Charlotte 2014 Picks Watch Thread

[Liver_Pooty]

Exactly. I'm not sure why some are wanting to make the playoffs this season. Be bad for 1 more season and we can add a piece that makes us a contender for a decade.

Sorry, not everyone actually wants their team to lose.

We can build ourselves into a contender developing our current roster and with our massive cap space next season. Either way I doubt we make the playoffs so its kind of moot point.

Exactly. I'm fine either way. If we make playoffs cool. If we lose then cool. 3 lottery picks. If we win, we win. If we lose, we win too.

Exactly. It severely irks me when "fans" want us to lose. How in the hell can a fan of a team watch a game, and want their team to lose? Its against human nature for me to even consider doing that.The only time I would even consider doing that, and even then I don't think I could is if we are 13-66 or something and need losses to get the best chance at the #1 pick, and with our history we would still get screwed.

[thruthefire]

If we make the playoffs with something pathetic like 36 wins, well, that would suck. But I'll always root for the Bobcats during a game.

[HornetJail]

Any outcome that nets us a pick outside of the 11-14 range is an outcome I can get behind. A 15-20 win season that sees us picking in the top 3 is a huge win for the future (Wiggins and Co.) We'll still get a really good player with a pick between 4-10, while still showing some progress. If we make the playoffs, regardless of whether we do it with 40+ wins or 30 wins (don't laugh- the East is that bad this year- it's possible)- it's still the damn playoffs, which is a hell of an improvement from the last three years and something to pump Charlotte up for the suddenly up-and-coming Hornets.

[MasterIchiro]

We are one Eric Gordon trade away from making the playoffs anywhere from 6-8.

[JGib23]

I don't pull for us to lose, I pay over $4k for season tickets so I'm heavily invested in us putting a good product on the court.

I just think with the best draft in nearly a decade, I would rather us play competitively and develop our young stars and miss the playoffs this year vs. sneaking into the playoffs and getting swept by Indy or Miami in the 1st round and losing our draft pick to Chicago.

I'd rather have a bad record this season and get 21 wins and have a chance to get Jabari Parker for the next decade,then win 38 and have 4 playoff games and lose our pick to Chicago.

I go into every game pulling for a victory but, I'm more concerned with how Kemba, MKG, Biz and Cody play than what the final score is.

[HornetJail]

We are one Eric Gordon trade away from making the playoffs anywhere from 6-8.

Maybe better.

Miami, Indiana, and Chicago are the only locks for the playoffs at this point. NY, Detroit, and Brooklyn are all looking like ass (all are 3-6). Atlanta looks decent but will play .500 ball all year. Cleveland is looking ugly and Milwaukee and Washington look even worse. Toronto, Boston, Philly, and Orlando are all below .500 and will eventually come down- we are easily better than all four of them when we are healthy.

We are currently 5-5, good for fifth in the East. I think we can expect a team as talented as Brooklyn to figure it out (god only knows what that will take though). As it stands, I'd say we could finish behind only Miami, Indiana, Chicago, Brooklyn, and Atlanta this season with our current roster. We may only win 35-40 games, but that may seriously be all it takes to get a sixth seed in this god awful conference. Not saying it will happen, as we could fall off just like we did last year after our 7-5 start, but either is possible.

Eric Gordon or a similar trade that cashes in our expirings and/or picks would push us above Atlanta and depending on how long Brooklyn's struggle lasts, possibly even Brooklyn.

[Snidely FC]

Okay, in what place would we have to convey our pick to Chicago?

[JGib23]

Okay, in what place would we have to convey our pick to Chicago?

Our pick is protected through the top 10. Anything 11 or after the pick belongs to the Bulls

[HornetJail]

Okay, in what place would we have to convey our pick to Chicago?

Our pick is protected through the top 10. Anything 11 or after the pick belongs to the Bulls

We really need to decide which way we're going by the new year. Either we need to make a move (like trading our picks/expirings for Eric Gordon) to pass the likes of Atlanta in the playoff race en route to a 5-6 seed finish so that we can be sure to make the playoffs even if we suffer a late-season meltdown. ooooorrrrrrrr, just tank and follow Boston, Philly, Cleveland, etc down to the bottom of and have a shot at Wiggins. We have to go all or nothing; If we're playing better than .500 ball by early January, we've got to be all in. If we're playing .300 or .400 ball, then I expect some mysterious knee trouble from Al Jefferson and "soreness" from Gerald Henderson that cost them like a month.

[Eoghan]

If you really don't like to see your team lose then you should be rooting for ping pong balls this year, otherwise you're going to be seeing your team lose a lot more for the next 4-5 years. This franchise can't build themselves into contenders slowly like the Pacers, they have no track record of catching lightning in a bottle with middle-late first rounders. Going to the playoffs as the Bobcats didn't do a damn thing in making us better or improving attendance, it caused us to blow up the team and rebuild in the first place.

If we're going to rebuild, we should do it properly and not short change it for meaningless wins.

[Snidely FC]

Chad Ford's Tank Rank:

For the first few weeks of the season, the supposed tankers and rebuilders were playing in a vacuum. The 2014 draft was supposed to be great. But could it live up to the hype?

On Tuesday, with over 70 GMs and scouts in attendance at the Champions Classic, the NBA got an up close-and-personal look at Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle and Jabari Parker. And the college stars delivered in a big, big way.

If I were Cavs GM Chris Grant, Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld, Bobcats GM Rich Cho or Bucks GM John Hammond I'd have my video guys cut together some tape of those three and sit down with my owner. Dan Gilbert, Ted Leonsis, Michael Jordan and Herb Kohl have all been adamant that they don't want their team to tank -- despite the fact that their teams don't look like they have enough firepower to make a serious playoff run.

His Top Ten this week:
1. Utah
2.Sacramento
3.Milwaukee
4. Philly
5. Boston
6. Orlando
7. Washington
8. Cleveland
9. Toronto
10. Charlotte

Charlotte continues to play .500 ball, though it has yet to have a really impressive win. The Cavs, Knicks, Raptors and Celtics are the only teams the Bobcats have beaten so far, and their offense is once again stalling.

They have the third-worst offensive efficiency in the league, and their effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentages are both dead last. Once Al Jefferson gets back, those numbers should improve, but I'm not sure he'll be enough to move the needle on his own. Cody Zeller was supposed to help too, but he's really struggling out of the gate.

With so much ground to cover between where the Bobcats are right now and where they need to be to act as contenders, you'd think Jordan would think twice about his strategy this year and go for someone like Wiggins who could instantly upgrade his backcourt.

Ridiculous that WAS, TOR, CLEV still on this list. How many chances should franchises like that be allowed?

[MasterIchiro]

Would anyone feel terribly upset if we lost our pick to the Bulls but DET turned out to be pick 9 in this draft?

[Liver_Pooty]

Would anyone feel terribly upset if we lost our pick to the Bulls but DET turned out to be pick 9 in this draft?

If we make the playoffs id be thrilled with that scenario. If we don't make the playoffs AND lose our pick Ill be highly upset.

[Snidely FC]

And do we want three picks this year and none next? Or do we want to make sure we have at least one first round pick this year AND next?

Yes, we all talk about being bad enough to be in the Wiggins-Parker sweepstakes, and maybe its simplistic to say, but I have to believe strategically planning whether to lose that pick to CHI this year or next, based on when it looks like the DET and POR picks convey to CHA, will play a major role as this plays out.

[JDR720]

Would anyone feel terribly upset if we lost our pick to the Bulls but DET turned out to be pick 9 in this draft?

if we barely lost our pick i would be mad, but if we are a legit playoff team i wouldn't be to mad but i would fear getting stuck in the middle

[MasterIchiro]

What if we lose our pick, miss the playoffs and get the DET pick at 9?

Would people feel upset if we had merely pick 9 and say 20 (from Portland) in 2014 and cap space to improve to a playoff team?

[JDR720]

What if we lose our pick, miss the playoffs and get the DET pick at 9?

Would people feel upset if we had merely pick 9 and say 20 (from Portland) in 2014 and cap space to improve to a playoff team?

I would be sad.....

[BlackOutBuzz]

I definitely want a high pick as much as anyone, but I definitely have a hard time rooting against us in the heat of the moment. Especially at this juncture where we're not well off the pace just yet.

Best case is to be competitive and still land one of the big 4 prospects. In theory we could pull another Bismack draft-day trade, but in this draft I'm not sure teams would move down even for a Julio Jones trade, the talent at the top is just that good.

Short-term I want to win every game, but long-term I'd like our win total to be around 20. I'm conflicted, but I definitely want us to get our franchise player this draft in time for the inaugural new-Hornets season.

[doc.end]

Okay, in what place would we have to convey our pick to Chicago?

Three posibilities pre-lottery

1) We end up with top 10 pick pre-lottery and if no team would get lucky and leapfrog up, we keep the pick

2) we ned up 11th-14th - we would have an outside chance to get into top 3 otherwise losing pick to Chicago (best scenario for them, although some of them want our pick unprotected in 2016)

3) we make playoffs and convey our pick to Chicago for sure

[doc.end]

It is very unlikely for us not having a pick in 2015 if Pistons will have a top 8 pick in 2014. Then the pick they owe us is only top 1 protected. Cho did that right, the DET pick protection fades sooner then our pick protection (to Bulls).