Charlotte Draft History: Fan Experience Comparison

[BigSlam]

I started following Charlotte (Bobcats) in 2003, so the 2004 draft was my 1st time being invested in our draft results. I was thinking back over the previous 18 drafts and comparing this years draft experience compared to previous years.

Here is our draft history since 2004:

2021
1 11 James Bouknight
1 19 Kai Jones
2 37 JT Thor
2 56 Scottie Lewis

2020
1 3 LaMelo Ball
2 32 Vernon Carey Jr
2 42 Nick Richards
2 56 Grant Riller

2019
1 12 PJ Washington
2 36 Cody Martin

2018
1 12 Miles Bridges
2 34 Devonte’ Graham
2 55 Arnoldas Kulboka

2017
1 11 Malik Monk
2 40 Dwayne Bacon

2016
1 22 Malachi Richardson

2015
1 9 Frank Kaminsky

2014
1 9 Noah Vonleh
1 26 PJ Hariston

2013
1 4 Cody Zeller

2012
1 2 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
2 31 Jeffery Taylor

2011
1 7 Bismack Biyombo
1 9 Kemba Walker

2010
No selections

2009
1 12 Gerald Henderson
2 40 Derrick Brown

2008
1 9 D.J. Augustin
1 20 Alexis Ajinca

2007
1 8 Brandan Wright
1 22 Jared Dudley

2006
1 3 Adam Morrison
2 50 Ryan Hollins

2005
1 5 Raymond Felton
1 13 Sean May

2004
1 2 Emeka Okafor
2 45 Bernard Robinson

[BigSlam]

Using a scale of:
- Loved
- Liked
- Neutral
- Disliked
- Hated

Here is how I felt about the draft nights:

2021
I loved this draft - this might be my favourite draft experience of all time.

2020
I liked this draft. Thrilled we moved into the top #3, was worried about LaMelo but over all happy with the picks.

2019
Was pretty neutral with this draft. Didn't feel strongly either way.

2018
I loved this draft. I was really high on Miles going into the draft and stoked we drafted him.

2017
Was pretty neutral with this draft. Didn't feel strongly either way.

2016
Disliked. I get wanting to bring in a vet like Belinelli but it made for a very dull draft.

2015
Hated. Didn't like him, his game style or selecting him over others I wanted.

2014
Was pretty neutral with this draft. Didn't feel strongly either way.

2013
Was pretty neutral with this draft. Didn't feel strongly either way.

2012
I liked this draft. Was excited to bring MKG in and his intangibles.

2011
I liked this draft. I was skeptical of Biz but really liked Kemba (and Larry Brown had broken DJ).

2010
I hated this draft. The only thing worse than a bad draft is a draft where you have zero picks.

2009
Was pretty neutral with this draft. Didn't feel strongly either way.

2008
I loved this draft. I really liked DJ (and wasn't a fan of Felton).

2007
I hated this draft. 2nd worse draft of my time because of the 2nd dumbest trade in our history. Didn't help with how passionately I hated the draft the year prior. Some of that hate carried over.

2006
I hated this drafted. By far the worst draft experience I have had. I was furious this night and ended up getting very drunk.

2005
I liked this draft. They were coming off a championship, I liked the UNC connection and they addressed two needs for us - even though we had the option to move up in the draft had we traded the picks).

2004
I loved this draft. It was my 1st one and I though the maturity of Okafor was a sensational pick. I would have drafted him over Howard if we had to make the choice.

[SpearNMgicHelmt]

2021
1 11 James Bouknight
1 19 Kai Jones
2 37 JT Thor
2 56 Scottie Lewis

This was the most enjoyable draft experience that I've had since the second incarnation of the team. Everything was positive for me.

Predraft, I loved Plumlee trade, because I thought there would be some very good talent available early in the second round. And I applauded the aggressiveness of using our cap space creatively. It was exciting in a sportsgeek way, because suddenly there were players to consider drafting that I hadn't considered much because we didn't have a pick in that range.

Then when 11 rolled around, we had a shot at both guys I had decided I liked the most (Kai Jones and Moses Moody), plus several other players I thought had enough positives to take at 11, and then an unexpected faller in Bouknight. Too often, the guy I want most gets taken a spot or two before we pick. This time, we had a buffet of good choices to choose from and a GM I trusted to not screw it up.

When it was Bouknight, despite my affection for Jones or Moody, that seemed like the right move from a BPA standpoint.

I had to turn my attention elsewhere for a bit, and when I went back to focusing on the draft, I saw our name beside Kai Jones on a draft tracker and I thought for a second I was on the wrong web page and was looking at a mock. Then I was ecstatic! We'd gotten him without reaching, which was the only reason I was iffy on him at 11. When I saw how protected the pick was, I was even happier. And again, such aggressiveness by Mitch!

When we got Thor, I was again pleased based on his potential. He was one of the few players I'd researched in that range because we'd worked him out and because... as a huge comics fan, I'll admit to thinking it will be great fun to have a player named Thor.

Then Scottie Lewis sounded fine to me because of his defense. Getting somebody with an extremely strong attribute of any sort at that point in the draft is a win.

Overall, I was left excited about all the upside. I realize the nbadraft.net player profile ratings are not all that accurate, but there's something about the convenience of the site that causes me to look there a lot. We had drafted 3 guys with the highest "Potential" score of 9. We almost never get guys like that. Even Lewis has an 8. Plus both Jones and Bouknight should pair well with LaMelo.

This draft left me super-happy and on Hornets overload, not going to bed until very late even though I had to be at work early the next day. We have so many young players with upside to develop and a team that is extremely fun to watch. A great coach. And a smart GM.

After listening to the press conference, I could not be more pleased to have Kai Jones on the team.

2020
1 3 LaMelo Ball
2 32 Vernon Carey Jr
2 42 Nick Richards
2 56 Grant Riller

Predraft, I had wanted Wiseman badly but didn't see how he could fall to 3. Watching LaMelo hightlights, I absolutely loved his elite passing but was worried about the shooting. Like a lot of us, MKG had me snakebit about players with odd shooting mechanics.

When the selection was made, I wasn't disappointed with the decision, as he was the only choice to make there at 3. But I was really worried he wouldn't work out.

I thought Vern was a fantastic pickup at 32. Various sources online were high on Riller. And Richards looked to be good defensively inside. So the second round seemed solid, particularly since Mitch had build up some cred with me in that regard.

Overall, the actual draft night itself was pleasant, but I had lots of doubts.

I came around on Ball fast though, and then once the season got going, I was converted into a full fledged Melo disciple. My excitement level has raised up to more than it has been since the golden age of Hornets basketball with LJ, Zo, Muggsy, and Dell.

2019
1 12 PJ Washington
2 36 Cody Martin

I didn't have time to pay all that much attention to the draft beforehand that year. Washington seemed good, but i didn't have a strong opinion. I was puzzled at the Cody selection. I had been intrigued with Bol Bol, and was hopeful as he kept dropping.

You left out Jalen McDaniels. The night of the draft, I was concerned with that pick because of some off-the-court stuff I read about.

2018
1 12 Miles Bridges
2 34 Devonte’ Graham
2 55 Arnoldas Kulboka

That year, I had thought Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would be really fun to watch, so I was disappointed with the trade, but I wasn't extremely down on it, as I was fine with Bridges. Then Graham seemed like a good pick.

Since I now adore Bridges, I don't care at all about not having SGA.

2017
1 11 Malik Monk
2 40 Dwayne Bacon

I was really happy that year, because it seemed like Monk falling to us was a huge stroke of luck.

This one is painful to look back on, because we probably would have picked Donovan Mitchell if not for Monk being there.

2016
1 22 Malachi Richardson

This draft ticked me off bigtime. I hated the idea of trading the pick. Bellinelli? And to make matters worse, I liked Brice Johnson a lot at UNC, and we could have had him there.

Boo!

2015
1 9 Frank Kaminsky

I had seen Frank in mocks for us and hoped we would be smarter than that. This pick was obviously terrible. Looking back, you wince when you see we missed on Booker and Turner, but it was Winslow I thought we should have gone with at the time from who was on the board. (Mario Hezonja was who I had hoped would fall to us)

This one left a very bad taste in your mouth.

2014
1 9 Noah Vonleh
1 26 PJ Hariston

I was very pleased to get Vonleh at the time. Hated the Hairston pick.

2013
1 4 Cody Zeller

Disappointing draft because I had very much wanted Anthony Bennett, seeing him as a Larry Johnson reincarnation. But I wasn't upset with the choice we made with him off the board.

I guess Bennett would be the most wrong I've ever been about a player.

2012
1 2 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
2 31 Jeffery Taylor

This draft is most memorable for me for lottery night. It got down to where we'd either have the number one pick and a can't miss superstar big-man who actually wanted to play for Charlotte in Anthony Davis, then a bunch of players who didn't seem worth a number two pick.

I was livid when we didn't get #1. I fell prey to the conspiracy theories about it. My sister still brings up how upset I was that night whenever I talk about the NBA draft. I was so very disappointed.

Once MKG was on the team, I did love his effort and pulled for him a lot. I enjoy watching good defensive players. I wish it had worked out.

2011
1 7 Bismack Biyombo
1 9 Kemba Walker

The trade was shrewd that netted us the extra pick. And I was hopeful for both players. Positive outlook on draft night. Looking back, I'll rank this as second best draft experience.

2010
No selections

2009
1 12 Gerald Henderson
2 40 Derrick Brown

I wanted Hansbrough over Hendo, so I wasn't pleased. But I didn't think Henderson was a bad pick.

2008
1 9 D.J. Augustin
1 20 Alexis Ajinca

Seems like I wanted Lopez at 9, but I'm not 100% sure.

I do recall wanting Hibbert a lot at 20 and being annoyed that between the 3 bigs we hoped for there (Hibbert, Hickson, or Ajinca) we got the one I wanted the least.

2007
1 8 Brandan Wright
1 22 Jared Dudley

This one was perhaps the maddest I ever was with our draft moves. I had expected Joakim Noah at 8 and was okay with it. The player I really really wanted, but who I thought would not be there, was Brandan Wright. I had seen him play in person and really thought he was oozing with potential and would be a star.

When he fell to us, I was over the moon. Then we promptly traded him. BOO! I found Dudley to be a boring selection. I think I wanted Glen Big Baby Davis there.

Very bad draft night.

2006
1 3 Adam Morrison
2 50 Ryan Hollins

I was at the arena for this one. Morrison seemed like he would bring some much needed fan excitement, but I thought Rudy Gay was the correct choice and disapproved from a basketball standpoint.

Almost everybody there cheered loudly when we picked Adam. Because of being there among happy fans with positive energy, taking a picture with some cheerleaders, and talking to Jake Voskuhl, who seemed like a really nice guy, this was a fun night.

2005
1 5 Raymond Felton
1 13 Sean May

I was happy with choosing Felton, but I disliked the May pick. I thought Gerald Green or Danny Granger were the obvious choices and I thought they were pandering to UNC fans, desperate to get people interested in the team.

So this is the first time I thought we'd made a dumb move and I was a bit grumbly. I had no expectation May would be such a bust though. The player I had actually wanted from this draft was the third UNC guy, Marvin Williams, but I had not been in favor of trading both picks to move up, which had been discussed.

2004
1 2 Emeka Okafor
2 45 Bernard Robinson

At the time, we didn't know whether Orlando would go with Dwight Howard or Emeka until they made the pick. I had a slight preference for Howard as a potential star, but I figured Okafor would be better for generating positive vibes for the team, which I was overly concerned about because fan apathy had caused us to lose my beloved Hornets.

Either way, I was very pleased that we'd made some savvy moves to even have the second pick and put ourselves in the position to get a big man to anchor the new squad. And mostly, I was just so very happy to have a team again.

[/quote]

[HornetJail]

I started following Charlotte (Bobcats) in 2003, so the 2004 draft was my 1st time being invested in our draft results. I was thinking back over the previous 18 drafts and comparing this years draft experience compared to previous years.

Here is our draft history since 2004:

2021
1 11 James Bouknight
1 19 Kai Jones
2 37 JT Thor
2 56 Scottie Lewis

Like. No strong feelings about anybody outside the top 5-7 but it's clear this draft has depth and Kupchak liked it enough to double dip in round 1.

2020
1 3 LaMelo Ball
2 32 Vernon Carey Jr
2 42 Nick Richards
2 56 Grant Riller

Hated. Let's just say I'm very glad Ball proved me very very wrong.

2019
1 12 PJ Washington
2 36 Cody Martin

Was neutral on PJ. Was a bit annoyed we didn't attempt to make the roster better to help retain Kemba but clearly Mitch didn't want to. Jalen McDaniels was also in this class and was neutral on that too.

2018
1 12 Miles Bridges
2 34 Devonte’ Graham
2 55 Arnoldas Kulboka

Disliked. Was pretty frustrated that we passed on the opportunity to take SGA, and Miles was just about the only prospect in that range I had my doubts about. The Devonte' pickup looked good so I can't say I hated the class, but now I'm fine with how things turned out. Miles looked great down the stretch.

2017
1 11 Malik Monk
2 40 Dwayne Bacon

Loved it. On paper Monk was everything we needed at SG just needed a bit of time to develop. Hate that Monk is gone and will blow up for a different team after sitting through the ups and downs of his development.

2016
1 22 Malachi Richardson

Disliked- obviously we traded that pick for Belinelli. Richardson washed out quickly and yet we still lost that swap.

2015
1 9 Frank Kaminsky

Is there an option lower than "hated"?

2014
1 9 Noah Vonleh
1 26 PJ Hariston

Liked. I was huge on Vonleh, but was very annoyed we passed on Napier as Kemba's long term backup.

2013
1 4 Cody Zeller

Neutral. I honestly hated everyone in the top of that draft class and wanted to just trade out. In the end Cho just took the safe route and it worked out.

2012
1 2 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
2 31 Jeffery Taylor

Liked. Was a toss up for MKG and Drummond for me. Couldn't complain about the pick at 2. I was big mad we didn't take Quincy Miller in the second round lol

2011
1 7 Bismack Biyombo
1 9 Kemba Walker

Loved. I had 4 guys I loved in that draft class and we drafted two. The others were Kawhi and Chris Singleton (lol) in an attempt to find our next Gerald Wallace

2010
No selections



2009
1 12 Gerald Henderson
2 40 Derrick Brown

Neutral. No strong feelings either way. I kinda wanted to trade for immediate help.

2008
1 9 D.J. Augustin
1 20 Alexis Ajinca

Disliked. I wanted Bayless. The guy I really wanted was actually Westbrook but he was taken earlier than expected.

2007
1 8 Brandan Wright
1 22 Jared Dudley

Loved that we traded for J-Rich. Didn't care about the prospects.

2006
1 3 Adam Morrison
2 50 Ryan Hollins

Loved.... ugh, thanks for reminding me that I begged my mom for a Morrison jersey and paraded that **** around 8th grade the whole fall and winter quarters.

2005
1 5 Raymond Felton
1 13 Sean May

Too young to have a serious opinion but I don't think I ever liked Sean May.

2004
1 2 Emeka Okafor

Liked because my parents got me has jersey lol
2 45 Bernard Robinson

[Robot Rock]

I've been super-invested since 1996, so I'll go from the first draft I recall. Thanks to anyone who bothers to read this novel:

1997: We didn't have any picks and the draft was in Charlotte. What a fail.
1998: I was fine with Ricky Davis. We really just needed some youth. Brad Miller wound up being one of the steals of the draft, though his best years weren't here.
1999: Stoked. Until last year, the most recent time we moved up in the lottery. I really, really wanted Steve Francis, but was happy with Baron Davis. Nailon also worked out pretty well in the 2nd round. I think Baron was truly at his best from 2000-'02. Francis might be top-3 all-time in guys I wish played for Charlotte at some point.
2000: Kinda meh, was hoping for Morris Peterson but Jamaal Magloire turned out to be a good pro. Again, had his best years elsewhere.
2001: What a reach in Kirk Haston. I don't recall who I wanted, but they probably would've worked out better. At this point the FO didn't care.
2004: Went to the draft party at the Coliseum with my pops. It was pretty fun. I recall being one of maybe six people who wanted Howard over Okafor, but I think we all knew (or correctly hoped) that both would turn out to be impact players.
2005: Wanted Chris Paul so bad. That was my dude. Figured Felton would be a good alternative. Was, in large part, wrong.
2006: I was good with Morrison. I wanted him to do well and man, early in 2006-'07 he had a couple games where he truly flashed some potential. But it never worked out.
2007: Forgettable. Honestly, I don't even remember it.
2008: I was good with Augustin. Don't remember who I wanted if it wasn't him, but I was pleased we got him.
2009: No. 1 on my board, far and away, as in "do whatever it takes to trade up and get him," was Stephen Curry. Wish we did it, but I also was really excited to get Hendo.
2010: No picks, just came off a playoff appearance. I didn't mind. After all, how bad could we be?
2011: Again, stoked. Top of my board was Enes Kanter, but I knew he wouldn't be there and I hard-core wanted Kemba over Brandon Knight, who gave me Felton/Augustin vibes and therefore made me expect we'd pick him. Thank God we didn't. A star player who had his best years in Charlotte? Finally! Oh, and Biz.
2012: I had a feeling we'd get MKG. At no point was he who I wanted, but once we lost the lottery I didn't care and really questioned why I invested any of my time. The only answer was "Kemba."
2013: What a trash draft. I had Noel as my top pick but was fine with Cody Zeller. Looking at the bullets we dodged, we did OK.
2014: I wanted Dougie McBuckets and P.J. Hairston. We got one of two, but we went 0-for-2 in getting impact players, per usual. Draft party was pretty fun.
2015: I'll admit by the Final Four I felt pretty excited about Frank, but I was disappointed as hell (and equally unsurprised) we didn't get Justise Winslow from Duke. More than a UNC bias, I felt like that stupidity stemmed from the refusal to admit MKG was a failed pick as a starting SF. Again, not a bad draft party. Not great, not bad.
2016: Got to the draft party and saw we traded our only pick. Sure didn't stay long, but since that's the worst draft in history (sorry, 1986 and even 2000 were better), who cares? We traded trash for trash.
2017: Once Monk torched UNC, that was my guy. I figured we'd pick Mitchell, he'd be mediocre and Monk would break out elsewhere. I got the prediction right, just needed to switch the players.
2018: I wanted SGA and SGA only, then we traded him for a tweener with a ceiling as high as a grain of rice. Like when the Panthers took a safety/linebacker tweener named Thomas Davis in 2005 and pissed me off, this is the draft where I was most wrong. Miles Bridges is one of my favorite players now and a cornerstone piece on the team.
2019: I didn't really care, I just wanted Zion. Once we lost the lottery I wanted Cam Reddish but knew we'd stay away. As it turned out, we didn't get a chance to get him and I was fine with PJ Washington, who peaked on Opening Night. If he doesn't make an early-season leap, get him out of here. Actually, get him out of here sooner if he does. Sell high on that one.
2020: Loved it. Wanted LaMelo from the jump. Getting Vernon Carey (a DUKE PLAYER, ON DRAFT NIGHT, THAT WE DIDN'T TRADE AWAY!) was a nice surprise. Hope he pans out this year.
2021: I didn't follow college ball a ton last year because it was a joke of a season, both in the ACC and in terms of the pandemic destroying any semblance of normalcy. That said, I wanted Kai Jones and we got him. Everything else is gravy.

[Walt Cronkite]

2004- Liked. I think I was fine either way with Okafor or Howard. Was very high on Shaun Livingston.
2005- Disliked. The first major disappointment. I was all in on Chris Paul. To lose him to the wrong Hornets (coin flip?) and then take Sean May instead of Danny Granger or Gerald Green was a troubling sign. I was okay with Felton and preferred him to Deron, but CP3 was in another tier.
2006- Hated. I was a believer in Tyrus Thomas and very skeptical of Ammo.
2007- Loved. This was Jrich right? We had shown an inability to make the right draft choice and the people gathered at my house that night were sort of somberly anticipating more ineptitude AND THEN WE TRADE FOR JRICH!? It was an awesome party, easily the most fun draft night.
2008-Liked. I was happy to select DJ Augustin. I feel like there was something about taking Brook Lopez instead and trading down? Ajinca was whatever and I don't remember what we gave up to get him but it was probably too much. I only really remember taking the X-files "I want to believe" poster and replacing the UFO with his head, which was a masterpiece. We drafted him 5 spots ahead of Nicolas Batum? What a wild time.
2009-Neutral, Hendo seemed fine. I was sure we would select Hansbrough instead.
2010-hated
2011- Neutral? My spirit had been broken by this point.