HardcoreHokie

Adam Schefter has been on ESPN all day pretty adamant that Russ wants to move on from Seattle and that his “four preferred teams” of Dallas, Chicago, Vegas, New Orleans” is somewhat irrelevant at this point. The Seahawks hold the cards...if he wants out, he will have to be flexible. And 3 of the 4 have already moved on. Schefter has referred to the Panthers specifically (and solely) on multiple occasions in the last hour as a serious possibility. Not sure how I feel about this, but it seems like it’s becoming more of an option considering what’s going on with Deshaun right now. Schefter expects this to play out “over the next 6 weeks” so don’t expect anything anytime soon...

Paying a #3WR three years/$34.5 million is nuts. We can easily draft a 4th or 5th rounder to replace that position for the next 4 years on the cheap. Samuel is wayyy overrated right now, but good for him.

I’d do that immediately.

Marginal upgrade over PJ but for a max contract and two assets? Hard no. I don’t think we can keep Devonte so I’d like to get something for him. But with contracts and age considered I’m not even sure Collins for PJ straight-up is fair. Nevermind that 1st round pick and Devonte. Hard no. Roll with the young guys and fight for a ‘chip in 3-4 years, playoffs this year aren’t the end goal.

25 year old standout franchise QB - assume you have them for 10+ more years. 24 year old standout defensive player still on rookie contract - assume you have them 2-3 more years and then let them walk to the highest bidder and draft their more athletic replacement.

I was listening to the ESPN guys watching the Hornets (Eric and Dell) live...Terry Rozier nails a shot and Eric yells “WITH GRAVEL IN HIS GUTS AND SPIT IN HIS EYE!!!!” ESPN dude basically says “so gravel..somewhere...or something. Great shot” Had to look it up. Johnny Cash explains both quotes. Cool song BTW, never heard it before.

Confirmed How doo you doooo!

Eric Martin last night: “Gravel in his gut and spit in his eye” Assuming this is also the origin of “How Dooo You Doooo” Johnny Cash: A Boy Named Sue https://www.google.com/amp/s/genius.com/amp/Johnny-cash-a-boy-named-sue-lyrics

The 2021 Hornets are the most exciting professional sports team in Charlotte since 2015. I love watching these guys fight like dogs.

Nobody is saying what you’re arguing against. If you’re the lowly Brooklyn Nets and you have a chance at Kevin Durant...YOU GO GET HIM! Is he the final answer? Of course not. But now all of a sudden you are an attractive destination, you get James Harden, Blake Griffin, Kyrie Irving, Deandre Jordan...and you’re instantly the favorite to win an NBA Championship. Team sports are superstar-centric. Nobody wins anymore with a ton of above average dudes. If you have a chance at a Top-5 player in their prime, you go all out. Patrick Mahomes is making HALF A BILLION DOLLARS by the way and I don’t hear any Chiefs fans complaining. He’s the only player ahead of Deshaun right now in terms of current value.

I love Brian Burns as much as anyone on this board. But we over-hype our good players like most fans do. Is he our greatest asset right now? Absolutely. But the difference between him, Chinn, Brown, DJ, Moton, and the rest is ASTRONOMICAL. Here are the other D-Ends drafted in the 1st round of Burns’ same exact class class: Nick Bosa (Rookie of the Year) Montez Sweat Josh Allen ( Pro Bowler as a rookie) Quinnen Williams (also being discussed in a deal for Deshaun) Christian Wilkins, Clemson Clelin Ferrel, Clemson Ed Oliver And there are many others. At best I think you could say Burns is the 2nd or 3rd best of the class, possibly 4th or 5th. That’s awesome, but that’s ONE CLASS. Is he even a top 15 DE in the league right now? Deshaun Watson is the 2nd most valuable *player* in the NFL. Defensive linemen are very replaceable and can perform at a high level in year 1/2. Pro Bowl Franchise quarterbacks at age 25 are absolutely *never* available on the open market. But they are today. So you do what you have to do. Absolutely no current player is untradeable. That’s what negotiations are for, but we have to outbid everyone to make it happen. We don’t have a Tua on our roster to offer, that’s the whole point. Come home DeShaun.

We can’t even get Zach Wilson (at #2) for two 1st’s (#8 and next year’s first). Nevermind the second most valuable player in the league. Some of y’all’s fantasy trade offers are probably hilarious.

Malik Monk turned 23 last month. When he came out he was considered the most athletic player in the draft, the best scorer in the draft, and the best shooter in the draft. Read that again and then look at some of the guys in that class (Bam, Tatum, Fox, Mitchell, Booker, Collins, Allen). Monk started showing it last year and it’s continued into this year. The NBA is all about upside. That’s why you draft 19 year olds with lottery picks. Malik Monk has as much upside as any player in this league, nevermind when comparing him against a Devonte Graham or Cody Zeller. Lock Malik up to a reasonable deal ($12mil-$14mil/yr) and watch him blossom into a *superstar* paired with LaMelo from age 23-27. Those are the prime years and why you draft a 19 year old in the lottery to begin with.

Malik Monk at $12mil/yr for the next 4 years = yes please. Steal.

Malik Monk is a stud. All-Star caliber when he gets minutes. Look at that 3pt percentage. He’s on the verge of elite and only 23 years old. Re-sign him ASAP. Monk and Ball is how you build this team moving forward.

Not a needed piece. He has a redundant skill set to LaMelo but with less talent/upside.

JB commented on this in one of his recent quotes. With shortened camps and no preseason, he wanted the rooks to take advantage of significant playing time in the shortened G-League bubble (it’s only like 25 games this year and already over this weekend). That is their training camp. He also mentioned how them being down in Orlando (not Greensboro) and with the current Covid protocols with the bubble, they have to sit out a few games when they do get called up. So it makes total sense to get those two bigs as much game action (practice!) in Orlando for a few weeks...and then after this weekend, call them up and they still have 40+ NBA games to contribute for the Hornets. They look ready to contribute to me - both offensively and defensively.

Not a bad performance, all things considered (3 starters out, B2B road game, playing a hot-shooting team, etc). LaMelo: 30pts, 8 assists, 6 boards, 4 steals, only 2 turnovers, solid defense, 5/7 from three (“he can’t shoot” lol) Malik Monk: 19pts in 27 mins. 3/7 from three. Got to the hole at-will. Rozier: 20pts, 4 steals Can’t wait until next week, post ASG weekend. Should be closer to full strength and add some big bodies from the G League. Martin brothers played okay today but we shouldn’t be relying on them for that many minutes. We lacked depth bigtime today. Let’s get the next one.

I agree. We are building around LaMelo, who is 19. And by “building” I mean building for an NBA Championship. LaMelo in his prime will be that 2nd contract in 4-5 years (age 24-29). Hence, we should be focusing on core players nearest his age range to develop alongside him. I believe Monk should be one and perhaps PJ/Miles. The two young centers could also be on that list - moreso than older players like Hayward, Cody, and even Rozier. That said, future draft picks are more important to us right now than free agents older than 24. If they could acquire future 1st’s for Rozier or Hayward after this year’s playoff run, I’d be all for it.

The G-League schedule wraps up this weekend; as does NBA All-Star weekend. Sounds like we will likely see both Nick Richards and Vernon Carey Jr back on the Hornets game day roster at that point. Those two have been putting up big stats this year - and even JB himself has commented how much he’s been impressed watching them lately. Centers:  Vernon Carey Jr and Nick Richards I don’t see how Richards isn’t an immediate upgrade of Biz as the backup center behind Cody. He can do everything defensively that Biz can do but better. And he has offensive moves and shooting range that Biz couldn’t even dream about. Carey has the most upside of the two and has proven lately he can also play the 4, recently playing together with Richards on the floor. After watching those two play lately, it’s hard to imagine their addition won’t *drastically* improve our front court play (rim protection, rebounding, lob targets, and even stretch shooting from the 4/5). I’m really excited to see those two young guys playing with this up and coming young core. The Hornets are on the verge of something really special in Charlotte... 1 - LaMelo, Graham 2 - Rozier, Monk 3 - Hayward, Miles 4 - PJ, Carey Jr, Jalen 5 - Zellar, Richards, Biyombo Nick Richards highlights (Swarm) Vernon Carey Jr highlights (Swarm)

We have to keep Monk. He’s got superstar upside. Our future: 1. LaMelo 2. Monk 3. Miles 4. PJ 5. Carey/Richards (and Free Agency) Graham, Rozier, and Hayward are great right now, but I view them as legit trade pieces on a rebuilding team. Hornets can compete for a championship in 4-5 years if they build (and upgrade) around this core. Focus less on playoffs 2021 and more on championship 2025.

Leaving voicemails with offers You know we’re one of them, and I’m okay with it...

DeSean Watson is a three-time Pro Bowler at age 25. He could very realistically be the Panthers’ starter for the next 12+ years (3 contracts). We would have a *decade* to surround him with talent. Sell the farm, make it happen and bring DeSean home. This scenario has never happened in NFL history, you do what you have to. Franchise Changer.

“In return for Watson, the Panthers would have to give up McCaffrey, Bridgewater, their first- and second-round picks in the 2021 draft (8 and 39), a first-round pick in 2022 and a third-round pick in 2023.” I honestly don’t think that is even close to getting it done. Bridgewater is not attractive at all, and CMC’s value is overrated by Panthers fans (because of that contract). And only two first’s and no Burns. Not even remotely close, IMO.

I’d dangle CMC and Moore all day, but the rookie deals is what they’re going to value the most. That’s what makes Burns, Brown, and Chinn so valuable. Everyone loves CMC but I doubt a rebuilding franchise values a $64million running back that high.