The Charlotte Hornets have a strategy to finally escape the NBA’s lower-middle class

The Charlotte Hornets are where we thought they’d be, and I’m not talking about Paris, where on Friday they’ll play the Milwaukee Bucks.

They finished 2019 with six consecutive losses, began 2020 with two victories, and have since lost seven in a row. They are 15-30.

They were never going to be good this season. This is a rebuilding year in Charlotte for the Carolina Panthers and the Hornets, although the Hornets don’t have rebuilding years. They have rebuilding decades.

Yet I like where they are. When they allowed Kemba Walker to walk, they acknowledged they were starting over. By acknowledging that, they also acknowledged that they had a plan.

The Hornets have been members of the NBA’s lower-middle class for so long it’s as if, rather than rent, they own a place there. They’re rarely bad enough to draft high, and never good enough to win a playoff series.

In the past four drafts, working from 2019 backward, they’ve picked 12, 11, 11, and 22 (they traded it). In the four drafts before that, they picked nine, nine, four and two.

Their plan this season obviously is to get younger and to pick higher. They found a star in Devonte’ Graham, whom the Atlanta Hawks drafted in the second round in 2018, and traded to Charlotte for two second-round picks.

As a rookie, Graham told me about going to Kemba Walker’s house. I asked him if the house was decent, and Graham said the house wasn’t decent, it was spectacular. After Graham signs his next contract, he’ll be able to buy his own place in the neighborhood.

The Hornets’ last victory was Jan. 3 in Dallas in overtime against the Mavericks. It was one of those nights when you could see the sweat the Hornets left on the floor, and the future. Six Hornets scored in double figures, and the Hornets outrebounded the Mavericks 53-41.

Charlotte’s last loss was at home to the Orlando Magic by 23 points. If you watched the game in its entirety, you either wanted to see Orlando coach Steve Clifford, formerly of the Hornets, or you were being punished for something.

Rebuilding can be a bore, and some nights the Hornets are. But I love that, for the first time in a long time, they have developed a strategy to finally escape the league’s lower-middle class.

Four teams in the NBA have a record worse than Charlotte’s — the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors. If I were guessing, I’d guess that the Hornets would draft fourth in June’s draft. I’d also guess that general manager Mitch Kupchak is the right guy to make that pick.

I’d rather live in a town with a team that is bad rather than a team that perpetually is not good enough. As tough as the Hornets will be to watch most of the next 37 games, I’ll take it.

Zion’s spectacular debut was a peak into greatness

Watching the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson make his NBA debut Wednesday night was like watching a great hitter step to the plate. The hitter might not do anything in his first at bat, his second at bat, or even his third. But he is capable of the spectacular, so you lean forward, shut out the sounds in the background and watch.

And when he connects, you are thrilled to get to watch.

Williamson, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft out of Duke, mesmerized us in his lone college season. last season. The guy is 6-foot-6 and pushing 300 pounds, and he’s only 19. Wait until he grows up.

Williamson hurt his left knee in an exhibition against the New York Knicks, underwent meniscus surgery, and missed New Orleans’ first 44 games. Against San Antonio on Wednesday, he made his debut.

Williamson simmered in the first quarter, simmered in the second and simmered in the third. He deferred to his veteran teammates and was so tentative that the fans that filled Smoothie King Arena to watch him went nuts after Williamson grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a layup.

The Williamson we saw at Duke, the one who dunked the ball with such power and grace that the plays became implanted in your brain, finally arrived.

In the fourth quarter, Williamson hit a 3, a spinning layup after a lob, a 3, another 3, had his shot blocked, grabbed the ball and laid it in, hit a 3 and hit a free throw. He scored 17 straight fourth-quarter points.

Because this was Williamson’s first game back, coach Alvin Gentry apparently had him on a pitch count and repeatedly sent a big man to sub for him during Williamson’s fourth-quarter run. And then Williamson would hit another basket and Gentry would summon the big man to sit. This went on repeatedly. The players who were going to sub for Williamson burned more calories than some of the players on the court.

Finally, after a Williamson free throw, Gentry, who is from Shelby and played at Appalachian State, called time and pulled the rookie. Williamson did not want to leave the game. New Orleans’ fans did not want him to leave the game. Fans watching on TV with no allegiance to anybody but basketball did not want him to leave the game. Gentry said team doctors made the call.

Williamson played 18 minutes, scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds, which included two offensive rebounds, a team high. He added three assists. And, OK, he turned the ball over five times.

Williamson is great for the sport. He will entice casual fans to tune into the NBA, much like Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors (when healthy) did. And, no, I’m not comparing the rookie’s worth to two-time MVP Curry.

I’m saying simply that there are charismatic athletes with charismatic games that everybody wants to see. The NBA just added one more.

It’s Super Bowl betting season

I’m on fire. Last week, I picked both NFL conference championship games successfully. So did almost everybody else. I wanted to pick an upset, but I couldn’t see the Tennessee Titans beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, or the Green Bay Packers beating the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara.

The two best teams don’t always make the Super Bowl, as you’ll recall from last season, when a terrible call helped knock the New Orleans Saints out of the game. But Kansas City and San Francisco are unquestionably the NFL’s best teams.

The early line was that the game was a toss up, but the Chiefs have emerged as a 1½-point favorite, although if you don’t like the line, you can shop around.

If you want to warm up with a non-Super Bowl bet, the AFC is a 1½-point favorite Sunday in the Pro Bowl.

Some early Super Bowl prop bets: The over-under on Super Bowl punts is 7.5, the over-under on the length of Demi Lovato’s national anthem is two minutes, and the coin toss is even. I like the over on punts, the over on the anthem and, since I can’t pick the over on the coin toss, I’ll go with tails.

It would be cool, would it not, to bet a grand on the coin flip. Win it, and no matter what happens the rest of the day, you’ll feel great. Lose it, and well ...

Panthers’ draft? Go for Clemson’s Simmons

The NFL Draft is in Paradise, Nevada, outside Las Vegas. That’s three months away. The Carolina Panthers draft seventh. Who would you like to see them take?

The most important question: Do they need a quarterback? Will they know by April 23 if Cam Newton is healthy? If he’s not, do they gamble that he will be? Do they entrust the offense to Will Grier or Kyle Allen? If Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa drifts down to them, do they take him?

If Tagovailoa is available, I don’t see how they could pass. But he won’t be.

Even if Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert falls to seventh, I’d let him fall to eighth.

An intriguing player is Clemson linebacker, and former defensive back, Isaiah Simmons, who is 6-4 and 230 pounds. He can play linebacker. He can play safety. He can play where he wants, and often do what he wants. The Panthers took a linebacker-safety with the 14th pick in the 2005 draft, and Thomas Davis worked out well, don’t you think?

If there’s a criticism, it’s that Simmons doesn’t have a position. The criticism isn’t valid. A clever coach will line Simmons up where he can best exploit Simmons’ athleticism.

Carolina’s offensive line and defensive line were exploited last season. You probably noticed. Another contender is offensive tackle Andrew Thomas of Georgia and defensive tackle Derrick Brown of Auburn.

Brown is 6-4½ and 325 pounds, Thomas 6-5 and 320. They share two qualities. They’re bigger than you are, and they’re athletic. If the Panthers draft for need, either player immediately fills it.

At least one of them — Thomas, Brown or Simmons — will be available when Carolina chooses. I lean toward Simmons. But I like all three.

By April 23, I’ll know. So will Carolina general manager Marty Hurney and new coach Matt Rhule. We know that the Panthers believed they had to hire Rhule.

When the draft comes, we’ll start to find out why.

This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 9:57 AM.