Heat VS Hornets (Game 2)

Heat Lead Series 2-0

The Hornets did a much better job on offense in this game, but they are still in no position to win. Changes need to be made, and we're going to take a look at what those changes should be.

The Hornets defense is in dire need of a change. Only 1 player shot under 50% for the Heat, and that was Amar'e Stoudemire who only attempted 3 shots and made 1. Everybody else shot at least 50% from the field. That is concerning. Hassan Whiteside made all of his shots and everytime he shot it seemed like a Hornets guard was on him. The Hornets had some really poor defensive rotations. However, Miami did a great job of finding the open player and swinging the ball around the court.

Miami shot 57.9% from the field, but Charlotte did have a good offense going. Kemba Walker picked his game up since game 1 as he had 29 points in the game. However, despite Kemba's performance, many of the other players failed to produce. Marvin Williams shot 0-10 in the game. Nicolas Batum was 3-11. Jeremy Lin was only 2-7 from the field. The whole team shot just 1-16 from 3-point range. Al Jefferson had a great game though. He finished the night with 25 points as he shot 12-17 from the field. However, he played horrible defense when he was on the floor. He couldn't guard the paint against this Heat team and it was actually better to have Cody Zeller out on the floor. Al Jefferson had a defensive rating of 131.9, which is really poor.

The Hornets are also not taking advantage of their youth. They did not run the floor. They had just 1 fastbreak point which was off a Courtney Lee free throw. If you are playing against a verteran Heat team, you need to get off and running to score, which they didn't do.

One thing that kept the Hornet from being blown out was their offensive rebounding. They had 15 offensive rebounds in the game. However, they only had 11 2nd chance points. The 2nd chance points are something that they must take advantage of in this series.

The Heat are obviously the more experience team and their players are playing great defense while being very unselfish with the basketball. They are moving it along the perimeter well, but their passes were few because guy were just left open. The hustle isn't there for the Hornets and hopefully we see a better effort from them on their home court.

Fantasy Fridays: Centers

It is the last of the positions that we have covered that you need for a great overall fantasy team. They are the main rebounders, blockers, and low post scorers. In order for your team to be successful, you need centers. So why not get the best of the centers? Here are the top ten.

10. Dwight Howard: Yes, it is Superman himself. Averaging 15.8 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.3 Blocks per game, and 1.2 APG, Dwight Howard had a pretty good season stats wise. But last season, we learned that Superman wasn't as invincible as we thought. Despite averaging pretty good numbers last season, Dwight Howard played only 41 games. That's half the season. Yeah, pretty bad, am I right? So if you do grab Dwight, buyer beware, he could be out for half the season.

9. Al Horford: The Hawks had a great season partially because of him. And he is one heck of a fantasy player. I really think anybody who gets him will profit. While he averaged 15.2 PPG, 1.3 Blocks, 7.2 rebounds, and 0.9 steals, his assisting numbers were what caught my eye. Last season he averaged 3.2 APG! You will definitely find numbers that you won't get from any other centers with Al Horford.

8. Brook Lopez: He demonstrated last year that he has the ability to stay healthy as he played in 72 games. And last year, he had some great numbers as he averaged, 17.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.8 Blocks, and 0.6 steals. While you do have the risk for him to be injured, Brook Lopez can be really productive, especially now that Deron Williams is gone. Are you willing to take the risk is what you have to ask yourself.

7. Al Jefferson: Big Al had an okay season last year, but it was a big disappointment from the season he had before. In the 2013-14 season, Al averaged 21.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 steals, and 1.1 Blocks. I mean, that is wonderful numbers there Al. But last season, everything dropped except for his blocks. His points went down to 16.6 PPG, and his rebounds went down to 8.4 RPG. Al might just have a rebound season however. He very well could. If he does, it will be rewarding.

6. Nikola Vucevic: This man had a breakout season, last season as he averaged 19.3 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2 APG, and shot 52% from the field. He is not the best defensively but he will get you rebounds and score. He is going to most likely a sleeper so watch him closely and get him if he is a steal.

5. Marc Gasol: As great of a player Marc is, he is not the best when it comes to fantasy. However, Marc is still at the beginning of his career, and can improve offensively, he is a great defender. Last season he averaged 1.9 blocks and 0.9 steals. One thing that many people miss when they look at Marc's stats is his assisting number. Last season, he averaged 3.8 APG, along with 17.4 PPG, and 7.8 RPG. He is a good fantasy player, don't sleep on him.

4.  Hassan Whiteside: One of the best fantasy pickups that has ever happened from the waivers, happened last season. That was when Hassan had 12 blocks, 14 Points, and 13 Rebounds on Nation television. And Hassan will most likely see a big increase in playing time and I do expect him to become an all-star this next season. I do expect a lot of blocks, rebounds, and points from Hassan this season.

3. Greg Monroe: I honestly think that Greg Monroe will have his best season yet. After having a double-double season last year, Greg Monroe is at the best point of his life, and I expect him to average about 20 PPG, and 12 RPG. Not to mention, he might not be a great blocker, but Monroe can definitely steal the ball as he averaged 1.1 steals last year. Greg Monroe will be a great player to have on your fantasy team.

2. DeAndre Jordan: He lead the league in rebounds (15) and field goal percentage (71%). Not to mention he averaged 1 steal per game and 2.3 blocks. He only scores 12.1 PPG but scoring should be the reason why you got him. DeAndre Jordan is a player unlike any other. Get him if you can.

1. DeMarcus Cousins: He averaged 24.1 PPG last season along with 12.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.5 Steals, and 1.7 blocks. He may average 4.3 turnovers and 4.1 fouls, but how can you argue with these stats. You really can't. He may have some downsides, but he is a beast on both offense and defense and is a great rebounder. Take DeMarc.

Well, there you have it, all five position worth of the top 10 fantasy players at their positions. If you want the other positions, click here. Well, hope you do well with your fantasy team. Until next week... Aaron Jaros. 

The Hornets Are Slowly Fading

Kemba Walker comes up from behind, Blocks Him! Kemba, last second shot! Wins It!

That's what the beginning of the season was like for the Hornets. However, newly acquired, Lance Stephenson, was not fitting well with this group. Coach Clifford started to bench Lance. Then the most devastating thing that could happen to a Hornets fan, happens. Kemba Walker goes down. He is injured. Small Forward, Gary Neal, was having a great season with this Hornets team. It was impossible for him or Lance to come off the bench and play Point Guard though.

Point Guard, Zach LaVine for the Minnesota Timberwolves was about to participate in the Dunk competition as well as the Rising Stars challenge. He was seeing a lack of minutes, and with Ricky Rubio coming back from injury, he would be placed behind not only Rubio, but Mo Williams too. The Timberwolves made the decision to trade off Mo Williams to get some playing time for a rising Zach LaVine. Of course, the Hornets needed a great veteran Point Guard. Mo Williams had 52 points with the Timberwolves. Obviously this guy could help the Hornets, right?

The Hornets traded off Gary Neal for the Timberwolves, Mo Williams. Mo already was familiar with the Hornets center, Al Jefferson, who had played with Mo on the Jazz. Mo was an immediate impact when he came to the team. They ended up going on a winning streak, Mo won the Eastern Conference player of the week award, and Kemba Walker was close to returning.

Kemba Walker's return didn't help them. It made them worse. Kemba couldn't find rhythem, and Mo couldn't produce that well off the bench. They ended up a couple games out of the playoffs. Now to make matters worse, team center, Al Jefferson has a knee injury. Poor Al could be benched for the rest of the season. As the Celtics and the Nets are on the rise, the Hornets are slowly fading.