Rock Bottom? It Sure Feels Like It

Things just keep getting worse for the Charlotte Hornets.

It's been another long, disastrous, injury-filled season for the Charlotte Hornets who are once again looking forward to turning the page to next year a month before the trade deadline.

Earlier this week, Hornets head coach Steve Clifford was disgusted with the team's lack of intensity against Sacramento, allowing 62 points in the paint. Fast-forward to Friday night and Charlotte hit a new all-time low - losing to a six-win team by 36. 

It was expected to be a night full of hope and promise as LaMelo Ball made his way back to the lineup after missing 20 consecutive games with a right ankle sprain. Unfortunately, around these parts, when one comes back another goes down. Rookie Brandon Miller exited the game following a scary fall on a dunk attempt that was contested by Keldon Johnson. The injury diagnosis was a back contusion and he did not return.

Brandon Miller is headed to the locker room after taking this hard fall. pic.twitter.com/q34UxV0iy1

— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) January 13, 2024

As I mentioned last week, it's been a crap storm for Clifford since he returned to Charlotte, putting him in a really unfair situation. This isn't the roster he and his staff came to coach and he even pointed that out in a recent press conference.

Callihan: Steve Clifford Was Dealt a Tough Hand

Making a coaching change won't suddenly solve the Hornets' injury luck but it's something that will more than likely happen at the end of the season. The Hornets just need to wipe the slate clean and start over. Hold on to the youngsters, trade off those who have value that aren't a part of the long-term vision, and spend some money in the offseason to jumpstart this thing. 

The one area that Clifford deserves some criticism is the production on the defensive end of the floor. That's one of the reasons he was hired as the head coach - to elevate the play on defense to go with what had previously been a top 10-12 offense. This group has not shown the willingness to defend for 48 minutes or for even a handful of possessions for that matter. To see the kind of performance they put on Friday after he ripped them for the Sacramento game is alarming. I understand injuries play a massive part in this thing, but you just simply can't lose by nearly 40 to one of the worst teams in the NBA.

This new ownership group needs to make some moves that provide the fanbase with some hope moving forward because right now, there is no light at the end of the tunnel. You can't keep building through the draft. At some point, you have to spend some money and surrounding LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams with high-level veterans.

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