Last guard that led us to a playoff win btw

Been recently reflecting on the 2009-10 Charlotte Bobcats, and how underrated they actually were. The team had a solid nucleus of: Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw, Stephen Jackson, Tyson Chandler, Raja Bell, Raymond Felton, D.J. Augustin, Nazr Mohammed, and Larry Brown at coach to top it all off. They won 44 games, which is already pretty solid, but I always forget that they were also the No. 1-ranked defense in the league that season. For a team without a traditional superstar, they had a pretty interesting mix of veterans, work horses and defensive specialists.

This is where Allen Iverson comes into the picture. I’ve always been somewhat of an AI truther. He’s not my favorite player ever, but I genuinely think he got done dirty in Detroit. The front office and coaching staff never really gave him a fair shake, and the whole situation just seemed doomed from the beginning. I know the stats don’t exactly make the case for him: he averaged around 17 points on 36% shooting in Detroit. But I think you have to look at the context. That was an Iverson who seemed completely checked out, had the coaching staff and front office against him, and was playing for a team where some of his teammates were still disgruntled over the sudden Chauncey Billups trade. It was just a terrible situation all around. Keep in mind, this was literally one year removed from him being top 3 in scoring , averaging 26 on 45% shooting, so I highly doubt he all of a sudden forgot how to play ball.

And that’s why I always wonder what would’ve happened if you took that version of Allen Iverson and just plugged him into the 2009-10 Bobcats. I’m not saying this is the 2001 version of AI. He obviously had his flaws by that point, and I’m not expecting him to suddenly come in and average 30. But just two years earlier, he was averaging 26 points on 45% shooting and was still an All-Star. He didn’t just completely lose the ability to play basketball overnight. And this wouldn’t have required a lofty trade to acquire him either. He was freshly waived from Memphis, so it would literally be plug and play. He knew Larry Brown’s system, and I believe at that point he and Larry Brown had already largely put their differences behind them. Personally, I’d probably start AI over Raymond Felton. Put him next to Crash, Stephen Jackson, Tyson Chandler, etc .. and that defense, and I think you have a really interesting team.

I honestly think the environment in Charlotte could’ve brought out a late-stage revitalized Iverson. I could see guys like Stephen Jackson & Crash, embracing him, and Larry Brown obviously knew exactly how to use him. Instead of asking Iverson to carry an entire offense, you have him as the scoring punch on a team that already had the No. 1 defense in the league. I could see him giving you 17, 18, maybe 19 points a game on better efficiency than what we saw in Detroit, simply because he’d actually be in a situation where he wanted to be there and had a defined role.
I think adding 4-5 extra wins on top of that 44 win team isn’t a completely crazy statement either. I’m not saying AI magically turns them into a championship team. They probably still aren’t an Eastern Conference favorite, and who’s even to say they would’ve gotten out of the first round? But I’ve seen crazier things happen. I could legitimately see that team now (with a now deeper bench with Felton acting as 6th man) turning into a 48-49 win team just by giving them another legitimate scoring option and someone who could create his own shot when the offense got stagnant. Now you’re talking about a team with the best defense in the league and an actual offensive weapon who could still take over stretches of games. That’s a pretty damn tough first-round matchup.

I know this is completely random, but this is one of my “what-ifs” I think about from time to time. Any of yall who watched the team around that time, let me know what you guys think.

Source: @nbaunitracker

Taj Gibson kept telling Moose in 2024-25 to keep showing up, that his opportunity was gonna come, and he was right. "That's my OG forever."

Full interview on the Make It To Midnight podcast.

🚨The 5th Annual Unofficial Hornets Fan Survey Is Live!🚨

Help improve on last year’s 600+ responses, please take a couple of minutes to fill out and share.

The results will drop in September on the Buzz Beat Substack.

https://forms.gle/Hk1qmSBCk7izbPp18

🗣️ Brandon Miller: "Do I know if we are going to be good or great? I know we are going to be a hard-working team. It's not about who makes the most shots. It's about who can play consistently at 110% every night. I think that's one thing we are going to take pride in."

The video includes how the hornets got their colors.

Currently they have us at 34-48 good for 11th place.

I think a lot of r/nba sees us as contending for the last two play-in spots.

Personally, I think this is a reasonable assessment. We are retooling our offense in a lot of ways. We're going to be expecting a jump from Kon and Brandon on ball. Brandon is also coming off an injury and will miss some games early. Coby is great, but we have to see how he does running the offense as opposed to coming off the bench as a microwave. We also still have the same concerns with defense down low though Naz helps a little.

I'm not saying all those will be failings, but there are a lot of questions to answer. With good injury luck (for us and bad luck for others) and a big on ball jump from Kon or Brandon, this could flip and maybe we push for a playoff spot. Especially if Coby can become a bit more of a facilitator. Hopefully the new guys show up solid, and if Hannes shows up doing work in the paint, that will go a long way.

This team is hard to read given the switches and question marks. My assessment is we match our record from last year as a best case scenario which would be good for a play in spot in a much more competitive East, or, more likely, we fall a bit short of last year.

I think this is a pretty fair assessment given our situation, though probably a few more wins.

What are everyone else's thoughts? Who do you expect to make a big jump? Will Coby thrive as a starter? Who is the new piece you are most excited for?

Basically, I found this shirt at a thrift store for 20 something bucks a while ago and I started wondering where this shirt is originally from since it has no tags or any clues as to where it was made and by who. I am not trying to sell this or anything like that, I'm just curious about this shirts origin. Thought that if anyone would know or could give me any sort of advice, it would be you guys.

Kind of weird he hasn't had any movement on a contract with the Pistons. Could we swoop in and take him away.

No idea how a sign n trade works, but what would be a realistic offer for Jalen Duren?

.

Best 4th Quarter Defensive Field Goal Percentage (DFG%) In The 2025-26 NBA Regular Season (Min. 200 Total DFGA) :

1. Grant Williams — 37.9%
   
2. Ariel Hukporti — 38.3%
   
3. Josh Green — 39.4%
   
4. Clint Capela — 39.8%
   
5. Victor Wembanyama — 40.7%
   
6. Zeke Nnaji — 40.8%
   
7. Chet Holmgren — 41.0%
   
8. Ajay Mitchell — 41.0%
   
9. Rasheer Fleming — 41.2%
   
10. Isaiah Hartenstein — 41.7%

Charlotte hasn't made playoffs since 2016

With all the attention the Hornets Gms have been getting recently for having a horrid offseaon based off of 1 player
I decided to look at the roster depth and its players to see weather they'll ACTUALLY be good or not:

PG - White, Schroder, Anderson
SG - Knueppel, Allen, James, Connaughton
SF - Miller, O'Neale, McNeeley
PF - Reid, Williams, Finney-Smith, Salaun
C - Diabate, Kalkbrenner, Steinbach

Hornets alleged goal they had this offseaon:
Play a form of team basketball similar to the 2024 Celtics:

- Have a team full of good and Efficient Shooters

Premiere Shooters: Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Naz Reid, And Coby White

Great Shooters coming off the bench:

- Royce O'Neale ( Shot 40.8% From 3 last season)

- Grayson Allen ( Shot 46.1% From 3 in 23-24 and 42.6 In 24-25, And is the is top 10 all time in 3pm for the suns and he only played 3 seasons)

- Liam McNeeley: (With a small sample size averaging 12 minutes a game coming of the 3rd sting bench he shot 40% from the field and 40% from 3 last season, had a Great summer leauge shooting 52.6 from 3 this SL Year and is looking to make a big jump in his Sophomore season

- Big Men that can get to the rim at will and rebound so they can kick it out back to 3 for second chance opportunities when players miss:

Premiere Big Men/Best Rebounders: Naz Reid, Mossa Diabate, And Rookie Hannes Steinbach (Best Rebounder In the draft)

- Have PGs that can make plays and create wide open 3 opportunities and open up the paint:

Coby White: As much as he's known for being a "shoot first" player when he played Pg he's gonna have to step up more this season and prove to everyone that he can be a good floor general.

Dennis Schröder: Proven Veteran Pg that can make plays hand help the rookies become better players.

Christian Anderson: A rookie that averaged 7+ Assists In his final College Year.

( Also the best shooter in the draft with a 3pt% of 41.5)

They also managed to fill a large hole they had last season:
A Big Man that can actually shoot: Naz Reid

OVERALL: I think the Hornets had a great offseason after looking deeper into the roster and what they were able to do to check thier boxes wirh all the trades drafts they made
Because on paper after doing a proper analysis on the team

They look like a great team on paper with great Wing Sharpshooters, Good rebounders, Decent Playmakers, most off all

THE VETERANS: Experience is key and the main reason why the hornets lost the play in game last year is because they had a lack of players whith actual playoff experience.
Players who have been there before, know what the atmosphere is like when it matters the most. When the tension, pressure, and physicality is at its HIGHEST

The 4 Players they added this offseaon have a combind 141 Playoff Games played

Dennis Schroder: 91 games
Rolls Royce: 52 games
Naz Reid: 48 games
Grayson Allen: 28 games

So this does so much for the young players like Kon, Miller, Mossa, Steinbach, And Anderson.

But at the end of the day,

Only time will tell weather they'll shock the basketball world and actually make the playoffs in a competitve east, Or be the biggest laughing stock in the NBA this season.

Can't judge a team untill they actually play together.

Source:
https://www.espn.com/nba/team/depth/_/name/cha

Source: @plyrsuntd

Im road tripping through north and south Carolina Friday and Saturday with my Naz Reid towel. Wondering if anyone wants to trade for 2xl LaMelo Jersey.

In the new Reel Access, it seems like Jeff continuities to bring up the “pushing our chips in” mantra. They are so adamant about collecting assets, but when do they pull the trigger?

“We want fans to look back in 3-5 years and realize we made the right decisions.” Is it going to take that long to see how this plays out? Are we going to be ECF regulars in 3-5 years? When do we take the swing and utilize the assets we’ve acquired.

Who falls in the swing for the fence category?

With the Lakers and now Timberwolves being flipped basically a year or two after getting sold for massive profits. was hoping to get someone with a bit of knowledge into our ownership group opinion on something like that happening to us. i know some are still mad about ball and other things, but it just a undeniable fact that this team has an actual direction and plan for the first time in this iteration of the team, and would very much like to keep the people in charge that seem to care and not risk getting trailblazered.

Hi! My son is a big hornets fan and my daughter is a big Thunder fan and I have a few questions:

Is it possible to go down to the seats early before the game starts and get autographs from the away team?

What seat section to go down to?

Is it restricted by if you have tickets for that section? (when I was in Dallas it was this way)

What section for the away team and what section for the home team?

Thanks!!!

This is a long shot, but I’ve been looking everywhere for the Hugo the Hornet rubber duck from the “Ducks & Dashboards” ticket package at the Hornets vs. Bulls game on April 6, 2025.
I haven’t been able to find one anywhere online, so I’m hoping someone here remembers it or knows where I might be able to find one.
Did anyone here get one from that game/package? Or has anyone ever seen one pop up online or at a local collectibles shop?
Any leads would be greatly appreciated. This stupid little duck has somehow become my white whale. 😂

As part of the deal, the Cavaliers are sending Tre Mann, the 2027 second-rounder from the Clippers and cash to the Washington Wizards for Cam Whitmore, sources said. The Wizards also are sending Julian Reese to the Nuggets, who will waive Reese off his two-way deal.

Mann fills a positional need as the Wizards have searched for an additional guard in recent weeks -- while the Cavaliers gain a smaller salary in Whitmore to create optionality under the first apron.

Figured this might be somewhat relevant! Former Hornet Tre Mann goes to the Wiz.

Source: OMR Podcast (in German)