Official 2021-2022 Charlotte Hornets Thread : Bouknight, Jones, The LaMelo Era

So glad to see the hornets back in town...all he childhood memories coming back...Cant wait!
 
Apparently for the announcement the epicentre was packed shoulder to shoulder on all three levels :pimp:
 
NBA approves Charlotte Bobcats’ plan to change name to ‘Hornets’ in 2014



NBA commissioner David Stern announced Thursday that the Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve the Charlotte Bobcats’ petition to change its name to the “Hornets” for the 2014-15 season.


“I’m pleased to announce that the Board of Governors has unanimously approved the Charlotte Bobcats’ application to change their name to the Charlotte Hornets effective following the 2013-14 season,” Stern said. “I can’t hear you cheering, but I know you are. The Hornets, of course, was the original franchise in Charlotte and I know there are so many in the region excited for the return to that name.”

Bobcats owner Michael Jordan first announced his organization’s intentions to pursue the Hornets name back in May.

“Let’s bring the buzz back,” Jordan said at the May press conference, noting that “overwhelming” fan support for the switch influenced the organization’s decision.

The franchise also launched BackBuzzCity.com to celebrate the re-branding and manage interest from fans interested in season tickets.

In response to Thursday’s vote, the Bobcats released a statement on Jordan’s behalf in reaction to the vote.

“We’re thrilled to bring back the Hornets to Charlotte and the Carolinas,” Jordan said. “The passion and enthusiasm around this name change by fans in this market has been unmatched. They overwhelmingly told us what they wanted, we listened and we couldn’t be happier with the Board of Governors’ approval of the name change. With the young team we are developing on the court, the direction of our business and the return of the Hornets name, we are extremely excited about our future. The buzz is back!”

Jordan sought to reclaim the “Hornets” nickname after the original Hornets relocated to New Orleans in 2002. The New Orleans Hornets unveiled a re-branding in January and took on the “Pelicans” moniker immediately following the conclusion of the 2012-13 regular season, freeing up the Hornets nickname.

The original Hornets joined the NBA as an expansion franchise in 1988 and spent 14 seasons in Charlotte before being moved to New Orleans by former owner George Shinn in 2002. Shinn opted to keep the nickname but eventually sold the franchise to the NBA in 2010. In April 2012, the league in turn sold the franchise to Tom Benson, who sought the Pelicans name change to better reflect the team’s home.

“It was very important to me and our staff that we change the name of this club to something that represented New Orleans, Louisiana,” Benson said in a promotional video. “We worked on it. It wasn’t something that just came out of the blue, overnight. We worked on it for a long period of time. You just can’t have a better name for Louisiana and New Orleans than the Pelican. It’s the perfect representative.”

On Thursday, NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver thanked Benson for allowing the Bobcats to adopt the Hornets nickname.

“I heard firsthand how important the return of the Hornets name was to the fans and the citizens of Charlotte, North Carolina,” Silver said. “I’m excited on your behalf. I also wants to thank the Benson family for surrendering the name and returning it to Charlotte, its rightful owners.”

The Bobcats joined the NBA as an expansion franchise in 2004. Jordan purchased a majority stake in the Bobcats in 2010. Last June, the Bobcats released new jersey designs, removing the pinstripes and changing the team’s moniker on its white home jersey from “Bobcats” to “Cats.” Jordan previously stated that his organization will begin a “year-long process” to select the team’s colors and design the team’s logo and uniforms.

While Bobcats are indigenous to the Carolinas, the Charlotte Observer noted back in December that the “Charlotte Hornets” moniker drew its inspiration from the 1700s.


The Hornets nickname in Charlotte dates back to the Revolutionary War, when British General Charles Cornwallis compared the resistance in Charlotte to a hornet’s nest. It has been used in sports by a minor league baseball team (1901-73), an upstart football league team (1974-75) and the city’s first NBA franchise.

The Bobcats, who finished the 2012-13 season with the second-worst record in the league at 21-61, have finished with a winning record just once and have made just one playoff appearance during their nine-year franchise history. The Hornets finished with a winning record eight times and qualified for the playoffs seven times during their 14 seasons in Charlotte, advancing out of the first round on four occasions.
 
Personal growth and Bobcats’ additions facilitate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s development

2013 Las Vegas Summer League, Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

By Rob Mahoney

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist struggled with Charlotte last season after being the No. 2 pick. (Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS — As if it weren’t trying enough for a raw, highly touted, 19-year-old prospect to make the NBA leap, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had the added challenge of beginning his career under impossible conditions.

There are those first-year players who could have created more buzz out of Charlotte’s situation last year — those who could have capitalized on the offensive void by racking up shot attempts and benefited from the complete lack of surrounding talent by putting up big numbers. But Kidd-Gilchrist had neither the ball skills nor the inclination to play such a dominant role, while the Bobcats lacked the sense of order necessary to make better use of his talents. He is an incredible athlete with a natural feel for off-ball movement, but last season Kidd-Gilchrist was often lost in a jumbled mess, with his instincts as his only means of navigating broken plays and perpetually crowded driving lanes.

Young shooters can still spot up, rookie big men can still work off of their size and developing ball-handlers have opportunities to push through their growing pains off the bounce. Kidd-Gilchrist had no such outlet. He stood to offer the most value on a team with a well-spaced offense and competent team defense, both of which were well beyond Charlotte’s capabilities a year ago. Those were difficult circumstances, but things should get easier for Kidd-Gilchrist as a function of his acclimation to the NBA scene.



“I wasn’t comfortable yet,” Kidd-Gilchrist said of his difficulties in navigating the offense as a first-year player. “I’m going to do a lot more this year because I’m a lot more comfortable. I’m not a rookie anymore.”

That underlying comfort level is a necessary foundation for Kidd-Gilchrist’s development, as he’ll only improve on his weaknesses when he creates some security in what he does well. As a rookie, a few of those strengths were immediately evident. His defense was stout for a first-year player and proof of what’s sure to be a long career of plus-defensive coverage. He rated as one of the best rebounding wings in the league, with a total rebounding percentage that ranked just shy of LeBron James’ and Josh Smith’s. (“I have a lot of heart,” Kidd-Gilchrist said of his uncanny success on the glass.) And while he struggled to shoot outside the basket area, he fared surprisingly well in completing his looks at the rim. Rookies in general tend to struggle in adapting to the length and athleticism of NBA defenders in the paint, but Kidd-Gilchrist converted a perfectly solid 63 percent of his field-goal attempts around the hoop — including this memorable dunk over Detroit’s Greg Monroe.

Of course, that decent return on layups and dunks didn’t offset his shooting 28 percent elsewhere on the floor. Kidd-Gilchrist’s lack of shooting range hurt, particularly on a team in which he shared time with so many other poor-to-below-average long-range shooters. But there is something to be said about Kidd-Gilchrist’s self-awareness, as demonstrated by the fact that he averaged just 3.4 shots away from the basket. It took a good three months before he began shooting jumpers or runners at all, largely because he viewed longer-range attempts as being outside his skill set. That’s quickly changing, even if Kidd-Gilchrist’s shooting accuracy has yet to come along in accordance with his growing willingness to broaden his offensive game.

“I’m getting better every night,” Kidd-Gilchrist said. “I feel like I’m doing good on my jump-shot ability. I’m working on it a lot. A lot of it’s just confidence in myself. I’m believing in myself [now], for one. But two, it’s work.

“I didn’t take [any jumpers] early in the season. It was a new system I was in, of course, and I wasn’t comfortable yet. Now, I’m working on it. It’s all about that confidence.”

At worst, Kidd-Gilchrist will be what he was last season: a high-energy, spatially intelligent contributor who put up some decent numbers (12.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per 36 minutes) on a hapless team. But when given just the slightest bit of structural help, he has the potential to better harness his all-around game. That’s part of what makes Charlotte’s addition of Al Jefferson interesting, even if it doesn’t elevate the Bobcats to playoff contender. There are basketball gains to be made in Charlotte without clearing the postseason hurdle, particularly when talented, productive additions will only smooth the developmental path of Kidd-Gilchrist and many others.

This isn’t to say that Jefferson is some Rosetta Stone of player development, nor is it meant to imply that he’s any kind of savior for the Bobcats in the grand scheme of things. But he brings what amounts to a basic offensive system, as evidenced by the back-to-back top-10 offenses Utah managed in its past two Jefferson-centric seasons. His style (decent shooting efficiency, plodding execution, few free-throw attempts) isn’t conducive to the kind of sturdy offense that can withstand postseason scrutiny, but for a team that was so offensively aimless as the Bobcats, Jefferson should be a welcome anchor.

With such an addition, Kidd-Gilchrist — who can cut opposite Jefferson in the post and take advantage of his ability to draw double teams — stands to gain much. His target practice from the perimeter should come with less defensive attention than it would otherwise, and his forays to the basket will draw less zealous defensive help as opponents negotiate rotating away from Jefferson instead of Bismack Biyombo or Byron Mullens. These things matter greatly for a prospect who needs to be comfortable to grow.

“I’m excited to play with Al,” Kidd-Gilchrist said. “I don’t really know [how my game will work alongside his] yet, but I’m excited to play with him. I think everybody [in Charlotte] is.”

Playing on a team like the 2012-13 Bobcats had to be frustrating in ways that the say-no-wrong Kidd-Gilchrist would never admit, but his discussion of the coming season runs thick with optimism for a reason. The past year was a trial, and picking up Jefferson a relief by comparison, no matter his flaws. Charlotte and Kidd-Gilchrist both will be better for having him, and one could hardly fault either for favoring those ends.

“I just want to win, man,” Kidd-Gilchrist said. “I just want to win basketball games and I’ll be good.”

Statistical support for this post provided by NBA.com.
 
I look forward to seeing Cody/MKG playing next to each other for a long time...If ya'll can get Wiggins the future would be very bright and then MKG would also be in the perfect role.

Forgot you signed Jefferson, so no Wiggins I guess:smh:
 
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If he keeps improving then 6 mil per year won't be too bad


Bobcats playing a preseason game in Greensboro oct 19...will be there :pimp:
 
Anyone else think we might have overpaid Henderson?
seeing as how he wanted 8 mil a yr and the qualifying offer was about 4.5 mil a yr I think it was a great deal for us.

He took less money to get the ETO in the contract so obviously he believes he's going to keep improving and can get the big money he wants in 2 years.

He averaged 23ppg or something over the last 25 games and that was with terrible ******g coaching. I expect him to put up 18-20 a game this season.

Heard us linked with Jamison again :nerd:

Mini NCNT summit in Greensboro for the mavs game? last time i went to the preseason game in Gboro they had only the first 3 rows of the upper level available, the other rows in the upper level were curtained off
 
I'm down for a summit...
pimp.gif


I'm at UNCG so it's no problem for me to be there. 
 
Who got their tickets for the Greensboro game?

Also, since this is NikeTalk, if I'm able to make it, what sneaker spots do I need to hit?

GDS Skate Shop?

Is Kosmik Kicks or whatever worth checking out?
 
i'm getting my tickets next week.....highly doubt the game will sell out.....didn't sell out 3-4 years ago when they played the hornets in gboro
 
No way it'll sell out. Greensboro seats more than Charlotte :lol:

Just hit social status as bad as I hate them.

Gds is shady. Just hit Winston and check out exodus.

Anyways, Vic you were at the game in '10? I remember they only had the first three rows of upper available, rest of upper was curtained off.
 
Glad to see the thread up. I believe we have the right guy in Steve Clifford. He'll have our guys coached up well.
 
Been happily surprised with the team so far. Tough stretch coming up with Cavs, Heat, Nets, Bulls I think?
 
MKG supposed to be back by the 14th.

Did everyone get their All Star votes in? I honestly think Kemba deserves a shot on the squad, but I know it's a tough situation with some of the PGs in the East. A few hurt though as we know so maybe he will get a shot as a replacement.
 
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