Now don’t get me wrong, I want the Charlotte Hornets to be very successful. As a Charlotte native, I’ve seen the ups and downs of this franchise almost in its entirety, but I don’t see the direction of the team this season.
I was pleased with our selections in this year’s NBA draft. Miles Bridges and Devonte Graham are the two most notable picks, and I think they could both be solid players for the team down the road. With those two, you also have Malik Monk and Dwayne Bacon to round out a solid young core. But they are oh so very young and even when healthy, aren’t going to be enough to move this team through the eastern conference.
With a talented young group such as that, you need experience to surround them. The Hornets have some decent experience on their roster. Marvin Williams, Nic Batum, and all-star Kemba Walker provide some of that leadership needed for a successful team. The Hornets also just brought in four-time NBA champion Tony Parker from the San Antonio Spurs. They got him cheap (two years, $10 million), so they didn’t break the back doing it, but will he be an effective back-up to Kemba at 36 years old?
OFFICIAL
Hornets Sign Free-Agent Guard Tony Parker; Charlotte Acquires Four-Time NBA Champion and Six-Time All-Star
Press Release: https://t.co/McgHOoEwLF
Welcome to #BuzzCity, @tonyparker! pic.twitter.com/1TFjpnzr5Z
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) July 23, 2018
Hornets Sign Free-Agent Guard Tony Parker; Charlotte Acquires Four-Time NBA Champion and Six-Time All-StarParker brings the championship pedigree that you want around your rookies and second-year players, and maybe that’s what Mitch Kupchak is looking for at this point. But you’re looking at Kemba Walker who is already in his prime, and those years are numbered. Can they win now? No. Next year? Doubtful. So the purpose behind the Tony Parker signing remains a mystery to many in the Queen City. It could be that fellow Frenchman Nic Batum had some pull in the move.
If it had been up to me, I would’ve tried to make a deal involving Kemba and a few others happen. They could clean house, get some young pieces back while Walker, Kidd-Gilchrist, and Zellar still have good years left in them, and have a completely new team that could contend in the East in three to four years. But if bringing Parker in is meant to rub off on the existing roster, I can see that as well.
This could be a fun season for Hornets fans. There are fresh, exciting players to watch, and there are some big names along side them. If they do well, it’ll be a nice surprise. If they don’t have a great season, no worries, keep building and growing through the draft.
This article isn’t a pessimistic one, but merely an attempt to be realistic with a side of hope. Hang in there Buzz City faithful.
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