Fansided

10 worst NBA front offices

By John Buhler

Oct 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson yawns watching the Knicks play the Boston Celtics during second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson yawns watching the Knicks play the Boston Celtics during second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 11
Next
CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 01: Owner of the Charlotte Hornets, Michael Jordan, watches on during their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Time Warner Cable Arena on November 1, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC – NOVEMBER 01: Owner of the Charlotte Hornets, Michael Jordan, watches on during their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Time Warner Cable Arena on November 1, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

player. 170. . East. Southeast. Charlotte Hornets. 8

The Buzz is back in Charlotte and the Queen City has itself a solid NBA basketball team in the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte has made the Eastern Conference Playoffs twice in the last three years thanks in large part to the strong defensive-minded culture set in motion by head coach Steve Clifford and his top assistant Patrick Ewing.

The Hornets made two smart moves in 2016 NBA free agency in re-signing key wing players Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams. However, Charlotte had to let three other important players walk in NBA free agency in backup point guard Jeremy Lin to the Brooklyn Nets, center Al Jefferson to the Indiana Pacers, and shooting guard Courtney Lee to the New York Knicks.

Charlotte might again contend for the Eastern Conference Playoffs in 2017, but the Hornets front office didn’t use great foresight to help Clifford out in the slightest. How does a team have five important rotational players all hit free agency at the same time and be unable to retain the majority of them despite having an exploding NBA salary cap?

Did general manager Rich Cho pick the right two players to keep? Yes, he sure did, but most competent general managers don’t put themselves under that type of duress in any free agency period. Let’s also not forget that Charlotte is one of the worst drafting teams in the NBA.

Though Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are great players, what where the Bobcats/Hornets thinking when drafting Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky in the top 10? It almost feels like Cho has to draft top college players to appease owner Michael Jordan, who first made a name for himself as the star shooting guard for the North Carolina Tar Heels in the early 1980s.

It’s Jordan’s team and he’s the boss, but the Hornets could have had Justise Winslow, Myles Turner, or Devin Booker in 2015 at No. 9 instead of Kaminsky. Those three have All-Star potential, as Winslow went No. 10 to the Miami Heat, Turner to the Indiana Pacers at No. 11, and Booker to the Phoenix Suns at No. 13.

With Charlotte it seems that the players and coaching staff have to do everything in their power to overcome many of the front office’s whiffs. Clifford could very well be a top 10 coach in the NBA and the Hornets are lucky to have him. If the Hornets want to be Conference Finals caliber, the team needs better unity from top to bottom. The front office can’t keep doing Lance Stephenson deals or Marco Belinelli trades if the Hornets want to be an Eastern Conference power.

Next: 7. Washington Wizards.

Home/Charlotte Hornets