Hornets start the offseason looking for some continuity

PHOTO | TROY HULL

Injuries and inconsistent play left Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford disappointed with a 27-55 record, a 16-win slide from last season with James Borrego as coach.

There’s no doubt the Charlotte Hornets had a bad season.

In his season-ending media availability Monday, coach Steve Clifford admitted the obvious: a 27-55 record was below expectations for a team that won 43 games a year previous. Injuries were a factor, with point guard LaMelo Ball missing more than half the season with ankle issues as well as significant time off for forwards Gordon Hayward and top rotation player Cody Martin, among others.

Without continuity, everything was a struggle.

“It’s obviously not the season we had hoped for,” he said. “Injuries were certainly a part of it, but it should always start with self-reflection. That’ll be the beginning of the summer study, where as the head coach you can take the easy way out and say injuries, but the bottom line is we could’ve played better. It’s not like we knocked it out of the park every night.”

The Hornets have plenty of homework to address in the offseason, starting with injuries that decimated the roster. The opening-day roster was totally different from the group that closed the season Sunday against Cleveland. Those changes led the struggles on both end of the floor that the coaching staff will have to address.

“The study from all of it – how we played offensively, how we played defensively,” Clifford said, “this is a time where you can go slower, you can watch more. The assistants all have projects to do.”

Charlotte’s troubles started last summer when leading scorer Miles Bridges, who was in line for a huge payday as a free agent, pleaded no contest in Los Angeles to a felony count of injuring a child’s parent. Without Bridges, who sat out the entire season, the Hornets played with a gaping hole in its lineup.

Clifford acknowledged his absence hurt, but it wasn’t the only one.

“I don’t know if you can really gauge that,” he said. “Obviously, he was the high scorer and the best rebounder, so it definitely has an impact. It gave P.J. (Washington Jr.) a chance to be an every-night starter, which was a positive thing for him. It gave us a good chance to evaluate him going against starters every night at that position. It gave other guys more time, too.

“Basketball is a game that starts at the top of your roster, so when you lose a guy that’s top two, top three player on your roster, it’s a big deal. It’s harder to win.”
With the Hornets potentially for sale, Clifford acknowledged the possibility of major changes coming. But he’s also been around the NBA long enough to understand there’s nothing he can do other than his job – something he enjoyed despite a losing record.

“If this were eight years ago and I’d been the coach for one year, it’s different than where I’m at now,” he said. “Even though it was tough, I loved being the head coach again. I didn’t even realize how much I missed it. I enjoyed the year in Brooklyn (as a special assistant) and all that, but I like having the team, I like being in charge of it, I like trying to figure out how you can have positive days.

“Obviously, I hope nothing happens because I want to coach again next year, but I’ve also been around this league long enough to know to not ever be surprised by anything that happens. That’s pro sports.”

To be a better team next season, the Hornets need to improve over the summer. For players, it’s athletic growth. For the front office, it’s scouting for the draft and free agency.

“You’ve got to have a great offseason,” he said. “Every team will have a chance for internal development – individual skill work, summer league. Then it’s the study part – what we can add, what we can change about how we play to make it better for the players. Then we have a really good opportunity for external development – the draft, whatever comes with the draft.

“We have five draft picks, or whatever else pops up – trades, free agency, whatever. The goal has to be to make the playoffs. That’s what this whole thing is about. To make the playoffs and be able to play well, you’ve got to be good at both offense and defense.”

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