by noballer07

All of you might have been told at one time or the other in your lives to learn from your mistakes; they only make you stronger. This ‘rule’ so to speak is all too true in the world of sports and in the NBA. Some teams do learn from their mistakes and bounce back. Look at the Miami Heat making the Finals after falling to Detroit in the ‘05 Playoffs. Other teams just don’t seem to do so, (speaking particularly of the LA Clippers and their drafting practices). So, lets take a look at how the Hornets have done in the past, and how they can prevent themselves from repeating a bad decision.

Past Hornets Drafts

2006- C/PF Hilton Armstrong, PF Cedric Simmons, SF Marcus Vinicius Viera de Souza
It’s too early to say anything negative about these guys, and it looks as if we won’t have to in the future. Armstrong and Simmons are two promising post players (one with offensive potential and the other with defensive potential) and Vinicius is a solid perimeter player for his size and is working on bulking up and improving defensively. No problems here.

2005- PG Chris Paul, PF Brandon Bass
Possibly the best first round pick by the Hornets since Baron Davis; Chris Paul has the tools to be a superstar in this league. Brandon Bass has some issues in his skillset and hasn’t been able to win over playing time, but I believe he can do better.

2004- SG J.R. Smith, G Tim Pickett
It’s sad that neither of these picks panned out. J.R. had some issues with obeying Byron Scott and playing defense, so he’s gone, and now in 2007 we’re looking to get another promising young shooting guard. This is their lesson for this draft. Select a competent, hard-working, and motivated individual dedicated to playing basketball and improving himself. This is an issue that has been most described in Nick Young about his occasional lapses on both sides of the ball. Tim Pickett was a poor ball handler and wouldn’t have worked out anyway.

2003- PF David West, C James Lang
The Hornets got their big man of the future here in West, a power forward out of Xavier who did take a while but eventually worked out and became our leading scorer. Lang had some potential coming out of high school, but his weight led to injuries and his departure.

2002- No Picks- Traded for Courtney Alexander
Not a bad trade here, since every player below #17 in the first round besides Tayshaun Prince never actually ended up being solid starters in the NBA. Alexander had potential and was supposed to be the scorer off of the bench, but injuries sidelined him. A trade lesson here.

2001- F Kirk Haston
I will venture to say that this first rounder was the worst pick in Hornets history. Although the front office thought he would be a solid shooter for them, Haston lasted two extremely short seasons with the team struggling with injuries and having a hard time getting playing time. I hope the team never again falls for another one of these shooter-type power forwards. The Hornets traded the 45th pick in the draft for rights to 7′3″ prospect Roberto Duenas, whom we traded to Miami for Rasual Butler.

2000- C Jamaal Magloire
A good pick for the new millennium. Magloire became a solid center in the East, averaging a double-double in 2003-04. But, tensions increased as the team went 18-64 the next season, and he was dealt to Milwaukee for a first rounder that would become Cedric Simmons.

1999- G Baron Davis
B-Diddy was a beast for quite a while with the Hornets, but injuries contributed to the team’s lack of success in the postseason. His attitude is what led him to be traded.
More Lessons

1997- G Kobe Bryant
Never deal with a player with an ego. Apparently Kobe had a list of teams who he didn’t want to be drafted by, and Charlotte was one of them. Complying with his wishes, Bob Bass immediately traded the future superstar to the LA Lakers for the now retired Vlade Divac. Wow. Just think if we hadn’t traded him; how different would the league be now?

1991, 1992- F Larry Johnson, C Alonzo Mourning
This was a pretty formidable lineup in the East, up until tensions began to boil. The Hornets made a Shaq/Kobe-type decision and traded Mourning, a decision they surely regretted.

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