Charlotte at a Crossroads
Photo: Tim Fuller-USA Today Sports
By Chris Barnewall
The Charlotte Hornets are a team
that went all-in for the upcoming
season, trading key assets for a oneyear look at Nicolas Batum, only to
then have the worst possible luck—
losing their best player, Michael
Kidd-Gilchrist, to injury in the
preseason.
Charlotte has always been a team
that relied on their defense to grind
out wins, getting just enough scoring
from Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker
in brutal-to-watch games. And while
the preseason showed the possibilities
of a much improved offense,
reconfiguring a team identity so
quickly can be difficult. It’s unlikely
the Hornets will be able to make
the playoffs at this point, but they
definitely need to try given the Batum
gambit and drafting the presumably
more NBA-ready Frank Kaminsky
over more tantalizing prospects.
important crossroads for the Hornets.
Success could mean retaining
Batum and Jefferson and making a
bigger push when Kidd-Gilchrist
returns. If things go bad, then Steve
Clifford could find himself fired with
Rich Cho right behind him in the
unemployment line. Is this fair? No,
not at all. Cho hasn’t even had two
seasons yet to bring in players to
fit his vision, spending the first two
years getting rid of the mess Larry
Brown made.
Firing Clifford in particular
would be a ridiculous move, given
the work he’s done with the roster—
namely taking the team to an elite
defense with Jefferson and Cody
Zeller as their main front court
options. The losses during Clifford’s
time have more to do with lack of
talent than coaching.
Unfortunately, circumstances get
With impending free agency for
good people fired sometimes, and
Jefferson and Batum, this season is an the Hornets are in what could be a
bad place. They can’t afford a bad
season. Fortunately, this is arguably
the most talented roster the Hornets
have had in years. Batum is one of
the most versatile players in the
NBA, providing spacing, defense, and
some playmaking from the wings.
Jeremy Lin is a legitimately good
backup point guard, and a skinnier
Al Jefferson can still bend a defense
to his will. And it all could turn into
an unexpectedly good year if Kemba
Walker finally puts it together, Cody
Zeller breaks out, and the team as a
whole continues the solid offensive
production they’ve shown in
preseason.
Of course, that’s a lot to ask, and
things always sound so much more
optimistic before the games start
to count. Charlotte could go many
directions this season, but what’s no
longer an option is staying the same
mediocre course.
BBALLBREAKDOWN.COM | 17