PG as #1 option = Mediocre Team

[carpanfan96]

you pick the best available and move the rest of the pieces to make him fit..

you don't pass on Jabari because you have Taylor and MKG.. im sure you know this, im just stating the obvious

Unless they win a max of. 4-5 more games the rest of the season they won't be in position to pick wiggins, Parker or randle. I wasn't saying they would pass on Parker or wiggins, but that no one at Pf or Sf around where the cats will likely be picking aren't going to be better then zeller or mkg.

Heck if they win more then 25 or so games the cats likely won't have a first round pick. If that ends up being the case then signing Jefferson will go down as one of the biggest mistakes a NC based team has ever made.

[Zaximus]

Unless they win a max of. 4-5 more games the rest of the season they won't be in position to pick wiggins, Parker or randle. I wasn't saying they would pass on Parker or wiggins, but that no one at Pf or Sf around where the cats will likely be picking aren't going to be better then zeller or mkg.

Heck if they win more then 25 or so games the cats likely won't have a first round pick. If that ends up being the case then signing Jefferson will go down as one of the biggest mistakes a NC based team has ever made.

 

Looks like we could win 25 without Jefferson even playing.  In that case, you can't tell your young guys to "lose" when they need to develop.  

[bLACKpANTHER]

Jefferson has helped us win 1 game..

 

Like i said, the biggest difference for this team was the Steve Clifford hire. He has helped this team far more that Jefferson ever could. With basically the same team that put us in the #2 spot last year- Clifford has made this squad a playoff contender. Can I get an amen!?!

[Carl Spackler]

Unless they win a max of. 4-5 more games the rest of the season they won't be in position to pick wiggins, Parker or randle. I wasn't saying they would pass on Parker or wiggins, but that no one at Pf or Sf around where the cats will likely be picking aren't going to be better then zeller or mkg.

Heck if they win more then 25 or so games the cats likely won't have a first round pick. If that ends up being the case then signing Jefferson will go down as one of the biggest mistakes a NC based team has ever made.

What? They're going to have at least 1 and possibly 3 first-round picks. Get your facts straight, dude. Winning 25 games or so got Cleveland the #1 pick last year.

Hate to tell you this but the lottery is rigged, too. Bobcats could go 0-82 and pick third. The NBA is going to make sure Charlotte doesn't get the top pick. They could tank until 2040 and never pick higher than 2nd. Basically all

It means when you tank is you're saying "we don't know how to run a team, so we are going to put all our faith every year into one day and hope against hope our ping-pong balls get us a great player and until then we will dream of losses and unproven 20-year-olds in whom we will put all our faith."

[carpanfan96]

What? They're going to have at least 1 and possibly 3 first-round picks. Get your facts straight, dude. Winning 25 games or so got Cleveland the #1 pick last year.

Hate to tell you this but the lottery is rigged, too. Bobcats could go 0-82 and pick third. The NBA is going to make sure Charlotte doesn't get the top pick. They could tank until 2040 and never pick higher than 2nd. Basically all

It means when you tank is you're saying "we don't know how to run a team, so we are going to put all our faith every year into one day and hope against hope our ping-pong balls get us a great player and until then we will dream of losses and unproven 20-year-olds in whom we will put all our faith."

 

If Charlotte is picking out of the top 10 then the pick goes to Chicago because of Tyrus Thomas trade. Right now Charlotte is on target to have a late first round pick via Portland and thats it. As it stands now, Charlotte's pick would go to Chicago and Detroit would keep it's pick.

 

Also right now there are 9 teams with winning percentages below .350 and a few under .150, I wouldn't be surprised to see about 6-7 teams finish with records in the 20-25 win range.So in all likely hood a 27-30 win team would be picking in the 8-12 range with how bad the league is this season.

 

 

So if the Cats actually win and the records stay similar, then Charlotte will have a very late first and thats it.

[carpanfan96]

What? They're going to have at least 1 and possibly 3 first-round picks. Get your facts straight, dude. Winning 25 games or so got Cleveland the #1 pick last year.

Hate to tell you this but the lottery is rigged, too. Bobcats could go 0-82 and pick third. The NBA is going to make sure Charlotte doesn't get the top pick. They could tank until 2040 and never pick higher than 2nd. Basically all

It means when you tank is you're saying "we don't know how to run a team, so we are going to put all our faith every year into one day and hope against hope our ping-pong balls get us a great player and until then we will dream of losses and unproven 20-year-olds in whom we will put all our faith."

 

If Charlotte is picking out of the top 10 then the pick goes to Chicago because of Tyrus Thomas trade. Right now Charlotte is on target to have a late first round pick via Portland and thats it. As it stands now, Charlotte's pick would go to Chicago and Detroit would keep it's pick.

 

Also right now there are 9 teams with winning percentages below .350 and a few under .150, I wouldn't be surprised to see about 6-7 teams finish with records in the 20-25 win range.So in all likely hood a 27-30 win team would be picking in the 8-12 range with how bad the league is this season.

 

 

So if the Cats actually win and the records stay similar, then Charlotte will have a very late first and thats it.

 

 

Rigged or not, the draft is literally the only way a small market team can win consistently. So if you think it's rigged then you don't think Charlotte as any chance ever being better then the 8th seed and a first round exit in the playoffs. With out a superstar, that's the ceiling.

[CarolinaNCSU]

I swear if they lose their 1st rounder to the Bulls THIS year...I'll riot. Or at least throw a remote or something. 

[Carl Spackler]

I swear if they lose their 1st rounder to the Bulls THIS year...I'll riot. Or at least throw a remote or something. 

If they lose the first-rounder to the Bulls this year, it means they got better as a team, and probably don't need a pick that high to at least contend to some extent.

 

I do find it amusing people say we suck if we lose, then get pissed if we win.

[carpanfan96]

If they lose the first-rounder to the Bulls this year, it means they got better as a team, and probably don't need a pick that high to at least contend to some extent.

 

I do find it amusing people say we suck if we lose, then get pissed if we win.

 

 

Doesn't mean they can contend at all, the NBA is horrible this year as I've mentioned already. Just means that the team made a move to improve the team a season earlier then they should have. There's a reason NBA experts mocked the Cats for getting Jefferson and it wasn't just about his contract. It's when they made the move that's puzzling as well. 

[CarolinaNCSU]

If they lose the first-rounder to the Bulls this year, it means they got better as a team, and probably don't need a pick that high to at least contend to some extent.

 

I do find it amusing people say we suck if we lose, then get pissed if we win.

 

That's cute and all, but won't win a championship. Or even the division. I'd rather have a 1st rounder than get murdered by LeBron this year. This team's ceiling right now is probably a 7th-8th seed. Even with great progression from young guys and signing another guy next year, their ceiling is probably a 5 or 6 seed. Championship teams need stars, no matter the sport. The Horncats have none. Kemba and Jefferson are a couple of good players, but 2nd/3rd/or even 4th bananas on a true contender. If you strive to be a mediocre .500 team year in and year out to "content to some extent", so be it. I'd rather not. 

[Carl Spackler]

That's cute and all, but won't win a championship. Or even the division. I'd rather have a 1st rounder than get murdered by LeBron this year. This team's ceiling right now is probably a 7th-8th seed. Even with great progression from young guys and signing another guy next year, their ceiling is probably a 5 or 6 seed. Championship teams need stars, no matter the sport. The Horncats have none. Kemba and Jefferson are a couple of good players, but 2nd/3rd/or even 4th bananas on a true contender. If you strive to be a mediocre .500 team year in and year out to "content to some extent", so be it. I'd rather not.

Good luck getting even decent players to re-sign with a team who tanks every single season. It's ironic how everyone's solution actually creates another problem.

[CarolinaNCSU]

Good luck getting even decent players to re-sign with a team who tanks every single season. It's ironic how everyone's solution actually creates another problem.

 

Because this team will need to continue to tank if it lands a superstar? Seriously? 

 

Or better yet, wait it out because people WANT to sign here anyway? We have to overpay like hell to land middle of the road guys like Jefferson. Land a Durant/Westbrook/Harden/Duncan/Kyrie/George (small market examples only there) in the draft, and you no longer have to tank. Or overpay guys to come team up with them. 

 

As always, find me an example of a small market team winning ANYTHING without landing a superstar in the draft. One thing is going to save basketball in Charlotte and it's not a mediocre team simply rebranding into the Hornets. That nostalgia will be cool for a year at most if the team turns into their own version of the Hawks or Bucks. Landing a superstar to rejuvenate the fanbase, who can then cheer for a team who expects better than poo to .500 as a ceiling is the only way to save it. One way to do that in the NBA as a small market. Bottom out, get lucky. 

[Carl Spackler]

Because this team will need to continue to tank if it lands a superstar? Seriously? 

 

Or better yet, wait it out because people WANT to sign here anyway? We have to overpay like hell to land middle of the road guys like Jefferson. Land a Durant/Westbrook/Harden/Duncan/Kyrie/George (small market examples only there) in the draft, and you no longer have to tank. Or overpay guys to come team up with them. 

 

As always, find me an example of a small market team winning ANYTHING without landing a superstar in the draft. One thing is going to save basketball in Charlotte and it's not a mediocre team simply rebranding into the Hornets. That nostalgia will be cool for a year at most if the team turns into their own version of the Hawks or Bucks. Landing a superstar to rejuvenate the fanbase, who can then cheer for a team who expects better than poo to .500 as a ceiling is the only way to save it. One way to do that in the NBA as a small market. Bottom out, get lucky. 

 

Find me an example of a small-market team winning anything in the first place! Unless you consider Orlando or Cleveland to be small-market, which they may or not be, I don't think so but I digress, then we've not seen a small-market team make the Finals in the last 35 years. I might give you Portland or OKC, but that's all. 

[Carl Spackler]

Because this team will need to continue to tank if it lands a superstar? Seriously? 

 

Yes, seriously. I wanted to address this separately.

 

If it lands a superstar, it's got to find a way to keep that superstar beyond his rookie contract. Otherwise, you're what, in the East finals for a year maybe, then our boy signs with the Lakers/Heat/Thunder/Knicks/Celtics, and we're back to 18-64 and tanking another 5 years? 

 

I'm swimming upstream in this argument and I realize that. But I would be alright with the level of success the 1993-01 Hornets had, where they were a tough out but not quite Finals material. At some point you should accept that as a small-market team, there are some limitations, and to expect your team – which has nailed TWO first-round picks in its history – to mimic the Thunder is a pipe dream. I'm definitely not as much of a dreamer as some on here. Maybe that's good, maybe it's bad, but that's the way I see it.