(Note: This blog will have a curse word, but the person being called this....really deserves it.)
The Charlotte Hornets are the team that everyone looks at and says "They are not bad, but are not good either", "They're mediocre, but they could be better", "They are average", "The Hornets are just okay", "They're Meh". It's become a trend for the franchise whose infancy was more than just okay.
In the late 80's when the NBA had expansion fever, four new teams were announced: Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets. For the state of North Carolina, they finally had a NBA team to call their own. The Tar Heel state has been a hotbed for basketball. Duke, UNC, Wake Forest and NC State have developed into powerhouses and sent many players to the NBA.
The Hornets started play at the very cavernous Charlotte Coliseum, while wearing some snazzy uniforms that everyone raved about. Their first two seasons were terrible, but were gifted with generational talents in consecutive drafts. In 1991, they had the number one pick and selected Larry Johnson, the versatile power forward from Jerry Tarkanian's UNLV Runnin' Rebels' squad. In 1992, they had the number two pick and selected Georgetown center Alonzo Mourning. With LJ and Zo, Charlotte's front-court was set up for a long future. Role players like the high-flying Kendall Gill, the tiny but lion-hearted Muggsy Bogues and sharpshooter Dell Curry gave the Hornets a nucleus to contend in the East. They had a little used guard named Tony Bennett, who would become a championship-winning coach at Virginia. LJ would sign an extension on the same day Michael Jordan announced his first retirement (Side note: I threw this in, because I'm writing this 26 years to the day). Zo wanted an extension, but the Hornets were unwilling to give him one. What also was happening behind the scenes was that Zo and LJ loathed each other and before their bright future would come to fruition, Charlotte blew it up. Mourning traded to Miami for Glen Rice and others. Johnson traded to the Knicks for Anthony Mason and others. In 1996, they drafted a 18 year old high school prospect named Kobe Bryant, but traded his rights to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. Hey, Divac is a Hall-of-Famer. The team would sign David Wesley and Bobby Phills to shore their backcourt, but tragically, Phills was killed in a car accident. Despite breaking up a very hopeful foundation, the Hornets were still competitive and the fans still showed up as the franchise ranked near the top of the league in attendance.
As the decade came to a close, the Charlotte Hornets were a profitable franchise that had the fan support that many NBA teams would crave........which explains what happened next as a slap in the face to them.
Despite being a philanthropist and doing goodwill to the city and franchise, owner George Shinn had a Donald Sterling-type mentality. I mean not that he's racist, or not that I think he is. What I mean is that he likes to have relationships with women.......women who are not his spouse. It came to a head when Shinn was accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman. With his sterling reputation tarnished, the fans stopped going to games. Shinn used this to move the team to New Orleans after the 2001-2002 season.......Ok, take a moment to think about this. He relocated the team, because he was a man that was on trial due to extra-curricular activities other than his wife and the woman accused him of being an upper-aged playboy who has deranged tendencies and the NBA approved him moving the franchise to New Orleans.
George Shinn is an asshole.
After a couple years, the NBA realized that the league needs a franchise in Charlotte. They decided to put an expansion team there called the Bobcats. Yes.....the Bobcats. The team's logo looked like something a minor league baseball would use. Their four first round picks (Emeka Okafor, Raymond Felton, Sean May and Adam Morrison) didn't exactly set the foundation for the franchise. Morrison is considered one of the greatest busts of all-time. Fun fact: When they drafted Felton in 2005, the pick before them was the New Orleans Hornets. They selected future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul, who is also a North Carolina native. Towards the end of the decade, the Bobcats really didn't improve much, but the future heading into the 2010's seemed bright.
In 2010, (The GOAT, Hir Airness, Mr. 23...okay, I'll stop) Michael Jordan became the majority owner of the Bobcats. In the next year's draft, they selected what could be their best player in franchise history: UConn guard Kemba Walker. The 2011-2012 season was shortened by a lockout, yet when it finally started, it was terrible for the Cats. 7-59 record, .101 winning percentage (worst in NBA history. Despite that, they received the #2 pick. To add salt in the wound, the #1 pick went to the NEW ORLEANS HORNETS! They selected gen-talent Anthony Davis, while the Bobcats selected Davis's college teammate: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The Bobcats grabbed Indiana center Cody Zeller in the next year's draft and they actually made the playoffs in the 2013-2014 season. Then the franchise went back to the Hornets after New Orleans decided to name their franchise " The Pelicans". Despite a playoff appearance in the 2015-2016 season, the Hornets have been in the middle-of-the-pack since.
Don't get me wrong, the roster has talent.
Kidd-Gilchrist is a top-of-the-line defender and can improve his scoring since he is only 26.....but he's just ok.
Zeller is a solid rebounder and good scorer in the paint....but he's just ok.
After lowballing Kemba Walker in contract negotiations, the team signed Terry Rozier to replace Walker. Rozier is a talented point guard......but he's just ok.
Their young prospects (Malik Monk, Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington) show potential and flashes of being great. Hell, this entire franchise has potential and flashes of being great.......but as of now, they are just ok.
(Sources: Charlotte Hornets.com, NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Wikipedia)
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