Re: Armstrong & Vinicius getting more playing time The Hornets have three young rookies on their squad this year, but two of them are getting a bigger chance to prove themselves this past week. Hilton Armstrong and Marcus Vinicius are playing more minutes due to the injuries of Tyson Chandler, Demond Mason and Peja Stojakovic. Armstrong has averaged 4.7 points and three rebounds in the month of April, while playing 18.7 minutes per contest. Those numbers are quite better than his season averages, which consists of 3.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 10.8 mpg. Marcus Vinicius was called up from the NBADL last week, and has averaged 3.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg and has shot 100% on three-pointers scince the move. Both Hilton and Marcus have not made huge impacts this season, but are slowly developing into role players for this team. I can see Hilton Armstron as the Hornet's backup center if Marc Jackson departs in free agency. Vinicius is considered one of the best young shooters in the league, and could become the team's future swingman if Peja Stojakoovic can't get back into full form. It's nice to see these kids get some minutes, and who knows, maybe one of them can make the jump from the bench to the starting lineup like David West did. :happy0144:
Re: Armstrong & Vinicius getting more playing time I like that they are doing this. I have noticed this a little latley when I've watched some of their games. I think it's cool Bryon is giving them time. I was high on Hilton going into the draft. Im glad Hornets got him, Bryon is pretty good with minutes. Also I guess he's been lucky I guess since the injuries. And him getting time gives him the experience, and hopefully the development he needs
Re: Armstrong & Vinicius getting more playing time <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LAZY @ Apr 8 2007, 08:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I like that they are doing this. I have noticed this a little latley when I've watched some of their games. I think it's cool Bryon is giving them time. I was high on Hilton going into the draft. Im glad Hornets got him, Bryon is pretty good with minutes. Also I guess he's been lucky I guess since the injuries. And him getting time gives him the experience, and hopefully the development he needs</div>well said. :happy0144: Armstrong took three years to develop at UConn, maybe two seasons on the bench could benefit him in the future. David West barely played at all in his first two years, then in year three he breaks out and becomes the team's #1 scoring threat. Also, Vinicius is the Hornet's backup plan if Peja doesn't work out. I hope it does because Peja is being payed a lot. :shifty2:
Re: Armstrong & Vinicius getting more playing time I've always liked Hilton Armstrong, he's going to be a pretty solid NBA player for a long time. He's very athletic, he's much stronger than he may look, he's an excellent shot blocker, he rebounds. He needs to work on his offensive game a ton though, but I think he's going to be a very serviceable center in this league. Chandler/Armstrong will be a very nice center combo.
Re: Armstrong & Vinicius getting more playing time Are the Hornets on the verge of making the playoffs? If so, why would they play them if they are fighting to keep there spot if they are in?
Re: Armstrong & Vinicius getting more playing time <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AiRuPtHeRe? @ Apr 9 2007, 04:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Are the Hornets on the verge of making the playoffs? If so, why would they play them if they are fighting to keep there spot if they are in?</div>do you know how to read? I said that the Hornets are currently battling injuries. Desmond Mason, Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic are all out. CP3 is banged up as well. If the Hornets had all these guys at full strength, Armstrong and Vinicius wouldn't play any minutes at all.
Re: Armstrong & Vinicius getting more playing time <span style="font-family:Arial">I have been high on Marcus Vinicius for awhile now, I have been waiting to see him log some decent playing time this season. He tore it up during his time in the D-League, he averaged 17 points and 7 rebounds per game for Tulsa. Marcus is a great offensive player, his all-around offensive game is incredibly smooth. He can pass, dribble, shoot, post up, play multiple positions. He has a lot of moves in his arsenal to work with. He just needs to work harder during the offseason to improve his defense, he is a horrible defender.I watched a few of his games in D-League, I was pretty impressed with his overall play. One thing I noticed the most watching him play was his confidence during those games, he wasn't scared to do anything offensively. However in the NBA it has been a different story. I noticed he played for 18 minutes against Phoenix the other day, yet he only took 2 shots the entire game. He needs to be more aggressive offensively if he wants to earn a solid amount of playing time next season. If he played with any of the same confidence he did while in D-League, I could see him putting up very solid scoring numbers.</span>
