(Image from wcti12.com)

Following a four-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder after blowing a twenty-point lead, it can be easy for fans to quickly become negative and categorize this team as the same old Hornets. Plain and simple, this team is not the same Charlotte Hornets. Change is visible from the coaching staff to the court, and for the first time in what feels like forever, it is not negative. Remove yourself from the emotion of blowing a lead at home and look at what the Hornets have done thus far. Three loses have been to teams in the mix for a top four seed in the east (Milwaukee, Toronto, and Philadelphia) with two of those being on the road. These were games that we could’ve won, but it certainly wasn’t an expectation given the team we fielded last year. The other two loses were a road game to a winless Bulls team who was hungry for their first win, and a struggling OKC team with two legitimate stars at home. Minus the Bulls loss, we have not lost a single game that we should’ve won easily. My point? We are beating the teams we should be beating, which any Hornets fan should know isn’t exactly normal for this organization.

While the wins and loses are fun to look at, the on-court evaluation is where this Hornets team begins to separate itself from years past. The young talent on this team is eye opening. The bench depth this team has is far better than the torment we had to endure watching when the starters came off the court last year, and we have a coach that has adapted to the new NBA by playing a fast-paced offense and shooting lots of threes. Starting with young talent, despite Bridges and Monk both only being twenty years old, they have shown so many flashes of brilliance that you cannot help but wonder how talented they may be in the future. While it is early, Bridges looks to be the best draft pick since Kemba, and should be a lock to participate in the dunk contest already with how many highlights he has produced in nine games. Monk on the other hand has shown he has all the talent to be a legit back court option to take the load off Kemba, with the only question for him being his defensive ability. The bottom line is, if these two continue to receive playing time from coach Borrego, there is no doubt we will begin to see some solid talent forming around Kemba.

Looking back at last year’s bench, we suffered through MCW, Jeremy Lamb, Treveon Graham, Frank, and Cody Zeller, with Malik Monk, and Dwayne Bacon getting limited minutes behind them. After the starters, we had zero defense, a point guard who was incapable of running an offense and continually missed easy layups, and no true scorer outside of Jeremy Lamb. In comparison to the bench this year, you cannot help but be joyful to see a future Hall of Famer in Tony Parker running the point when the starters leave the court. This allows our offense to flow much better when Kemba needs rest, and hopefully will allow him to sustain his high level of play through the entire season and into the playoffs. Also, our second unit is vastly improved from last year with MKG moved to the bench, and Bridges playing next to him. They both provide solid defense on the wing, and are versatile enough to guard anyone on the court if it is required. The biggest takeaway from the bench though is that they have not been prone to blowing leads this season, which was a trademark for last year’s bench. Actually, this bench has come in and sparked the team to play better because of the flare Monk and Bridges seem to show off on a nightly basis.

 

(Image from CharlotteObserver.com)

Lastly, coach Borrego’s new system seems to be getting the most out of our players, and fits well in today’s modern NBA. Yes, you could argue there have been several mistakes Borrego has made in regard to his rotations early on, but you must remember this is his first year being a head coach, so there will obviously be some adjustments he will have to make. The important thing, however, is that he seems to have a good coaching style, and seems flexible with who is playing night in and night out. One of the biggest issues I had with coach Clifford last year was that the rotation that was like clockwork. Every team knew who would be on the floor at what time, and he would not adjust it regardless of the matchup. Borrego searching for the players that will hustle on the court will hopefully prevent complacency, and allow the players that deserve to be on the court to get minutes.

All of these things are not only welcome changes from last year, but seem to bode well for seasons to come with this Hornets team. My goal and other fans’ goal for this team should be to win a playoff series this year. That would be a massive step in the right direction, and give us something to build on with our young talent entering a pivotal time in Hornets franchise history.

(Image from USA Today)

The Charlotte Hornets are currently sitting at 11-19 coming off of a much-needed win against the New York Knicks, and the team is on the verge of chaos. Every night it feels like the Hornets are losing by 5 or 10 coming down the final stretch in the fourth, only to get inches away from swinging the momentum before allowing the opponent to go on a game ending run.

They are currently 3-7 in their last 10 games and it has been filled with stagnant offense and no defense. As much as I want to be surprised by how this season has unfolded, this is the Charlotte Hornets, and I have become accustomed to being disappointed by what I am watching.

The motto of this team is take one step forward and two steps back, and it looms over the franchise like a curse. The organization has run the team as if we are just trying to make the playoffs and build from there, which was acceptable when we where a younger team, but that time has passed. With Kemba in his prime and the team stuck spinning their tires in the dirt, it is time for the organization to make a choice. Right now, they can either go for broke and trade/sign for the biggest possible piece on the market and hope you can become good enough to compete with Cleveland or Boston, or blow up the team and hope for a once in a lifetime player like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kristaps Porzingis in the draft.

In a perfect world, if we were to blow up the team and tank, we would get high draft picks and build with several young and promising top ten draft picks. The problem with that is we have already done it, and we got nowhere. We have had multiple lottery picks and they have all been busts, with the exception of Kemba Walker. Recently we have had picks No.2 (should’ve been 1), No.4, and No.9 three times. With these top 10 picks we came out with MKG, Cody Zeller, Noah Vonleh who was traded a season in, Frank Kaminsky, and Kemba Walker.

While MKG, Cody, and Frank are all nice supporting pieces, they were all three busts compared to where they were drafted. With all of this being said, we are left to question if we want to risk tanking. If we are not able to turn this season around in any way, I think our only option is to tank this offseason.

Now that we have ruled out tanking for the time being, that leaves us to make a big trade or signing in free agency this offseason.

We are not going to go sign the biggest name free agent because of our market. In the NBA, stars sign with teams in big markets that have other big-name players, and the Hornets have neither. Kemba is extremely underrated but still not on the level needed to attract a consistent All-star. Making a trade is our best shot at saving our season, and possibly saving the seasons to come.

If there is one thing Rich Cho has thrived at, it is trades, and right now we need a big trade more than ever. Several in-season trades have boosted our season before (ex. trading P.J. Hairston and Brian Roberts for Courtney Lee), but with the severe holes this team seems to have we need something more than a low radar trade. I think you have to start by addressing the wing rotation and depth.

(Image from Heavy.com)

Whatever trade the team makes it must involve one of Nic Batum, MKG, and Marvin Williams, or maybe a combination of two. All three players have been amazing for the organization at some point or another but it is time to cut ties.

Something isn’t clicking in that area of the lineup and all it takes is watching one game to recognize it. Not only is something not clicking, but Dwayne Bacon, Malik Monk, Treveon Graham, and Johnny O’Bryant have all played well enough to receive more minutes. A trade with two of the mentioned players would clear minutes for the younger players, while also possibly bringing in a wing player that could contribute much more than what we are getting right now.

The biggest problem is finding someone who wants Marvin, MKG, or Nic with their massive contracts and inconsistent play through the first 30 games, but if Cho is able to trade the Miles Plumlee contract for Dwight Howard then he can do anything.

It is not too late to salvage the season, but as of right now it would not be a bad idea to prepare for the worst. Our backs are against the wall and the next five games go Raptors, Bucks back to back, Celtics, and Warriors.

As always, go Hornets!

After a horrible 6 game losing streak, we have officially seen the highs and the extreme lows of the Charlotte Hornets. While the season is still early, it is fair to say that they will not get much worse than they were in those 6 games, barring a significant injury to a key player. This horrid stretch was riddled with stagnant offense, an incompetent defense, and much like last year a knack for blowing 4^th quarter leads. Granted this did come at the hands of MKG and Nic being absent for a majority of the stretch, it was still very alarming to watch. With all this being said we have also been able to see a side of the Hornets that looks like it could compete for the Eastern Conference Finals. The difference in these two sides is night and day, Howard is putting up crazy numbers, the team is moving the ball, and the bench is providing instant offense. While we would all prefer the latter, is it fair to believe it can be sustained?

The first thing that needs to happen if the Hornets are going to reach the Eastern Conference Finals is more consistency, and not just with their level of play. The energy needs to be more consistent. At the start of the season you could feel the energy they were playing with almost every game, but during the last 10 games it has been stagnant. If they can sustain energy from game to game and more importantly for the entire game, it will be a huge step in the right direction. Another area the Hornets need to get more consistent in is Clifford’s rotations. The team has played well together, but it is harder for players to be prepared when they are exiting and entering the game at times they are not expecting. The biggest player having to work with this is Malik Monk. Clifford has been inconsistent with the minutes he has given to Monk and that lack of consistency can be crippling for a rookie. There have been games when Monk plays all the way to the end of the 4^th like at the Knicks, and others like the two home games against the Clippers and Wizards where he did not touch the court. Monk also is not ready to play yet I personally believe, but in his defense when the minutes are inconsistent it is hard to always be prepared. All of the lineup confusion can be attributed to the erratic injuries that have plagued the team up to this point.

With a lack of all-stars in the east due to free agency, and no real impressive team other than the Boston Celtics who are without Gordon Hayward, the Hornets should be able to compete with anyone in the Eastern Conference. They have already beaten Milwaukee and Washington who are considered to be two contenders in the East, and they seem to be a different team in The Hive with a record of 7-2. The biggest problem the team has is winning road games, which can really haunt you come playoff time. They have only won ONE road game the entire season while losing 8, which is not promising for the rest of the season. Hovering around a .500 road record is good, but going 1-8 on the road to begin the season is horrendous. The deciding factors for if the Hornets can make the ECF will be determined by their ability to win road games, stay healthy, and play with consistency, not their ability to beat other teams in the east. We are capable of beating any team on any night. If we can progress in these three things we could be looking at a competitive series in the second round of the playoffs, and be fighting for an Eastern Conference Finals playoff bid.