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

carolinakickg

carolinakickg

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I searched over and over, and couldn't find a relevant actual team thread for the Bobcats. I'm sure that is because there are not many of us out there. If someone else wants to talk Bobcats, this can be the place. If I've overlooked an official thread, please be kind enough to point me to it!

To start things off: Who will the Cats take at number 4 this year?
 
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I'm almost positive if the Cavs pass on Noel and choose Len, Noel will end up going withing the next 2 picks. I don't think the Bobcats will get a shot at him unless the other teams are worried because he is injured. But a mock draft does have Noel getting picked 4th, so who knows with this mediocre draft pool.
 
Yeah I've seen everything from Noel, Len, Oladipo, Bennett, Mclemore, and Porter at number 4. Doubt Porter passes hometown Wizards at 3 though.

Cause of the week draft, they can't even really trade down either
 
Source: Charlotte Bobcats aren’t looking to trade Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

By Rick Bonnell
rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com


Posted: Tuesday, Jun. 25, 2013


Jeff Siner - jsiner@charlotteobserver.com

Charlotte Bobcats (14) Michael Kidd-Gilchrist fights his way to the basket as Miami Heat defender (1) Chris Bosh applies defensive pressure during first half action on Friday, April 5, 2013 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, NC. Jeff Siner - jsiner@charlotteobserver.com

An NBA source with knowledge of the situation adamantly denied Tuesday that the Charlotte Bobcats are shopping small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as a trade commodity.

Rumors spread quickly Tuesday afternoon, after the website sheridanhoops.com posted a story saying the Bobcats were looking to move Kidd-Gilchrist, on the assumption Georgetown small forward Otto Porter Jr. might be available when they pick fourth Thursday.

Porter and Kidd-Gilchrist would create a redundancy on a Charlotte roster with many other needs. Hence the assumption the Bobcats would move Kidd-Gilchrist, the No. 2 overall pick a year ago, to make room for Porter.

The league source said not only that Kidd-Gilchrist isn’t on the trading block, but that the chances of Porter making it past the top three picks are slim. Another league source strongly doubted any chance of Porter getting past the Wizards at No. 3.

Porter’s agent, David Falk – who represented Bobcats owner Michael Jordan as a player – chose not to send Porter to a workout in Charlotte, apparently out of confidence he wouldn’t get to No. 4.

The Wizards’ most apparent need is at small forward. Porter, 6-8, has obvious ties to Washington from his time with the Hoyas. Also, as one draft source noted, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis is a Georgetown graduate and a big fan of Porter’s.

According to the sheridanhoops.com story, the Wizards would choose Nevada-Las Vegas forward Anthony Bennett. He primarily is projected as a power forward, but Bennett said during a visit to Charlotte that he could play some small forward at the NBA level.

It’s not uncommon during the days leading to a draft for misinformation to be spread, particularly in a draft such as this with no clear-cut top pick or an obvious order of the top six selections. It’s a mystery what the Cleveland Cavaliers will do with the top pick Thursday night, in part because the Cavs acknowledging their intentions could only hurt the trade value of the No. 1 pick.

Porter, who averaged 16.2 points and 7.5 rebounds last season as a sophomore, generally is considered the most ready-to-play prospect in the 2013 draft.

Kidd-Gilchrist, who left Kentucky after his freshman season, had an uneven rookie season with Charlotte. He averaged 9.0 points and 5.8 rebounds, while starting 77 of the team’s 82 games. He was a strong defender and rebounder for his position, but he has an undependable jump shot.

New Bobcats coach Steve Clifford expressed great enthusiasm about developing the 6-7 Kidd-Gilchrist’s game when he got the job, particularly in finding him better scoring opportunities.

“I think he can be an absolute lock-down defender, which is a big deal,” Clifford said. “I think he has the versatility to guard (shooting guards, small forwards and big forwards) – the good (shooting guards, small forwards and big forwards). There are not many guys like that.

“At that (offensive) end of the floor he can be really good. He has a great knack for cutting, which is critical because he’s not a range shooter yet, and he’s 19 years old. This summer is about developing consistency facing the basket.”

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/20...e-bobcats-arent-looking-to.html#storylink=cpy
 
Building the Bobcats: Charlotte’s on the clock

The Charlotte Bobcats have 16 months with the NBA draft and free agency to correct their dismal course

By Rick Bonnell
rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com

Building Charlotte's NBA Franchise: The Charlotte Bobcats have 16 months with the NBA draft and free agency to correct their dismal course.

The Charlotte Bobcats’ current rebuilding effort will be decided over the next 16 months.

In that time, they may add four first-round lottery picks. Plus, they could have as much as $20 million-plus in space under the salary cap to potentially add a star player through free agency or a trade.

Those are the assets they started assembling the winter of 2011 when they blew up the franchise’s only playoff team, starting with the trade of small forward Gerald Wallace. Team owner Michael Jordan spelled out the plan: Build through the draft and add a franchise player to lift the Bobcats to eventually compete for an NBA championship.

They’ve gone through two seasons of pain, going 28-120. Now, starting with the fourth pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, they have an unprecedented chance to set about righting this franchise. But a failure to add key players through the next two drafts or add a star veteran player by the 2014 training camp, might mean years before the team has this good an opportunity again.

For the second year, the Observer analyzed the top 100 NBA players to see how they were acquired and how championship teams were assembled. The study is a potential indicator of how the Bobcats might build their team. The study shows:

• It’s extremely difficult to acquire top players via free-agency, because NBA rules give advantages to the retaining teams. Only two players in the top 50 – Indiana Pacers forward David West and New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith – joined their current team as a direct result of free-agency. Nineteen others were traded to their current teams.

• It’s rare to find a player who develops into a star late in his career. Eighty-two of the Top 100 had a breakout season in their first three seasons.

• It’s crucial that teams don’t blow top-five draft picks. Twelve of the top 19 players in the Top 100 – tiered as “franchise’’ – were top-five picks. The Bobcats don’t have a strong history in that regard. Adam Morrison, drafted third in 2006, was a bust. Raymond Felton, drafted fifth in 2005, left in free-agency without compensation to the Bobcats.

But point guard Kemba Walker offers hope the Bobcats are improving their draft performance. Picked No. 9 in the 2011 draft, Walker is ranked No. 63 in the Observer’s Top 100. Shooting guard Gerald Henderson is ranked No. 96. He was drafted 12th in 2009 and is on track to be a restricted free agent next month.

The Bobcats drafted the youngest players in each of the past two drafts and their potential of contributing to a championship run won’t be known for at least two more seasons. Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the second pick last year, and center Bismack Biyombo, the seventh pick in 2011, each were drafted for their potential and each has significant improvements to make. The Bobcats have assembled a new coaching staff – head coach Steve Clifford and assistants Patrick Ewing, Mark Price, Stephen Silas and Bob Beyer. Management instructed Clifford player-development tops all other priorities.

This is a big off-season for the Bobcats but the summer of 2014 could be even bigger. The 2013 draft Thursday night should deliver them a solid player – perhaps Nevada-Las Vegas forward Anthony Bennett or Maryland center Alex Len – but this is not a rich draft. There’s no clear-cut No. 1 pick who can be expected to become a franchise player, as Duke point guard Kyrie Irving was in the 2011 draft or Kentucky big man Anthony Davis was in 2012.

“It’s going to be hard to put that (franchise description) on a player we draft fourth Thursday night,” Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins said. “We’re going to get another good player. Then it’s our responsibility to develop those players, hone their skills.”

Bobcats management can’t discuss this under league rules, but the 2014 draft looks far more promising if everyone eligible turns pro. Two college freshmen-to-be – forwards Andrew Wiggins at Kansas and Jabari Parker at Duke – plus Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart could all have huge NBA careers and might present the Bobcats’ single best opportunity to add a franchise player in the foreseeable future.

How important is it to get a franchise player? There are 19 franchise players who are good enough to build a team around, according to The Observer’s rankings. NBA champion Miami Heat had LeBron James, the No. 1 player in the ranking, and two other players, Dwayne Wade (29) and Chris Bosh (34) also rated high. The San Antonio Spurs have two franchise players – Tony Parker (3) and Tim Duncan (14).

It’s possible, through previous trades with the Detroit Pistons and Portland Trail Blazers, the Bobcats could have three picks in the top 13 a year from now. In a best-case scenario they’d have the first pick (their own), the ninth pick (from Detroit) and the 13th pick (from Portland).

But in a worst-case scenario, the Pistons and Blazers would both have high enough picks to delay passing those selections on to Charlotte. And if the Bobcats’ pick is outside the top 10 in 2014, they owe that pick to the Chicago Bulls to complete the Tyrus Thomas trade. That seems a remote possibility, but sitting out the 2014 draft would be a huge missed opportunity at a time when the Bobcats have so many needs (frontcourt scoring, rebounding and improvement on a league-worst 42.5 percent shooting from the field).

Assembling sizeable flexibility would start with waiving forward Thomas under the amnesty clause, clearing his $18 million over the next two seasons from the cap. The Bobcats have two significant free agents in Henderson and Byron Mullens. They have until June 30 to make qualifying offers to restrict their free-agency. Those qualifying offers – $4.2 million for Henderson and $3.2 million for Mullens – would give the Bobcats the option to match any offers by other teams this summer.

The cap room could be used to sign one or more free agents, to facilitate trades or to be banked beyond this off-season for future transactions.

Jordan has said often he’s prepared to pay for a franchise player if one sees a future in Charlotte. Jordan said last fall his front office looked into trading for Houston Rockets guard James Harden when it became apparent the Oklahoma City Thunder wasn’t signing Harden to a maximum contract.

But Charlotte isn’t a glamorous media market, like New York or Los Angeles or Miami, and this team is years away from assembling the talent for a deep playoff run. So the chances of changing this franchise’s fortunes with a single signing seem remote. It might be more likely that instead of a veteran franchise player the Bobcats add two starters.

In any moves they make, the Bobcats say they are committed to adding someone who meets their long-term strategy rather than someone who can help the team add a handful of wins in the next two seasons. They have a plan and say they are committed to following it.

“The process remains the same,’’ said general manager Rich Cho. “What was important to us a year ago – finding players with great work ethic, guys who play at both ends of the floor – is still important to us today. And ownership is fully committed to building a great product.’’

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/20...ing-the-bobcats-charlottes.html#storylink=cpy
 
Good chance Charlotte Bobcats draft an injured guy Thursday. How that does or doesn't matter.

There’s a good chance the Charlotte Bobcats will draft a player with the fourth pick who won’t be ready to play until late summer, if that soon.

Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel (knee injury), Maryland’s Alex Len (stress fracture in his left ankle) and UNLV’s Anthony Bennett (rotator cuff) all had surgeries that precluded them from working out for teams leading up to the draft.

That’s no big deal, said new Bobcats coach Steve Clifford, but missing summer league and individual work with the coaches this summer might slow these guys’ initial development.

“To me the workout is a very small part of the whole process,’’ said Clifford, an NBA head coach for the first time.

“The scouting department has been watching these guys for years. I think the worst thing a coaching staff can do is come in, watch a guy for an hour and say, ‘No, I like him better.’ This is not my area.’’

Player development is Clifford’s area. He acknowledged last week that losing summer league and other lead-ups to October training camp could slow progress for the fourth pick.

“It slows down what their role could end up being’’ as rookies, Clifford said. “Guys are going to make their biggest jump the first, second, third year. Especially the guys who are going to be really good.

“Summer league is a great start to that – not just the games, the practices. I don’t care where they played in college, it’s a different game: You have to be more precise, more detailed, and the rules are different.

“Guys are bigger, older, stronger. (Rookies are) not going to be able to just overpower people. Summer league can be great for (learning) that.’’

Certainly that was the lesson in the lockout two years ago. The Bobcats went into the lottery to select Bismack Biyombo and Kemba Walker. The lockout cancelled summer league, precluded off-season contact between players and coaches and eventually shortened the season and preseason. Games were crammed into such a small window of time that there was little opportunity to practice.

No question the development of Biyombo and Walker as rookies suffered.

Len and Bennett should each be recovered in time to fully participate in training camp. Noel said at the draft combine in Chicago he’d probably not be ready to play before December or January.

That’s not a reason not to draft one of these guys, but it is reason to prepare for patience.
 
Repped! That MKG article that started the rumor was a joke. Dude even spelled Gilchrist like "Gilcrest".....Has no idea what he's talking about. Kemba and MKG are probably the two only untouchables on the whole roster.
 
I just don't understand it. 

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What are the chances the coach remains after this season? 

Not even a believer in the long term strategy....
 
I saw that Uni post too. This dude ran away with the best one for sure. But I really dug the shorts the one guy made with the honeycomb up the side in teal
 
But I know one thing...we'll have the best uni's in the league come 2013-2014. 

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Now we just need a product. 
 
i am hopefully Noel drops and we just sit him most of the season to tank and then get 3 first round picks in 14. could always use the picks to move up. We also have Ben Gordon's expiring contract to you use this season for trade
 
I don't think the Magic are going to let Noel slip past 2 under any circumstance.

I think my top choice of what could be available would be Bennett. Len second. But MAYBE Oladipo. I dunno. I'm intrigued by him. I see decent defense with him and MKG on the wings. The problem is that neither one of those dudes can shoot worth a lick.
 
i would like Mclemore with the 4th pick, but listening to his interviews he sounds so uneducated. I know I was not a great speaker at 19, but it seems lke he struggles to put sentences together and understands questions.
 
Here's pretty much every scenario that may happen on Thursday that has backing:

-Noel somehow falls to us, we take him

-Noel isn't there and we stay at 4 then it's between Len/Bennett and I've heard Len has the advantage

-We trade with Minnesota for Williams/9/26 for #4 or if they'll take Tyrus then we'll do 9/26 for 4/Thomas

-If we move back to #9 Zeller will be the guy. Cho wants him but is having a hard time convincing everyone else that he's the guy

-Oladipo and McLemore never came in for a workout

-MKG won't be traded, we hired Mark Price because he said he wanted a shooting coach.

I think deep down my list is Len/Bennett/ trade with Twolves
 
woody2626 said:
Here's pretty much every scenario that may happen on Thursday that has backing:

-Noel somehow falls to us, we take him

-Noel isn't there and we stay at 4 then it's between Len/Bennett and I've heard Len has the advantage

-We trade with Minnesota for Williams/9/26 for #4 or if they'll take Tyrus then we'll do 9/26 for 4/Thomas

-If we move back to #9 Zeller will be the guy. Cho wants him but is having a hard time convincing everyone else that he's the guy

-Oladipo and McLemore never came in for a workout

-MKG won't be traded, we hired Mark Price because he said he wanted a shooting coach.


I think deep down my list is Len/Bennett/ trade with Twolves
Click to expand...

I agree with this approach, 100%.

I have zero interest in Oladipo for the team .

Hitting up the Draft party tomorrow night Uptown.
 
i hope they take Bennet or McLemore hopefully character wise they pan out, but man its so many missing peices with this squad starting with the front office. Its hard to believe in any of their decisions right now.


who was running this franchise when we had a mobb? i cant remember, was discussing it with some folks.


we had so many good players come to Charlotte it was crazy.
 
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Cho's philosophy is draft talent/ trade for need.

Cho is the right guy to run our front office. I just hope Higgins and Jordan are letting him do that. I know Cho wanted Kawhi and Jordan wanted Kemba so we took Kemba and then he let Cho do the trade for Biyombo cause Cho loved him.

I trust Cho's system that he uses and has created.

No player on this roster should be untouchable but Kemba would be one that I wouldn't want to see go.

Jordan wants that franchise superstar guy but I don't want to reach for him.

If you've watched the draft special last year you'll see what calls we got and they were pretty dumb. Someone wanted to trade for our second round pick last yr(the first pick of the 2nd round) and their offer was a second round pick this year. Cho just acted like they were stupid because why would you trade the top pick in the 2nd round for a future 2nd :lol:
 
Didn't Cho make some comment on the radio this morning about "Make sure not to turn your TVs off"?

I think he's def trying to get something going.

Zeller has the face up game  and the pick and pop, I'm just worried about him in the low post a little bit. Wouldn't be mad if we moved down to 9 to take him.

I'm not clamoring for Oladipo at all, but what's the drawback? It's a weak draft, and he seems to have the skillset. It's like Bill Simmons said, WORST case scenario, he's a better Tony Allen. Y'all are right though, maybe not a great "fit" pick.
 
Yea I'm listening to the interview currently and he said "we're looking at 2nd round guys and also getting another 1st round pick so I wouldn't turn the tv off *laughs"

Also listening to the interview Mark Price was basically hand selected by MKG for the hire.

Oladipo and Mclemore didn't come in for workouts because the bobcats don't allow 1 vs 0 workouts and neither of them would go against eachother(atleast I know Ben wouldn't go against Victor)

If you're taking a guy this high in the draft, he should be a starter imo. If we take Victor then we're gonna be lucky to break 75 ppg although we'd be havoc on defense. Just need scoring but if the philosophy is take BPA then I could be fine with it. Cho has made 2 trades in the last 2 years since he's been here on draft day or the day before. He's not gonna sit there and not do nothing. We'll definitely make a move one way or the other
 
Charlotte Bobcats | First-round pick: No. 4

Needs: Absolutely everything

The talent pool is so shallow in Charlotte that it doesn’t even qualify as a puddle. The upshot of lacking good players is total freedom on draft night. Redundancy is not a problem! The Bobcats are assured of a nice player at No. 4, even if none of the available options will have an immediate transformational impact on the NBA’s saddest sack. The thought of a Ben McLemore/Michael Kidd-Gilchrist wing combination is probably the most tantalizing, but a reliable two-way guy in Victor Oladipo or a centerpiece in Alex Len would work too. The real excitement starts this time next year, as the Bobcats gear up for their rebranding as the Hornets and the top of the 2014 draft promises to deliver the type of franchise-changing talent Charlotte desperately needs.
 
I'm pretty excited to see what tonight has in store. It's cool that there is no clear option at number 1. In fact there are a few different possibilities. I can't remember this many in a while.

Right now I'm still thinking we either end up with Bennett at 4, or make the TWolves trade and snag Zeller at 9. 

Dare we see a starting lineup of:

Kemba

MKG

Hendo

Williams

Biyombo

With Sessions and Zeller off the bench?

Rick Bonnell said he wouldn't make that TWolves trade, that the Bobcats have enough guys that miss free throws. Don't know if I agree with that though. Bennett could end up being a star, or could end up a bust.
 
Charlotte Bobcats down to seven likely selections with No. 4 pick in 2013 NBA draft

By Rick Bonnell
rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Wednesday, Jun. 26, 2013

Thursday night: The Bobcats have the fourth pick in the first round. They have no pick in the second, as they owed that to the Oklahoma City Thunder to complete the trade for Byron Mullens.

2014: The Bobcats could have three first-round picks, potentially all of them in the 14-team lottery. The Bobcats have their own pick unless it’s outside the top 10 (it would then go to Chicago/Tyrus Thomas trade). They could have the Portland Trail Blazers’ pick (Gerald Wallace trade) if it’s outside the top 12 and the Detroit Pistons’ pick (Ben Gordon) if it’s outside the top eight.


The Charlotte Bobcats didn’t engage in many pre-draft workouts this spring, which left plenty of time for the front office to work the phones.

According to general manager Rich Cho, they could potentially trade up from the No. 4 overall pick in the NBA draft, trade back from No. 4, exchange the pick for multiple picks or just execute the pick around 8 p.m.

“There are definitely possibilities,” added president of basketball operation Rod Higgins. “We’re always talking to everybody in the league.”

The most likely scenario seems that they would stay at the No. 4 spot and take one of seven players: Nevada-Las Vegas forward Anthony Bennett, Maryland center Alex Len. Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore, Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel, Indiana guard Victor Oladipo, Georgetown forward Otto Porter, Jr., or Indiana forward Cody Zeller.

With Cleveland, Orlando and Washington picking ahead of the Bobcats – in that order – at least three of the above players would be available when Charlotte picks.

The consensus around the NBA is there’s no big difference between any of those seven. Cho concurred.

“There’s not a standout guy like last year,” with Kentucky’s Anthony Davis going first, Cho said.

Cho reiterated at a media briefing Wednesday that the Bobcats should draft the best player, rather than concern themselves with who is already on the roster. It went unsaid that after going 28-120 the past two seasons, no one on this roster is irreplaceable.

Asked about this team’s needs, Higgins said, “Our core is young. Our defense has got to get better. Perimeter shooting has to get better.”

Added Cho, “Shooting, rebounding and we need to add depth.”

As far as these seven candidates, Noel, Len and Zeller could address the rebounding concern. McLemore and Bennett would be the best offensive threats. Oladipo is considered an elite defender. And Porter is probably the most complete player of the bunch.

The Bobcats got to work out only one of them. Zeller came in about a week ago, along with several lesser talents, mostly from area colleges. Noel, Bennett and Len couldn’t work out due to recent surgeries. Porter passed because his agent, David Falk, doesn’t see Porter lasting past No. 3.

McLemore and Oladipo didn’t come to Charlotte, apparently because they would only agree to audition individually.

“Our philosophy is if you’re going to work out for us, you’ll work out against other players,” Cho said. “Some guys wanted to do one-on-zero workouts. … Our philosophy is we want to see guys compete, not just shoot jumpers.”

The Bobcats interviewed all of these players, either in Charlotte or at the draft combine in Chicago. Cho didn’t seem concerned that lack of workouts would hinder their draft preparation.

“If there’s more information, you’d love to have it,” Cho said, “but we had our scouts out (at games) all year.”

The Bobcats have only one pick this year because their second-round pick (32nd overall) went to the Oklahoma City Thunder to complete the Byron Mullens trade. But Cho and Higgins both said they were exploring options to add another pick, either later in the first round or in the second.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/20...otte-bobcats-down-to-seven.html#storylink=cpy
 
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