New Orleans Hornets reader comment: Team has history of short fuse with young players
In response to John DeShazier's column on the Marcus Thornton-Carl Landry trade, nola.com reader whodathornets wrote:
"Good article, JD, and valid points raised for sure. I think fans need to give Landry a chance, and give the reigning brain trust some confidence as most of their moves thus far have been positive. However, I also believe that the "Thornton defense"
issue was far more perceived than reality based on what I saw this season. Sure he got beat sometimes, but was often having to cover very athletic 2 guards who were bigger and would cause many defenders problems."
"Personally, I think that the team's backups will REALLY struggle now. I understand the argument that Thornton could be inconsistent. But at least there was some respect that had to be given to him when he entered the game as every night could be one of those nights where he was in "
the zone." I honestly believe that if given the opportunity, Marcus could have evolved into a Jason Terry type player. It bears reminding that he is only in his second year. Most second year players, unless you're named Kobe, Wade, Paul, etc., will struggle with consistency. To me, Belinelli and Jack have been just as inconsistent, if not more so, and they have a lot more games under their belt than Marcus. As the roster stands now, I don't see anyone on this bench, unless Landry proves to be that guy, who teams need to be wary of when he enters the game."
"At the end of the day, I think that even more than the Louisiana/LSU ties, the reason this move makes a lot of fans queasy is that the Hornets have already demonstrated such a short fuse with young players, only to watch them be key contributors to other squads. Many argue that JR Smith has never matured and that it was good riddance letting him go. Maybe. But the guy can score and has absolutely sparked the Nuggets at critical times in the past. Brandon Bass has proven to be a tough, rugged rebounder, something the Hornets have desperately needed the last couple of seasons. And to think that he used to be in a Hornets uniform. Again, if we'd have only hung in there a little longer with him. Only time will tell but my hunch is that in another year or two, Thornton will be well known around the NBA, and he'll be the latest on that list that includes Birdman, JR, and Bass."
