I don’t like to write assumptive articles before the All-Star break. Basketball is a game where the chemistry of the roster makes a huge difference, and for a team that has as much youth/roster movement as the Bobcats have had, it just doesn’t make sense. However, there are some very clear observations that have come to pass that I feel like need to be addressed before we make our true predictions for this team. Before this article really starts, I think I need to tell everyone that I am a fan of this team. I have had season tickets for some time now, and I want only the best for the franchise. However, I feel like the team has done some things that are a disservice to this city that cannot be overlooked. With that being said, they have also made some moves that make a lot of sense if they are viewed in the long-term. Let’s start by saying what this team has done right. Steve Clifford will be a successful coach in this league. He motivates his team to play the right way, and seems to have a firm grip on his players without being overbearing like his predecessor was. There is absolutely no indication that this team doesn’t believe in him, and his past record of success as an assistant speaks for itself. In the future, the only thing that might hold back Coach Clifford is player development, but no one can say he hasn’t put together a staff that should clear up the ailments of the Charlotte franchise. Patrick Ewing is a future NBA coach in his own right, and there are few assistants that have the experience necessary to develop big men like Bismack, Al, and Cody like he has. The same could be said for Mark Price. Players like MKG need to develop their technique and make the new form routine, and there are few better shooters than Price in NBA history. From a coaching perspective, this team is definitely headed in the right direction.

The next positive for the Bobcats are the players. If you were in the stands during the year that will not be named (let’s just say there was a strike there to limit which ones I’m talking about) you knew that the team pretty much did not care. This team is different. Every night, they come out and lay 100% on the court, and should be commended for doing so. The city deserves that type of effort, and this team has not disappointed is making every fan of the Bobcats proud with the poise and leadership this group has displayed on a night-to-night basis. There are very few players as clutch as Kemba, few with better post moves as Al, and few who play with the heart of an MKG, Cody, or Sessions. No one who watches this team would argue this. The will to fight is back for the Bobcats, and I for one am proud of all these players.

With that being said, management and the scouting department has absolutely ruined this team. Before people say I am being dramatic, let me illustrate this in a few ways. Take this list of players: Rajon Rondo, Rudy Gay, Joakim Noah, Tiago Splitter, Marc Gasol, Roy Hibbert, Brook Lopez, Jrue Holliday, Kawhi Leonard, Kenneth Faried, Chandler Parsons, Bradley Beal, and Andre Drummond. This is a list of players who were drafted after a Bobcats’ pick since 2006. While I understand that any draft has outliers and players who play above their projections (see: Faried, Kenneth) the amount of players that this team has passed on is a model that teams could use as a cautionary tale.

This brings me to my main point. 2014 holds what could be the strongest draft that we have seen in 13 years. The team is playing their hearts out, but also playing the way that doesn’t make sense when you look at things from a larger perspective. Let’s just say the Bobcats don’t sign Al Jefferson this past offseason and truly try to bottom out. Right now on NBADraft.net, the #5 pick in the draft is Julius Randle. Ask yourself the honest question: would you deal with one more season of losing to get Randle? I know I would. At the Bobcats’ current pace, they are giving up their 1^st round draft pick to the Bulls as a result of the Tyrus Thomas trade. That trade in itself could be a column with 3000 words, but I wont do that to anyone. All I know is that I for one feel betrayed by this management team, and I think that they have botched draft after draft only to not be involved in the only one that could truly take this team to the next level. Does anyone think this team is going to be anything other than mediocre having Kemba be their best player when he shoots less than 42% from the floor? The good thing is that this team has a lot of players who care about what is going on here and are willing to fight every night for the entire game. That is something to be extremely proud of, and that is something that the team needs to do, even if it is one year early in my opinion.

I realized in my youth that there is obviously something wrong with Scotty and I. We are addicted to the idea of having dynasty franchises in Charlotte for both the NFL & NBA. We don’t just mean Championships. We want visiting fans to have to wear sweatshirts over their jerseys when they come to games out of fear of being jeered at if they brandish them proudly. This leads us to our main point.

I don’t know if we forgot what playoffs are like or people are afraid of getting their hopes up but I’m seeing more “Panthers Fans” saying the Panthers aren’t going to win then all other teams fans combined. WHAT IS THIS?

I understand being critical of your team during the season and if your team didn’t make the playoffs. What I don’t understand is when your team has finished 12-4 and has a first round bye in the Playoffs and someone says “we won’t win the SuperBowl because Cam is not consistent enough. I’m just being realistic!”

To Hell with “realistic”! I’m gonna be unrealistic! I’m gonna let the blind ambition of a fanatic carry me as deep into the playoffs as these Cardiac Cats will take me!

Fanatic- A person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause.

Now is not the time for criticizing but for unyielding support! Now is the time to wear your Panthers jersey everyday of the week! Now is the time to look at the guy next to you in the Eagles hat and tell him “hey bud, you’re in the wrong state.” Now is the time to look at that Falcon fan with a smile and say “better luck next year!” Now is the time to pound your chest with pride and Keep Pounding!

No one pictured Jake Delhomme taking us to the SuperBowl the first time he stepped into the huddle in that season of hope! We have witnessed miracles before Panther Nation and we have never deserved one more than right now! So put down the cheese and wine, pick up a Prowl Towel and support your team because damn it we are only two games away from the SuperBowl!

GO PANTHERS!

Saturday, December 21
The first Buzz City night the new logo for the Charlotte Hornets will be revealed! The first 10,000 fans get one of these Buzz City shirts as we take on the Utah Jazz!

Saturday, January 25
The first 10,000 fans get one of these Muggsy Bogues Bobbleheads as we take on the Chicago Bulls

Saturday, February 8
The first 10,000 fans get one of these Dell Curry Bobbleheads as we take on the San Antonio Spurs

Saturday, March 22
The first 10,000 fans get one of these Kelly Tripucka Bobbleheads as we take on the Portland Trailblazers

Wednesday, April 16
The first 5,000 fans get a “Hornets-Themed gift” that has yet to be revealed. This will be the last game of the season and the last game as the Charlotte Bobcats unless we make the playoffs. Considering the amount went from 10,000 to 5,000 on this item suggests it’s value is almost double that of the Bobbleheads! We will be playing the Chicago Bulls

December 21st in the Bobcats game against the Jazz the new Charlotte Hornets logo and font will be unveiled to the public by none other than Michael Jordan at halftime! They will celebrate the rich culture of Charlotte and the Hornets with visits from Kelly Tripucka, Muggsy Bogues, and Dell Curry!

The first 10,000 fans will receive one of these long sleeve “Buzz City” shirt!

There will be 5 Buzz City nights this season! And there will be other give aways like classic Hornet bobble heads

Well the Charlotte Bobcats announced Sunday morning that they will be using the colors Teal & Purple to represent the Charlotte Hornets when they return the 2014-15 season! The Bobcats appear to be taking the “if its not broke, do not fix it” approach and seem to be preserving the classic image of the Hornets that everyone knows and loves!

They also mentioned in the press release that the next steps in the process will be deciding what the Mascot, Court, Cheerleaders and logo will look like. The Bobcats mentioned on multiple occasions that they have been listening to the community. Even though they dont respond to every comment and tweet they are obviously studying their fans closely right now as to ensure they get this right! The Bobcats obviously know our opinions on a logo as Beelievers have made Big Dub’s rendition a viral representation of our city!

SOOOO Lets make sure the Bobcats know we are voting “HUGO & HONEYBEES 2014”

So once again we were right! Like we predicted the name change, pelicans logo and now the colors for the Charlotte Hornets next year! The Bobcats officially announced that they will be TEAL & PURPLE!

The Whole “Paint This City Again” slogan makes this “Buzz City” picture I found while snooping around even more appropriate considering they hadn’t released it yet!

The two largest personalities in Charlotte, Jordan and Cam in a Charlotte Hornets hat at a Bobcats game before the announcement

The 2004 Panthers fan inside of us all can finally rest a little easier after that victory over the Patriots Monday

This was a huge victory for Panther Nation and the fan base that has been here through it all. We poured into “The Bank” covered from head to toe in black and blue and represented Charlotte. We can finally walk around our own city with our heads held high because Cam did it on the “big stage” and we won another close game for the second week in a row and successfully quieting the doubters.

Remember this feeling of sticking by a team through the thick and thin and the rewarding sensation of watching the home team finally win. If you are like me and broke an ottoman in your house in celebration at the Ted Ginn Touchdown you are swelling with a real pride stemming all the way from your “Cardiac Cats” heart. Now remember the team that plays right down the street at The Time Warner Cable Arena and our future “Hive”. Push aside all of your stereotypes you have formed for this team based off of some 13 year-old-girls tweet who has never watched the team and is trying to be cute and don’t you dare form an opinion off of ESPN which is not much better. This team is just as real and has just as much potential to be great in the next few years as the Panthers did last year.

We are making steps in the right direction concerning this franchise and the fan support. We helped lead the NBA in Season Ticket sales this offseason and the “Buzz City” & “Bring Back The Buzz” campaigns have become an apparel and social media phenomenon never seen before in the history of sports. The return of the Charlotte Hornets nickname will bring a larger sense of ownership for this team by the citizens of Charlotte. The Hornets name paired with blossoming management and promises of actual spending of money for talent should give you a vision of a very bright future.

So Charlotte these are both OUR teams and we should treat them as such. A Panthers fan is a Bobcats (Hornets) fan and a Bobcats (Hornets) fan is a Panthers fan. We a re a city of rich culture and history and we are a city of greatness. So lets rebuild the bridge between the NBA and NFL show the sports world that Charlotte sports fans are something to be feared!