Plagued by misery for decades, the Charlotte Hornets are long overdue for a successful NBA season. But at 10-36 so far, it’s clear that this is not the year that Charlotte will take a leap in the East. In fact, following a loss against the Bulls on Wednesday (their fifth straight), head coach Steve Clifford revealed the brutally honest truth about his ball club.
“One thing about NBA players, if you want ’em to listen to you, you gotta tell them the truth,” said Clifford. “So I tell them, they know that there’s little room for error. I also tell them the facts. Our problems aren’t their effort, their work, how much they wanna win. Our problem is that we’re under-talented… there’s nothing wrong with telling them that.”
Essentially, coach Clifford is admitting that his team isn’t very good. And instead of finding some kind of excuse for their struggles, he’s being open and honest about their potential as a group. Simply put, the Hornets do not have enough talent or experience to be competitive right now and it’s been the theme for their team since the dawn of their existence.
Losing Culture In Buzz City
The Hornets actually have some pretty nice players on the roster with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Gordon Hayward. But between injuries, inexperience, and poor roster construction, it’s no wonder why Charlotte has ranked near the bottom of the standings year after year. Things have gotten so bad for the franchise that losing has become almost second nature for them, as illustrated by Terry Rozier’s comments when he was traded to the Heat: “In Charlotte, you’re kinda used to losing,” said Rozier. “It’s in the DNA. Sucks to say that because of how much of a competitor I am.
Historically, the Hornets have been one of the worst teams in basketball history and they’ve got virtually no big playoff moments to show for their franchise’s existence. Even now, despite some big names, they are still struggling to even make the play-in and there are no signs of improvement on the horizon. It remains to be seen how/if the Hornets will pull themselves out of this funk but it’s clear they still need a lot more time to build a competitive NBA roster.
The Only Beacon Of Hope
As far as potential building blocks go, LaMelo Ball is unquestionably a shining star in this league and he’s the only thing keeping the Hornets semi-relevant right now. Before he went down with an injury, Ball was showing flashes of stardom with averages of 23.9 points, 8.0 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game on 43.3% shooting. At 6’7″ with explosive quickness, Melo is a versatile player and he was the engine for Charlotte’s offense. If he can stay healthy and improve his game in other areas, Ball could end up having a Hall-of-Fame career before it’s all said and done.
Whether or not he’ll play out his prime with the Hornets, however, remains to be seen. If they keep failing to surround him with talent, he may decide to try his luck somewhere else and it will put them back at square one in terms of rebuilding for the future. At this point, it’s imperative that the Hornets do whatever they can to keep LaMelo happy and prevent him from seeking a different opportunity somewhere else.
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