Things are looking good

After 4 preseason games, my feelings of Charlotte being a great fit are proving to be pretty accurate. See our July 8th post: Header contest! and Great Fit for JLin!. My big miss was Cody Zeller offensively. He is very athletic, smart, and tough. If he can hit the 3 consistently, wow! Watch out. I've also had a change of heart with Jeremy Lamb. I was never a big fan when I saw him play before and he seems like the same player now. Plays lackadaisical D, is an average shooter at best. Bad combo for your supposed starting 2 or any starter for that matter. No way he starts and I even think Aaron Harrison eventually takes some of his backup minutes. Harrison plays a lot better D and is actually a decent 3 point shooter.

I've heard a lot of talk about people preferring to have Jeremy come off the bench so he can play the point. But the game has changed in the last few years. There has been a big push towards positionless basketball: "Positionless Basketball" Reigns Supreme, where you usually just play your best players regardless of position. The three point line has changed the game and you need versatility out on the floor. You have to be able to defend the 3 and hit the 3 and that's right in Jeremy's wheel house. He will be a starting guard next to Kemba, no question. You'd have to be blind, BS, or Mcfail not to see that.

Another take. Everyone, again gets so excited with Jeremy's play and says he's gotten so much better and that's why he might start. No, he's improved like any young talented point guard would who works hard on his game over the summer. The big difference is his usage and the respect he is receiving from his teammates. Jeremy has not all of a sudden improved so much that now he can start in the NBA. It's just that he now has a sane coach and an organization without ulterior motives. He is putting up 20 pts, 5 asts, 5 rebs per 36 minutes in 4 preseason games. This is Dwayne Wade like numbers and I guy I've compared JLin with before. Yes, it's only preseason and a small sample size but instead of putting limitations on him like Mcfail who loved to say that Linsanity was not reality, lets see what happens when JLin is given the support and playing time needed to truly play to his full potential.

I never had a doubt that the Hornets would be a playoff team just by adding JLin and Batum, but after seeing them in preseason I'm thinking they have a chance for home court (top 4 seed) if they stay healthy. I also see Jeremy fighting for an All-Star spot battling with John Wall, DWade, and Kyrie.