Charlotte preview

Preview. Charlotte Hornets. By George Wang. 99-00 Record : 49-33 Best Player : Derrick Coleman, 16.7ppg, 8.5rpg, 1.78bpg. Jamal Mashburn, 17.5ppg, 5.0rpg, 3.9apg. Both players had resurgent seasons last year. They will be excellent if the resurgence continues. But the hornets are praying that mediocracy will not plague these two once again. Worst Player : Todd Fuller, this guy was a lottery pick? Absolutely total waste of space. Rising Star : Baron Davis, posesses speed, strenght and savy. Really has a real chance of being one of the most explosive PGs in the entire league. Look for him to take the starting job from David Wesley next year. Key Acquisitions : Jamal Mashburn, P.J. Brown. Through the trade with the heat. Both are good players but not up to the standard of Eddie Jones. Key Losses : Eddie Jones, Anthony Mason and Brad Miller. An all star and two hard bangers. All of which the hornets don't have now. Rumors : Is Glen Rice returning?	Best move this off season : Getting something in return for the imminent depature of Eddie. Worst move this off season : Not getting a prime scorer for a team that has problems shooting. Why take mashburn and Brown when you could have had Rice? Tell me why? The hornets insist on letting its free agents bolt to rival clubs without any attempts to re-sign them?
ProjectedLineup	2001TeamRoster
C EldenCampbell. After his trade from the Lakers, big easy has cemented the C spot as his own. He can still be unmotivated at times and his play has suffered. If he is not careful, the rookie, Jamaal Magloire who is a younger version of Campbell will push him for minutes. PF DerrickColeman. He had an re-breakout year of sorts last season after several seasons in the N.B.A wilderness. He was second on the team in points and rebounds at 16.7 and 8.5 per game. After dealing Jones to the Heat, Coleman will be expected to step up his play to another level. SF JamalMashburn. Mashburn is another player on this team that had a revitalizing season in 1999/2000. He averaged 17.5ppg, returning to some of the form he showed in his first team, Dallas. He will be expected to continue his improvement this year. As well as take on more scoring responsibility for this team. SG EddieRobinson. In Jones' absence this is a real trouble spot for the Hornets. Both shooting guards on the roster, Wesley and Robinson aren't going to set the house on fire with their play at either end of the court. And both are better suited as impact scorers off the bench.The weakest spot on the roster. PG BaronDavis. Ready to take over. Last year it was Steve Francis and this year it's Baron's turn to shine as a top young PG. He has exceptional speed and dribbling ability, and his size at 6 ft 3 inches and 210 lbs makes him one of the larger PGs in the league. Expect a breaout year out of him. 6thMan PJBrown. Thrived in Riley's system in Miami, he is a good floor runner and has good rebounding ability. If he adapts quickly, we might see Coleman shipped to someone else for a SG. If he adapts that is. WhatTheyHave. The Hornets have a bunch of steady players that will give the team their averages night in night out. They also have some exciting young talent in Davis and Robinson. Charlotte has good size and athleticism at all positions. They also have great depth at all positions except for SG. The Hornets also have a great coach in Phil Silas who is a player's coach and will develop the young guys accordingly. WhatTheyNeed. Eddie Jones. He is not here anymore, and the hive will miss him very much! This at a time when their needs at SG are at a premium. They also need a long range bomber to take the pressure away from the inside guys, and to take the ball out of Wesley's hands, thus reducing the bad shots he takes. They can also do with a veteran PG. to teach Davis the finer points of the game that makes the difference between him being a good PG or a great PG. Good solid defensive stoppers are also at a premium on this roster. A need for a defensive presence off the bench will be a great help. Hopes are for Magloire to develop into a shot blocking prescence in the middle, he has shown signs of being a good shot blocker in College, but that was on a different level. 2001Projection. The trade for Jones was a must as the chances of him re-signing with the club was small. Thus getting something in return for him was imperative. P.J Brown is definitely an upgrade over Mason but Mashburn is no where the player that Jones is or could be. Tim James might have a bright future if he is given enough court time. Overall, this Charlotte team is not as good as last season's simply because they have lost both defense and offense with the departure of Jones. But with the relative weakness of its East rivals, Charlotte will again see itself in the playoffs. But again, don't expect them to go far, just like last season. More Teams.	Chucky Brown F Veteran journeyman that might be cut before season opens. P.J Brown F Solid, but now must learn from a new teacher. Rodney Buford G Young player with some upside. Elden Campbell C Has been solid since being traded here. Must lift intensity. Derrick Coleman F/C Carried the team at times last year when Jones disappeared from games in the strech. Baron Davis G This is the year he will put his stamp on the position. Todd Fuller C Total waste of roster space. Darrin hancock F More wasted roster spots. Michael Hawkins G Why, why, why? Tim James F Former star at University of Miami. Will improve. Could get major minutes. Jamaal Magloire F/C Could surprise everyone and take major minutes at F or C. Jamal Mashburn F Must continue resurgence of last year. Now he is the first option on a lacklustre offense. Lee Nailon F Rookie that has some athletic ability. Nothing more. Eldridge Recasner G 3 point specialist that will see limited minutes with Davis and Wesley ahead of him. Eddie Robinson G The starting shooting guard position is his to lose. Has good athletic ability but needs to learn more about playing the game. Like there is more ways to score than on the fast break. Otis Thorpe F/C Only taken in the Jone's trade for salary cap reasons. Could be good insurance policy at C though. David Wesley G Can't distribute the ball for a point guard. Too small for a shooting guard. But solid all together.