The Charlotte Hornets are planning as if center Cody Zeller will be out for a while with a fractured left hand.
What are the options, as coach James Borrego prepares for home games Saturday and Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Brooklyn Nets?
— Bismack Biyombo sounds like the most likely option to step in as starting center. Biyombo started 29 of the Hornets’ 65 games last season, and is the only player with sufficient size (6-foot-9) and experience (nine seasons) to be reliable.
— Borrego said he intends to play more small-ball, which means P.J. Washington at center and Miles Bridges at power forward. Washington playing center at 6-foot-7 had mixed results in the preseason.
— The loss of Zeller means two second-round rookie big men -- Duke’s Vernon Carey and Kentucky’s Nick Richards -- might end up in the rotation sooner than anticipated.
— The Hornets could scan what’s left on the free-agent market to sign another big man. They have an open roster spot and roughly $5 million of space under the $109 million salary cap.
“Losing Cody is big for us,” Borrego said following a Christmas Eve practice at Spectrum Center. “I think everybody recognizes that’s a big loss for us.”
The Hornets re-signed Biyombo to a one-year, $3.5 million contract. While he was seen primarily as a backup and a mentor to young players, Borrego said Charlotte has had some success when he starts. Biyombo is limited offensively, but he is a decent post defender and rebounder.
Carey, the 32nd pick, and Richards, the 42nd pick, combined for a total of 24 minutes in the four preseason games, as Borrego focused on getting his primary rotation candidates ready.
“I’m not opposed to going to Vern or Nick. We spent a lot of time with them (in practice Thursday), getting them ready,” Borrego said.
“We drafted them for a reason. They may get thrown into the fire quicker than they expected or we expected...That’s all we have right now. The cupboard is a little bit bare without Cody.”
Though neither played much in the preseason, Borrego appeared to see Richards as further along than Carey, based on when and how much the two played.
Borrego said at the outset of training camp that Washington would play “a lot” of center this season. Washington had a poor preseason, to the extent Borrego said he wasn’t yet in shape. Despite starting, Washington played only 21 minutes in Wednesday’s opening loss at Cleveland.
“We’re going to have to play a little small, with P.J. at (center),” Borrego said. “I’m comfortable with Biz as a starter. Biz has proven to be a starter in this league, and for us, as well.”
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POOR REBOUNDING/DEFENSE
The Hornets trailed the Cavaliers by as many as 21 points in the first half Wednesday, largely due to giving up lane penetration and poor rebounding.
Biyombo said reviewing game video Thursday showed some poor boxing out. Borrego indicated that was partially the fault of the perimeter defense, for giving up so much dribble-penetration. The tumbledown effect of that is big men having to rotate out of position to help defend a guard, which disrupts box-outs.
“We’re getting beat too much off the dribble,” said Borrego, whose team was outrebounded 57-41. “Our bigs are having to come over to help, and that pulls our biggest guys away from the rim. It leaves (Cavs center) Andre Drummond and other guys free to crash” the boards.
