The first basketball memes, going back to the stone ages, where the memes generally fixated around three prime internet sensations: ” The White Mamba Brian Scalabrine”,”The Bench Warmer Luke Walton”, and the Charlotte Bobcats. Charlotte’s NBA franchise was plagued with poor draft choices and repetitive losing seasons. When your losing reputation turns you into an internet meme, it can be difficult to shake off what appears to be embedded in your organization’s DNA. In their desperate attempt to shake off the culture of losing, the Bobcats became the Hornets, and they continued to build up their roster. NBA fans seem to forget that in 2015-2016, the Hornets won 12 more games than they did the year before. With their 48 wins, they would have been in the middle of the Eastern Conference last season. Unfortunately, they were back to their mediocre ways. I personally believe that was a bump in the road for the organization and the Charlotte Hornets will have a bounce back season this year.
Roster changes leading up to last season:
There were many small changes across the entire roster. However, the most glaring changes on the roster were the departure of guards Jeremy Lin and Courtney Lin. When you consider the coaching style of Steve Clifford, you realize how significant these losses were. A couple of seasons ago, the Hornets really relied on their combo guard scoring abilities and fast paced offense, which helped them finish 11th in the League at scoring. However, if you were to examine the Hornets’ team statistics, you would not be able to pin point the issues which caused them to win less games. The Hornets improved in points scored per game last season. Their defensive ranking only dropped from 9th to 14th. So what happened?
The Hornets didn’t steal games last season:
The Charlotte Hornets of 2015-2016 fought and clawed with the best of them. They somehow managed to steal games from the Celtics, Spurs, and Cavaliers. Unfortunately for “Buzz City”, they went winless agains these teams last season.
The Hornets stopped beating up on bad teams:
Yes, teams like Sixers and Pelicans have improved. However, that doesn’t justify Charlotte’s mediocre performances versus teams they used to dominate. The Hornets had losing records vs teams like the Bulls, Pistons, Knicks, and went winless against the Pelicans. They struggled to get up for mediocre competition that they had dominated in the past.
Other teams improved while the Hornets did not:
The Charlotte Hornets were optimistic about their chances as their roster got healthier. However, failing to replace their roster losses with adequate talent hurt the franchise. They had dominated teams like Milwaukee, Houston, and Memphis in prior season. Last season, they had losing records against those teams and quite a few more. In fact, they only had winning records last season versus six teams. Of those six teams they had winning records against, one made the playoffs.
Why the Hornets should be optimistic:
The Hornets made some roster additions which I believe will help the organization fill some holes they had last season. Replacing Al Jefferson with Roy Hibbert certainly did not help against bigger teams. Dwight Howard, on the other hand, will help. Say what you want about Howard, he is still a productive player and one of the better centers in the NBA. They also added a couple rookies, including Malik Monk which fits the perfectly. Monk, a Kentucky standout scorer, has his fair share of critics. However, I believe he was the perfect addition for the team’s offensive system. This draft selection reminds me of when Charlotte selected Kemba Walker. They were criticized for strictly going after a scorer then and they’re being criticized now. I’m not saying Monk will be the next Kemba, but I do believe he has potential to be a volume scorer in the NBA.
As the roster gets healthier and the Hornets get younger, with the addition of a motivated Dwight Howard, I truly believe the Hornets are due for a bounce back season. Younger players can be easier to motivate versus mediocre competition. With the diminishing talent in the Eastern Conference, there will be a team who will emerge by beating up on the Hawks, Knicks, and Bulls. Why not Charlotte? They clearly now know what works for them and what doesn’t, right?
Think another team, like the Pistons or Sixers, will be the one to emerge? Tweet me your thoughts: @TPRx11