Jordan wants to restore Bobcats' image

[cbarrier90]

When I think of the Hornets I think of Bobby Phills, Zo and other guys hating to be here, and a team that couldnt sell out playoff games at the end. All these things are a lot closer to NOW than 1993. Shinn's team is never coming back. Be happy that Bob left us a team that truly cares about Charlotte, that wont just leave us like the Hornets did. Besides the Hornets today are viewed as big a joke of a franchise as the Bobs.

Bob could have cared less about Charlotte. That's the point of the whole article. When MJ is the best owner in team history, that's a problem.

This is not about moving the team back to Charlotte, it's about getting back the brand. The team may not be any good, but at least the city of Charlotte would be able to take pride in the fact that "their" team and "their" name is back. It's why Cleveland hangs on to the "Browns" and why Seattle hangs on to the "Sonics."

The Hornets are viewed as a joke today because they're out of place in a city that doesn't care about basketball. The end of the Hornets tenure in Charlotte was rocky because no one wanted to support an owner like Shinn.

[Dpantherman]

Man the hornets were all over in TV in the 90s. Hell even some rappers can be seen w/ throwback Charlotte Hornets gear.

Nothing close to anything the Bobcats have done.

[Dpantherman]

[YoungPanthers89]

I miss the hornets :(

[Johnny Rockets]

When I think of the Hornets I think of Bobby Phills, Zo and other guys hating to be here, and a team that couldnt sell out playoff games at the end. All these things are a lot closer to NOW than 1993. Shinn's team is never coming back. Be happy that Bob left us a team that truly cares about Charlotte, that wont just leave us like the Hornets did. Besides the Hornets today are viewed as big a joke of a franchise as the Bobs.

I remember that...back in 2000 I was able to walk up to the box office an hour before the 76ers vs. Hornets playoff game and buy 100 level tickets 7 rows behind AI's mom for something like $43 each.

[Panthro]

SO basically this city has a history of not supporting shitty owners

[yasuhara2241]

Ok I really don't understand all this uproar. We suck but we all knew this.

When mj took over he had contacts for diop, Carrolla, diaw, Najera, Wallace and later Jackson and possibly Felton if we wanted to resign him.

That lineup does nothing but 7 out 8 seed in the playoffs with first round exit. I'm glad we didn't stick with that mentality.

Sometimes you have to get worse before you get better especially in the NBA where we are not a free agent destination.

The only way to do this is thru the draft. Now if you want to complain about our draft picks then I understand that. We have made some awful draft picks.

But come on who knew okafor would never improve. Felton and may were a decent idea because we needed depth at that time and Morrison was considered a top pick by many but he just cracked under the pressure.

We have some great pieces and I'm excited about the future especially if we can get #1. But honestly we won't be good for at least two more years. If we still suck than have mjs head and give up.

[Kakarot]

When you think of the Charlotte Hornets, you think of The Hive routinely packed at 23K and one of the best environments in the league. You think of Dell Curry, Muggsy, Mourning and the teal and purple.

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[King Taharqa]

Cbarrier you're naive if you think Jordan cares more about this team and city than Bob. He wont spend money and alienated us from superstars with that lockout stunt. There are agents who wont even negotiate with us unless we overpay. MJ has always cared about himself and his brand first and foremost. He traded away our face and replaced him with who? Himself! Mike the owner is the star, he's the biggest draw. LOL. With Bob you never had this problem

. He just signed the checks and gave his GM and coach what they wanted. But a pre-proggressive Charlotte wasnt ready for a self made guy like him. They had more love for a good old boy owner and his business that abandoned them than the one who presently repped and fought for them. What star player wants to play in an environment like that? So that in itself is part of the image problem for this market locally. We'd rather live in and rehash the past then look to and BUILD for the future.

[King Taharqa]

Cbarrier you're naive if you think Jordan cares more about this team and city than Bob. He wont spend money and alienated us from superstars with that lockout stunt. There are agents who wont even negotiate with us unless we overpay. MJ has always cared about himself and his brand first and foremost. He traded away our face and replaced him with who? Himself! Mike the owner is the star, he's the biggest draw. LOL. With Bob you never had this problem

. He just signed the checks and gave his GM and coach what they wanted. But a pre-proggressive Charlotte wasnt ready for a self made guy like him. They had more love for a good old boy owner and his business that abandoned them than the one who presently repped and fought for them. What star player wants to play in an environment like that? So that in itself is part of the image problem for this market locally. We'd rather live in and rehash the past then look to and BUILD for the future.

[cavic7585]

I was a huge hornets fan growing up as a kid. The bobcats doesnt have the energy of a kannapolis intimidators game. I can tell you why at the end i stopped supporting the hornets. Because george shinn was a was a piece of poo in business and his personal life and he made it known he was leaving.

Im down for changing the name and it doesnt have to be hornets. Just not after the d-bag rob johnson. So going back to the hornets is not going to bring mugsy, grandmama and zo from retirement but it would do alot it revitalizing this dumpster fire.

[thatlookseasy]

Guess what, the Hornets were successful (for a time) because they had exciting players, and they got those players the only way a small-market NBA team can- through the draft. Alonzo Mourning (2nd overall), Baron Davis (3rd overall), and Larry Johnson (1st overall). The fact is, the Bobcats need to suck really hard for a while, because otherwise they will never have the players to field a competitive NBA team. If the team gets some good players, it wont matter what you call them. Seriously, the Clippers are one of the hottest tickets in the NBA right now. The Clippers.

[Kramerica]

That point would be fine if you were really comparing apples to apples.

The Sonics were around 41 years, won an NBA championship, were in the NBA finals 3 other times, and won 4 division titles in a span of 5 years.

The Cleveland Browns existed for 49 years, won 4 championships (before the merger), 11 conference championships, 13 division championships, 28 playoff appearances, and have 21 hall of famers.

The Charlotte Hornets existed for 14 years, and won 4 playoff series (never advancing past the second round). Everyone who romanticizes about the team keeps remembering 1993, but what about the aftermath of it? Star players left the team left and right, and has given this city a stigma that stars will never want to stay here (which even spills over to the Panthers, see how many people are scared that Cam Newton will pack his bags). Changing the team's name back to the Hornets isn't going to help that.

Great for the Browns and the Sonics. The Hornets were the first major pro sports franchise in Charlotte, and the connection this team had with the city is something the Bobcats haven't even sniffed in 8 years. Just because they never won any hardware (who else did in the 90's except Jordan?) doesn't mean the team and brand didn't mean a lot to the city.

[thatlookseasy]

Cbarrier you're naive if you think Jordan cares more about this team and city than Bob. He wont spend money and alienated us from superstars with that lockout stunt. There are agents who wont even negotiate with us unless we overpay. MJ has always cared about himself and his brand first and foremost. He traded away our face and replaced him with who? Himself! Mike the owner is the star, he's the biggest draw. LOL. With Bob you never had this problem

. He just signed the checks and gave his GM and coach what they wanted. But a pre-proggressive Charlotte wasnt ready for a self made guy like him. They had more love for a good old boy owner and his business that abandoned them than the one who presently repped and fought for them. What star player wants to play in an environment like that? So that in itself is part of the image problem for this market locally. We'd rather live in and rehash the past then look to and BUILD for the future.

I got to disagree with you on, well, most of this. MJ spending money to keep the team together once he took over as owner would have been the worst possible long-term move for the team. Thats not to say it wouldnt have helped the image of the team to remain somewhat relevant in the playoff picture for a couple more years, but long term the team as it was constructed would have never succeed long term.

MJ said as much at the time, but re-signing Tyson Chandler and putting the team into the luxury tax would have been silly for a team competing for the 7th and 8th seed in the East. It would basically be building the team around Wallace (29 right now), Steven Jackson (33), Chandler (29), and either Felton or Augustin at the point. That team is at best a 5th seed or so, and has no hope of legitimately competing with the Bulls and Heat. So, 2nd round at BEST. Also, it would have killed any cap space, required a ton of money in long term deals, and probably lose more money than any team in the NBA

That being said, it probably would have helped the team in the short term. There would at least be some buzz about the team, and attendance would certainly be better. But what about 2 or 3 years from now, when the team would be stuck with aging players on big contracts, no high draft picks in sight, no cap space, and no hope of competing for another 5+ years? I dont think the positive buzz of a couple playoff appearances would make up for the hopelessness of that scenario.