 Editor’s Note: This is the fourth edition of Melvin Ely’s blog on Hornets.com.
Earlier in the season I said I was going to do some crazy stuff with my hair this season. Even though my current haircut doesn’t look crazy, it is, because it’s the first time I cut it in seven and a half years! My son lives in Oakland, so when we were in Sacramento last month, I drove down to see him. He asked me to cut my hair. I looked at him and said, “Are you sure?” Since he is one of the only people who have never seen me without hair, I decided to do it for him. It is definitely a lot easier to maintain, but I am still getting used to it. Every time a window or door opens, I definitely feel the wind racing on my head. If I don’t get used to it, I will just start growing it out again this summer. When most of my teammates and friends saw me for the first time, they were in awe. One of my old coaches hardly recognized me and the security guard at the arena didn’t want to let me in because he didn’t know who I was. It has been something I have wanted to do and I am glad that I did. CHALLENGING SLATE We do have a tough schedule at the end of the regular season, but I look at it as a positive. Sometimes when you play non-playoff teams down the stretch you are kind of lured into a false sense of security. You may think you’re playing well but you aren’t playing against the best or against teams with anything to play for. It’s cool to play against Houston, San Antone and Dallas at the end because those are the games that will get you ready for the playoffs. RACE TO THE FINISH Our approach is to try and win as many games as we can. The West is always a tight race – no matter what position you are in right now, you can improve. The final few weeks we will all be playing each other and will beat each other up, so your place in the standings may switch three or four times a week. We aren’t playing with any pressure; we are just going to play like we are used to. It is a little tough with the injuries we have been having, but that just means everyone just needs to step it up a little bit. Tyson and Peja have been out and we have had a few other injuries. Once we are back to full strength it will be a huge lift. We are definitely not happy with where we are at, so we are just going to play hard and get to where we are supposed to be. That’s all for now. I just wanted to thank all the fans again for them supporting me and the team all season long. We’re looking forward to a great playoff run. Other Ely Elaborates Entries Ely Elaborates - Jan. 26 Ely Elaborates - Dec. 15 Ely Elaborates - Nov. 17 |
|
