Inside the Mind of the Hive
Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2026 12:41 pm
Charlotte Hornets Media Presser 1988-89
The rush of the crowd. The flashing bulbs. The tenor of curious reporters... This was a familiar feeling but a sensation not felt to this extent in quite some time.
There were many times internally where I wasn’t quite sure how I would be received with a return. Did the game pass me by? Would the other GM’s be receptive to me coming back, disrupting the external flow of the league? Would Charlotte be open to welcoming the Pro Game to its deeply rooted legacy of College Basketball dominance? All of these questions rocked my brain as I overcame my own health battles. I kept holding on to the strength of my own family and friends and knowing that I would be at a place where their support would carry me across the finish line even when I thought it was an impossible task some days to even get out of bed. I’m eternally indebted for their support, kindness, and love. Without that, this return wouldn’t be possible.
Now, I can take to the podium for the first time in many moons, stand in front of a crowd, understand the assignment, and deliver with convictions to the audience, a man of resilience, faith, and a belief that the little battles and small gains realized today will lead to greater victories in the end.
Reporter: Nick Melon, Charlotte Observer. First, thank you for bringing a franchise to Charlotte and what ultimately led you to coming back to SLOE?
Nick Malone: The league itself had been wanting to expand for a few years and after recovering from my health battles, there was a desire to get back into the league after some time away. Absence does make the heart grow fonder and I reached out to the commissioner of the league and expressed my interest in a return. On the front of Charlotte, there’s a rich basketball legacy and history here on the college level that has such a strong footing that I think there’s a loyal fan base that would support what the pro game looks like if you give it a product with a strong desire to compete and win on a night to night basis. I just hate losing with a passion. I want to give these people a basketball program that plays just as hard as the fans will show up and show support equally for these players.
Reporter: Jack Tatum, Hollywood Star Gazette; When the league granted you the ability to not only return to the league, they presented you with an option to either take over an established team more immediately or take over an expansion team that would take a longer time to process and become the new kids on the block, to use the expression. What went through the process to choose expansion over something already established?
Nick Malone: Great question but I’ve always been of the belief that you need to create your own manifest destiny to show your true vision. I’ve gone the route previously of taking over a team already created and molded by someone else and turning it into my own through a lot of trials and tribulations leading to some success and a lot of failures. With Charlotte, and the options presented to me, I thought it made the most sense to wait out the expansion access so I can truly build a foundation and a house that can be a model for what the game of basketball can look like. The only way I was going to truly get that this time around was taking over a new team with an ability to craft the roster, the coaching staff, the training staff, and everyone associated with this club to optimize it to go forward in the way the world is and changing as we fast forward from 1988 into 1989 and the next generation. The choice was simple for me.
Reporter: Chris Guy: Indianapolis Rush & Equine Times; When the league went through its Expansion Draft phase, each team exposed various players with contract terms and skill level, hoping that they would have a new home here in Charlotte. Can you talk about the process that went into a few of those selections and how all of that came together?
Nick Malone: To me, it was always a means to an end with the options that were presented. I sat down with my coaching staff and went through each players strengths and weaknesses. We already had some trade discussions prior to the Expansion draft that enticed us to select a certain player that helped to give us a little wiggle room in terms of assets for selecting a few players. This draft was fairly guard heavy and weaker on the option for certain Bigs. What also gave us the freedom was that we could move these players as soon as they were selected for various items or points or other players across the league that we actually wanted. We felt at the time that we had crafted a good enough roster that could’ve certainly competed for a playoff spot but that we needed to enhance our options at the 4-5 if we really wanted to raise the ceiling of what this team could do.
Reporter: Andy Baker, Chicago Sun Times; Moving on from the Expansion Draft, you had the actual draft with the #4 pick in the first round, and then the 1st pick of the second round. Given the premium position in the draft, what kind of discussions did you have and how did that influence the selections you made?
Nick Malone: I never want to limit myself on the discussions I could be having with other GM’s across the league. The door will always be open in Charlotte for a healthy discussion and conversation of what can be found mutually beneficial. That being said, we loved having the 4th pick and thought there was a clear difference of levels between the players in the Top 4 compared to the rest of the talent in this draft. We would’ve been happy with any of the talent in the top 4. We had an idea that the draft would shake out initially as it did and we are thrilled to have Hersey Hawkins in Charlotte as a long term building block for this team going forward. We knew this draft was extremely deep in terms of talent and wanted to trade back into the 1st round between picks 10-15 to acquire another potential building block. As we watched the draft unfold, two players really stuck out to us and when we made the trade with our friends in New Jersey, the consensus feeling was that we could get another potential building block in Charles Smith. A paint presence that is just a strong, interior, bull of a man. Given his age and skill level, made perfect sense to select him at the time. Then, again, given how deep this draft was, felt like we could select another impact player or two in the second round that could’ve had rotation minutes on this team and contacted the Orange County Clippers and bought a second round pick off their hands for a minimal fee. We were content at the time with how the draft worked out for us here in Charlotte.
Reporter: Scott So-Hard; Dallas Tribune; Given the expansion draft and the actual draft, the weakness on your team likely would’ve been the front court options at the time. How many bigs did you target to fill out the rest of this team and what were the discussions like?
Nick Malone: It wasn’t for the lack of trying that’s for sure. We searched high and low to try and find the right compliment that would’ve benefitted this team best. We thought we had reached an agreement with Bill Cartwright originally but there was a discrepancy with some of the processing done with the league that held up certain agreements and negotiations. We felt like we needed to end this FA period with at least one competent Big
Man that could be a possible starting option. We made a big splash to bring in Larry Nance from Detroit that could be an automatic starter and force at the 4. When the league processors worked again, we struck a deal with Jack Sikma, a talented vet that can play some minutes at the 5 and not hurt us. He’s on a one year deal and the money won’t hurt what we need to do if we wish to make more moves in the future. The expansion draft put us about 1.5-2 million over the projected cap space. By the end of FA, we slashed about 3-4 mil from our cap space to be under now by about 1.5 million roughly. We contacted a good majority of teams around the league for various options that could play with Larry Nance in the paint. All healthy discussions that had productive dialogue even if we didn’t reach an agreement at the end of the day. Portland was our most productive trade partner during the offseason with 3 transactions that helped shape our roster in terms of what we can do. Is our roster complete? No. But it is in a far better standing to compete and win then when we started this whole thing.
Reporter: Alphonso Riviera, Newsday: What does the starting 5 look like and who could get some bench rotation minutes on this team?
Nick Malone: I think our starting 5 feels pretty concrete for the moment unless there’s an advantageous deal out there for us to go after. We have Donaldson & Nance in the front court, followed by Jay Vincent at the 3, Hersey Hawkins at the 2, & Darwin Cook at the 1. We feel pretty good about that starting 5 and then for the bench, we’re still exploring options as for whom can play the backup 4 spot since dealing Charles Smith away in part to acquire Donaldson but Rory Sparrow, Quintin Dailey, Carey Scurry, Leroy Combs, Sikma, Randy Breuer (also from Portland), can all get minutes and give this team a blow and help maintain an advantage of what the starters helped to create. Is it perfect? Not yet, but we’re not closing the door on anything that can help make this team better. Best advice would be to rent instead of buying here in Charlotte. Now? Lets open the floor to all these great questions and more.
The rush of the crowd. The flashing bulbs. The tenor of curious reporters... This was a familiar feeling but a sensation not felt to this extent in quite some time.
There were many times internally where I wasn’t quite sure how I would be received with a return. Did the game pass me by? Would the other GM’s be receptive to me coming back, disrupting the external flow of the league? Would Charlotte be open to welcoming the Pro Game to its deeply rooted legacy of College Basketball dominance? All of these questions rocked my brain as I overcame my own health battles. I kept holding on to the strength of my own family and friends and knowing that I would be at a place where their support would carry me across the finish line even when I thought it was an impossible task some days to even get out of bed. I’m eternally indebted for their support, kindness, and love. Without that, this return wouldn’t be possible.
Now, I can take to the podium for the first time in many moons, stand in front of a crowd, understand the assignment, and deliver with convictions to the audience, a man of resilience, faith, and a belief that the little battles and small gains realized today will lead to greater victories in the end.
Reporter: Nick Melon, Charlotte Observer. First, thank you for bringing a franchise to Charlotte and what ultimately led you to coming back to SLOE?
Nick Malone: The league itself had been wanting to expand for a few years and after recovering from my health battles, there was a desire to get back into the league after some time away. Absence does make the heart grow fonder and I reached out to the commissioner of the league and expressed my interest in a return. On the front of Charlotte, there’s a rich basketball legacy and history here on the college level that has such a strong footing that I think there’s a loyal fan base that would support what the pro game looks like if you give it a product with a strong desire to compete and win on a night to night basis. I just hate losing with a passion. I want to give these people a basketball program that plays just as hard as the fans will show up and show support equally for these players.
Reporter: Jack Tatum, Hollywood Star Gazette; When the league granted you the ability to not only return to the league, they presented you with an option to either take over an established team more immediately or take over an expansion team that would take a longer time to process and become the new kids on the block, to use the expression. What went through the process to choose expansion over something already established?
Nick Malone: Great question but I’ve always been of the belief that you need to create your own manifest destiny to show your true vision. I’ve gone the route previously of taking over a team already created and molded by someone else and turning it into my own through a lot of trials and tribulations leading to some success and a lot of failures. With Charlotte, and the options presented to me, I thought it made the most sense to wait out the expansion access so I can truly build a foundation and a house that can be a model for what the game of basketball can look like. The only way I was going to truly get that this time around was taking over a new team with an ability to craft the roster, the coaching staff, the training staff, and everyone associated with this club to optimize it to go forward in the way the world is and changing as we fast forward from 1988 into 1989 and the next generation. The choice was simple for me.
Reporter: Chris Guy: Indianapolis Rush & Equine Times; When the league went through its Expansion Draft phase, each team exposed various players with contract terms and skill level, hoping that they would have a new home here in Charlotte. Can you talk about the process that went into a few of those selections and how all of that came together?
Nick Malone: To me, it was always a means to an end with the options that were presented. I sat down with my coaching staff and went through each players strengths and weaknesses. We already had some trade discussions prior to the Expansion draft that enticed us to select a certain player that helped to give us a little wiggle room in terms of assets for selecting a few players. This draft was fairly guard heavy and weaker on the option for certain Bigs. What also gave us the freedom was that we could move these players as soon as they were selected for various items or points or other players across the league that we actually wanted. We felt at the time that we had crafted a good enough roster that could’ve certainly competed for a playoff spot but that we needed to enhance our options at the 4-5 if we really wanted to raise the ceiling of what this team could do.
Reporter: Andy Baker, Chicago Sun Times; Moving on from the Expansion Draft, you had the actual draft with the #4 pick in the first round, and then the 1st pick of the second round. Given the premium position in the draft, what kind of discussions did you have and how did that influence the selections you made?
Nick Malone: I never want to limit myself on the discussions I could be having with other GM’s across the league. The door will always be open in Charlotte for a healthy discussion and conversation of what can be found mutually beneficial. That being said, we loved having the 4th pick and thought there was a clear difference of levels between the players in the Top 4 compared to the rest of the talent in this draft. We would’ve been happy with any of the talent in the top 4. We had an idea that the draft would shake out initially as it did and we are thrilled to have Hersey Hawkins in Charlotte as a long term building block for this team going forward. We knew this draft was extremely deep in terms of talent and wanted to trade back into the 1st round between picks 10-15 to acquire another potential building block. As we watched the draft unfold, two players really stuck out to us and when we made the trade with our friends in New Jersey, the consensus feeling was that we could get another potential building block in Charles Smith. A paint presence that is just a strong, interior, bull of a man. Given his age and skill level, made perfect sense to select him at the time. Then, again, given how deep this draft was, felt like we could select another impact player or two in the second round that could’ve had rotation minutes on this team and contacted the Orange County Clippers and bought a second round pick off their hands for a minimal fee. We were content at the time with how the draft worked out for us here in Charlotte.
Reporter: Scott So-Hard; Dallas Tribune; Given the expansion draft and the actual draft, the weakness on your team likely would’ve been the front court options at the time. How many bigs did you target to fill out the rest of this team and what were the discussions like?
Nick Malone: It wasn’t for the lack of trying that’s for sure. We searched high and low to try and find the right compliment that would’ve benefitted this team best. We thought we had reached an agreement with Bill Cartwright originally but there was a discrepancy with some of the processing done with the league that held up certain agreements and negotiations. We felt like we needed to end this FA period with at least one competent Big
Man that could be a possible starting option. We made a big splash to bring in Larry Nance from Detroit that could be an automatic starter and force at the 4. When the league processors worked again, we struck a deal with Jack Sikma, a talented vet that can play some minutes at the 5 and not hurt us. He’s on a one year deal and the money won’t hurt what we need to do if we wish to make more moves in the future. The expansion draft put us about 1.5-2 million over the projected cap space. By the end of FA, we slashed about 3-4 mil from our cap space to be under now by about 1.5 million roughly. We contacted a good majority of teams around the league for various options that could play with Larry Nance in the paint. All healthy discussions that had productive dialogue even if we didn’t reach an agreement at the end of the day. Portland was our most productive trade partner during the offseason with 3 transactions that helped shape our roster in terms of what we can do. Is our roster complete? No. But it is in a far better standing to compete and win then when we started this whole thing.
Reporter: Alphonso Riviera, Newsday: What does the starting 5 look like and who could get some bench rotation minutes on this team?
Nick Malone: I think our starting 5 feels pretty concrete for the moment unless there’s an advantageous deal out there for us to go after. We have Donaldson & Nance in the front court, followed by Jay Vincent at the 3, Hersey Hawkins at the 2, & Darwin Cook at the 1. We feel pretty good about that starting 5 and then for the bench, we’re still exploring options as for whom can play the backup 4 spot since dealing Charles Smith away in part to acquire Donaldson but Rory Sparrow, Quintin Dailey, Carey Scurry, Leroy Combs, Sikma, Randy Breuer (also from Portland), can all get minutes and give this team a blow and help maintain an advantage of what the starters helped to create. Is it perfect? Not yet, but we’re not closing the door on anything that can help make this team better. Best advice would be to rent instead of buying here in Charlotte. Now? Lets open the floor to all these great questions and more.