Interview with Curtis Polk

[Liver_Pooty]

Related article by Bonnell but more focused on cap stuff, guess he milked two pieces out of it: LINK

This is the first I've heard of Todd Quinter, did anyone else know our FO pulled him in to help with pro scouting? Makes a lot of sense given the dynamics that are going to be at play when the call goes up.

The Internal Revenue Service.....

good old Tricky Ricky

lol please tell me he wrote out Internal Revenue Service instead of using the acronym

He thinks his readers are complete idiots which is why he is totally disliked by so many Hornet fans. If FOX can fire Steve Martin I have no idea why Bonnell can't get canned. Give the job to an up and comer fresh out of college with some enthusiasm and love for the job. All he does is bitch.

[LofJ]

Its a good point about how the massive cap increase might work against us. We had been planning on having cap space in 2016 to potentially lure a big free agent. Now it looks like just about every team will have 20+ mil in cap space that summer to use on free agents. So instead of competing against 3-4 other teams for guy like Hayward, we might be competing against 10-15 teams. That is not good news for us.

What it means in the short-term (at least until the CBA is renegotiated) is that draft picks and bird rights will be more important than ever. And even with the higher luxury tax line we'll still have more cap space under it than any team other than the Nuggets and Celtics off the top of my head. It's bewildering really to think about how we're going to spend it. MKG will get a chuck of it for sure, but who else?

[BlackOutBuzz]

I recently remembered something from when I worked at a small paper: my editor hated acronyms. Instead we were encouraged to write everything out, a la Bonnell. Guess it's an old school thing.

We also weren't allowed to use the words "win" and "over" (which is problematic when working in sports), and even removed those words from AP or guest pieces. There were a lot of "victories against" the Bobcats in those days.

[LamarMatic7]

Its a good point about how the massive cap increase might work against us. We had been planning on having cap space in 2016 to potentially lure a big free agent. Now it looks like just about every team will have 20+ mil in cap space that summer to use on free agents. So instead of competing against 3-4 other teams for guy like Hayward, we might be competing against 10-15 teams. That is not good news for us.

it's something that I somewhat blasted Cho for on my column on the team.

in a vacuum, he's giving false hope for the fans and trying to maintain his job security by saying that we'll have cap room next summer and will makes moves then. everybody will have **** cap room.

[LamarMatic7]

Lol. Could Bonnell have asked any easier questions? Holy ****. Ask him about Clifford, Cho, anything. May as well ask him what his favorite freaking color is.

Seriously. Where can we petition to have Bonnell replaced as the Hornets beat writer for the Observer? I kinda want Fowler.

Fatlever is more than qualified. Lamar too if he can get a house over here.

We need a beat writer connected with the hardcore fans and Zach Lowe.

Bonnell has put in a lot of work over the years but he sticks to very old school beat writing in an age where journalism is rapidly evolving. He's also afraid of getting his credentials revoked by asking tough questions or being critical of the team

Yeah, he might have succeeded in the late 70s when he could have flown with the same connected flights as the players and join them for dinner and whatnot. Otherwise, his plain questions don't seem to cut it.

In a way, I believe that he might be thinking that he's doing what a beat reporter is supposed to do. The thing is that he doesn't separate the valuable information from the bull that coaches will give you just because you are the media.

If Clifford tells him that we lost the rebounding battle or that player X had to be benched because of his energy level (typical coaching lingo), Bonnell will bang that point home and won't question it. From there on it will be the truth to him because that's what Clifford told him. Then we'll hear a few months in a row from him that Vonleh isn't ready to play (because that's what Clifford said).

Perhaps, in the 70s when relationships between the media and the team were different and you would grab beers with them and share everything, a coach Clifford would tell him a lot more. Nowadays, he can just shrug his questions off and manipulate the material that will be publicised.

[LamarMatic7]

Related article by Bonnell but more focused on cap stuff, guess he milked two pieces out of it: LINK

This is the first I've heard of Todd Quinter, did anyone else know our FO pulled him in to help with pro scouting? Makes a lot of sense given the dynamics that are going to be at play when the call goes up.

seems like recent news..

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JPlowright_NBA/status/592211488250712064[/tweet]

[LofJ]

Its a good point about how the massive cap increase might work against us. We had been planning on having cap space in 2016 to potentially lure a big free agent. Now it looks like just about every team will have 20+ mil in cap space that summer to use on free agents. So instead of competing against 3-4 other teams for guy like Hayward, we might be competing against 10-15 teams. That is not good news for us.

it's something that I somewhat blasted Cho for on my column on the team.

in a vacuum, he's giving false hope for the fans and trying to maintain his job security by saying that we'll have cap room next summer and will makes moves then. everybody will have **** cap room.

Everyone will have cap room, but only Denver and the Lakers off the top of my head will have more room than us. That doesn't necessarily mean we have to use it just to sign free agents. We'll have close to 40 million in expiring contracts if Henderson opts in to send out to any team that wants to have the extra space they'd need to sign multiple max free agents, or just simply want to try a different approach with their team. I think a lot of the big market teams could fit that description. We can also overpay a bit if we have to if the fit is right.

[yosemiteben]

It's kind of crazy...add our expirings to the extra space we'll have when the cap goes up and we'll potentially have like $70M in cap space next summer (not including any new extensions).

I think it's pretty imperative that we show that the franchise has some momentum next season because we are going to have the space to make major moves.

[BlackOutBuzz]

LINK

"From season to season, a team like the Hornets spends to the level of where the cap it set. Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets or Chicago Bulls generate enough additional revenue that they can spend up to the luxury-tax limit every season."

Eh, that's kinda misleading. This ain't baseball, teams can't spend more just because they make more. You have to use Bird Rights, trades, and other exceptions. If we really wanna keep Al beyond next year you'll see us exceed the cap to do so (though I hope we don't).

[BobsBuddy]

I'm sorry Fats ,but all this interview was is a paid political announcement for the Hornets This guy would have been better to just not do the interview and stay as MJs chief Bean Counter. An interview with MJ/Cho and Clifford would have been allot better recieved by Fans explaining why our Free Agent Moves/ Team Chemistry lead to our demise. The truth is that Lance doesn't fit here and Al needs to be traded for a center that is more mobile. Otherwise this team will continue to look like a poor mans Memphis.

[Diop]

unfortunately DeAntae Prince got a gig in Brooklyn, so I can't even look to him for decent Charlotte articles.

sucks, here is one of his first for Brooklyn.

http://www.si.com/nba/2015/04/25/jarret ... d-playoffs

runs rings around Bonnell's crappy style

[JDR720]

I saw that, no more useful offseason vines/pics/info i guess.

[Hornet Mania]

Hard to glean too much from that interview, except that Chris Polk is a smart guy who knows how to hit his talking points. I really hope not mentioning Biz was just a result of him being on the team longer then MKG/Zeller and not an indication he won't be re-signed. He didn't mention Clifford either, or I didn't notice it, so perhaps it's nothing.

I also liked the emphasis on maintaining long-term flexibility. It remains to be see whether the front office will walk the walk on that front, but I think a lot of teams are going to make it rain on mediocre role players in the summer of 2016 and we absolutely do not need to be one of them. If everyone having $20+ million means we don't land a big fish, so be it, but let's not throw big money at the Spencer Hawes and Channing Frye's of that free agent class.

Lock up the young guys, improve from within, maintain flexibility until you can make the right move, all of it sounds good to me in theory. I just hope they stick with the plan even if things are sour again next year and don't hit the panic button early.

[JDR720]

Related article by Bonnell but more focused on cap stuff, guess he milked two pieces out of it: LINK

This is the first I've heard of Todd Quinter, did anyone else know our FO pulled him in to help with pro scouting? Makes a lot of sense given the dynamics that are going to be at play when the call goes up.

seems like recent news..

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JPlowright_NBA/status/592211488250712064[/tweet]

3 PG lineups here we come