All summer long, I went back and forth in my head about doing a piece on why Michael Jordan and his revolving door of general managers haven’t been able to put together a team that would have Charlotte Hornets fans abuzz today like they used to be when it was David Wesley, Bobby Phills, Glen Rice, Dell Curry, and Vlade Divac.
A time when they actually drafted Kobe Bryant, and a few years later, Baron Davis.
But things changed in January 2000, when Wesley and Phills were driving erratically through the Charlotte area, and Phills lost control of his Porsche, and lost his life spinning out of control and crashing at over 100 mph.
The Hornets would never be the same. They eventually became the Charlotte Bobcats, pseudo-named after then-owner Robert Johnson (also owner of BET).
Beginning with the 2004-05 season with Emeka Okafor, Cory Alexander, and Gerald Wallace as their core, the re-branded team underwhelmed for nearly a decade before finally getting back to post-season play in 2009-10, then in 2013-14, and most recently in 2015-16, branded again as the Charlotte Hornets.
Though new folks were on the team – like D.J. Augustin, Nazr Mohammed, Stephen Jackson, Tyson Chandler, and Raymond Felton were on the roster in 2009-10, they were swept by Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, and Dwight Howard’s Orlando Magic.
Their next two appearances were also sweeps, now at the hand of the Miami Heat in both 2013-14 and 2015-16. The first sweep was at the hands of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh in their final season together, and the second was with Wade and Bosh and Joe Johnson, in the draft year of #VFL Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow.
Fast forward to 2020-21, and the ping pong ball bouncing to just the right opportunity after former general managers Rod Higgins and Rich Cho tried their hand at the job, Mitch Kupchak was hired and – voila – proper decisions are being made in the Queen City.
LaMelo Ball is selected, Gordon Hayward is traded for (though I still think he should have gone to Indiana), and the city is abuzz once again, as the Hornets sit in the thick of the Eastern Conference pack at 5-3.
Their five game swing out west should measure how genuine this team is in its start, or if they’re more a harmless carpenter bee than a Hornet:
- Golden State Warriors – Wednesday
- Sacramento Kings – Friday
- Los Angeles Clippers – Sunday
- Los Angeles Lakers – Monday
- Memphis Grizzlies – Wednesday
While the Warriors game will be a solid initial test, the real test comes on Sunday and Monday, when the Hornets play both L.A. teams on back to back nights.
We’ll revisit the Hornets’ success rate once they’ve been tested in 10 days.
Until then, enjoy the buzz.
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THE RUNDOWN:
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| PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS 103 | PHILADELPHIA 76ERS 113 |
| Norman Powell – 22 points
Jusuf Nurkic – 9 rebounds Damian Lillard – 10 assists |
Seth Curry – 23 points
Andre Drummond – 15 rebounds Andre Drummond, Tyrese Maxey – 7 assists |
NEXT UP
Cavaliers at Trailblazers – Wednesday
Bulls at Sixers – Wednesday
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| SAN ANTONIO SPURS 118 | INDIANA PACERS 131 |
| Dejounte Murray – 16 points
Keita Bates-Diop – 7 rebounds Derrick White – 7 assists |
Domantas Sabonis – 24 points
Domantas Sabonis – 13 rebounds T.J. McConnell – 10 assists |
NEXT UP
Mavericks at Spurs – Wednesday
Knicks at Pacers – Wednesday
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| CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 113 | CHARLOTTE HORNETS 110 |
| Jarrett Allen – 24 points
Jarrett Allen – 16 rebounds Ricky Rubio – 8 assists |
LaMelo Ball – 30 points
Miles Bridges – 9 rebounds Miles Bridges – 8 assists |
NEXT UP
Cavaliers at Trailblazers – Wednesday
Hornets at Warriors – Wednesday
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| TORONTO RAPTORS 113 | NEW YORK KNICKS 104 |
| O.G. Anunoby – 36 points
Fred VanVleet, Precious Achiuwa – 9 rebounds Fred VanVleet – 8 assists |
R.J. Barrett – 27 points
Mitchell Robinson – 12 rebounds Immanuel Quickley, Julius Randle – 5 assists |
NEXT UP
Raptors at Wizards – Wednesday
Knicks at Pacers – Wednesday
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| WASHINGTON WIZARDS 111 | ATLANTA HAWKS 118 |
| Bradley Beal – 24 points
Montrezl Harrell – 8 rebounds Spencer Dinwiddie – 10 assists |
Trae Young – 26 points
Clint Capela – 12 rebounds Bogdan Bogdanovic, John Collins, Trae Young – 6 assists |
NEXT UP
Raptors at Wizards – Wednesday
Hawks at Nets – Wednesday
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| CHICAGO BULLS 128 | BOSTON CELTICS 114 |
| DeMar DeRozan – 37 points
Nikola Vucevic – 10 rebounds Nikola Vucevic – 9 assists |
Jaylen Brown – 28 points
Al Horford – 10 rebounds Dennis Schroder – 5 assists |
NEXT UP
Bulls at Sixers – Wednesday
Celtics at Magic – Wednesday
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| DENVER NUGGETS 97 | MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 106 |
| Nikola Jokic – 23 points
Aaron Gordon – 10 rebounds Nikola Jokic – 7 assists |
Ja Morant – 26 points
Kyle Anderson – 9 rebounds Ja Morant – 8 assists |
NEXT UP
Nuggets at Grizzlies – Wednesday
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| ORLANDO MAGIC 115 | MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES 97 |
| Cole Anthony – 31 points
Wendell Carter – 14 rebounds Cole Anthony – 8 assists |
Anthony Edwards – 24 points
Karl-Anthony Towns – 16 rebounds Karl-Anthony Towns – 6 assists |
NEXT UP
Celtics at Magic – Wednesday
Clippers at Timberwolves – Wednesday
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| OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 94 | LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 99 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 28 points
Mike Muscala, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Theo Maledon – 7 rebounds Josh Giddey – 7 assists |
Paul George – 32 points
Isaiah Hartenstein – 12 rebounds Paul George – 7 assists |
NEXT UP
Clippers at Timberwolves – Wednesday
Thunder at Lakers – Thursday
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Tracy Graven is the Senior NBA Analyst for BackSportsPage.com.
He has written the NBA, done NBA Radio, and appeared as a guest for the last 21+ years for HoopsWorld, Swish Magazine, HoopsHype, the Coach Scott Fields Show, NBARadioShow.com, and is also tackling the NFL, NCAA, and will be pinch-hitting on some Major League Baseball coverage for BackSportsPage.
He’s spent 21 years in locker rooms in Orlando, Boise (CBA, G League), San Antonio, Phoenix, Denver, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta.
A corporate trainer by day, he currently resides in SEC Country near Knoxville, Tennessee.
Reach him on Twitter at @RealTMoneyMedia
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