What's the chance the Hornets tank next season?

[stitches]

Jazz fan here, please don't hate me for suggesting this, I've been trying to figure out your roster for quite some time and I've reached the conclusion that to me tanking next season is quite possibly the best thing that can happen to your franchise. Right now the Hornets seem to be stuck on a treadmill and don't have a clear path to contention or any major talent that would get you there. Of course you can probably contend for the playoffs in the East, but I really don't see your current roster being able to do anything more than that.

If I were Hornets FO:
1. I'd trade Al Jefferson for future draft pick and an expiring. Trade all veterans(who can help a team win games) you have for whatever you can get(first round picks, second round picks, etc.).
2. I'd take on some bad short contracts for future picks(i.e. lend your cap space for picks) - for example take Wallace from Boston for a first, etc.
3. I'd draft best player available and I will start him(or give him a ton of minutes as a sub) this season along with your other young players - Kemba, Hairston, Zeller, Vonleh, MKG. This would (a) accelerate the development of those guys, (b) will give you a better idea of what they are capable of and you'd get a general idea of who of them would be worth keeping around and (c) will most probably make you lose games and with enough diligence from your FO your bench would be bad enough to guarantee you a very high pick next year.

Next year's draft is not projected to be very deep so if you are tanking it's worth tanking all the way down to a top 4-5 pick and I believe there are some awesome prospects there. Skal is going to be an absolute beast as a big and Ben Simmons and Jaylen Brown are projected to be elite wings in the league. Even Malik Newman is probably going to be a star in the league.

In the mean time you accumulate assets, develop the young players, continuously evaluate your players... And if Zeller and Vonleh pan out couple of years down the road you'd have the beginning of a really exciting team. If you decide Kemba is not your PG of the future you can probably draft a quality prospect - my favourite if he stays in the mid-teens next year is Kris Dunn, who you can probably get for some of the assets you accumulate in the process). I don't know who you like in your range right now(realistically Stanley Johnson or Devin Booker will be great fits). So in several years your team would look something like:

PG: Kemba Walker/Kris Dunn
SG: Stanley Johnson/PJ Hairston
SF: Jaylen Brown/MKG
PF: Noah Vonleh/?
C: Cody Zeller/Bismack Biyombo

I honestly am much more excited about a roster of that sort 2-3 years down the road than the composition you have right now.

What do you think? Would you be mad if your front office decided to go this way?

[Diop]

our front office won't tank, not again. MJ hates it.

some of us wanted them to tank this year when it became clear that we weren't going to win anything, but they still kept pushing for the play offs.

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

What Sachmo said. Roster may not fit well, but the tank is over here.

[Braggins]

I still kind of think trading Al would be the opposite of a tank move. In the sense that I think we would definitely make the playoffs if we traded Al and stayed relatively healthy. Probably doesn't even matter what we get back.

I think we should trade Al either way, but it is clear that whatever we do our intention is not going to be to tank. Given that we are definitely gunning for the playoffs, I think our best chance to become elite is to be aggressive in the upcoming draft and then try to land a big free agent when Al, Lance, Marv, and Roberts, come off the books.

[tondi123]

Nobody is trading us anything of value for Al Jefferson. Stopped reading after that.

[LofJ]

We'd become a better team if we traded our veterans. Our defense and transition offense would be Miami Heatles esque. Kemba, Lance, MKG, Zeller, Vonleh, and Biyombo can all run the break with the best of them. We'd probably be the worst half court team in the league, but our defense would keep us competitive.

If we want to tank we need to play our expiring veterans as much as possible. Clifford will do that anyway, but our young guys even in limited playing time will keep us from being bad enough to get a top 5 pick. Our best chance of avoiding treadmill status are the young players already on our roster. Adding another one would be nice, but it won't make that much of a difference unless they're on the same level of talent as Lebron, Davis, Durant, Curry, etc. Our plan is to develop our lottery picks as much as possible and go all in to convince Curry to come home to Charlotte in 2017.

A future lineup of:

Curry
Hezonja, Johnson, or Booker
MKG
Zeller
Vonleh

with Biyombo and Kemba to bring defense and offense off the bench would not be a treadmill team.

[stitches]

To me landing big free agent for small markets like ours, and especially somebody like Curry is a pipe dream. If he didn't have that connection through his father you won't even dream for it. Why would he leave one of the best teams in the history of the NBA that is still young and entering their prime in a great location to chase titles with Charlotte? I don't see it, not even as a remote possibility. As far as other big free agents - remember that the salary cap jumps after this year. Almost every single team will have enough cap space to chase the big free agents. I feel like the path for franchises like ours will be to build through the draft and add mid-level FAs to fill out and shape up the roster.

I don't see a line up like: Kemba/Booker(Johnson)/MKG/Vonleh/Zeller contending for playoffs next year. Especially if your bench is totally washed up vets(think Wallace) you get in salary dumps and d-leaguers. If you think Kemba would be helping you win too many games and at the same time is not really a long-term solution at PG, I'd probably try to trade him for a pick too, although I am not sure there will be many candidates for him to be fair. Vonleh and Booker/Johnson probably won't be helping you win games this season.

Anyways, just my two cent. I hope you don't mind the input. Good luck to you with whatever path your FO decides to take...

[Liver_Pooty]

To me landing big free agent for small markets like ours, and especially somebody like Curry is a pipe dream. If he didn't have that connection through his father you won't even dream for it. Why would he leave one of the best teams in the history of the NBA that is still young and entering their prime in a great location to chase titles with Charlotte? I don't see it, not even as a remote possibility. As far as other big free agents - remember that the salary cap jumps after this year. Almost every single team will have enough cap space to chase the big free agents. I feel like the path for franchises like ours will be to build through the draft and add mid-level FAs to fill out and shape up the roster.

I don't see a line up like: Kemba/Booker(Johnson)/MKG/Vonleh/Zeller contending for playoffs next year. Especially if your bench is totally washed up vets(think Wallace) you get in salary dumps and d-leaguers. If you think Kemba would be helping you win too many games and at the same time is not really a long-term solution at PG, I'd probably try to trade him for a pick too, although I am not sure there will be many candidates for him to be fair. Vonleh and Booker/Johnson probably won't be helping you win games this season.

Anyways, just my two cent. I hope you don't mind the input. Good luck to you with whatever path your FO decides to take...

Lol I think I'd calm down on being one of the best teams in NBA history talk. Maybe they can at least win a title first before all that nonsense begins.

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Lol I think I'd calm down on being one of the best teams in NBA history talk. Maybe they can at least win a title first before all that nonsense begins.

You are right, that's jumping the gun a bit, but you get what I mean... purely statistically this year they are one of the best teams in the history. Now if they become champions with it and justify the hype is another question.

[fatlever]

Next year will be a bit of a wasted season for the Hornets. Jefferson, Marvin and Lance are all expiring deals (Henderson if he opts in). The team will make a push for the playoffs again riding Jefferson, Kemba, MKG and the others. If we are looking out of things around the trade deadline I could see us trying to move any (all) of those guys for anything of value. I don't see us resigning any of them (maybe Jefferson on a lower deal, considering we will have to sign somebody in 2016 with our kabillion in cap space). Until then the team will hope the youth continues to progress and that maybe they can figure out a lure to free agent of worth to the team in 2016. Sticking around in the bottom of the lottery is a better way to land a franchise player, but I don't see it happening. The franchise needs to have a sustained period of decent success to build the brand new and continue to build the fan base. I am not sure this fan base can withstand another prolonged period of winning 15-20 games.

[yosemiteben]

The franchise needs to have a sustained period of decent success to build the brand new and continue to build the fan base. I am not sure this fan base can withstand another prolonged period of winning 15-20 games.

Completely agree. I like their emphasis on building winning habits and a culture of success. Not making the playoffs should be viewed as a failure.

[JDR720]

we wont tank, if we aren't in the playoffs it will be a combination of us not being talented enough and other teams like Miami and Indy jumping us.

we dont have much cap space, so we have to hope for internal improvement like Kemba and Al not playing like crap, MKG taking another step etc. will that be enough to stay ahead of Indy with a healthy PG13? or a healthy Miami squad? not sure but we'll find out.

[SeanBobcats]

I think we have too many competitive players (mostly MKG and Kemba) for us to be tanking. We will probably just be a mediocre team again next year and throw lots of money at FA's next offseason.

[driveandkick]

0. Honestly I think the best way for us to ever build a contender is go through another mini-tank. Move on from Al as fast as possible and even look to move Kemba too. But there's no way the team is doing that. Not making the playoffs again next year would be looked at as a huge disappointment. There was already no excuse in teams like the Celtics and Nets making it in over us next year. I think if things go well we might could grab the 6 next year. We were hurt all year this past season.

[BlackOutBuzz]

we wont tank, if we aren't in the playoffs it will be a combination of us not being talented enough and other teams like Miami and Indy jumping us.

The funny/sad thing about this statement is that both finished with a better record than us without their star players for most of the season. So in that sense they've already "jumped" us.

[JDR720]

we wont tank, if we aren't in the playoffs it will be a combination of us not being talented enough and other teams like Miami and Indy jumping us.

The funny/sad thing about this statement is that both finished with a better record than us without their star players for most of the season. So in that sense they've already "jumped" us.

yeah, i probably have us as around 12th best team in the East right now. considering assets to get better, health and development of young players.

[fatlever]

Super early projections for next year - East

1. Cleveland
2. Atlanta - wouldn't surprise me to see them drop, everything when right for them last year until playoffs.
3. Chicago
4. Washington
5. Miami - maybe higher if they can get healthy with Dragic, Wade, Deng, Bosh, Whitside
6. Indiana
7. Milwaukee - get Parker back
8. Toronto - feeling some regression for the Raps

You guys think there is a chance we are better than any of those 8 next year barring key injuries?

Celtics should continue to get better with great coaching. Orlando looking to start competing with their young core. Knicks will get Melo back + cap space. Pistons could figure it out and pass us.

I think Brooklyn regresses big time next year. Sixers wills still stink.

I don't see us making playoffs next year unless MKG explodes, Jefferson plays like 2013-14 and we get December Kemba all year.

[JDR720]

1-Cleveland, LeBron. 60+ wins
2-Heat, Dragic-Wade-Deng-Bosh-Wideside. 50+ wins
3-Wizards, Wall,Beal and Otto develop .high 40's-low 50's wins
4-Knicks, division winners. cap space + melo + top 4 pick maybe, low-mid 40's wins
5-Bulls, takes a small step back with no Thibs, mid-high 40's wins
6-Indy, healthy PG13, mid 40's wins
7-Hawks-if they can get a center they might be higher, mid 40's wins
8-Raps, should score enough to make it, low 40's wins

the other teams
Orlando- probably too young but its possible
Celtics- lots of assets to get better
Pistons- Jackson-KCP-Stan Johnson?-Someone-Drummond 6th man Jennings?
76ers- still tanking
Nets- falls off a small cliff
Bucks- struggles to score too much, if they get a center they might replace the raps

[Liver_Pooty]

I must be the only one that think we will be a 6 or 7 seed next season.

If were not than our "young core" isn't as good as we make them out to be on here.

[pellom]

Super early projections for next year - East

1. Cleveland
2. Atlanta - wouldn't surprise me to see them drop, everything when right for them last year until playoffs.
3. Chicago
4. Washington
5. Miami - maybe higher if they can get healthy with Dragic, Wade, Deng, Bosh, Whitside
6. Indiana
7. Milwaukee - get Parker back
8. Toronto - feeling some regression for the Raps

You guys think there is a chance we are better than any of those 8 next year barring key injuries?

Celtics should continue to get better with great coaching. Orlando looking to start competing with their young core. Knicks will get Melo back + cap space. Pistons could figure it out and pass us.

I think Brooklyn regresses big time next year. Sixers wills still stink.

I don't see us making playoffs next year unless MKG explodes, Jefferson plays like 2013-14 and we get December Kemba all year.

Yeah, we're not in a good spot. I think you just talked me into tanking.