The Lost Weekend
“It took a lost weekend in a hotel in Amsterdam
And double pneumonia in a single room
And the sickest joke was the price of the medicine
Are you laughing at me now?
May I please laugh along with you?” - Lloyd Cole
Young NBA teams are similar to young puppies, you look away for one moment and they’ve pooped all over the carpet.
I’m choosing not to express any disappointment over Sunday’s game against the Sixers for two reasons. 1) The game was a back to back situation and if the Hornets were to have any shot, it’d have to be without tired legs. 2) Philly CAN win the Eastern Conference this year, expecting this young team to win THAT game is a fools errand, for now.
That being said, the loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night was bad no matter how you slice it. Going scoreless for nearly 4 minutes in the final stanza is inexcusable, especially with one of their better guards (Lonzo Ball) out.
Even after a less than ideal weekend, the Hornets find themselves at 4-6 on the season, in a spot better than anyone ever expected them to be in. With a three game slate this week that is very winnable.
Weekly Preview
Wednesday 11/13 vs Memphis
Ja Morant is coming into town, the guy (along with Trae Young) who might be the fresh new concepts at Point Guard in the NBA. The Rookie Of The Year favorite is averaging nearly 19 points and just as many heart stopping moments.
So, if we’re talking new concepts to eat at, I cannot recommend Ace Number 3 burgers in the Belmont area any higher. Think about all the hype that Shake Shack got when they arrived in town, now imagine this hype ACTUALLY making it into the burger flavor. Between the ways you can customize your burger to the quaint inside (and outside) seating. This should be one of the places you should go to ASAPTUALLY.
Friday 11/15 vs Detroit
This should be the Blake Griffin’s 2nd game back (the Pistons have a back to back with Minnesota and Miami, Blake’s not playing in one of those). There should be growing pains involved with inserting him back into a team where you have Andre Drummond playing like an absolute monster (Drummond’s averaging 22 and 18 thus far this season.).
So I can’t recommend anything any higher than Jet’s Pizza, a Michigan Style Pizza famous for their Eight corners style pie. It’s a monster of an order, but it’s worth all the calories. Thank me later.
Sunday 11/ 17 at New York Knicks
I know that the Hornets are a rebuilding team, I JUST wrote about how they’re young and that they can poop on your carpet at a moment’s notice. That said look at these tweets and tell me this is a team the Hornets should lose to.
So yeah, explain to me how this game will end up close. The Knicks shouldn’t win. But because the Hornets are a young team with a tendency to not pay attention to the details, the Knicks MIGHT win. And the fact that you might feel that uncomfortable with it, is just a part of the ride.
Normally, I’d have a restaurant to recommend for this Knicks game. In this case, just head to CVS and buy Pepto (especially if you’re invested in the wins and losses of this team, which I DO NOT RECOMMEND).
Other News and Notes
First things first, you probably should check out Nathan Walker’s NBA stats. It’s a $5 a month investment that’ll get you deeper into learning why things are the way they are. Secondly, while PJ Washington being one of the more stable rookies isn’t a surprise with the way he started the season, Cody Martin being one of the more stable rookies is. Dare we say Mitch is at minimum 4 for 5 with draft picks (not counting Kulbolka yet).
NBA Math is another good Twitter follow to learn the data. Devonte Graham has been the best player on the team by a wide margin, the rest of the roster being at least CLOSE to net neutral shouldn’t go unnoticed. Malik Monk being SLIGHTLY ahead of Miles Bridges in terms of points added is a mild surprise. That said, it’s early and the light could come on for someone soon.
Song of the Day
Besides the fact that it’s a classic salsa song that I’ve heard in one form or another over the past 30 years. It’s also now a part of one of my favorite new meme’s.
Since it’s stuck in my head now, I’ll pass it along.
So enjoy the ride, dance a little bit and I’ll see you guys on Wednesday.