I'm believing he's lost the team. All of us are still bamboozled on how our top ten draft pick only played the end of the season. And he's playing well go figure.

Jordan needs to take a look at his staff this offseason. Yes we did make the playoffs last year. As a 8 seed in a year when only 2 of the 8 eastern conference teams would have made the playoffs in the west. This team is pitiful.

Bigger issue is that this team has NO TALENT.

 

Big Al is breaking down and looks like a 48 yo man out there.

 

MKG is a great defender, but still a suspect offensive player.

 

Lance is complete garbage.

 

Zellar is a nice complimentary player...but not a guy that can carry a team.

 

 

The issue now is the same issue that Charlotte has always had....the personnel (trade and draft) decisions made by this team are just atrocious. 

[pantherfan49]

Bigger issue is that this team has NO TALENT.

 

Big Al is breaking down and looks like a 48 yo man out there.

 

MKG is a great defender, but still a suspect offensive player.

 

Lance is complete garbage.

 

Zellar is a nice complimentary player...but not a guy that can carry a team.

 

 

The issue now is the same issue that Charlotte has always had....the personnel (trade and draft) decisions made by this team are just atrocious. 

 

 

 

I remember back in the summer some fans saying the Hornets were going to be 3rd or 4th in the conference.  

 

Truth is, this team took a step back talent-wise and matching personnel wise this offseason.  

 

The only positions that improved were SF (MKG growing) and backup PG (Mo>>Ridenhour).  SG may have slightly improved because Hendo brought it all year.

 

Losing the "point guard" of the offense in McBob, having Big Al turn super lazy and breaking down, and having the train wreck that is Lance Stephenson on the court nets you the 2014-2015 Hornets.  Also, the East improved some IMO and that pushed everyone else down a bit.  

[rmoneyg35]

Maybe Vonleh will be improved enough to start next year. He had a solid game the other night which has me hopeful for his future. Zeller is probably a bench player at best but I have noticed we went on a loosing streak when he got hurt so maybe he is better than I notice.

[bLACKpANTHER]

i like Cliff, and think he should stay.. i am over the Cho trial run.. he is better than Higgins ever was but we need to keep getting better as an organization.. Cho has looked great with the trades he has made but the draft and FA have turned up some real flops.. i doubt we get rid of Cliff or Cho this offseason, but this past year has a lot of built in excuses with the injuries we suffered..

 

this upcoming year will def be a "prove your worth" type of year for both..

[Omega Atrocity]

If you fire the GM, then you basically have to fire the coach unless he is a great one. New GM's really want to bring in their own guy.