 2014/2015 Projection: 45-37, third place Southeast Division, sixth place Eastern Conference
Actual Finish: 33-49,
fourth place Southeast Division, eleventh place Eastern Conference
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Projected
2014/2015 Finish
14
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Actual 2014/2015
Finish
22
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Team
Statistics and League Rank
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Individual
Statistical Leaders
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SDH’s Hero to Honor: +Cody Zeller
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SDH’s Face to Forget: Lance Stephenson
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After years of struggling to find its footing in both the +NBA and the public, it looked as if a new era of professional basketball was about to emerge in the city of Charlotte North Carolina as not only did the team finished well in 2014 making the playoffs, but also entered 2015 with a new look and a stronger roster. Actually, to be accurate, it was more of a repossessed look as team owner +Michael Jordan decided, in his own words, to "bring the 'buzz' back," and renamed it the +Charlotte Hornets, after the original NBA franchise which broke the hearts of its fans, moved further South and became the +New Orleans Pelicans. Although this was an obvious publicity stunt and marketing ploy, it seemed suitable for fans to see the name of their past franchise because they never assimilated themselves neither to the Bobcats brand or the orange and navy blue color scheme which seemed to clash with their collective tastes. Jordan's primary henchman and right hand man Rich Cho, also went to work strengthening the team from the inside adding more depth to the roster with his most important being locking up one of the most prized free agents at the time, +Lance Stephenson--a player who felt spurned by his former team, the +Indiana Pacers, when the team's boss +Larry Bird offered a contract extension far lower than he expect and went to Charlotte to prove his doubters wrong. Along with the additions of sharp shooting stretch four Marvin Williams, highly touted rookies +PJ Hairston and Noah Vonleh, as well as former +San Antonio Spurs point guard Gary Neal--a player with three NBA titles to his credit--the Hornets looked to be a team on the rise and not only return to the playoffs, but also contend very heatedly for the Southeast Division title against the +Washington Wizards, +Atlanta Hawks and +Miami HEAT.
Unfortunately upon opening tip off everything become completely unraveled as the team came out of the gates completely out of sync which resulted into the team that was once believed to on the rise becoming a complete embarrassment winning eleven less games and missing the playoffs. Both Jordan and Cho must have wanted to crawl under the nearest rock once they saw their best laid plans crumble right in front of them as Marvin Williams, who was paid 7$ million per year for three years, became an absolute bust while both rookies Vonleh and Hairston failed to make any impact whatsoever as the played a combined 70 games only producing 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game; however their biggest shame came in the form of their greatest hope. Lance Stephenson was supposed to be their "ace in the hole," as he came off a career season in 2014 not only finishing as the second leading scorer for the Pacers, but also the team's top assist man with 5.5 per game, second leading rebounder with 7.3, and most accurate shooter with a .491 field goal percentage; however, upon arriving to Charlotte, that all disappeared. Upon opening tip off Stephenson's shooting proficiency completely disappeared while his defense, and despite showing flashes of the solid rebounding and passing that he gave in Indiana, he still remained a fraction of his former self leading many to believe that he was not the prized stud that many in the media propped him up as being. Throughout the course of the season, it seemed as if "Murphy's Law" had hit the Charlotte Hornets and their fans as everything that could have gone wrong did leaving both Charlotte deflated and discouraged and both Jordan's and Cho's faces red with embarrassment. What makes reliving this disgrace of a season even more painful was the fact that this team had most, if not all of the same roster from the previous year and came in deeper, not only in terms of talent but also post season experience as Williams, Stephenson, and Neal spent much of careers as big time contributors in the playoffs. One would think that such extensive winning resumes along with their distinct skill sets could bring some much needed leadership to a young group of up and comers who just had a small taste of winning and had their mouths watering for more; however, those three proved to be pretty useless as they seemed even more clueless than the younger players who were looking to them for support and guidance. That was certainly the case with Marvin Williams, the ten year veteran who had been originally tabbed by head coach Steve Clifford as the team's starting power-forward coming into the season, but was quickly pulled out due to his minimal offensive production (7.4 ppg, .424 FG%) and his equally terrible presence on the defensive glass (just 4.9 per game in 26 minutes of playing time. Williams was supposed to be the perfect complimentary role player that was supposed to fit in seemingly into the team while quite offering veteran leadership and wisdom in the team's front court while Gary Neal was brought in to do the same in the back court supporting the team's rising star point guard +Kemba Walker; however, both would miss the mark as Williams' role diminished as the season passed and Neal was then eventually traded to the +Minnesota Timberwolves for another veteran, Mo Williams who proved to be a far better scorer than Neal, yet not good enough to lead the team to the playoffs. Stephenson had to be the biggest disappointment out of all those players since he had both the most to gain and the most to lose as he gave up to 45$ million to prove not only Bird and the Pacers, but the world that he was worth a superstar's salary; however, along with his shooting touch, he also lost the most important facet of his game--his confidence. At first, it did not seem as bad when he fell into that shooting stroke because he compensated for that with his passing, rebounds, and energy; however, with each passing game even that went into decline and it did not take long for him to be supplanted in the starting lineup by Gerald Henderson--a player who was expected to be on his way out upon Stephenson's arrival. Nonetheless, his supporters, as well as Larry Bird's detractors, hope that this past season was just an aberration--a small bump in the road of what will be an otherwise a long and fruitful career--and that he will return to the form in which he wowed not only his fans in Indiana, but also made him a virtual household name. At just 24 years old and in only his fourth season in the league, Stephenson is not near reaching his peak as player and hopefully he will write off this past season as a learning experience, figure out where he needs to adjust his game and move on from there because he simply too talented and has too many intangibles to allow one season to ruin his value as a player. After finishing the first of what can be considered a less than satisfying season, Stephenson has two more left to show not only fans in Indiana and Charlotte, but also the world that he is truly an elite caliber player in which one--not the NBA, not the fans, not even Larry Bird--can no longer just simply underestimate and ignore. If worst comes to worse and Stephenson is not capable of returning to his 2014 form, then it will not be too much of a loss for the Hornets since they can easily unload his contract if they need to as it has just two seasons left with the last year being a player option so they can easily trade it during the off season or they can even waive him at the end of next season. The same can be said for Marvin Williams who basically has just two years and 14$ million left so both Jordan and Cho can breathe a slight sigh of relief as their two gambles will not cost them long term; plus, in spite of the team's disappointing finish, the Charlotte Hornets still has plenty going for it with its young roster as well as cap flexibility and can easily bounce back to playoff contention next season. Despite its less than desired result not making the playoffs, Charlotte finished 2015 among the league's top defensive teams as the Hornets ranked among the top ten teams in points allowed, opponents' field goal percentage and rebounding thus showing that there is still something worth salvaging on this team; however, defense is as only as good as the offense that comes from it and for the Hornets, that was their primary weakness. If Charlotte wants to return to the post season, the team will have to find a way to generate offense from all the hard work they put on the defensive end because it will all be for naught if they can hold their opponents to 97 points per game and .440 shooting if they can only score just 95 and shoot .420 from the field. At least fans in Charlotte can hold solace in the fact that their team has just that one missing ingredient and once that is finally added, then they can get back onto winning, returning to the playoff, and bringing back the NBA spotlight to a city that has missed it for so long. |
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Showing posts with label Charlotte Hornets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charlotte Hornets. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
SDH's 2014/2015 NBA End of Season Worst to First Countdown: 22. Charlotte Hornets
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
SDH's 2014/2015 Worst to First Countdown for the First "Slap-mester" (Oct/Nov/Dec): 25. Charlotte Hornets
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Win/Loss Record as of December 31st,
2014: 10-22, fifth place Southeast
Division, 12th Place Eastern Conference
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Team Statistics and League Rank as of
December 31st, 2014:
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Individual Statistical Leaders as of
December 31st, 2014:
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Worst of the Class: Steve Clifford
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First of the Class: Lance Stephenson
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After having reached the playoffs last season followed by a rather successful off season which saw their team bolster itself to be even stronger than before, basketball fans in Charlotte must be wondering "what the (expletive) is going on with their Charlotte Hornets?" After all, they came into the season with arguably the deepest and most balanced rosters in the league that had an already strong returning crew along with some very high profile additions to boot; yet, instead of making waves in the regular season, they have been actually swept by the waves of others falling at the bottom of the standings at the start of the season. The Hornets started well enough looking rather respectable as they won four of their first nine games, but that all fell apart when they finished the month of November and went into December losing their next ten in a row. Charlotte managed to bounce back winning six of their next ten and it looked as if their season was headed on an upward swing; however, that all came to a halt as they finished 2014 on a rather sour note losing their last four games. Now Charlotte will enter 2015 with a record that is thirteen games under .500, resting at fourth place in the Southeast Division and the fourth worst record in the Eastern Conference leaving folk from Charlotte along with the rest of the basketball fan all over the world scratching their heads in confusion and bewilderment.
How can a team that had that had so much going for it with a perfect blend of size, talent, athleticism, veteran experience and roster depth suddenly fall out of grace so quickly after an impressive playoff run the previous season? To be fair, much of those losses were quite bittersweet as they lost ten of those 23 games by five points or less and had the ball bounced their way in the last few seconds, the Charlotte Hornets would be riding high with a 23-10 record instead of looking down a 13 game hole that they had done for themselves. Yet with every heart wrenching loss, there were games where the Hornets looked absolutely horrendous such as the two game pounding at the hands of the +Portland Trail Blazers (11/15/2014) and the +Dallas Mavericks (11/17/2014) by a whopping total of 52 points. Then after a three game stretch where they narrowly lost to the Pacers (11/19/2014), +Orlando Magic (11/21/2014) and +Miami HEAT (11/23/2014) by a grand total of just eight points, they would simply get abused by the +Los Angeles Clippers (11/24/2014) as they crushed the Hornets like cockroaches beating them by 21 points. Had they held on against such teams as the +Memphis Grizzlies (11/1/2014), +New York Knicks (11/2/2014), Blazers (1/11/2014), Heat, Magic, Pacers--all games that had been lost by just one basket--then humongous blowouts by the Mavs, Clippers, +Golden State Warriors (11/15/2014), +Atlanta Hawks (11/29/2012), +Brooklyn Nets (12/13/2014), +Denver Nuggets (12/22/2014), +Oklahoma City Thunder (12/26/2014) and the +Houston Rockets (12/31/2014) would not have stung as badly as they do now. One possible reason for the Hornets' current predicament is the fact that their defense has not been up to snuff as it was last season thus making it more difficult to hold onto those hard fought close games and allow themselves to get battered by 20 to 30 points in others. Last season, Charlotte only allowed their opponents to score 97 points per game, which was fourth in the league and held them to a respectable .442 shooting from the field; however, now that has gone out the window with the Hornets ranking near the bottom in both categories. In the 33 games they played thus far, Charlotte held their opponents to under 100 points in twelve of them where they posted a respectable record of 6-6; however in the other 21 games, they did not fare very well as they just won four of those games--two of which went to overtime, while the others were by a slim margin of just four points. In the other 17 games in which they both allowed their opponents to score 100 or more points, the results varied from marginal decent to absolutely dreadful as nine of them were by ten points or less while the other eight ranged from 15 to 30 points margins. While Charlotte allowed their opponents to hit over the 100 point mark, the same cannot be said about them as they failed to hit the century mark in 11 of those aforementioned 17 games, thus showing not only that their defense has all but collapsed this season, but their offensive production has not been up to snuff, either. Even last season, the Hornets were not the shining beacon of offensive production ranking near the bottom of the league in scoring, field goal percentage and three point field goal percentage; however, even with the new faces that were supposed to change that, the Hornet's offense has become markedly worse. Last season, although they ranked near the bottom of the league in field goal percentage, at least they managed to match the same shooting proficiency whereas now there is a nearly five percent gap between the percentage they shoot and the percentage that they allow against them. To make matters worse, not only do they allow their opponents to out shoot them by a pretty big margin, but they also let them out-rebound them, albeit at a far slimmer one; nonetheless, it is that slim rebounding margin that may have been the difference between winning and losing a game in the final seconds. Charlotte was already at a disadvantage coming into games and not being able to shoot the ball as well as they opponents, but to allow themselves to be out-hustled on the glass is downright shameful because the Hornets needed the rebounding to at least compensate for their poor shooting. As a result, Charlotte no longer looks like the team that bounced back from a league worst seven win season three years ago to become a playoff contender; instead, they have shown themselves a team that has yet to find itself despite coming off such a strong year last season. Much of the problem may have to do with the loss of a key player from last season's playoff team who not only help spread the floor on the offensive end, but also provided a solid defensive presence in the paint as well. Last season, +Josh McRoberts, who is now with the Heat, provided such an integral piece of Charlotte's playoff puzzle as he gave them solid outside shooting with his .361 accuracy from beyond the arc plus provided the team with an excellent passing as well with his 4.3 assists per game which was second on the team. What was great about McRoberts was that, unlike his higher profile teammates Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson, he did not need the ball in his hands to be effective and was an excellent complementary player who allowed Kemba to focus more on his scoring rather than having to facilitate his teammates while spreading the floor enough to give Jefferson room to work down low in the paint. With him out of the picture, the Hornets lack that glue player which may not have shown his impact on the stat sheets, but still made his presence felt by doing much of the little things that usually go unnoticed. As for the one the team's front office had signed to replace him in Marvin Williams, he has yet to prove worthy of the two year 14$ million dollar deal that it signed him to as he has been practically a no show for much of the season. Similar to Williams, Charlotte's other high profile addition, Lance Stephenson, has failed to live up to the expectations of the local fans as well as the media mainly due primarily to his offensive struggles upon suiting up as a member of the Hornets. Last season he was not only the second option behind Paul George while playing for the Pacers, he was also the team's leading rebounder, leading assist man as well as steals to go along with him being the league leader in triple doubles. When he spurned the extension offer from the Pacers' +Larry Bird choosing instead a shorter contract with Charlotte, many thought this was the coup of the off season as Charlotte acquired a bonafide all star talent and would greatly enhance their already strong core of Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson. Unfortunately, Stephenson's introduction to the Hornets has been rather rocky as he came onto the court shooting ice cold and while he has still provided the team with plenty of assists and rebounds, it was his ability and potential to become a elite scorer that both the fans and media primarily anticipated to see. Fortunately for Charlotte, his all around play has compensated for his current streak and as the season progresses he will regain his shooting touch because he is simply too talented and smart of a player to allow such a cold spell to continue. The same can be said for this Hornets team as they too have come off a very rough start, but with 49 games left in the regular season, there is plenty of time to bounced back from their current slump and return to playoff contention once again. Despite the Hornets predicament, the Eastern Conference is still rather wide open and save for the top four spots that are currently held by the +Toronto Raptors, the Hawks, Wizards, and Bulls, the other four playoff spots are still up for grabs. Teams such as the +Cleveland Cavaliers, +New York Knicks, Miami and Brooklyn who were expected to make huge stride have thus far failed miserably in living up to expectation, with Cleveland barely hovering over .500 for much of the season, the Knicks completely falling apart and both the HEAT and Nets barely hanging on to what little leverage they have left. Even teams that have been essentially written off for the season such as the +Boston Celtics, Magic, and Pacers have a slim, yet still solid chance of making a late run at the post season so with all this uncertainly, there is still a chance that Charlotte to not only return to the playoffs, but maybe even improve from their 43 wins last season. So cheer up Hornets fans and do not panic because there is still a lot of basketball to be played and as it was said before, your team is simply too deep and too talented to not make the post season, especially in a rather weak Eastern Conference. |
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Saturday, December 6, 2014
SDH Presents NBA Recap: Knicks vs. Hornets, December 5th
+Kemba Walker sank a buzzer beater for the +Charlotte Hornets 103-102 win over the +New York Knicks. Visit nba.com/video for more highlights and always keep up with all 30+NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
Thursday, December 4, 2014
SDH Presents NBA Recap: Bulls vs. Hornets, December 3rd
+Pau Gasol scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the +Chicago Bulls defeated the +Charlotte Hornets 102-95. Visit nba.com/video for more highlights and always keep up with all 30+NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
Thursday, November 27, 2014
SDH Presents NBA Recap: Trail Blazers vs. Hornets, November 26th
+LaMarcus Aldridge scores nine points and grabs 14 rebounds as the +Portland Trail Blazers beat the +Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte. Visit nba.com/video for more highlights and always keep up with all 30+NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
Saturday, November 22, 2014
SDH Presents NBA Recap: Magic vs. Hornets, November 21st
+Elfrid Payton scored 16 points, and keyed a fourth-quarter comeback, as the +Orlando Magic topped the +Charlotte Hornets 105-100. Visit nba.com/video for more highlights and always keep up with all 30+NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
Thursday, November 20, 2014
SDH Presents NBA Recap: Hornets vs. Pacers, November 19th
Solomon Hill put back a miss by +Rodney Stuckey as time expired, and the Pacers overcame an early 18-point deficit to beat the +Charlotte Hornets 88-86 Wednesday night. Visit nba.com/video for more highlights and always keep up with all 30+NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH's 2014/2015 NBA Worst to First Previews and Predictions: 14. Charlotte Hornets
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Overall Win/Loss Record: 43-39, third place Southeast Division
2014/2015 Projection: 45-37, third place Southeast Division, sixth
place Eastern Conference
Projected 2014/2015 Finish
14
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Last season’s Team Statistics and
League Rank
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Returning Individual Statistical
Leaders
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Projected Opening Day Starters Based on Past Performances and Potential Impact:
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Key Reserves Rank Based on Past Performances and Potential Impact:
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To think that just two short years ago, the one time Charlotte Bobcats made history as the worst performing team in NBA history with not only the fewest wins at just seven, but also the league lowest win percentage to boot. No one would have expected a small market team that had suffered such an indignity would bounce back so quickly to not only make the playoffs two years later, but also be ranked as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, instead of celebrating such an accomplishment by remaining in the orange and navy blue, team owner +Michael Jordan chose to cheapen his franchise by not only renaming, but also re-branding the team with the old moniker of the previous Charlotte team that had broken the hearts of its fans leaving them so many years ago. The Charlotte Hornets was once a staple of the city that held its name, but poor management and incompetent ownership led this once proud name down the path that led it to become a laughing stock. Now in an effort to further maximize his profits, Jordan chose to turn his team's crowning achievement into a cheap uncreative marketing stunt by erasing a brand that had a chance of finally taking off and replacing it with one that represented a bygone era.
To be quite frank, the Charlotte Hornets name should have been retired after the onetime New Orleans Hornets relinquished the name in order to forge their new identity as the +New Orleans Pelicans; however, instead of allowing the Hornets name to fade into the annals of history, it was quickly snatched away and in a perverse manner by a carpetbagging privateer looking to line his own wallet. Reusing the Charlotte Hornets franchise name and logo cheapens the history of the team that originally arrived in the league in 1989 with plenty of fanfare and bring about such memorable names as Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Mugsy Bogues and Dell Curry who initially forged the team's as well as its city's identity. There is no history that can be associated with this current incarnation, because that past team has nothing to the one currently in existence and to use the Hornets name is to piggyback on a legacy that the neither Jordan or his cronies created or deserved. Unfortunately such disdain of this sacrilege and mockery of good taste will fall on deaf ears as fans who probably stretch through both the Carolina states have deluded themselves to thinking that their old Charlotte Hornets has once again returned, which is certainly not the case. Regardless of what anybody thinks of this current sad state of affairs, it should not take away from the fact that this team has defied all the odds, shocked the world and silenced every single critic and naysayer. Not many teams, whether they be from the NBA or any other sports league for that matter, can claim to rise from relative obscurity and harsh ridicule to becoming not only a playoff contender, but also a model example of how to rebuild a professional sports franchise. Usually such an undertaking takes years through numerous trial and error tactics along with boom or bust draft picks that leave fans so frustrated and dejected that they no longer care about the franchise or even listen to the empty sales pitches of franchise owners promising a future that will never come. Think of the situations of such teams as the +Philadelphia 76ers who continue to purposely flounder to the chagrin of not only their fans at home, but basketball loves everywhere; or the +Minnesota Timberwolves whose fans looked towards building a future with the team it had only to watch it fall apart and have to start again from scratch. Rebuilding is never easy, especially for a team such as Charlotte who does not reside in a very big television market nor has the media mas exposure as its fellow Eastern Conference rivals such as the +Chicago Bulls, +New York Knicks, or the +Miami HEAT. Even an out of the way team such as the +Toronto Raptors, whose games rarely get any American media exposure whatsoever, get more respect in terms of media exposure and have a stronger television market than Charlotte and are do not even reside in the continental United States. Credit the work of Jordan's right hand man Rich Cho, who before being unceremoniously canned from the +Portland Trail Blazers, was the driving force that helped build an newly named +Oklahoma City Thunder franchise that was searching for its own identity into one of the top teams in them league. What is even more impressive about Cho's case of Charlotte is that he did not have the luxury of having marquee names and superstar talent such as +Kevin Durant, +Russell Westbrook, and for a short time, +James Harden to build around. In fact most of the players on that team were even known by the local fan base, let alone would have been recognized by the general public; nonetheless, this young team of relative unknowns and those who had been disregarded by their peers managed to create names for themselves while at the same time bring the city of Charlotte back into the NBA conscious. One of the best examples of this was big man Al Jefferson, who many had essentially ignored or disregarded by most NBA analysts and commentators, despite his career statistics of 17 points, 9 rebounds and a block per game; yet once he arrived in Charlotte, he became the driving force of the teams as he led the team to playoff contention. Unfortunately, despite posting numbers comparable to All Stars such as +Dwight Howard and +DeMarcus Cousins, Jefferson has yet to be recognized or acknowledged as one of the league's top big men and probably remain that way for the rest of his career. The same goes for his teammates Kemba Walker, Gerald Henderson, Michael Kidd Gilchrist, Gary Neal, or any Hornets player for that matter as most people probably would not be able to pick them out of a police lineup let alone recognize them walking down the street. As it stands now, the Hornet player that has gotten the most press thus far is newcomer Lance Stephenson, who, like his teammates, is less known for his exploits on the court such as him leading the league last season in triple doubles, and more recognized for the infamous picture of him blowing into +LeBron James' ear in last season's Eastern Conference Finals. Despite the negative press and unfair criticism, Stephenson might just possibly could be the best free agent pickup in the off season: second to the earth shattering return of King James to Cleveland and tied with the Cavs subsequent acquisition of +Kevin Love as the best off season moment ever. He was arguably the best all around player in the +Indiana Pacers on both ends of the floor leading the team in assists, rebounds, and field goal percentage along with being second in most statistical categories behind the team's All Star, Paul George; yet the team's president +Larry Bird did not find it prudent to sign Lance to a well deserved max level electing instead to cheap out on him offering a fraction of what he was valued on the open market. Thus Stephenson instead chose to snub Bird's less than generous offer and take almost the same exact money as Charlotte not only to stick it to his former team but to also rub Bird's shortsighted decision in his face as he leads another group of no names past him. Many can draw numerous comparisons between Jefferson and Stephenson as both possess the tools and have produced at an All Star level, yet have both been marginalized and often publicly diminished by the media for a large portion of their careers. Now together in Charlotte, both these unjustly convicted men will join fellow underdog Kemba Walker to form a super trio that can be comparable to the "Big Threes" that had been formed in Miami, Boston and Cleveland; however, unlike those three, will probably remain together for much longer and possibly be just as, if not even more potent. Surrounding the Charlotte trio is a solid supporting cast of skilled, smart and talent young players with only three of them that have reached the over thirty mark, four who have yet to reach the big three-oh, and four who have yet not even reached the age of 25; however, it is not just their age, talent and limitless upside, it also the amount that these players have experienced in their young ages. New addition Marvin Williams is a perfect example of such a phenomenon, as he is considered as one of "elder statesmen" of the team heaving already spent nine years playing in the NBA with six of them going to the post season, but he's just 28 years old. Two others include Gary Neal, who had just recently turned thirty, already has played in a NBA Finals series and 31 year Jason Maxiel had spent the first five years of his career on a +Detroit Pistons team that had reached the finals once and the Eastern Conference Finals the three years that followed. Mix that post season experience and veteran presence with that of Stephenson, who has already played in two Eastern Conference Finals series and this team is not stacked with young talent that can probably last well into the next decade, but more credibility to a team and city that no one ever gave a chance to. In an Eastern Conference that can be considered as completely wide open for the taking, a team such as the Hornets with its youth, talent and experience can possibly steal the conference crown from the more favored team such as the Cavs and Bulls or even sneak into third place surpassing the Miami Heat for the division tile and Toronto Raptors, who look to hold on to the Atlantic Division title they had earned last season. Unfortunately, those predictions might be considered as a little far fetched since Charlotte's division consists of four teams that made last season's playoffs; however, upon closer examination, one can see that those teams almost match identical in terms of roster size, talent and depth thus making it anyone's game. Nevertheless, one thing remains crystal clear and that is, barring a severe calamity of epic proportions, the Charlotte Hornets will be headed to the playoffs at the end of the regular season and will remain a strong force in not only the East, but the entire NBA, for years to come. What makes this even more ironic is if that was told to have to someone from Charlotte that this was going to happen two years ago, he or she would have completely scoffed and shrugged off at such a notion. Just two years ago this team was a complete laughing stock and the question would not have been when the now Charlotte Hornets were going to become a playoff contender, but when this team was finally going to fold and change addresses once again. There who have openly blasted Michael Jordan's competency and capability as the franchise's owner must also be swallowing a huge helping of humble pie as he too now looks like a genius instead of the clueless bungler than he was previously portrayed as. It is just disappointing that he did not keep the Bobcats moniker because his team's ascension would have been even more triumphant instead of switching to an name that had been long gone; however, one can take a more positive look at the situations. Perhaps the name change should be considered less of a cheap marketing ploy and instead as more of a symbolic end of a once struggling franchise that has left on a very high note. Now when people of Charlotte speak of the old Bobcats, they can remember the majestic way the team bounced back from a history making collapse which then transformed back to the old Hornets that they had once known and loved. |
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Tuesday, November 18, 2014
SDH Presents NBA Recap: Mavericks vs. Hornets, November 17th
+Monta Ellis scored 18 points while +Chandler Parsons added 17 points and nine rebounds as the +Dallas Mavericks defeated the +Charlotte Hornets. Visit nba.com/video for more highlights and always keep up with all 30+NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
Sunday, November 16, 2014
SDH Presents NBA Recap: Hornets vs. Warriors, November 15th
+Klay Thompson scored 21 points, +Stephen Curry added 19 points and nine assists, and the +Golden State Warriors beat the +Charlotte Hornets 112-87 to extend their best start in 20 years. Visit nba.com/video for more highlights and always keep up with all 30+NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
Saturday, November 15, 2014
SDH Presents NBA Recap: Hornets vs. Suns, November 14th
+Kemba Walker scored 19 points as the +Charlotte Hornets defeated the +Phoenix Suns 103-95. Visit nba.com/video for more highlights and always keep up with all 30+NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
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