How the Hornets traded their way to respectability
The Charlotte Hornets had themselves an eventful offseason. They made a bunch of trades to get better in the short term, and didn't seem to care about long-term prosperity. It was kind of laughable.
But right now they're 12-8, and look like a definite playoff team. Here's a look at those deals, and how they led Charlotte to where it's at today, per The Charlotte Observer:
Nicolas Batum in a contract year? Spencer Hawes coming off a humiliating playoff benching? Jeremy Lamb because...why?
All could've exploded in Hornets' general manager Rich Cho's face, but instead he looks like a genius, and Charlotte is cruising to a possible playoff spot.
The Hornets expanded their scouting staff on Cho’s watch, and he said that was a key factor in making this series of deals with a sense of confidence. The other factor was Clifford concluding after last season that having a great defense, but mediocre offensive talent with little 3-point shooting, wasn’t sufficient. “You’ve got to have a variety of things in your offensive package,” Clifford said. “As we do that, with our skill level and shooting, we can keep getting better.”
