Would missing the postseason this year be that bad for the Charlotte Hornets?
511 losses, even in 10 years, is never something a franchise wants to return to — especially when those 511 losses are accompanied only by 293 wins.
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Thus, it’s fair to say that Charlotte Hornets fans want to bury the dark days of the Charlotte Bobcats deep in the past. The re-branding that occurred last summer, effectively marking the return of the Charlotte Hornets, was more than just a name change; it was a transition into a new era.
Fans were excited to see a new-and-improved Charlotte team tip-off on their new home court, but well, sh—stuff happens, and now, fans are hardly excited about their hometown team.
The Hornets sit at a poor 30-40, yet somehow find themselves fighting for a playoff spot in the perennially terrible Eastern Conference. The last thing Charlotte fans want to see is another season of missing the playoffs, especially after such a promising 2013-2014 campaign, but would it really be that bad for the Hornets to miss postseason qualification this year?
Playoffs or not, there are both negatives and positives. Either the lottery or a playoff berth would be a step in the right direction, just in a different way…
The lottery
Being bad and playing the lottery hasn’t worked for the Charlotte Hornets in the past (for the most part), but they’ve gotten a couple of nice pieces with their high first-round picks in the past few seasons.
Shooting guard Gerald Henderson is the longest tenured player on the team, remaining with the Hornets since they drafted him in 2009 with the 12th overall pick. Kemba Walker came two years later with the ninth pick, followed by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in 2012, Cody Zeller in 2013, and Noah Vonleh in 2014. That obviously isn’t yet a star-studded lineup, because for the most part, the guys are inexperienced and unproven, but all of them have a potential to be quality ballplayers down the road.
Charlotte likely wouldn’t get a top-five pick this year; their record is currently the ninth-worst in the league. Even so, a top-10 pick, if used properly, could pay dividends.
Of course, another lottery-bound offseason would mean one less year of playoff experience for the team’s young core. It seems that Kemba Walker, perhaps more than anyone else, took something away something positive from last year’s brief playoff run. Assuming this team has legit title aspirations for the near future, it would be better off retaining their momentum, and unfortunately, a trip to the lottery would disrupt that.
Playoffs
At the end of the day, the NBA is a business. Michael Jordan is already a billionaire, but buying this Charlotte Hornets team was an investment. He wants to make money. The best way to do that is to make the playoffs. Success increases marketability, there’s no denying that.
Fans want to see this club qualify for a second consecutive season. Last year’s playoff run was too short, lasting only four games. Charlotte probably doesn’t have what it takes to upset the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks, and certainly not the Cleveland Cavaliers, but just seeing this gritty group of guys fight all season and eventually reach their goal would be magical in and of itself.
It’s also another chance to see the new-and-improved Kemba Walker lead the postseason charge, and potentially witness a legit turnaround for Lance Stephenson, who was excellent in last year’s playoffs for Indiana.
On the other hand, if the Hornets do qualify, the chances of them departing from Steve Clifford — whose late-game decisions have cost this team a handful of close ones — decreases drastically. The Hornets’ goal this year was another playoff berth, after all, and not much else. Reaching that goal would probably mean hanging onto the man holding this talented group back.
As mentioned before, the Hornets don’t have a real shot at winning their first round series, and another sweep would be especially heartbreaking. It would be exciting to see Charlotte battle it out on national television once more, but they may benefit more in the long-term from a higher draft pick this year.
All in all…
This team is going to be fine. It has a good, young core to move forward with and an established identity as a defensive powerhouse. Climbing to the top isn’t easy, and certainly cannot be done in one year.
Playoff- or lottery-bound, fans should be excited for an additional, progressive step towards contention.
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