Post by GMHornets on Oct 23, 2005 19:58:30 GMT -5
Use your imagination goggles and go back to the spring of 2008. The New Orleans Hornets were coming off of a below average season and, to many, a disappointing one as well. It had been a mere six months earlier that the people of New Orleans were dubbing their Hornets as the surprise team in the BBS. Equipped with such tremendous young talent (New Orleans returned young starters Shaun Livingston and OJ Mayo and added fresh center James Donaldson to the bunch) it wasn’t difficult to see where the optimism was coming from. New Orleans’ fans were downplaying the lack of experience of each starter while exaggerating the impact each would have so early in their careers. Even General Manager Mark Kelley got in on the love fest, saying at the time, “I don’t see why we cannot be major players this season. With (Shaun) Livingston and OJ (Mayo) handling the ball, consistently feeding it into top-pick James Donaldson, we’re planning on a major rebound of a season. While the future certainly is bright in New Orleans, don’t downplay the present,” he said.
Now, come back to early April, 2009. When alerted of his comments from a measly nine months earlier, Kelley was a bit dumbfounded.
“I said that? Seems to be a bit more arrogance than I usually give off. I suppose it was just me getting caught up in the moment. I wasn’t attempting to talk up our team with the hope that we could then sell more tickets. I believed every word that I said.”
On paper, this team looked prime for a breakout year. Established superstar Shawn Marion (dealt for in the early days of the summer) was paired with the budding talents of Mayo, Livingston, and Donaldson, only to see himself sent packing along with Calvin Natt to Seattle for Gerald Green no more than a few days after arriving in the Big Easy. In Green, Kelley felt that he acquired future star power (“He’ll be a star for the next ten years,” he said), but it was the less heralded acquisitions of Jerome James, JR Smith, Antoine Wright, and Keith Clark that Kelley felt had the potential to be more beneficial to the team in the upcoming season.
“It was no secret that our team lacked depth last season. Livingston and Mayo played way too many minutes, regardless of their young ages and, consequentially, young legs. The addition of Green was a move for the future, but James, Smith, Wright, these were guys who we felt could come in (to New Orleans) and play a solid fifteen to twenty minutes a night. We didn’t expect to miss a beat when our second unit got the call.”
But, as any sexy pre-season pick can attest to, the games are not played on paper. After a huge victory over perennial powerhouse Detroit in early November, the team began to buy into their own hype. They expected victories to just be handed to them, underestimating the furiosity in which opposing squads would come at such heralded players. They began playing uninspired basketball, caring more about individual stats and accomplishments than overall team improvement. The lack of chemistry was clearly lacking to even the most casual fan. More than enough times this season Mayo and Green were seen practically fighting over shots, while Livingston, considered the playmaker, couldn’t even guard a chair. Throughout all of this, the team sputtered out to a 33-33 start sixty-six games in and, along the way, the so-called “top depth” was jettisoned out at mid-season. To be honest, it was as if the team didn’t have a plan. Kelley refutes such a claim.
“Our plan was to gain more depth via free agency and trade. We felt that it was our only weakness. But, the mark of a truly great franchise is to admit when a mistake was made and to try to improve that weakness. JR Smith, Antoine Wright, even Alexander Johnson, they were putting up adequate numbers but they weren’t providing the type of minutes that we expected out of them. They were productive in the statistical categories, but it was clear to anyone that their minutes weren’t productive. Yet, we didn’t go into December and January looking to deal them. Though we had underachieved, we still liked the direction of our franchise and the talent that we had. However, the right deals simply presented themselves. Dealing off Alexander Johnson for Keith Brumbaugh was considered a no-brainer. And while we hated dealing off three wingmen – Keith Clark, JR Smith, and Antoine Wright – the offers were just too good to pass up. Along with the Los Angeles Lakers 2013 selection, we secured a starting-caliber point guard in Jameer Nelson. Having seen Jameer win the Rookie of the Year for our franchise a few years back, we knew what he was capable of, and felt that it was imperative to jump on the opportunity to land him.”
Potential doesn’t always pan out. While it’s easy to trash the organization for its poor product, the direction cannot be denied.
“With the right moves, I don’t see why we cannot compete with Detroit for the division crown next season. A bit of depth and tinkering sprinkled around an older and wiser core will do wonders for our team,” said Kelley.
Now the fans of New Orleans only hope they can put those goggles away for good.
Now, come back to early April, 2009. When alerted of his comments from a measly nine months earlier, Kelley was a bit dumbfounded.
“I said that? Seems to be a bit more arrogance than I usually give off. I suppose it was just me getting caught up in the moment. I wasn’t attempting to talk up our team with the hope that we could then sell more tickets. I believed every word that I said.”
On paper, this team looked prime for a breakout year. Established superstar Shawn Marion (dealt for in the early days of the summer) was paired with the budding talents of Mayo, Livingston, and Donaldson, only to see himself sent packing along with Calvin Natt to Seattle for Gerald Green no more than a few days after arriving in the Big Easy. In Green, Kelley felt that he acquired future star power (“He’ll be a star for the next ten years,” he said), but it was the less heralded acquisitions of Jerome James, JR Smith, Antoine Wright, and Keith Clark that Kelley felt had the potential to be more beneficial to the team in the upcoming season.
“It was no secret that our team lacked depth last season. Livingston and Mayo played way too many minutes, regardless of their young ages and, consequentially, young legs. The addition of Green was a move for the future, but James, Smith, Wright, these were guys who we felt could come in (to New Orleans) and play a solid fifteen to twenty minutes a night. We didn’t expect to miss a beat when our second unit got the call.”
But, as any sexy pre-season pick can attest to, the games are not played on paper. After a huge victory over perennial powerhouse Detroit in early November, the team began to buy into their own hype. They expected victories to just be handed to them, underestimating the furiosity in which opposing squads would come at such heralded players. They began playing uninspired basketball, caring more about individual stats and accomplishments than overall team improvement. The lack of chemistry was clearly lacking to even the most casual fan. More than enough times this season Mayo and Green were seen practically fighting over shots, while Livingston, considered the playmaker, couldn’t even guard a chair. Throughout all of this, the team sputtered out to a 33-33 start sixty-six games in and, along the way, the so-called “top depth” was jettisoned out at mid-season. To be honest, it was as if the team didn’t have a plan. Kelley refutes such a claim.
“Our plan was to gain more depth via free agency and trade. We felt that it was our only weakness. But, the mark of a truly great franchise is to admit when a mistake was made and to try to improve that weakness. JR Smith, Antoine Wright, even Alexander Johnson, they were putting up adequate numbers but they weren’t providing the type of minutes that we expected out of them. They were productive in the statistical categories, but it was clear to anyone that their minutes weren’t productive. Yet, we didn’t go into December and January looking to deal them. Though we had underachieved, we still liked the direction of our franchise and the talent that we had. However, the right deals simply presented themselves. Dealing off Alexander Johnson for Keith Brumbaugh was considered a no-brainer. And while we hated dealing off three wingmen – Keith Clark, JR Smith, and Antoine Wright – the offers were just too good to pass up. Along with the Los Angeles Lakers 2013 selection, we secured a starting-caliber point guard in Jameer Nelson. Having seen Jameer win the Rookie of the Year for our franchise a few years back, we knew what he was capable of, and felt that it was imperative to jump on the opportunity to land him.”
Potential doesn’t always pan out. While it’s easy to trash the organization for its poor product, the direction cannot be denied.
“With the right moves, I don’t see why we cannot compete with Detroit for the division crown next season. A bit of depth and tinkering sprinkled around an older and wiser core will do wonders for our team,” said Kelley.
Now the fans of New Orleans only hope they can put those goggles away for good.
2012 Western Conference Finals
