Update: MKG Out 6 months with Reported Torn Labrum

[Daddy_Uncle]

MKG is my favorite pro athlete and he was primed for a breakout season. This sucks. 

Michael Jordan missed 60+ games his 2nd season with a broken ankle, so it's not the end of the world and I'm sure he'll mentor MKG through this season. 

MKG has the highest motor in not only the NBA but probably all pro sports. He'll be back. He just turned 22 last week. 

On the negative side, our record with vs without MKG is downright staggering. He might literally be the most impactful player (to his team) in the entire league. Blow it up. 

Unless Steph refuses an extension in GS in the next 18-24 months (unlikely) and MJ can pull the sports miracle of the Millennium out of his ass and lure Steph home (0.01%), we are gonna suck for the foreseeable future. 

Basketball is hands down my favorite sport, I love the game. But the NBA is easily my least favorite league to follow and watch. It's so screwed up it's not even worth watching. 20-25 franchises are always stuck hopeless with no realistic chance of being a contender. It's the same 4-5 teams/players for decades at a time. They might as well skip the regular season and just start with the conference finals. 

this entire post is ridiculous.

[JJman Returns]

There's no "might" about it. In terms of luck, management, and success you'd be hard pressed to find a worse option.

The thing is, even when they get it right, it somehow turns out the worst way possible.

Tank for Davis? Finish 2nd to the franchise stolen away from you in the first place. Oh, and Davis is the only franchise player worth having in the draft.

Sign Lance Stephenson to a steal of a deal? He somehow forgets how to play basketball. 

Draft BPA in Vonleh and PJ? Vonleh looks like he's never played basketball before and PJ punches a high schooler a week after we draft him.

Sign MKG to a reasonable extension? He gets hurt in the first preseason game.

Mind you, this is just in the last 3 or 4 seasons! Just think of the possibilities if you go back to 2004, or 1988, even!

How about the fact that our best draft pick since we joined the league in 2004 is Kemba Walker, who we drafted in 2011. If we didn't draft him, we probably would have snagged Damien Lillard in 2012. No matter what we do, something bad comes of it. 

[cbarrier90]

this entire post is ridiculous.

Maybe a little hyperbole, but I appreciate Jake's enthusiasm and confidence in the team while the overdramatic woe is me folks like myself rant about how the sky is falling.

[Omega Atrocity]

Either way this season goes, I think we'll be fun to watch. We have seriously shot 3s at an almost unprecedented rate in preseason thus far (see Houston Rockets) and whichever way that ends up shaking out will determine how effective we are this season. 

For the record here are the teams that shot the most 3s last season:

1. Houston

2. Cleveland

3. Portland

4. Golden State

5. LA Clippers

6. Philly 

7. Atlanta

8. Dallas

9. Toronto

10. Pheonix

[Daddy_Uncle]

he plays wild and out of control getting himself hurt a lot. He is of no value to us if he just stays hurt. He has to play smarter making the money he is making now. Still so pissed the NBA screwed us out of Anthony Davis

[TheRed]

Unbelievable.

[PanthersUnited]

I'm not worried, our off season additions are looking promising and MKG only averaged 10 pts 9 rebounds a game, pretty solid yes but not the type of player that ends your season, Jesus people are acting as though we lost Jefferson and Kemba simultaneously for the whole season or something..

I always thought MKG was a solid player but overrated by Hornets fans on here

[PanthersUnited]

It was hyperbole and sarcasm. 

But the NBA really is a farce in that there are only 3 or 4 teams that have a legitimate chance at a title any given year. And it is the same teams year after year. 

I was born in '88, here's how many franchises have won a title in that span (27 years)...

NFL: 14

MLB: 15

NBA: 9

The NFL has great parody. The Patriots are the exception and there are a handful of teams that are always near the top. But all 32 teams can realistically win a championship. Any franchise can go from the worst team in the league to a SB contender in as little as 2 or 3 years. Hell, Carolina has done exactly that twice in our short existence. 

The MLB also has geat parody. The NYY win titles with their massive payroll, but small market teams like Miami and Arizona have also won by building young talent through their farm system. The noncap salary and farm system in baseball is great. Any franchise can build, or buy, a champion. 

The NBA is different. Unless you are the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs and/or have the best player in the world, you have literally no chance at winning the title. Dirk's Mavs and Billups' Pistons are the only 2 exceptions to that rule in 30 or 40 years, if not more. And they beat the best player in the world in the Finals. It's just the nature of the game; basketball is the only team sport where 1 man can win. The only exception I can think of in my lifetime where 1 man carried a team singlehandedly to a World Series or Super Bowl is what Madison Bumgarner did last October. 

And the star preferential officiating and free agency rules only further that bias. The NFL has a franchise tag and the MLB has arbitration that allows teams to keep their players. The NBA is set up to use small markets as farm teams for the major market teams to poach.

In the words of Fox- it is what it is. 

 

Actually it's the parity that I'm not a fan of in the NFL, in the NFL it's very flakey and based on a whole lot of luck. With the NBA it's consistent because less season ending injuries and when a team becomes good, they stay good because of player durability. Look at Golden State, haven't won crap in decades or even been a contender but they built solidly and now world champs against one of the greatest all time in Lebron..

The NFL has the illusion of parity but in all actuality, do you honestly think a team like the Bengals is going to beat a team like Denver or New England to make the SB? Of course not.. 

[Hammerin'Cameron34]

I'm not worried, our off season additions are looking promising and MKG only averaged 10 pts 9 rebounds a game, pretty solid yes but not the type of player that ends your season, Jesus people are acting as though we lost Jefferson and Kemba simultaneously for the whole season or something..

I always thought MKG was a solid player but overrated by Hornets fans on here

He just turned 22 for god sakes ... he is so young and pretty good already, wait until he grows up ... he needs this experience being out stunts his growth

[FuFuLamePoo]

What should happen:

Trade Al, Batum to a contender at the deadline. Get some good assets. Go for the youth movement. Lamb should see a lot of minutes. Decide if he has a future on this team as a shooting guard. If not, deal him as he's also expiring.

What will happen:

They will try their darndest to sign Batum to an extension because they sold the farm for him. They won't have the depth or defense to get to the playoffs. They will wind up picking 9th. Al probably gets re-signed. Clifford probably gets fired a la Fox getting blamed for all the problems with the 2010 Panthers. 

Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

how you gonna trade al and batum when they in contract years my man.  we won't get jack poo

[cbarrier90]

how you gonna trade al and batum when they in contract years my man.  we won't get jack poo

It worked on 2k, okay? :P

If a contender needs post scoring (OKC prior to Kanter trade) or an upgrade to defense on the wing, we've got it.

[FuFuLamePoo]

It worked on 2k, okay? :P

If a contender needs post scoring (OKC prior to Kanter trade) or an upgrade to defense on the wing, we've got it.

i'm not disagreeing with your plan of just going through another small rebuild while keeping guys like Kemba and MKG for the long-haul, I just can't imagine getting a good deal for either of those players especially Al.  Maybe Batum to someone like NOP if he's balling for us and they think they could keep him around.

[Omega Atrocity]

agreed...he is of no use to us if he is hurt, and he gets hurt alot...out for the year after the first preseason game???....you got to be kidding....there should be a rule that when this happens the player gives up a % of their pay so the team can re-coup these losses from bad decisions on players

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

[Manos]

It really sucks MKG is out for the year but hopefully the team can come together and manage to play well in spite of losing what is the heart and soul of that team. His stats may not show it but his energy feeds the whole team and makes them so much better when he plays. If he can make it back for the playoffs it should not be be as a starter but more of a sixth man Tony Allen defensive stopper type role. Then next season he can move back into the starting lineup.