2002-03 Charlotte Hornets Media Day

[NickMalone77]

Charlotte Hornets Media Day

-- The regular season tends to blur after a while. You can chart your accomplishments before you see that that light inside a dark tunnel is a florescent light tube. It'll keep the hope alive but that light will never get any brighter. Moves were made to compete at a high level as sacrifices were made to hurt the future for what turned out to be short and minimal gains before it's eventual demise. 3 straight years of playoff appearances. All unique with its own merits. All stand out for making moves that constantly changed the face of the franchise. Hell, Vlade Divac turned into Allan Houston who turned into Steve Smith who turned into Eddie Jones. Even Gugs came back for most of last season. But while that light remained lit and the people of Charlotte dealt with vicious media rumors of relocation, the brand of basketball was still competitive and a note worthy effort inside the much maligned Eastern Conference. From a 4 game sweep in 2000, to a 7 game thriller in 2001 and then getting tossed by the Hawks in the second round of the last post season, the team was in a difficult spot. Would settling for third best be an acceptable token? Would the message of gutting the franchise be a positive one not only internally but to the people of Charlotte? All of the risks and advantages had a certain cost but all of that came with a lot of consideration.

-- After ending the 2002 Post season, the Hornets had 0 picks and 1 pick overall between 2002 and 2004. Eddie Jones was bound to test free agency and was bound to land elsewhere for more money and years than what Charlotte was willing to offer to the declining but still elite wing. The 2002 draft had a lot of possibilities that enticed the Hornets to trade into the draft. Dealing veteran Popeye Jones to the Knicks for an expiring, a young project and the #22 draft pick. Attempted to trade up multiple times but were lucky enough to select Matt Barnes at the 22nd pick. More on that in a little bit... The Hornets then nabbed some cheap talent from Washington with the likes of the young project, Darius Miles and signed Keon Clark in RFA to a deal that didn't break the books. There were rumors that the Hornets had successfully signed Cuttino Mobley, Paul Pierce, and Brian Skinner to contract offer sheets but were all matched by their perspective teams. The Hornets then did the unthinkable which really set the wheels in motion of a full on rebuild by dealing Ron Artest and Hornets floor general, David Wesley to the Bucks for a package built around Zach Randolph, multiple 1st round picks and Chris Mihm. The Hornets knew that Artest at the time was only going to get better and had multiple offers from around the league. They were cautious to deal him and considered him at most points of his tenure a Hornet for life even with league wide skepticism at the idea that anyone would be considered a Hornet for life given the lifespan of a tenure to be often 4 years or less. The Hornets signed Kurt Thomas, Ron Mercer, Laphonso Ellis, Shammond Williams and Moochie Norris all to cap friendly deals but the biggest signing for them was replacing Popeye Jones with one time former Hornet, Juwan Howard. Howard signed a 3 year deal valued at 24+ million dollars. The last move saw the Hornets deal Tom Gugliotta and rookie pick, Matt Barnes up to Toronto for another former Hornet, Jamal Mashburn and a rebuilding package of an 04 pick, Devin Brown, and Kwame Brown.

-- So what was the plan and the goal for the upcoming season ahead? Juwan Howard will get plenty of chances to score with him often being looked upon as the focal point of the offense. Zach Randolph is the future and will be in Charlotte for the foreseeable future. This next draft ahead presents a multitude of opportunities that can accelerate the process ahead. With the likes of talent of Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony among others, The whole point of the rebuild was to build around younger pieces to have a better shot at success in a few seasons from now. This next season ahead will not be easy to watch but if the sacrifices pay off, the reward from the gods of sim could present the Hornets with the best possible option and possibly the best player this franchise has ever had. The floor is now open for any and all questions.

[NOLa.]

How long do you see this rebuild lasting? We've had teams in the past rebuild quick in one season, but lately we have had teams that feel like they have been on "auto-tank" as one Sacramento GM put it. Do you see yourself moreso in the middle?

[NickMalone77]

How long do you see this rebuild lasting? We've had teams in the past rebuild quick in one season, but lately we have had teams that feel like they have been on "auto-tank" as one Sacramento GM put it. Do you see yourself moreso in the middle?

I am of the personal belief that if you can get that one crown jewel that exists in the top prospect of the next draft, that obviously speeds up the process. I'm not saying that in 2004 that you're gonna see this club in the playoffs but you never know. I think it'll take this club a little while to get to where we need to be. We already have our big of the future that has made great strides in training camp in Zach Randolph. We'll look to build around him in the next few years to come and hopefully put the best talent on the court at the same time even if there are some growing pains that'll accompany the rebuild process. We refuse to rest on our laurels though and will look for the best possible deal that fits our club at this time.

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: Many people feel that trading Ron Artest was almost a hypocritical move, given your stated goal of getting younger. Could you give us a little more insight on what exactly led to the decision to trade Ron? Were finances a factor?

[NickMalone77]

Random Reporter: Many people feel that trading Ron Artest was almost a hypocritical move, given your stated goal of getting younger. Could you give us a little more insight on what exactly led to the decision to trade Ron? Were finances a factor?

Finances were not a factor. We would have matched and signed Ron to a super max if we had a chance. What ultimately led to it was the decision that we had an expiring Gugliotta and an expiring David Wesley. We would have been a playoff team but with our lack of resources, we felt that it was best to rebuild instead of settling for a 6th seed and a pick of fairly little value. Artest is going to be a great player but we knew he was our best asset and his lack of an offensive skill we fielded offers from across the league and the Bucks presented an offer than unloaded some bloated salary. ZBo will be a difference maker and will continue to develop into a two way player we hope he can grow into the next few years.

We have cap space. We have picks and some young assets and are always looking for more. So while it hurt to deal Ron, sacrifices had to be made to attain the spot we wanted to be in... Besides, if our team is lucky enough to be in a spot to select a franchise cornerstone like Lebron or Melo, it will be in our best interest to get that player to have it be them and ZBo the new powerhouse in Charlotte. Trust the process.

[42PhD]

Dr. Rocker from the Cleveland Rocker:

You made major moves last offseason to try to make a push starting midseason, and it netted you an appearance in the second round. That offseason, you blow it up. What made you change your mind about trying to win, and what made you change your mind so severely, so quickly . . . twice?

[NickMalone77]

Dr. Rocker from the Cleveland Rocker:

You made major moves last offseason to try to make a push starting midseason, and it netted you an appearance in the second round. That offseason, you blow it up. What made you change your mind about trying to win, and what made you change your mind so severely, so quickly . . . twice?

Great question. I'm always of the belief that any deal could be made and everyone has a price so says the Million Dollar Man. But in reality, I made that push to contend because I felt that with the talent on the court, the team was dominant and a Top 10 team but looking at the aging talent and how sharp the declines often are for the veteran talent after a certain age, I was left with the scenario of a decent team with fairly little picks and wiggle room to operate with. Like I said earlier, I could settle for being the third best team in the Central or lower and reach no higher than the 2nd round or even the Conference Finals. I'd be stupid to say that the Hawks and Raptors weren't a factor in my decision making. I wanted to press the reset button. I could have resigned an aging Eddie Jones but he didn't want to take a shorter term contract. Once Eddie decided to sign elsewhere, I was looking high and low to try and get the best possible offers to replenish the war chest of assets. Now, some will say I sold too low on certain deals but at the end of the day, most of it is speculation and prediction.

I wanted to get the best probability of getting that next cornerstone piece in place. I think we have some good young pieces that can mature on this team going forward but I'd be shocked if this team isn't where I want it to be at the end of the year.

[RPF]

How tough was it to trade away Tom Gugliotta after bringing him back to to finish his career in Charlotte?

[NickMalone77]

How tough was it to trade away Tom Gugliotta after bringing him back to to finish his career in Charlotte?

It was tough, no doubt. Tom deserves to end his career on a winner. We were so excited to acquire him during last season. His play with the defensive minded Popeye Jones made for a fairly dominant front court although we ran into the buzz saw known as Ben Wallace and Antonio McDyess. After dealing away Artest and Wesley, the market for Gugs was fairly dry of interest. Gugs is a great player and will have his chance to chase for a ring like he rightfully deserves in Toronto. We would be better off dealing him elsewhere than keeping him on a team attempting to swim upstream without a paddle. We wish Gugs nothing but the best.

We feel better off that these next few years will bare the fruit of our struggles. Randolph will be our long term key to the future.

[Bowtothebill23]

One of the clear reasons for the Artest for ZBo deal was that Artest was that Artest is about to hit RFA and be maxed out and he's already a really good NBA player while ZBO is younger, more raw with almost as good potentials and he's bad now so he'll help you lose. One thing though is that Artest is the ultimate Swiss Army knife: a guy who can fit with any star you put around him and a guy who can be moved around to different roles in the playoffs: an invaluable guy to have. ZBo limits in you in some ways in that you almost have to build an inside or at least balanced team. Would you agree? What would your response to that be?

Also, with the clear goal to try and land a superstar in this upcoming draft as you traded for younger, less talented now players, what was the point of signing Juwan Howard. Yeah he may be able to fetch you an ok young player or a late teens or so pick or 2, but is that worth the potential lottery balls you'd be losing?

[NickMalone77]

One of the clear reasons for the Artest for ZBo deal was that Artest was that Artest is about to hit RFA and be maxed out and he's already a really good NBA player while ZBO is younger, more raw with almost as good potentials and he's bad now so he'll help you lose. One thing though is that Artest is the ultimate Swiss Army knife: a guy who can fit with any star you put around him and a guy who can be moved around to different roles in the playoffs: an invaluable guy to have. ZBo limits in you in some ways in that you almost have to build an inside or at least balanced team. Would you agree? What would your response to that be?

Also, with the clear goal to try and land a superstar in this upcoming draft as you traded for younger, less talented now players, what was the point of signing Juwan Howard. Yeah he may be able to fetch you an ok young player or a late teens or so pick or 2, but is that worth the potential lottery balls you'd be losing?

We were honestly shocked that Juwan wanted to sign with us. Juwan I'm sure had more offers on the table that offered him more money and more years but I have a feeling he signed with us on the premise that if we had signed Eddie Jones, the potential to play with Jones, Artest, Gugliotta, and Wesley at the time seemed like an appealing situation. Juwan will have every opportunity to thrive. And the better he plays, the better he has a chance of proving that he's a valuable player worth acquiring if you are the aspiring team in need of some front court help for a playoff run. ZBo as you said is raw enough that he's still gonna need some time to develop but after this last TC, you can already see it in his game of how he's going to mature into a nice two way player.

Artest was always going to develop into a star. I really truly felt that since the day I drafted him but the issue I found was how limited he was offensively while his defense stood out and was an automatic wing stopper. It was a difficult decision to let him go but this team wouldn't have been any better in my mind if it was just Artest and my 1 pick in 03. Sacrifices had to be made and honestly, I don't regret a thing. We chose the best deal on the table that made the most sense to us and with the way things can certainly happen here in sim league, I'm gonna have some fun testing the limits of some of the young guys here on the roster. Thanks for the question.

[WigNosy]

How much do you think Mashburn has left in the tank?

[NickMalone77]

How much do you think Mashburn has left in the tank?

Enough to contribute as a secondary option. We know Mashs strength and weaknesses since this is his second go around with the club. We hope he can be a functional scorer that gives teams different looks in the paint and post with his offensive skill. I imagine he and Juwan are going to get the bulk of the scoring load for this team to stay in games.

[Darth Vegito]

How old is Ron Artest? That is all.

[C-Prej]

Do you feel you have two lotto picks to build this team with next year?

[NickMalone77]

How old is Ron Artest? That is all.

Younger than Kemp and Zo but older than ZBo.

[NickMalone77]

Do you feel you have two lotto picks to build this team with next year?

I feel like I have at least one lotto pick and three first round picks within the next two drafts which I think is enough to build around with Randolph the next few seasons ahead. Who knows, maybe the other picks within the next few years turns into lotto picks. You just never know.

[PaulyP]

Jon Snow, WSN. To piggyback on the sonics guys question, how can you possibly rationalize trading away a 22 year old purp potential player for an even younger player who still has some ways before he is an impact. Feel free to admit you are intentionally becoming even worse to get a chance at the young phenom LeBron James

[NickMalone77]

Jon Snow, WSN. To piggyback on the sonics guys question, how can you possibly rationalize trading away a 22 year old purp potential player for an even younger player who still has some ways before he is an impact. Feel free to admit you are intentionally becoming even worse to get a chance at the young phenom LeBron James

I can rationalize it by saying that you're only as good as what your record is at the end of the day and the talent on the court should be a big factor in that. Just like I'm sure Paul Pierce loves it in Indiana, Artest loved it in Charlotte. We really did love having him represent the teal and purple but was this team going to be better than the Hawks or Raptors? Most likely not so I made the choice first and foremost to replenish the future of this club before it was too late and an eternal 7th or 8th seed with no ever real chance at winning a title even with Artest. His talent is immense and I wish him well in Milwaukee.

We love what ZBo will represent and mean to us here in Charlotte. He showed incredible gains and continues to grow during TC. He is without a doubt our future for this club and we are hoping that the next few years gives us the ability to maintain our flexibility and youth and can be competitive again in the near future. I mean, you wanna have a clear path to one day be good and build an entire team instead of just hoping to salvage something off of one really good player like, right Jon Snow?

[IamQuailman]

Awarded 5 pts!