Kemba Walker says Hornets' struggles have nothing to do with Steve Clifford

Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker boldly cast his support behind head coach Steve Clifford on Thursday.

Clifford has come under fire due to the Hornets' regression this season from a year ago. Last year, the Hornets finished as the seventh seed, with a record of 43-39. This year, with just eight games remaining, the Hornets sit in 10th with a record of 32-42.

However, Walker says the Hornets' struggles aren't Clifford's fault, as he told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.

"It has nothing to do with him," Walker said. "He does a great job, he's a fantastic coach. He always does his best to give us the right game plan, to try and get wins.

"I'm 100 percent behind him. I believe in him."

Instead, Walker asserts that blame should fall on the players for failing to perform. After all, Clifford finished fourth in voting for coach of the year last season.

"It hasn't been the best season for us this year, but he is definitely not to blame," Walker said. "We're the ones out there playing, we're the ones who have to execute, we're the ones who have to win those games. I think it's on us."

It's certainly noble for Walker to publicly back his coach, and he has a point: it's not Clifford's fault. Rather, injuries and player transactions are responsible for Charlotte's slide.

Charlotte lost a key starter in Josh McRoberts last season and replaced him with a lesser player in Marvin Williams. The team's other offseason acquisition, Lance Stephenson, has inexplicably lost his jump shot and is posting a PER of just 9.0.

Meanwhile, the Hornets have also had to deal with major injuries to both Walker and center Al Jefferson. Both players have missed months due to ankle and knee issues, respectively.