2022-23 Predictions

[Braggins]

I honestly have no **** clue how many games they'll win. I could see it being anywhere from 25 to like 42ish maybe, idk...

if this team wins 42 games, build Clifford a god damn statue

For 40ish win scenarios I was imagining them refusing to tank in the 2nd half and picking up a bunch of pointless wins against teams blatantly gunning for the Wemby/Scoot sweepstakes. Pretty sure 40 wins won't make the play-in game either.

[HornetJail]

I honestly have no **** clue how many games they'll win. I could see it being anywhere from 25 to like 42ish maybe, idk...

if this team wins 42 games, build Clifford a god damn statue

For 40ish win scenarios I was imagining them refusing to tank in the 2nd half and picking up a bunch of pointless wins against teams blatantly gunning for the Wemby/Scoot sweepstakes. Pretty sure 40 wins won't make the play-in game either.

even before we lost LaMelo for an unknown amount of time, I counted maybe 11-15 wins in the first half of our schedule. Let's give this team the benefit of the doubt and say they go 15-26 after 41 games... There is no scenario barring Miles coming back, Hayward, Rozier, LaMelo being fully healthy, and multiple bench players stepping up (including one of our young centers becoming starting quality) where we go 25-16 down the stretch, even if we destroy the 6-7 teams hardcore tanking for Wemby. The rest of the league is too talented. There are 20 teams trying to compete and all of them have more talent than our team without Miles. Most have less dysfunction.

[JDR720]

Over/under 1.5 more arrests this season?

[SWedd523]

Over/under 1.5 more arrests this season?

Do the Hornets have more players arrested than the Panthers win games this year?

[Braggins]

Spoiler:

if this team wins 42 games, build Clifford a god damn statue

For 40ish win scenarios I was imagining them refusing to tank in the 2nd half and picking up a bunch of pointless wins against teams blatantly gunning for the Wemby/Scoot sweepstakes. Pretty sure 40 wins won't make the play-in game either.

even before we lost LaMelo for an unknown amount of time, I counted maybe 11-15 wins in the first half of our schedule. Let's give this team the benefit of the doubt and say they go 15-26 after 41 games... There is no scenario barring Miles coming back, Hayward, Rozier, LaMelo being fully healthy, and multiple bench players stepping up (including one of our young centers becoming starting quality) where we go 25-16 down the stretch, even if we destroy the 6-7 teams hardcore tanking for Wemby. The rest of the league is too talented. There are 20 teams trying to compete and all of them have more talent than our team without Miles. Most have less dysfunction.

I'm not expecting it. It would take a lot of luck and stupidity, but Clifford teams have over performed in his first year in Charlotte and Orlando, so it wouldn't completely shock me. Clifford looks like the coach version of "washed" so I kind of doubt it happens here again, but idk. It would also be the worst case scenario for this team to win 40 games and miss the play-in, so its hard for me to rule it our based just on that lol.

[HornetJail]

Over/under 1.5 more arrests this season?

Do the Hornets have more players arrested than the Panthers win games this year?

there's no way the Panthers even win 3 games, it's already a lock


I nominate Mason Plumlee if we need a 4th though

[JDR720]

Mason helps Gordon cook his meth. It's why his jumpshot is crooked, he has nervous twitches from withdrawal.

[Snidely FC]

I predict that Lamelo will so hate playing for Clifford that he will ask to be traded

[Marino]

I say worst record in the league but then we get boned in the draft lottery.

[Colbinii]

I say worst record in the league but then we get boned in the draft lottery.

Worst Record in league shouldn't expect to win lottery. Finishing 3rd would be unfortunate though.

[HornetJail]

I predict that Lamelo will so hate playing for Clifford that he will ask to be traded

If LaMelo threatens to leave because of Clifford, Clifford is Gone with a capital G. As it is, we hardly committed anything to Clifford

[SWedd523]

they committed three years to him

[JDR720]

That was the dumbest thing we did this offseason. Give 3 years to a coach that already failed here.

Can't decide what is more likely. Him being here for 3 years or getting fired after this one.

[fatlever]

i think cliff getting fired after this year is highly probable. we will eventually tank this year., trading gordon and maybe terry at deadline. mitch probably steps down. new gm brings in new coach for our long rebuild.

[HornetJail]

they committed three years to him

did we? I thought we had an out after a year... maybe I completely have that wrong

[fatlever]

The agreement is a three-year deal that will pay Clifford $4 million in each of the first two seasons, sources told Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The contract also reportedly contains a team option.

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/steve-clifford-15310/

spotrac has the team option for year 3. still not a big deal if the move on from him next year.

[Rich4114]

i think cliff getting fired after this year is highly probable. we will eventually tank this year., trading gordon and maybe terry at deadline. mitch probably steps down. new gm brings in new coach for our long rebuild.

It doesn’t need to be a long rebuild. We have LaMelo and some young pieces. It needs to be luck and/or smart drafting by the hopefully new GM and getting out of deals that are leading us nowhere like Terry and Hayward so we can sign more impactful vets. Landing the 1st or 2nd pick sure would accelerate it all.

[fatlever]

i think cliff getting fired after this year is highly probable. we will eventually tank this year., trading gordon and maybe terry at deadline. mitch probably steps down. new gm brings in new coach for our long rebuild.

It doesn’t need to be a long rebuild. We have LaMelo and some young pieces. It needs to be luck and/or smart drafting by the hopefully new GM and getting out of deals that are leading us nowhere like Terry and Hayward so we can sign more impactful vets. Landing the 1st or 2nd pick sure would accelerate it all.

What young pieces do we have that are worth building around orher than Melo? We have Melo, PJ (didn't get him signed to an extension) and maybe Mark. Then hope and pray one of Bouk, Kai, Bryce or Thor works out. It's honestly pretty bare in terms of young assets compared to the other rebuilding teams.

I don't agree it's a quick rebuild, unless Miles miraculously is found innocent and we get a top 5 pick next year and land on a stud.

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[nature_boyy97]

The more I think about it, and realize that Clifford will probably turn this roster into the best defense it's been in years (so hovering around #15), along with Charlotte finishing over Vegas totals for like 5 years now.....


Final Prediction: 37-45.

Good for the 11th seed in the Eastern conference. We pick at the 9th spot in the draft lottery, and God willing, we hop up 5 spots like we did in the LaMelo lottery.

Hayward plays an astonishing 65 games for us in the season where it matters least. LaMelo puts up slightly lower splits this season and misses the All-Star Game. PJ Washington has a career year averaging 15/7/4 and some NBA bloggers put him in the discussion for MIP. Nick Richards shows he can be a career backup and gets a new deal for 3 yrs, $5m a year.

PJ gets a new contract of 4 years, $19 mil a year that we all groan at. Bouknight never sniffs the rotation and is waived at the end of the season. Mark plays in Greensboro until January where he enters rotation. Oubre and Plumlee get traded for picks and bench pieces at the deadline. Clifford is fired the day after our last game. Kupchak announces his resignation and retirement a week after. Buzz Peterson is promoted to GM (another Jordan flunky) and the team hires an assistant from a playoff team with no HC experience as coach so they can avoid another Atkinson situation. They let Jalen McDaniels walk in the summer so they can have JT Thor take his spot on the bench and save money.

I'm saving myself the sadness and dipping on this season after tonight. I'll come back in May to see how accurate I was haha.

[MPM]

The more I think about it, and realize that Clifford will probably turn this roster into the best defense it's been in years (so hovering around #15), along with Charlotte finishing over Vegas totals for like 5 years now.....


Final Prediction: 37-45.

Good for the 11th seed in the Eastern conference. We pick at the 9th spot in the draft lottery, and God willing, we hop up 5 spots like we did in the LaMelo lottery.

Hayward plays an astonishing 65 games for us in the season where it matters least. LaMelo puts up slightly lower splits this season and misses the All-Star Game. PJ Washington has a career year averaging 15/7/4 and some NBA bloggers put him in the discussion for MIP. Nick Richards shows he can be a career backup and gets a new deal for 3 yrs, $5m a year.

PJ gets a new contract of 4 years, $19 mil a year that we all groan at. Bouknight never sniffs the rotation and is waived at the end of the season. Mark plays in Greensboro until January where he enters rotation. Oubre and Plumlee get traded for picks and bench pieces at the deadline. Clifford is fired the day after our last game. Kupchak announces his resignation and retirement a week after. Buzz Peterson is promoted to GM (another Jordan flunky) and the team hires an assistant from a playoff team with no HC experience as coach so they can avoid another Atkinson situation. They let Jalen McDaniels walk in the summer so they can have JT Thor take his spot on the bench and save money.

I'm saving myself the sadness and dipping on this season after tonight. I'll come back in May to see how accurate I was haha.

Every bit of this feels eerily realistic.