Charlotte Hornets: Has Inconsistency Made Hornets NBA’s Biggest Disappointment?

Unfortunately, there are only a finite number of wins to go around in the 82-game NBA season.

And by default, that means that even teams with plenty of talent are going to tack on a sizable handful of tallies in the “loss” column; it’s your classic “always a bigger fish” scenario.

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Fans recognize that star power isn’t enough, and pray that their team’s key guys can find cohesion, but that isn’t always the case. This year, that certainly hasn’t been the case for the Charlotte Hornets.

At the All-Star break, a landmark for the NBA season, we reflect on Charlotte’s 2014-15 campaign, and ask one question: has there been a team more disappointing than Charlotte?

An objective look at the Hornets’ roster would ironically give the impression that the team is quite good. Before the season started, Charlotte was the darling of the Eastern Conference, primed to potentially eclipse the 50-win mark.

After all, they had added two first-round draft selections and a top-tier free agent (as well as two other mid-tier FA) to a team that had won 43 games the year prior. Losing Josh McRoberts was a blow to the team, but nothing too major … right?

Well, whether it was the absence of McBob or not, the Hornets didn’t come out of the gates steaming. Quite the contrary, actually. The Hornets had a horrific first two months, which included a 10-game losing streak. Analysts, fans, and the team’s front office were all scratching their heads, unable to figure out what the problem was.

It was clear that Lance Stephenson wasn’t a fit, and his numbers as well as the team’s (with him playing) reflected that perfectly. The defense — strangely — saw a major drop-off, despite the new starting lineup that featured Marvin Williams initially, and then Cody Zeller, both better defenders than McRoberts.

Advanced statistics suggested that Charlotte was one of the worst teams in the NBA on both ends of the floor, and unfortunately, nobody knew how to fix it.

Dec 17, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Lance Stephenson (1) lies on the ground after a fall during the second half of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Suns win 111-106. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Well, nobody, that is, except the basketball gods. The team was blessed when Al Jefferson and Stephenson (who were both having poor seasons) both went down with simultaneous injuries. Despite the lack of star power, the Hornets rattled off 12 wins in 16 games, riding the hot streak of Kemba Walker.

But then injury struck again, this time in the form of a curse, and Walker decided on knee surgery — effectively suspending his season for six weeks.

In the midst of the team’s Kemba-less struggles, Rich Cho elected to trade for Mo Williams, one of the league’s better backup point guards. Charlotte is on a three-game losing streak (none of the losses have come to playoff teams), and Hornets fans are hanging there heads in disappointment, marveling at the inconsistency of such a high-IQ club.

With no All-Star representation, a 22-30 record, a seventh seed in the dreadful East, and most importantly, very high pre-season aspirations, the Charlotte Hornets have been the single most underwhelming team in the NBA.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and (especially) New York Knicks absolutely rank up there with Charlotte, but the former is playing in the ever-competitive West, and the latter has effectively elected to tossing their season down the drain in hopes of a higher draft selection.

Jan 24, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hornets won 76-71. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Tanking is pathetic, but at least Phil Jackson has recognized the issues with his club. New York may have notched just 10 wins on the year, but Charlotte’s struggles have been harder to endure. It’s sad — painful, really — to watch the Hornets bob in an out of the playoff picture this season.

For every small win streak, there is a stretch of losses that destroys all momentum. For every convincing win against a playoff team, there’s been a convincing loss against a bottom-feeder.

For New York, there is a sense of where the team is headed; most of the cap-consuming veterans have been either traded or waived, and fans know they will have Carmelo Anthony, a legitimate superstar, for four seasons after this one. Jahlil Okafor has been on the Knicks’ radar, and even at a young 19 years old, he projects to be an immediate star presence at the NBA level.

Charlotte’s future is perhaps even murkier than its present. Al Jefferson is in a strange contractual situation, and it’s even stranger now that Charlotte has thrived without him. Stephenson is another giant question mark on the roster, and there’s no telling whether or not he will even be around once the Feb. 19 trade deadline passes.

Kemba Walker is set to make $48 million over the next four seasons, but he has remained far too inconsistent to be considered a true star. Will Michael Kidd-Gilchrist ever be more than a glue guy? Will Cody Zeller be anything more than an energy guy? Will P.J. Hairston ever be a legitimate off-ball three-point threat? Will Noah Vonleh even crack Charlotte’s rotation?

There’s. Just. No. Telling.

Much depends on whether the Hornets make the playoffs this year or not, but there are far too many variables with this club to come to any set conclusions. Both the coaching and players have been the antithesis of consistent, and thus, the output of the team has been as well.

Now, perhaps this mindset is far too pessimistic — every team has its question marks. Still, the fact that the Hornets, even 52 games into the season, have yet to paint a clear picture of themselves is certainly something for fans to be concerned about.

Unfortunately, there is no Jahlil Okafor coming to Charlotte next year. There is no LeBron James or Kevin Durant looking to sign in the upcoming offseason. So with that, Charlotte Hornets fans can only hope.

Hope that Saturday’s game marks the birth of an identity. Hope that it marks the birth of direction.

Charlotte fans are all-too familiar with an identity-less team, and of course, the hundreds of losses than come with it. But this is no longer the age of the Bobcats; the Charlotte Hornets have made their comeback.

So just hope.

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