The Charlotte Hornets are 3-7 through their first 10 games of the season and the early results of Steve Clifford’s return as head coach are ugly. Charlotte has a chance to right the ship tonight against the Washington Wizards, needing a win in the worst way. A loss tonight would put the Hornets at a 5 game losing streak just 11 games in. After looking promising and plucky the past two seasons, Charlotte is dangerously close to settling into the bottom of the eastern conference and becoming an afterthought once again.
These Hornets are clearly still feeling the effects of an offseason that was as disastrous as you’ll see for an NBA team. With blunder after blunder rolling into injury on top of injury, this squad just has not looked good so far. The absences of LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier (who just returned to the lineup), Cody Martin, and of course Miles Bridges loom large over this team. Add in Gordon Hayward missing time (as per usual), and it becomes excruciatingly difficult to find reasons for optimism, even if you squint.
Speaking of Miles Bridges, his situation has moved forward…to the point where talk of what Charlotte (or other teams) should do has started to pick up a bit. For Charlotte, this is a lose-lose situation. There’s risk of alienating fans and a guaranteed PR nightmare if Bridges is brought back (should the NBA allow him to play). Letting him sign elsewhere without getting back some form of compensation is a tough pill to swallow, one which doesn’t benefit the on-court product in any way. Good luck Mitch Kupchak.
On another note, my patience for Gordon Hayward has run out. I fail to see how he is benefiting this team or will benefit the team going forward. When on the court, the ball seems to stop in his hands. I understand the value of someone being able to create his own shot or get to the foul line, which Gordon does. However, if his shot is not falling the rest of his game isn’t impactful enough to make up for it. Hayward had a chance early this season to show Charlotte they could count on him. In my eyes, he failed to do so. Time to move on.
On the bright side, welcome back to the NBA Dennis Smith Jr.! It is a pleasure to see you in a Hornets uniform. Picking up DSJ and Theo Maledon for next to nothing were quiet moves that may pay dividends as the season progresses. It is still too early in the season to make any bold claims about what the Hornets should do long term. Should Charlotte continue to sputter once LaMelo returns, a stealthy tank campaign could very well be on the table.
Thank you for reading.
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