Hornets Can't Escape Mediocrity

[HeatCheck]

To be honest, we may make the playoffs just because we are in the East. I think that's the reason this franchise struggles to find a direction. We've consistently been in that range where it doesn't take much to slide into the last few spots of the playoffs while still being a team with quite a few flaws. We don't ever go "full rebuild" but at the same time haven't drafted/traded well or attracted big enough FAs to sustain success in the top half of the East.

[Guest]

To be honest, we may make the playoffs just because we are in the East. I think that's the reason this franchise struggles to find a direction. We've consistently been in that range where it doesn't take much to slide into the last few spots of the playoffs while still being a team with quite a few flaws. We don't ever go "full rebuild" but at the same time haven't drafted/traded well or attracted big enough FAs to sustain success in the top half of the East.

The season after our first play off run as the Bobcats, we limped to a 34-48 record in 2010-11, and ended up with two draft picks in the 2011 draft: Bismack Biyombo (#7) and Kemba Walker (#9). In hindsight it may have been better to have gone with Kemba Walker (or Brandon Knight) at seven and Klay Thompson at nine. That could have given us the backcourt to help lead this team into a bright future. But overall the rebuild started promisingly because Kemba Walker has become a cornerstone of this team. But the other issue that we have faced as this team is that we have been unlucky in the subsequent drafts...

Take the 2011-12 season when we ended the season with the worst record in the league. Instead of landing the top pick and getting Anthony Davis, we got the second overall pick and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Don't get me wrong, MKG has been a solid player for us, but he's not a star player or someone you can build a team around. If he develops into the calibre of player DeMarre Carroll was for the Hawks - a decent fourth or fifth option - then that is about his ceiling, but as a second overall pick he has been underwhelming and isn't the type of player you hope to get that high. The kicker in this draft is that there were two other stars you could build a team around that went after we picked - Damian Lillard (#6) and Andre Drummond (#9) - though how realistic selecting Drummond as high as second is debatable. That said, we could always have picked Bradley Beal second overall, who could have become a good compliment to Kemba in the backcourt. So on the one hand, we were unlucky; and on the other, one might argue we didn't draft well. 

The following year we sucked again, but it was a bad year to do it because the draft class was weak. We ended up with Cody Zeller, who to be perfectly honest is better suited to a role off the bench than a starting position. The further issue is that our alternatives may not have been much better, and the only one that has really shown he could offer us something we don't have right now is Nerlens Noel. I would have added Giannis Adetokoubo, but he was drafted later on. So this time we were just damn unlucky that it wasn't a deep draft class. 

So is it any wonder after these two years that we ditched building through the draft and went for Al Jefferson in free agency to give us a boost?

Not really. By this point we had sucked for three seasons and our result was Kemba Walker, Bismack Biyombo, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Cody Zeller. That is hardly the type of draft haul you want to build a team around. We haven't had the luck that OKC had during their rebuild which netted them: Kevin Durant (2007 - #2), Russell Westbrook (2008 - #4), Serge Ibaka (2008 - #24), and James Harden (2009 - #3). That's three straight drafts which resulted in three all stars (albeit one hit that level in Houston) and one borderline all star. It is scary to think how good OKC could have been if they had kept hold of James Harden and promoted him to the starting line up. In fact, OKC got very lucky because Portland passed on Durant for Greg Oden... Miami and Minnesota passed on Westbrook for Michael Beasley and OJ Mayo... And Memphis passed on Harden for Hasheem Thabeet... 

We have NEVER been that lucky. Don't get me wrong, there is no disputing that our team has made its fair share of bad draft selections, but our most recent rebuild didn't stand a chance. The players we could have realistically drafted second and fourth overall in 2012 and 2013 were never going to be on the same level. That's the issue with rebuilding through the draft. Some teams get lucky like OKC or the Timberwolves (Andrew Wiggins, Zach Lavine, Karl Anthony-Towns etc), while others like us net "ok" players, and ultimately end up in that mid range and being mediocre. If our bad years had been 2007-2009, we may have been looking at a different team right now. But sadly we were bad from 2011-2013 and that has ultimately limited how good this team can be, and to be honest, it wouldn't surprise me to see them blow it up in the near future if we remain a .500 or sub .500 team. 

[HeatCheck]

I agree. We haven't been very fortunate and the year we missed out on Davis was a downer. Would have selected Beal ahead of MKG but neither are Davis-like. I think our franchise clearly would be in better shape if that went our way.

I do agree that luck definitely plays a factor as seen with OKC (Never understood the Oden over Durant. Even if they wanted to go big, Oden wasn't even the best big in that class).

[MV%doe]

Best article I've never seen on hornets. It refreshing to see a picec like this that isn't copy pasted 20 times form 10 different writers. Love the truth in it, it hurts too.

[pstall]

I get the impression the front office doesn't scout until they turn on the final four. How many guys have they picked the year after the FF? 5?

[NanuqoftheNorth]

Only half kidding but...

Does anyone know if Dave Gettleman would be willing to moonlight as a draft guru for the Hornets?

Or maybe just provide a class to Hornets management on the proper approach to talent evaluation and drafting?

[RoaringRiot]

Why does no one ever talk about Miami not taking the trade from Boston? Certainly they just have made the same ridiculous offer to the to try and get Winslow, right?

[Batman]

Why does no one ever talk about Miami not taking the trade from Boston? Certainly they just have made the same ridiculous offer to the to try and get Winslow, right?

They offered their amazing package to every team from #5 to #10.

[pantherfan49]

Why does no one ever talk about Miami not taking the trade from Boston? Certainly they just have made the same ridiculous offer to the to try and get Winslow, right?

because Miami saw what Boston saw and that was Winslow being available. 

[RoaringRiot]

because Miami saw what Boston saw and that was Winslow being available. 

But that's not the argument. The argument is that the Hornets are crazy for not taking that trade. Are they only crazy because they didn't take Winslow? So if Boston offered all those pics and the Hornets took Winslow then it would have been the right move? That's BS.

[pantherfan49]

But that's not the argument. The argument is that the Hornets are crazy for not taking that trade. Are they only crazy because they didn't take Winslow? So if Boston offered all those pics and the Hornets took Winslow then it would have been the right move? That's BS.

yes. Taking Winslow was the right move. 

[HeatCheck]

yes. Taking Winslow was the right move. 

I wanted Winslow too but I wouldn't go as far as saying it was the "right move." It's very difficult to say it was the right move when neither has played an NBA game. Even then it wouldn't be fair to say until a couple years down the road.

I do think it's a bit BS that the Hornets are being criticized for passing on the trade because they took Frank. If they took Winslow, would we be hearing about it? I think regardless of who they picked, the trade remained the same.

[pantherfan49]

I wanted Winslow too but I wouldn't go as far as saying it was the "right move." It's very difficult to say it was the right move when neither has played an NBA game. Even then it wouldn't be fair to say until a couple years down the road.

I do think it's a bit BS that the Hornets are being criticized for passing on the trade because they took Frank. If they took Winslow, would we be hearing about it? I think regardless of who they picked, the trade remained the same.

Is Miami taking "heat" for passing on the trade too?  No, they aren't, because they took the player that Boston was coveting.  

 

This was a screwup on several parts presumably by MJ.  He wanted a more experienced player after burning out with Vonleh, he won't admit that MKG is limited and won't look at upgrading SF (much like his refusal to address PG), I think he's trying to replicate what McBob brought to the team (again, another refusal to address PG situation and covering it up with McBob like players), and I think he's undervaluing Hawes, who would have provided much of the same as Frank in the first few years IMO. 

[Omega Atrocity]

Is Miami taking "heat" for passing on the trade too?  No, they aren't, because they took the player that Boston was coveting.  

 

This was a screwup on several parts presumably by MJ.  He wanted a more experienced player after burning out with Vonleh, he won't admit that MKG is limited and won't look at upgrading SF (much like his refusal to address PG), I think he's trying to replicate what McBob brought to the team (again, another refusal to address PG situation and covering it up with McBob like players), and I think he's undervaluing Hawes, who would have provided much of the same as Frank in the first few years IMO. 

It would honestly surprise me if Frank turns out to be a better player than Hawes is now at any point in his career. And regardless of anything else, when you're a team like us without an amazing player you take whoever you think is best, point blank regardless of any other factors.