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Hornets Match-Up #1: The Cavs
I realized that there are about 7 weeks left until the start of the season. There are 14 teams in the East that we will compete against this season. I have decided to match the Hornets' squad up against each of those teams (twice a week) until the season starts.
The first match-up I will do is an easy one. A little cake walk to get my feet wet. Keep in mind, I want some feedback at the end of this! Here goes: The Hornets vs.
The Cleveland Cavaliers
Line-ups:
Cleveland
PG Mateen Cleaves (possibly Rod Strickland)
SG Dajuan Wagner (Ricky Davis when Wags drops down to the 1)
SF Ricky Davis (Lamond Murray or Darius Miles when Davis drops down to the 2)
PF Darius Miles (Tyrone Hill when Darius drops down to the 3)
C Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Chris Mihm or DeSagana Diop when Big Z gets hurt)
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Bimbo Coles/Mateen Cleaves (if they sign Strickland)
Lamond Murray
Nick Anderson
Tyrone Hill
Chris Mihm/DeSagana Diop
New Orleans
PG Baron Davis
SG Courtney Alexander
SF Jamal Mashburn
PF PJ Brown
C Jamaal Magliore
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David Wesley/Bryce Drew
Stacey Augmon
Jerome Moiso/Lee Nailon (assuming he is resigned)
George Lynch/Robert Traylor
Elden Campbell
Last Season:
Cavs = 29-53; 14th in the East; Lottery Pick = Wagner
Hornets = 44-38; 4th in the East; Playoff Loss = Nets
Offseason Notes:
Cavs
1. Drafted Dajuan Wagner (6'3", 200 lb, SG, Memphis) and Carlos Boozer (6'9", 280lb, PF, Duke)
2. Traded Welsey Person for Nick Anderson and Matt Barnes
3. Traded Andre Miller and Bryant Stith for Darius Miles and Harold Jamison
4. Resigned Ricky Davis
5. Traded Jumaine Jones for Mateen Cleaves
Hornets
1. Traded 17th overall pick (Juan Dixon) for Courtney Alexander
2. Resigned Baron Davis
3. Resigned Robert Traylor
Match-ups:
PG Cleaves/Wagner/Coles vs BARON/WESLEY/Drew
- I don't think the PG could be a bigger mis-match. The Cavs most glaring weakness to start the season is clearly one of the Hornets' many strengths. New Orleans wins this by a landslide!
SG Wagner/Davis/Anderson vs Alexander/Wesley/Augmon
- Wagner and Davis will probably be better in the long run because of there near unlimited up-side, but right now Alexander and Augmon are consistent defensive presences and Wesley is a versatile, savvy, NBA vet. Hornets again!
SF Davis/Miles/Murray vs MASHBURN/Nailon/Moiso
- Davis and Miles are high-flyers. Murray is a solid bench guy. Mashburn is an all-star caliber player. Nailon is instant offense. The BIG advantage goes to New Orleans here as well!
PF Miles/Hill vs Brown/Lynch/Traylor
- Miles will create mis-matches with opposing PFs because of his speed, but not because of his shooting. Brown is a better rebounder, a better mid-range shooter, and a much more consistant performer. Hill vs. Lynch is a push and Traylor won't contribute much. Another spot to the Hornets!
C Ilgauskas/Mihm/Diop vs Magliore/Campbell
- Big Z has proven to be effective when healthy (which he never is), and Mihm and Diop are un-tapped talents. Magliore is ready to break out, and Campbell is a shot-blocking, rebounding machine with a couple nice post moves to boot. Big plus, again, Hornets!
Scheduled Contests:
Sat, Nov 23, 6:30 PM Central, @ Cleveland
Fri, Mar 7, 7:30 PM Central, @ New Orleans
Sat, Apr 5, 6:30 PM Central, @ Cleveland
Wed, Apr 9, 7:30 PM Central, @ New Orleans
Predictions:
New Orleans will beat the Cavs by at least 20 in the first contest as the young Cleveland line-up won't yet know each other. The second game will be the best one of the four, but the Hornets will win by 5. The last two will be good cake walk games for the Hornets to have at the end of their run at the Eastern Conference title, and they won't dissappoint.
OVERALL: Hornets 4, Cavs 0
Sorry Cleveland! Maybe next year!
Last edited by RollWithEm : 09-19-2002 at 06:54 PM.
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Hornets Match-Up #1: The Cavs
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