Offseason Thread

[JDR720]

There aren't any big-game players available anyway. To me, that Mitch quote just means "We don't think anyone wants to come here, so we're stuck with who we got". The same thing he's mentioned this and the last time he spoke, being a small market and all that.


We could sign Dillon Brooks for a decent upgrade that won't break the bank. Same age as Oubre, but a better fit with Melo and the rest of our team that doesn't defend.

[JMAC3]

Again, what more do you want Mitch to say? I would be more alarmed if he said we were going to be aggressive signing free agents.
1. The class sucks
2. We are already at 95 million in active cap and that is if we renounce Kelly, PJ and Miles. Add a rookie for roughly 10 million. Are you really wanting to try and chase outside FA with only 30 million in cap space? I would much rather bring back our own guys and use the full MLE as a over the cap team.

Also, given everything that happened this year with injuries etc I thought Clifford was pretty solid. Mark clearly excelled, Nick had a breakout year, Plumlee career year, DSJ career rejuvenated, a few other small wins. Can't really say I am disappointed in anything specific that Cliff did.

[SWedd523]

TLDR: We're gonna resign our free agents and run it back next year.

Exactly the vibe I got

"Run it Back" The Charlotte Hornets Experience.

Look, we know it didn't work the past 3 years but this time, this time it's gonna be different.

Run it back also means the FO and Staff can do the absolute bare minimum effort. Imagine if you sucked at your job for three years and you go "Yeah tough break, I'm gonna do the same thing again"

[Bassman]

Mitch demonstrates again the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome.

He says Oubre was “great”. Says we have the right players around Melo, they just need to gain experience to be better.

He’s SO full of merda I don’t know how to see the light at the end of this tunnel. I get that there is no big star free agent to sign, nor would sign here. I get we have to largely build via the draft. But Mitch has blown some lottery picks we critically needed to hit on (yes I’m looking at you Kai and Bouk). Miles self immolated his promising career (not on Mitch), Thankfully Mark Williams is a keeper, and a few guys like Nick are helping. But…this team didn’t crash and burn just because of injuries. With everyone healthy we are still challenged to get into the playoffs. With poor fits like Terry and Oubre, we have perpetuated the term treadmill.

HOPEFULLY this beach bum GM plans a “savvy trade” or two built from our pile of “talented” but misfit toys.

[amcoolio]

Again, what more do you want Mitch to say? I would be more alarmed if he said we were going to be aggressive signing free agents.
1. The class sucks
2. We are already at 95 million in active cap and that is if we renounce Kelly, PJ and Miles. Add a rookie for roughly 10 million. Are you really wanting to try and chase outside FA with only 30 million in cap space? I would much rather bring back our own guys and use the full MLE as a over the cap team.

Also, given everything that happened this year with injuries etc I thought Clifford was pretty solid. Mark clearly excelled, Nick had a breakout year, Plumlee career year, DSJ career rejuvenated, a few other small wins. Can't really say I am disappointed in anything specific that Cliff did.

All he had to say was we are going to make changes and shake it up to try to compete

Instead he is trying to bull the fan base into thinking our team is good again

Either he is checked out like usual or he’s forced to it by ownership, but resigning our free agents and adding a draft pick isn’t going to work in any capacity, even if we get Wembanyama

[SWedd523]

When you publicly state your goal is a .500 team that makes the playoffs, what do you expect from the fanbase? Your star player? Free Agents.

It's like this season isn't even over and they're pre-admitting defeat for next year

[-Ian-]

Mitch likes to use the term "savvy trade" when we have yet to see him do one.

[Braggins]

I don't care about them not planning on making a splash in free agency. I 100% agree with that and was even going as far to say that I hope they don't trade Hayward for cap relief because I don't want them to have the option of doing something stupid in this awful free agency class.

My problem with the comments is that they seem to confirm what a lot of us have suspected about the front office, which is that they genuinely believe that theyve done a good job putting a good team and coaching staff together and just had bad luck with injuries and stuff and don't need to change their approach.

[yosemiteben]

Mitch demonstrates again the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome.

Off topic soapbox time: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/in-therapy/200907/the-definition-insanity

[Braggins]

When you publicly state your goal is a .500 team that makes the playoffs, what do you expect from the fanbase? Your star player? Free Agents.

It's like this season isn't even over and they're pre-admitting defeat for next year

The 43 win comment is driving me insane. Lol at that being the goal, but the annoying thing is that nothing about this season would indicate that was even possible with this squad and coach (I think Clifford is worst in the league now that Silas got fired). They were 13-23 in games LaMelo played and 10-14 when LaMelo and Hayward both played.

[Braggins]

Hayward played more games this season than he did in either of the last two...

[JDR720]

It's a bad look when you acknowledge that we need to win in order to keep Melo happy, which is true, and then turn around and say this team (who got blown out in 2 playin games and got the 4th worst record this season) are actually good if everyone is healthy.

I can't imagine any team in the league having this mentality, besides GS when they occasionally fall off a cliff and get a top 10 pick. But they have Steph, Klay and Draymond coming back from injury when that happens. We obviously do not.


43 wins, maybe unironically, is how many we got last season before we got blownout by Atlanta in the playin. Who are now looking to trade Trae because they've decided they can't win with him.

[LofJ]

Mitch would never admit it publicly, but I think for the first time since the AD draft the front office came into the season with the intention of maneuvering for draft position. The mystery surrounding Cody Martin's injury and the lack of any real update on Miles Bridges is telling.

Mitch isn't clueless, he criticized the drop in shooting percentages and indicated it was because of the new system (which is an indirect criticism of Clifford). He's also the kind of guy who doesn't speak off the cuff and doesn't divulge much. You can't really get an accurate read on his true thoughts and intentions from his media interviews.

[Snidely FC]

like others, I am triggered by Clifford and Kupchak's statements. Clifford saying the playoffs have to be the goal, no ****, but that also is a euphamism with this ownership team for favoring incumbent veterans over young guys (See: Mason Plumlee). As a fan any sense of hope I have for this team came from seeing the young guys finally get playing time at the end of the year. This team was 15-41 prior to the trade deadline and 12-14 after. Kupchak blames the bad record on injuries and "getting used to a new system." Yet until the trade deadline Mason Plumlee was the team's best performer. They don't seem to have a cogent idea for how to best build around Lamelo, and Kupchak deflecting blame for weak roster depth and getting used to a new system is fan abuse.

[Braggins]

43 wins, maybe unironically, is how many we got last season before we got blownout by Atlanta in the playin. Who are now looking to trade Trae because they've decided they can't win with him.

Atlanta also fired a better and much more accomplished coach than Clifford during this season when they were on pace for a play-in birth because they weren't satisfied with just getting by. Now they have Quinn Snyder. Charlotte is the biggest dumpster fire in the league and its already a forgone conclusion that they'll be bringing back the worst coach in the league for another season.

[JMAC3]

Lol at the run it back comments and the pure negativity. The team will look drastically different even if we do not do a massive "shakeup".

LaMelo played 36 games, Mark started 17 games, Miles played zero, a top 5 pick will likely start for us... That is basically 4 new starters. Plus Martin, plus 4 other picks in the draft. There is no way in my mind that is even close to "running it back".

A goal of 43 wins and the playoffs is getting mocked for settling after we have a thread of win total projections far below that. I think if we won 43 games this year after Miles and a failed chase of Donovan Mitchell most of us would be pretty satisfied with the season as a whole? Is it the end goal and what we should strive for each year? No, but that is not what they are saying.

[JMAC3]

43 wins, maybe unironically, is how many we got last season before we got blownout by Atlanta in the playin. Who are now looking to trade Trae because they've decided they can't win with him.

Atlanta also fired a better and much more accomplished coach than Clifford during this season when they were on pace for a play-in birth because they weren't satisfied with just getting by. Now they have Quinn Snyder. Charlotte is the biggest dumpster fire in the league and its already a forgone conclusion that they'll be bringing back the worst coach in the league for another season.

Atlanta and Charlotte are not in the same place.
1. They didn't lose their leading scorer and rebounder from last year.
2. They made an all in move to trade 3 firsts for another allstar to pair with Trae.
3. Trae is 3 years older than LaMelo.

So yeah, if in 3 years we have traded 3 firsts for Cade Cunningham, Miles Bridges is back with LaMelo and we still can't get past the playin then we should probably be more desperate to blow it up or fire a coach.

[Rays Pompadour]

Well, I'm not on the Clifford hate train that everybody else is. The league is star player driven, not coach-centric. Even some of the best coaches are subject to inferior talent. Not apologizing for Clifford anymore than I apologize for Popovich this year, but your best guys have to play.

What the Hornets really need - besides shooting, shooting, shooting - is an enforcer, a dude that has a physical presence and the will to break bones and bloody noses. An Anthony Mason type. Bridges? He's dead to me, so find somebody else.

That big goon from UT comes to mind. What's his name? Looked him up. Uros Plavsic. Threw Kyle Filipowski around like a dirty dish rag. That guy - go get him. Or that big dude from UCONN. I'd draft Jordan Hawkins (on a trade-up) and grab Adama Sonogo at 39. Love that guy's defensive balance and instincts. And I think he can develop a reliable jumper.

[SWedd523]

The goal should never be "Make the playoffs"

I don't care if it's just unrealistic lip service, your goal is to win championships.

[LofJ]

The goal should never be "Make the playoffs"

I don't care if it's just unrealistic lip service, your goal is to win championships.

We're going to need new ownership if we want to hear those words from the front office. That's what all of this comes down to. MJ sets the tone and he doesn't care enough to set those expectations. He cares more about his NASCAR team these days.