Front Office Follies

[dmutombo321]

I read this board every day and rarely post here but after watching these first few games and the preseason, I’ve been compelled to vent a little.

Having followed the Bobcats closely since their inception and the Hornets before them, I think I can safely say that given the choice between a free spending owner with a poor front office or a relatively cheap owner bolstered by a resourceful GM, I much prefer the latter.

Bob Bass was brilliant and despite the spending constraints imposed on him, fielded talented rosters year after year that yielded +.500 results. The media and much of the public incessantly denounced the team’s moves as stinginess but each time a contract was up for renewal and a player was looking for too much money, Bass would make genius trades to unload the player(s) and improve the team in the process.

Alonzo Mourning, who really had no desire to remain in Charlotte was sent to Miami for Rice and Geiger. Bass turned around a year later and sent LJ, whose back had turned him into a shell of his former self, to NY for Anthony Mason who went on the All NBA Third Team. The Rice-Mason-Divac-Geiger Core, rounded out by the fiscally responsible free agent signings of Wesley and Phills went on to win 50+ games that following two seasons.

Once Rice was passing his prime and looking for way too much money, he was shipped to LA for Eldon Campbell and Eddie Jones.

A couple years later Eddie Jones and an aging Mason were parlayed into Jamal Mashburn and rock solid PJ Brown. This squad made it to within 1 game of facing the Sixers in the Eastern Conference finals.

Bass recognized that indiscriminately handing out generous long term contracts is a recipe for long-term, cap-impaired mediocrity. The measure of whether or not to sign a player to an extension was not what some other spend-happy team might offer but rather, what made sense for the Hornets to offer.

Case in point, he recognized that Glen Rice’s best days were behind him. It would have been foolish to pay him big money when he was devolving into a spot up shooter and was no longer a dominant, versatile scorer. So Bass said no and got value in return. The franchise was roundly excoriated for its unwillingness to pay Eddie Jones also. In acquiring Mashburn, the Hornets got a player better than Jones ever was and signed him to an extension that was millions less per year than what the Heat gave Jones. And they got PJ Brown to boot.

Contrast the fiscally circumspect trades and signings of the Hornets to what we have seen so far with the Bobcats. Bob Johnson has already displayed a willingness to spend the money. This is a good thing. The problem is that it is not being spent wisely.

• Matt Carroll was overpaid and signed for too many years. He has minimal trade value since most teams don’t want his contract.
• Okafor had no other suitors who were able to even offer anything close to what we gave him. His services could have been retained for 6-7 million less than they paid him. He wouldn’t have been happy about it but he ultimately would have taken the money.
• Nazr was a huge upgrade over Primo but his contract is an absolute albatross. We have over $6mil a year tied up with him for the next three seasons.

Our team’s draft history is another sore spot with which we are all too familiar. Needless to say, save for the trade up to acquire Okafor and trading Brandon Wright for JRich, it has been a disaster. Year after year, I hang my head as I watch superior talent that we passed up excel and this season, it looks like it won’t be any different.

While DJ seems to be a genuinely good kid and heady player, I honestly feel he lacks the size and athleticism to be anything more than a good backup. His poor decision making will improve with experience. Unfortunately, his physical deficiencies cannot. Every guard he has faced so far has scored at will against him. Standing next to 5’9 Nate Robinson, exposes DJ’s 6’0 listing as the exaggerated inaccuracy it is.

I think its unanimous that dumping Vincent in favor of Brown was a huge relief. However, until this team addresses point guard and adds a legitimate low post scorer who is athletic enough to defend perimeter bigs, it is going nowhere fast.

In my estimation, the best option to ameliorate our point guard situation would be to unload Felton and other players mid season for expiring deals to free up cap space. Then make an off season offer to a young, proven, athletic point guard like 22 yo Ramon Sessions (6’3, superb ball handler with excellent court vision. Had several double digit assist/low TO games in limited minutes and even a 20+ assist outing).

For front court help, we can hope Ajnica gains weight and improves and meanwhile, try to pick up a big in the lottery.

If nothing is done, and we stay with the status quo, we will continue to wallow in 30-35 win mediocrity.

[fatlever]

i am all for finding bob bass and bringing him out of retirement. bass was the glue that kept the hornets together all those years.

[nugentrk]

I will give Bob Bass credit for cap management and free agent signings. He was a GM from 1994 to 2004. The CBA changed in 1999 and again in 2005 (enforced changes made in 1999, specifically “luxury tax” rules). The 2005 CBA prevents basketball trades from happening. Almost every trade that happens since 2005 is a salary dump of some kind.

If current management had played the luxury tax era (2005 - Present) correctly, we could have stolen Jason Richardson without losing Brandon Wright, (Superstar or Bust). The lowly clippers got Camby for a 2nd round pick.

[dmutombo321]

After my yearning for a return of Bob Bass front office management style yesterday, Sorenson just incidently posted his own Hornets Nostalgia piece on Charlotte.com

http://blogs.charlotte.com/tom_talks/20 ... rnets.html

The Kurt Rambis file photo alone makes it worth checking out.

[old rem]

I will give Bob Bass credit for cap management and free agent signings. He was a GM from 1994 to 2004. The CBA changed in 1999 and again in 2005 (enforced changes made in 1999, specifically “luxury tax” rules). The 2005 CBA prevents basketball trades from happening. Almost every trade that happens since 2005 is a salary dump of some kind.

If current management had played the luxury tax era (2005 - Present) correctly, we could have stolen Jason Richardson without losing Brandon Wright, (Superstar or Bust). The lowly clippers got Camby for a 2nd round pick.

GSW liked J Rich. It was the combo of a lotto player and a big instannt cut in payroll that did the deal. Either by itself would be no deal. GSW already has Maggette,making a similar amount to be a similar player. Teams have to pay for a RELIABLE and PROVEN core. The Bobs just have to be patient and think "TEAM" not just mercenaries that come and go. The only low $ "Stars" are temps. The trick is to have a lot of cost effective players.

The Bobcats have a big hole at PF but mostly are on the right track.