When you're as bad as the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Hornets and Charlotte Bobcats, there are no easy fixes.
After all, getting this bad takes dedication.
The Wizards, Hornets and Bobcats are kind of like those silly beer T-shirts that proclaim, "This body was built 12 ounces at a time." In other words, the body exists and is being filled with stuff, but not much of it is good.
That's not to say these three teams have lost all hope. There are actually things to like about each. Honest.
But for the Wizards, Hornets and Bobcats, 10 wins apiece just might be out of reach.
Here is a breakdown of each:
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
The Good:
Athletic, young roster led by second-year point guard John Wall. Shooting guards Nick Young and Jordan Crawford know how to score, and big men JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche know how to defend and rebound (and even occasionally score themselves).
The Bad:
Just knowing how to score, defend or rebound isn't always enough. You have to make an effort. A lot of times, that comes into question with the team's most gifted players. Not Wall, necessarily, but the other guys.
Plus, athleticism, speed and strength can carry you only so far. If you can't function as a unit, all the individual skills in the world can't save you. Not at this level.
Right now, that looks like the Wizards.
The Ugly:
There's lots. Wall is fast and a good guy, but is he a true point guard? Young and Crawford take too many questionable shots. Blatche may not be a knucklehead, but he sure seems to have some knucklehead tendencies.
The Wizards also fired their coach (Flip Saunders), then replaced him with a guy who is even more low-key (Randy Wittman). Seems like a more in-your-face type would have been more suitable for a bunch that lacks discipline.
On top of all that, the Wizards don't really have much depth or leadership. Without at least one of those things, a team could be stuck in the muck forever.
The Fix:
The Wizards will be back in the lottery and should have no worse than a top-five pick. That will be big, as next summer's draft is expected to be deep with talent. But this team just isn't working, and in order to move ahead, the Wizards will likely have to do a little dealing -- including a few guys who are considered key components.
NEW ORLEANS HORNETS
The Good:
Point guard Jarrett Jack has done an underrated job running things, and undersized big men Carl Landry and Emeka Okafor always play hard and usually produce. Also, shooting guard Eric Gordon has been good. Then again, he played in just two of the first 24 games and is likely to miss another month or so with a knee injury.
Anyway, as a team, the Hornets aren't too shabby defensively. They surrender around 93 points per game, which places them among the top 10 to 13 in the league.
The Bad:
Besides Gordon, no one on this team is known as much of a scorer. Or a scorer at all, for that matter. Through the weekend, Jack led the team at 15.8 ppg. But Landry (11.5) and Trevor Ariza (11.1) were the only other guys hitting double figures.
Basically, the Hornets consist of Gordon and a bunch of guys who may or may not be worthy of starter minutes. Unfortunately for the Hornets, at least five of them get those minutes.
The Ugly:
The Hornets are owned by the league, and you would think that might give them some sort of advantage. Instead, they've become a bigger wreck than just about any other franchise.
That's not necessarily the NBA's fault -- as the league seemed to make out OK in the Chris Paul trade by landing Gordon, center Chris Kaman and forward Al-Farouq Aminu (and a draft pick) from the Los Angeles Clippers.
But having Kaman sit out while the Hornets shopped him to the highest (or any) bidder seemed peculiar. Now, Kaman is off the market and back on the court. And we're all expected to just treat this as a winning idea?
The Fix:
No simple solutions here, although the Hornets can probably start by re-signing Gordon when he becomes a free agent this summer. He reportedly is very open to returning, especially since the Hornets can pay him more than anyone else. Mostly, though, they need to get Gordon healthy and hope for lots of luck in the lottery.
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
The Good:
Well, rookie guard Kemba Walker looks pretty decent. And Gerald Henderson could make a nice starter on team that doesn't need its shooting guard to score more than 16 points a night.
The Bad:
The Bobcats may not officially be the shortest team in the league, but they sure seem like it. Their only true center of interest is second-year man Byron Mullens, and he is clearly still developing. Meanwhile, the finished products in the frontcourt (Tyrus Thomas and DeSagana Diop) are unimpressive.
The Ugly:
The local newspaper is already running stories about what the Bobcats might do with their lottery pick.
The Fix:
It would be a basketball miracle if the Bobcats failed to finish with anything other than one of the two worst records and top three picks. But things have become so dire, you have to wonder whether even owner Michael Jordan can save them now.
Follow Sam Amico on Twitter @SamAmicoFSO
