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.

by noballer07

The final day of the Hornets’ abbreviated workout schedule wrapped up on Friday, as forwards Thaddeus Young (6′8) and Marcus Williams (6′7) and guards Zabian Dowell (6′2) and Ron Lewis (6′4) showed their skills to Byron Scott and the rest of the staff. All of these players are solid possibilities for the Hornets in the first and second rounds, but my main gripe is the fact that they haven’t even tried out a two-guard such as Nick Young and Derrick Byars. Despite this, both Byron Scott and GM Jeff Bower appeared to be quite impressed with the workout of Georgia Tech forward Thaddeus Young, commenting on his athleticism and mix of post up and perimeter abilities on offense. I don’t know what you all think, but I am now fully convinced that he is their guy. He’s even commented that his family is full of Hornets fans and that his uncle is a suite owner at the New Orleans Arena. Although I’m still not sold on Thad Young being the right selection on draft day, I think this might actually work out in the long run. It all depends on how much time Byron Scott is willing to put in to develop this guy, and so far it appears he is interested in putting in quite a bit.

Now, on to the rest of the prospects. I’m glad that they decided to try out Ron Lewis out of Ohio State; he took and hit a lot of big shots for them in the tournament and was one of the main reasons why they advanced to the championship game. IMO, he is too underrated; he has an NBA body (a plus defensively) and has shown time and time again that he can make shots. Yeah, he is an undersized two guard and his ball handling might not be good enough to play point, but haven’t we seen this before? Hopefully the Hornets will consider him on draft day in the second round. The other guard prospect, Zabian Dowell, has done a fair job at the Orlando Draft Camp, but possibly not enough to warrant a selection on draft day. Marcus Williams, a 6′7 guard/forward prospect out of Arizona looks extremely intriguingly offensively, and his ability to play PG, SG, and SF effectively is a plus. He may be a late first round pick and somebody the Hornets could look at if they decide to trade down (hopefully not that far).

Yesterday, the Hornets worked out four prospects projected by many to go in the second round. Guards Brandon Heath, Trey Johnson and Sammy Mejia and forward Dominic McGuire showed their skills to Byron Scott and the rest of the Hornets staff in OKC. In spite of the fact that teams don’t reveal their opinions of or occurrences in the workouts, all I can do is analyze the players and how they could fit in our system.

Let’s go ahead to 6-5 SG Trey Johnson from Jackson State, who IMO was the main player in this workout. In my last blog, I was hoping that they would check him out, and they did. Johnson was a proven scorer at JSU averaging just over 27 points per game and could truly be a sleeper in the second round of this draft. Like I said, this guy has the potential to give any team quality minutes off the bench as one of those ‘instant offense’ players such as our Bobby Jackson and Cleveland’s Daniel Gibson. He may be a little undersized for a shooting guard at 6′5 and his competition may not have been much, but he has potential, no doubt.

The other two guards invited in the workout are also intriguing but not as celebrated. Sammy Mejia is a 6-6 PG prospect from DePaul whose ball handling is only fair and has problems shooting the ball. He showed flashes of potential in college, but has never really completely developed any part of his game. The other guard, Brandon Heath, was a solid scoring point guard for SD State averaging nearly 20 ppg. Heath has a few issues with his game and lacks the vision of a true point, so we probably won’t see him drafted at all on June 28.

Last on my list, but not least, is forward Dominic McGuire from Fresno State. McGuire is generally projected as a mid-second round pick in the draft and has made a living in college as an athletic and defensive combo forward. McGuire is in the mold of players like Trevor Ariza and Danny Granger and should be a nice prospect for teams that need depth at the wing. The Hornets could use him as a replacement to Desmond Mason, and he could bring much needed defense to the squad at the position.

On tomorrow and Friday, the Hornets will be doing private workouts with prospects in OK City. Although no official list has been put out, Draftexpress.com stipulates that the team will be working out SD State point guard Brandon Heath (6-4 200) on Thursday and Fresno State forward Dominic McGuire (6-8 215). Heath is a tweener with skills better suited for the two guard position, and McGuire is a combo forward in the mold of Danny Granger/Kenny Thomas that would be good as a defensive role player at the next level. Stay tuned for more coverage and analysis of the workouts as they come.

By noballer07

The annual Orlando Pre-Draft Camp is heating up as draft hopefuls compete for attention from NBA scouts, many fighting to keep from being undrafted. So, who should the Hornets be paying attention to at this camp?

This year’s pre-draft camp has been filled with solid performances from several players and looks quite competitive. Prospects that have truly stood out include point guard Jared Jordan from Marist, Demetrius Nichols from Syracuse, and Aaron Gray from Pitt. While it would be nice to have the chance to select all of these players, here are a few that I believe the Hornets should be paying attention to:

1. Jared Dudley, F, Boston College 6′7 225
Dudley has looked solid at the camp, and has aroused the attention of scouts by his decision making and smart play. No, he isn’t the most athletic nor does he possess the hottest touch from the outside, but he has a few intangibles that many teams covet. He rebounds, dishes the ball fairly well, and plays solid defense. He could be a nice replacement for Linton Johnson if he doesn’t return. The Hornets might be able to take him in the second round with #43 unless teams don’t pay too much attention to the fact that he doesn’t have a true position.

2. Demetrius Nichols, SF, Syracuse, 6′8 215
Rasual Butler comparisons would not be entirely unreasonable, but Nichols is worth a look, especially if he falls to New Orleans at #43. If he keeps up his hot shooting, he may be climbing the ladder to early second round status, but the rest of his game may hinder his chances.

3. Jermareo Davidson, PF, Alabama, 6′11 220
Davidson is an intriguing prospect at power forward that has shown some of his athleticism and raw talent in the pre-draft camp. The reason why I say the Hornets should take a look at him is because he could potentially give them some of what Chris Andersen gave them before his suspension (minus the headache, of course). He can rebound, block shots, and runs the court like a smaller player. He might not get much playing time, but he could end up pushing Brandon Bass to improve.

4. Trey Johnson, SG, Jackson St, 6′5 220
Trey Johnson has looked pretty good in day three, scoring 16 points off of 6-of-14 shooting. Known as a solid scoring threat in college averaging 27.1 ppg, Johnson can probably be effective putting up numbers for an NBA team coming off the bench at the 2, although his defense is questionable. He could help us out in case Bobby Jackson runs into more nagging injuries next season.

5. Mustafa Shakur, PG, Arizona, 6′3 180
This could be a nice pick for the Hornets if they are looking to snag another point guard. Shakur has had somewhat of a solid showing at the camp and is said by many to be a prototypical pass-first PG. His size, quickness, and length are all aspects to be desired, but his inconsistency in college raises some questions. If the Hornets can’t persuade Jannero Pargo to stay (player-option), Shakur might be a nice prospect to groom and try out as the third guy.

By noballer07
I’m sure everybody has seen LeBron James’ spectacular 48-point game last night against the Pistons. So this leads me to think about the one of the most-asked questions among NBA GM’s- How can my team get to and be successful in the playoffs? Well, the answer to the question isn’t as easy or general as many speculators like to make it seem, as each team has its own needs. But I can tell you the answer is almost clear for the Hornets- they need consistency.

Since the Hornets’ first round playoff run in 2003-04, the team underwent major changes. They were introduced into the Western Conference after the Charlotte Bobcats’ entry into the league, testing their ability to compete. Injuries plagued the team as Jamal Mashburn (their 03-04 scoring leader with 21.6 PPG) was declared out for the season. Baron Davis, the team’s star point guard, requested a trade. Jamaal Magloire ended up sitting out for three months due to injury. The team, and its several different starting lineups, managed to go 18-64 on the season, its worst record since its inception. The next season, the team had ridden itself of Baron Davis, and acquired a promising young point guard in Chris Paul. Despite some further progress, Hurricane Katrina came and destroyed any chance of the team returning to normalcy. The young squad ended up missing the playoffs again, but were closer than before.

Looking back at this past season, the Hornets haven’t had much consistency once again, most evidenced by the injury of Peja Stojakovic and the late falls of Chris Paul, Desmond Mason, and Tyson Chandler. Ever thought that if this team was healthy for most of the season and Stojakovic hadn’t been injured for so long, they would have made the playoffs? I have, and I believe it. Chris Paul has the ability and potential to take them wherever they want to go, but they must stay consistent. I don’t care if they ended up drafting Greg Oden and somehow acquiring somebody like Kobe Bryant; if they don’t stay healthy and as a cohesive unit, they won’t go anywhere next season, or in the seasons to come. It’s time to start now.