Zach Lowe says its time for the Charlotte Hornets to move on from veteran core. Is he right?

Zach Lowe says its time for the Charlotte Hornets to move on from veteran core. Is he right?

Zack low spoke on the direction the Charlotte Hornets should take going forward we’ll break down those comments and also James bgo he’s in the conversation these days should the Hornets have fired him a couple of years ago was that the wrong decision we’ll talk about it all today locked on

Hornets you are locked on hornets part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day in a minute cuz we Live it’s locked on Hornet it’s part of the locked on podcast Network it’s your team every day thanks for making us your first listen we’re free and available anywhere you get your podcast and that includes YouTube this episode is brought to you by FanDuel you can make every

Moment more right now new customers get 150 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place a $5 bet you can visit fanduel.com logdon to get started there is David Walker dressed as Devon Booker he says you can find him on Twitter David B Walker the be for Beanie or Booker you

Did that just for Doug today right I did it just for Doug only for Doug Doug is a huge fan you go go tweet at Doug and talk about how great Devon Booker is on blocked if you want to get blocked oh you don’t you don’t block people though

That’s not your game you don’t do that that’s Doug Bron you can find his substack because you can’t find him on Twitter you can find his substack every horn box score.com and listen to me on WFNZ every weekday from 12: to 300 p.m. all right we’ll get to the pain of the

Three Hornets losses it’s been a while since we’ve talked about the pain with David because it’s been a week A lot’s happened in a week David so we’re gonna talk about that in a moment I I did want to go to Zack Low’s comment on the world

Famous low poost podcast where he talked about the Charlotte Hornets Direction and he said Charlotte should be in full trade mode you keep lamelo ball mark Williams Nick Smith Jr and Brandon Miller of course and you test the market for everyone else and prepare for a transitional summer with another Lottery

Pick and new ownership putting its stamp on the organization I do feel like those are the right guys and I feel like this is a conversation also being had because everybody knows the Hornets have to undergo a pretty drastic change this off season how drastic it’s going to be we

Don’t know but we do know that we’re going to see a different GM we’re probably going to see a different head coach it would be surprising especially now if Steve Clifford came back and if Mitch cup Che came back now you have to make the decision on what players you’re

Keeping whether it be at the deadline or whether it be going into The Following season so we’ve had this combo a lot and it does feel like the consensus more so it’s the BMW package right it’s lamelo ball it’s Mark Williams it’s Brandon Miller but also Nick Smith Jr I agree

With like he’s not Untouchable but I I would agree trying to keep Nick Smith Jr uh as much as you can unless there’s an offer that just blows your mind David what do you think about Zack Low’s comments and have you thought about the the Hornets core that they should keep

Intact while everybody else gets traded and moved on from oh yeah I mean that’s exactly what they should be doing and like you said Walker you guys have talked about it a bunch Zack L kind of puts his stamp on it but I think this is

What a lot of the vocal Hornets folks uh on Twitter and and and in the arena and everywhere else those that are watching I mean there’s some still out there I got a buddy who’s like I just want to see this whole core together I just want

To see what they can do and um I said I I don’t I don’t want to see that anymore it’s time to make a move it’s time to do something else and it feels like this is the Calm before the storm uh once they get the new you know

Leadership or whomever in place but yeah this thing is clearly not working they’ve they’ve tried it on on multiple levels they’ve they’ve tried it with this mini core and it’s just been so tumultuous that they’ve got to make a change they’ve got to make a change for

The sanity honestly of people watching I mean they can’t continue to watch this product the same core this same effort roll out there on a night and Night Out basis it’s it’s it’s it’s frustrating I think that’s where you’re seeing a lot of this frustration vo right now from

People that are continu to watch the true sickos uh and it’s hard to blame them but yeah I mean I think that’s what they should be doing that looks like what teams that have surpassed the Hornets that have you know skyrocketed past the Hornets on the way to respectability have been doing is

Collecting young assets building that way and making Savvy trades when they can um so yeah I think that’s your core four that you want to keep and like you said we love what Nick Smith Jr’s done if somebody comes to you with you know something you just can’t turn down maybe

You you figure out a way to make that work but yeah I mean they’ve got to make a change on multiple levels and you know lamelo they’re they’re they’re in tandem with lamelo now so like you know that’s that’s how they’re going to move forward that’s how how they’re going to proceed

So I think that’s the right four to do it and it seems like a no-brainer because what else can you do with this current group at this point it feels hard to steer into the steer it back on the right course right now what do you

Think Doug well Zack L is right to include Nick Smith Jr for this reason he has an elite skill set he has one Elite skill set that has been proven and forged in the fire of actual NBA serious NBA minutes and you can’t discount that

I mean the hornet hung on to James book Knight and Kai Jones for oh these many years and neither neither of those guys really had a proven NBA skill set uh certainly not elite shot makers like Nick Smith Jr you need multiple guys like that um if you’re going to go

Through a rebuild or a mini rebuild you got to guy you you have to have guys you can put the ball in their hands and ask them to go get a bucket and they do and that’s what Nick Smith Jr can do now can he develop some of those other things

That would make him like a legit Sixth Man or role player you know or even you know can he develop them such that he even becomes in conversation as one of the you know three or four best players on your team well that’s to be seen we

That’s probably going to take a few years to figure out but you’ve seen enough here in year one to absolutely justify holding on to him just to see uh what comes of it now in terms of the you know should they tear it all down versus

Uh stick with this core I I think the way your buddy felt David is the exact way this franchises felt is they’ve they’ve always wanted to see if the thing they built was going to work if the airplane that they built was actually going to fly and and

Unfortunately they have not gotten that opportunity because of injuries but you’re right David like there’s there’s just not going to be much tolerance for any more time to see if it all can work out because every year that goes by you’re one year closer to having to have another conversation with lamelo ball

About about continuing on with this franchise the difficulty with tearing it all down and going into a full full rebuild is that you’ve got lamelo ball on a Max contract in his fifth year and you’re getting closer to that conversation and how long does it take

If you tear this thing all the way down to the stud so I think the the line that they have to navigate here this new ownership group is how do we get away from what we were doing transition into something new without completely you know going scorched Earth on the roster

And and getting even worse than this season uh that that’s going to be the difficult thing because I’m not even sure that lamelo would be super interested in going through two or three years of that well and that’s that’s the question when we were discussing whether they should only keep those four one

Part of the question is okay yeah are you asking if they should try to keep PJ and and Gordon and then get somebody else and those guys move to a different role no the real question is do you keep that many is is four too much or do you

Just continue to get rid of everybody to the point where now we’re having this real conversation about lamelo that’s the question that is closer to what the Hornets should be having but no I don’t think they should be getting rid of lamelo after the $200 million extension

He is a good player I think you have to figure out if he’s going to be a healthy player for sure but even with the injuries that he suffered now it’s not enough to move on from and completely tear it down to the studs I wouldn’t agree with that Brandon Miller clearly

You’re not moving off of his second overall pick after a strong 30 40 game start to his season his career so no you’re not moving on from him here’s the thing for me too though so as we talk about I think that’s the the right four players I think that’s Ito and three

Rookie contracts right at the time being so that are promising right what varying levels of promising Brandon by far being the most you can make your own decision on Mark and Nick Smith Jr I know people sour on Mark we can get to him in the center rotation Mark has shown you

Enough to want to see what he can do the next couple of years like I I would like to hold on to him so with these four guys I think that’s the right decision the problem is that when people try to figure out how far to tear it down you

Often what all right we we’ll keep all the valuable players and try to trade all the invaluable players wait now now you’re not not going to get anything like yeah nobody else wants those guys either so how much value are you gonna have to trade so the guys that might

Have it one is Gordon Hayward who you have to deal at the deadline or you don’t trade him anymore yeah you can do a sign and trade but that maybe but that wouldn’t make sense and so I think what’s going to happen is deadline for Gordon Hayward so if you don’t trade him

At the deadline you’re not trading him anymore now you have Terry roier Terry roier has value so we we’ll see exactly how much maybe we think it’s more than it actually is out there because of how great he’s been Zack low also showered him with praise along Chris Herring when

They were picking out their Allstars he’s not going to make the team but Terry has salvaged some of the value that he was not able to get on the tradem market last year miles Bridges will not be traded unless he signs off on it which means he’s probably just going to hit unrestricted

Free agency that’s a that’s a big all talent that you’re not going to be able to get anything in return and I don’t know what you would get for PJ so that’s that’s the tough part all right that’s that’s the tough part trying to figure out how much value you could get while

Tearing it down to those four players such Zach suggested look we keep assuming that Miles Bridges wouldn’t sign off on a trade but I mean if they keep losing like this and Miles has offered the opportunity to go literally anywhere else with playoff implications I don’t know maybe you know maybe but

That’s but that and that was my point too is like I’ve thought about that but even still miles has control to limit what value you get right like it’s not that he wouldn’t agree his contract does that I mean he’s only $8 million so you would have to pair him with multiple

Other players if you wanted to bring back any kind of like significant player package back and I don’t think any team with all the bagage is going to be is yeah well I don’t think they’re going to be willing to really move uh heaven and earth when they know that he’s going to

You know hit unrestricted free agency and they’ll have that opportunity to make that case anyway uh all all Prov my point though honestly right like it all proves I wasn’t disagreeing with you I love to prove your point oh no thank you no I know you weren’t disagreeing all

That proving the point of when you like you’re trying to keep all the valuable players and so now Gordon and Miles if it doesn’t have happen at the deadline and that’s tough now you move on to PJ and Terry and that’s and when we’re talking about

This timing wise it’s like who and when who’s gonna do this and when are they going to do it I mean what’s the impetus for Mitch to do this he’s one never done it so why would he do it now when you think there’s a Changing of the Guard

Coming in you know so like I mean is this stuff happening now is this off it feels more like offseason draft time right you know summertime stuff if you’re if you’re this ownership if I were the ownership group I would not be asking Mitch cup to like completely

Reform this roster at the trade deadline I would be asking M he would be getting a note that said something to the effect of hey make sure the books are good right make sure everything’s clean and that way when when this does happen uh they’ll they’ll have maximum flexibility

To try to you know try to hit that gap of like remaking this team because here’s the thing bottom line the stink of losing it it will is is like all over some of these players some of the veteran guys not the rookie contracts they’ll be fine they don’t

Know what’s going on that’s why you can keep Mark and Brandon and Nick Smith Jr because they don’t know any better but a lot of these other guys have lost a lot of games as members of of the Charlotte Hornets and at some point even if you

Love those players even if you love Terry Rosier you’ve got to move on and bring some new voice voices into a locker room that haven’t been coming to the same locker room over and over again and losing over and over again have all that institutional memory you have to

Move on from those guys and bring in some guys that don’t have that um because what happens is what we’re seeing right now which is bad body language guys that just don’t that the the belief is starting to crack and and that’s why you’re getting some of these

Like crazy numbers in terms of them not getting back into transition in terms of them missing missing a God awful amount of layups I mean it is crazy some of the stuff we’re seeing right now I think is just all attributed to they have lost a lot they’ve been very injured and they

Can’t get over it yeah that’s yeah well and and by the way the the Mitch cup check conversation it goes back to the point of is this the time that we celebrate him not doing something like make sure the books are good this goes back to wait have we come full circle to

The point where we’re asking him not to do something we threw away the stick and we’re got our hand hey nope I’m not pokeing nope it’s gone not us not we’re not asking that anymore look he works at the he works at the pleasure of uh Rich

Snob and Gabe Plotkin at this point so at this point you’re asking the ownership group to do the right thing and by the way if they do that if they do the very difficult thing of remaking the roster and somehow we’re sitting here on an offseason show next season

Going I think they got a they got a chance to dice it up a little bit in the Eastern Conference then they will deserve a lot of credit because that’s going to be a very difficult thing to do oh yeah we want to give them to him I do

Think Mitch is still gonna get calls like his phone is still gonna ring especially for Terry the Terry and the Lakers thing to me still makes a ton of sense I agre what you possibly squeeze out of them to get back that’ll be the question I I think they have some draft

Picks I’m I’m not sure on that I haven’t done my Lakers homework this morning guys but I’m sure they could offer up something and they need I mean that’s a great fit to me and I would love it for Terry personally but uh so I think his

Phone is going to ring uh more so for Terry now than anyone else just because of of the streak he’s been on so like there are going to be decisions you know there are going to be decisions that have to be made and and unless they’re like you know just don’t do anything

Just give us your phone Mitch turn your phone in uh we’ll guard your landline and if they just you know handicap him uh not let him do anything there’s still going to be some I don’t think going to be a problem I don’t think that’s going

To be a problem well and and just to put a bow on this first segment you mentioned Terry roier to the Lakers ESPN’s Tim McMahon said if I’m Rob pinka I’m Colin Charlotte I’m inquiring about Terry roier and then Brian wior responded and said he’s a shoot first

Player he’s a guy who can give you big time offense he’s an explosive offensive player I even which is wrong by the way shoot first his assist percentage is like above 31% this is just classic watching the Hornets he’s a good passer folks anyway I well actually Brian I

Knew that was about to happen um all right let’s move on let’s go to the center of inattention coming up next on the lockdown Hornets podcast don’t go to sleep on the Hornets just yet we’ll talk about the center rotation the lack of Mark Williams maybe discuss his future a

Little more but also the depth pieces Nick Richards Nathan Minah James naagi oh you know I’m GNA bring up James Nai that’s coming up next in lock down Hornets this episode is brought to you by better help what are some things you want to keep the same about yourself or your life in 2024 where are you already crushing it and then you can think opposite of new year new you around new years’s we get obsessed with how to

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Los Angeles Lakers and was inquiring about the picks that they had available so let me just list these down these are these are the Los Angeles first round picks okay 2023 uh that one went to the Pelicans 2024 that’s owned by the Pelicans as well they have the rights to receive the

2025 pick instead that’s again due to the Anthony Davis trade the 2025 first round pick also owned by the picans but they have the rights to this pick if they forego the 2024 pick uh so the late the earliest pick I think the first round pick that you could get for Terry

Rosier would be the 2026 pick oh boy yeah and I think if you I think they actually if I’m not mistaken if you keep going further down that list Doug I could be wrong about this but I actually think like I don’t think they have 27 or

28 and and maybe they have 29 after that maybe I’m wrong but it feels like there are a lot of first rounders that they yeah this feels like this may be a little bit of an older article so this says that they own them I I’ll I’ll keep

Double checking this actually this one this fans.com is going to be the more accurate No it looks like they own they do not own their 2027 pick that is gone you’re right about that but they do have 2028 so you could get that that 26 is

The Sweet Spot you know if if the world isn’t on fire by then if we’re all still around then 2026 choice is that Cooper flag or is that that’s going to be past this no no we’re past Cooper flag at that point well so so I’ll look it up I’ll

Look up who they’re projecting at 2020 2026 mock draft this is right in my right in my willhouse oh man is bronnie is bronny in play there somewhere maybe he needs to go back to school a couple of years and then you know LeBron James so roster wise roster wise there’s

Not a whole lot that you’re looking to build off of unless they wanted to I mean they’re not letting get Austin Reed uh oh yeah the roster no I mean unless you know the cam Rish do anything for you he used to God I used to love cam

Reddish ruy haimura used to do something for one Doug Branson how about how about 20126 uh second overall on this uh NBA draft room mock draft in 2026 is Cameron Boozer son of Carlos Boozer now we’re talk now we’re talking okay I’m I’m surprised that there’s somebody we

Actually can figure out who they to or who we know just to go completely off script here did you guys see the the the NBA draft is going to two nights I did I did see that we’re gonna have to dedicate you know once things get out of

Hand here uh soon we should dedicate an entire complaints pod this is I hate this idea just I don’t like it no one working that likes that idea what are we the GMS are complaining they don’t have enough time for the second round who’s going to watch the second round by the

Way when they put it on ESPN bet or whatever sios it could it could result in more trades just simply out of boredom just simply out of having nothing coming back in the morning right if they’re GNA do that they should go back and hold it in the hotel lobby of

You know the holiday in in downtown Cleveland and just let’s go all the way old school you know what I mean just go do in the ballroom oh wow it’s like a k Kaden Boozer in 2026 number 10 overall on this list so boozer’s got couple of

Couple of boozers yeah yeah t um okay all right we need no more 2026 draft talk no more no more 2026 draft talk okay Doug you’re the one that wanted to talk about the center of inattention and so maybe we could try to find the best

Center in 2026 maybe that is Boozer he’s tall maybe that’s the case no no no no they got them as Wings Cameron is 69 215 Kaden uh 64190 both those are wings all right I opened that up for an addition comment I can only blame myself what do you want

To talk about with the center position it’s not very good right now I think we can all I think we can all agree I don’t think there’s going to be much debate there and Mark Williams has some things to develop look if I think if he doesn’t

I said this on a show that I don’t think either of you maybe David was on this show I don’t think you are a walker but I said something that is might be a little bit outlandish I don’t know that if Mark Williams doesn’t develop an outside shot

That I think eventually you you know he’s a he’s a bench big for the Charlotte Hornets that they would still go out and look for that Center um who can spread the floor and allow them to go five out uh so there’s that issue but apart from that they just don’t have any

Depth and this is the what feels like the fifth or sixth straight season now where the Hornets have gone into a season without an NBA level big rotation and I thought it was the right move to sign Nick Richards to the very affordable contract that they did because I thought look he’s improving

He’s going to give you some valuable contributions Off the Bench and ultimately the contract was such that it was very tradable that they if they wanted to rework and it still is and that that’s still a value to the Charlotte Hornets he could be included in some kind of trade to make the

Numbers work uh but they didn’t follow that up by getting a third big and they’re they’re depending on Nathan Mena who um is struggling because he’s not big enough he’s not quick enough uh to not foul guys or uh you know be able to really take it inside and make a layup

Or make any kind of post move and so look I mean the center position is giving up a ton of points at The Rim I was looking at well with giving up points at The Rim but also not scoring I was looking at The Rim accuracy over the past couple of games uh

37.5% uh that would be when you’re talking about League averages that would be worst in the league 41.7% in the game against uh San Antonio that would also be worst in the league 47.1 % against Sacramento uh that would be a fourth percentile so probably like

Second or third worst in the NBA it doesn’t get much better from there folks um they’re not scoring at The Rim they’re not defending the rim and the center position um has been left to die on the vine it’s the one it’s the one area that they’re going to have to

Continue to look at if they rework this roster David what do you think about the center rotation right now with Mark Williams being out but also Nick Richards I I think we know what it is with Mah just for reference I mean like he’s trying real hard no yeah to his

Credit like he’s out there giving it yeah he’s giving it all he has he’s just he got super defensive over like well M we’re not because I don’t want to be the podcast that comes on in like piles on guys who are who are being put in

Positions that they shouldn’t be put in Nathan Mah should not be out there on an NBA floor having to deal with Victor wanyama and babio like this guy should be developing his skills in the g- league and the Hornets are are putting him out there to be eating by the Wolves well they

Haven’t I don’t know whether they play the Timberwolves but you know logical Minds can understand that we’re not piling on Mena um except maybe when I reference the fact that he’s averaging more fouls than points but other than that I I’m not going to pile on Nathan m

Not at all this continued this continued inability to fill the center position with any depth just always reminds me that we should have kept Duren and Mark Williams on draft night like Walker and I wanted to do um and it Doug did you want you guys you both wanted to go two

Centers you and Doug was that you Doug or totally me I loved I love I was against it I was against it I wanted to go Wing in center and you guys wanted to go double up on the center position well and the what is ridiculous is that their

Justification at the time was that they had too many other players that they were trying to develop and now James book all agree on that James book Knight Can’t Get Off the Bench Kai Jones is off the roster but Nick Smith Jr we got to remember Nick Smith Jr we just put in

The core to keep that’s you always come back to that one don’t you I agree with that one but yeah I mean look I like Mark Williams I I think he has shown you enough that uh he can be he could I think he can be a starter I think he

Still being a starter I mean he’s got to get back on the floor for the love of God but uh you know I think he still develop he still got some learning to do it’d be great if he could get a Little Bit Stronger uh and be able to hold his

Own down there a little bit more but like his length and just his ability to uh be a presence down there is and maybe we’re just been star for it but I I liked a lot about it I would love to see him get some extended play with lamelo

If those two can ever get healthy again but I mean yeah after that you’re just asking everybody to play Above their head I mean even um even Nick Richards right I mean you know in spurts he’d be a great energy guy he’s done even even he’s been asked to do obviously too much

And has you know is trying hard but like he is just limited in certain areas and he kind of is what he is where Mark I think still has some room to grow I think Nick kind of is yeah well and you lose the thing that made Nick so valuable which was the

Energy play which was the putback play I mean his second chance points have uh really cratered his ability to do that and you know he’s missing catches he’s doing some stuff that you weren’t used to seeing him do it I think it’s because he’s being asked to do so much else on

The defensive end of the floor because offensively you’re not running anything through him I mean his usage percentage is super low his points per shot attempt is great but that’s because like the one or two times he catches the ball you know he’s right at the rim for a dunk um

But you’re losing a lot of that offensive rebounding ability that that he was known for when he was doing it Off the Bench you’re saying Nick Richards that is Nick Richards yeah well well remember when Mark Williams went out he was third in offensive rebounding

In the league like it was it was weird because you had Mark and Nick Richards both really good at that skill set except Nick Richards would come in and not give you the defensive rebounding that you need the offensive rebounding percentage I believe was only behind

Rudy goar and Clint capella at the time and then Mark Williams goes to the bench and you know you still it’s it’s the offensive rebounding that you have more of a strength let’s get I have more thoughts on the center position but let’s move on to the next break we talk

Too much about the 2026 draft and Carlos boozer’s kids coming up next on the lock on Hornets podcast don’t go to sleep on the Hornets just yet we’ll talk more about the center position but lots of James bgo convo happening in Hornet’s Twitter land we’ll get to that in just a

Moment the last segment of lockdown Hornets before we do that that I do want to talk about Jace medical this episode is brought to you by Jace medical I know we come to sports to escape from some of the crazy realities of real life but can we just talk for a minute about

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If I want it I I don’t know if I want it I I I have a feeling I know where this is going but go ahead Doug take the floor where we going with this well you asked me if I had something on on the

Center position and I do and one of the best centers in the league right now Victor wanyama and his brother younger brother Oscar wanyama is available in the 2027 draft currently ranked seventh among small forwards not a center 67 from France if you want to get in on the

Wiim Yama game you trade for that 2027 Lakers pick and you’ll be in the money now how close are the Wim Yama to being like the atos like are we getting at theis here is this a theana situation that we’re working with uh we don’t know that right we we’re not sure

I haven’t seen any scouting airports yeah maybe maybe the the younger brother is better maybe just maybe we could do that um did you have something you want to say on the center thing Walker I did go ahead it didn’t have anything to do about Oscar um having me on go ahead no

You’re good uh I think the sener position no for me I I’m with you David like the Mark Williams stuff I think the the thing about Mark Williams compared to a Nick Richards or anybody else we’ve seen I think actual special games like I don’t I don’t think I’m using that title

Loosely I go to Boston when that was the best game that he played and he didn’t hit a three but he also was special in that he was gobbling up all the rebounds he put forth a 100% effort right like even if he’s 80% of what that Boston

Celtics game looked like that’s a Bonafide starter in the league to me and he needs to you’re you’re totally right Doug when when you have some of the concerns about him and I know other people are you know a little bit off of the Mark Williams hype train it was full

Steam ahead coming into the seon season has a great debut but then he’s been inconsistent that’s true and I didn’t expect that and I was wrong about just expecting consistency continuing to go up in a sophomore campaign but I do think we see special games from him to

The point where I think he can be a really big contributor and the shot for me like guys he’s not even shooting mid-range jumpers this year remember last year we had the Phoenix game where he was able to knock down a couple of 15 foot elbows and and even if he’s not

Shooting the three-pointer they’re not exploring that part at all like as we start to transition into the coaching can we just get like some pick and pop from Mark Williams I know mid-rangers are not supposed to happen but maybe every once in a while you shoot that

Mid-ranger from the elbow or wherever he is Baseline just to give a little more space for the guards to operate because Mark has the touch we’ve seen that the Finesse layup package is very real when he does shoot the mid-range we feel very good about it the free throw percentage

Was good coming into his NBA career and so maybe we just even extended a little bit more uh to the 15 foot area where it doesn’t just have to be within five feet or less and we’re not even exploring that so we’ll have plenty of time

There’s plenty of time Walker a lot of season to go and if this thing continues to get out of hand they’ll have a lot of time to experiment with all kinds of things they have been with Nick Richards because the pain has been completely cut off as teams realize that the Hornets

Can’t shoot and so they lock down the paint Richards has had a couple of opportunities to hit mid-range shots and he’s taken them and he’s missed them pretty terribly so sorry guys I was wrong about that I don’t think he’s hiding anything under a bushel at this point my

Bad isn’t isn’t that the large isn’t that part of the larger issue though with the Hornets and the center position it’s just not there’s not there’s not that super skilled guy there’s not that modern NBA Center there you know that’s that’s either going to step out and pick

And pop or that’s crafty with the passing of the basketball like they they they don’t have anyone to match up with even like a sangon somebody like that you know who’s who’s can be skilled and scored in a couple different ways that’s something that they just have not you

Know that position just has not matured in that way uh to match up with where the league is kind of going right it’s not just about shooting it’s about passing as well I mean sabonis joic uh wom Yama can pass it um and and you you just mentioned shenon so like you know

If you’re if you’re gonna have a big that can’t pass and can’t shoot all if all if all your bigs are like that it’s going to be difficult yeah I think Mark Williams can pass but I I think a lot of the offensive stuff they’re just so focused on giving him

Pick and roll and Diving like that’s it you know maybe maybe that’s part of it right maybe that’s maybe maybe that’s the thinking or maybe he’s got a little more to show that we just haven’t seen but something there is not developing itself whether it’s from a skill set or

Whether it’s from a scheme really it’s physicality on defense like that’s the if if I were to say hey Walker you can have a problem fixed tomorrow for Mark Williams what would it be it would be physicality on defense in grabbing defensive rebounds that’d be it like if

He does that I feel just fine about what he can do so uh and speaking of not putting Mark Williams in some of these situations we’d like to see him in offensively just to try it you know Steve Clifford is the one making those decisions and Steve Clifford as we’ve

Come to his defense I don’t like when when he was announced the head coach for the second time I had a problem with it because it it seemed and it Flatout was unplanned you wanted to go after Kenny Atkinson at atson to the fault of the Hornets and to the fault of Atkinson

Kenny goes back to Golden State maybe even understandably so and so all these other coaching candidates that were on the table like I you know there were plenty of them Vanderpool there was ham at the time D sure yeah nobody we just nope none of those guys were gonna go

You know try to see what the deal is we’re going to go right back to Steve Clifford and so it felt unprepared no Atkinson now we don’t have an answer let’s go back to the guy that we fired the first go around not even like early

Early the last time we made a coaching decision and so that’s what I hated about it even if I don’t think all of this is Steve Clifford’s fault now we’re seeing a lot of Twitter accounts that talk about the Charlotte Hornets get in on the James bergo combo here and I know

That it was I think it was a little polarizing when they fired bgo I I think that there were people that didn’t think that was the right decision I know we had a lot of conversation about it I ultimately understood if you have a Graphic of a blowout at a

Play in tournament loss up in the locker room all year long as motivation and then get beat worse the next play in game then maybe something has to change because those losses are painful when you get beat down by 30 to both the Pacers and the Hawks by 30 then yeah I

Understand if you have to move on so people acting like James bergo would be a what 15 win 20 win team with how it’s constructed now like it with all the injuries that they’ve suffered the last couple of years that’s what I just can’t buy I I just the whole

If James Rego was here life would be better I I completely disagree if you don’t think he should been fired okay like there are reasons for that I think there’s a logical explanation for him not to have been fired but to say that this season would have gone so

Differently with James brego as the head coach I can’t get on board with that whatsoever I mean maybe maybe just thinking chaos there wise that it can’t get any worse that any change would have would made it better I mean I I think uh you could you could maybe go go in that

Direction but you’re right I mean look well half of his staff is still on the still on the payroll a great Point yes you’re getting bgo without bgo uh no listen no one was howling too much whenever whenever any coach gets fired all of the coaches in

The NBA media sphere always come to coaches defense and so it’s always degrees of how much they howl about a coach getting fired and you know you had a little bit of like o what are they doing you know they they’ve gone through a lot of changes but no one was really

Uh and and you know he didn’t get a job immed he didn’t get a head coaching job immediately after that so his Services weren’t like extremely valued in that way um so I think a lot of this conversation is is only about being completely sick and there have you know

Just a lot of losing and a lot of bad luck and here’s the thing when you have as much bad luck that you can’t really explain you cannot explain what has happened to the Charlotte Hornets over the past two seasons I really think there’s trauma there’s traum there’s

Serious trauma in the fan base where they they are dealing with stuff that they can’t explain they can’t go to basketball reference or cleaning the glass and look at a number and say o yep there it is if they just fixed that one thing if they just fired the head coach

If they so now when you can’t when you can’t explain something then you just go completely insane you go wild and you talk about bringing back a guy or not firing a guy who lost two play uh playin games by like a combined 60 or 70 points

I mean that’s just ridiculous MH yeah what do you think D yeah I I’m and I’m like we liked a lot of or I liked a lot of what burgo did here they had had a fun team on the floor he had a fun product on the floor I saw certain

Things that were not being fixed in a addess that kept happening over and over and over again to where I got to the point was of yes let’s make a change let’s see what else they can do they tried to up upgrade that position to your point we all know the Kenny ainson

Thing and they were caught flat footed they were caught with their pants down and didn’t have anything else to do so they knew the guy who knew the building and knew most of the people in it and they asked him to come and and kind of Shepherd the ship and whatever happened

Between now and then there’s a ownership change like there wasn’t probably a great time to make a a big head coaching change when people are talking about selling the team but uh to to think that bgo you know who is coaching now as an assistant in New Orleans uh would be

Able to guide this group this group because that’s what all the other thing we talk about roster construction this team is not a good team put together and that bgo would be able to come in and somehow turn that on his head and have him in the playoff race is I think a

Little uh shortsighted I understand all the frustration and I I really do I just don’t think that Looking Back Now saying they should have kept BGA they shouldn’t have tried and upgrade that position at the time uh was the bad thing to do and and like Clifford’s Really getting

Pounded right now and and I get it I mean there’s a lot of frustration with watching the same thing happen over and over and over again um I think that that will change uh but it’s just tough to watch right now but but you know bergo

Had his own shortcomings and it was time to move on I think for the Hornets they tried to take a step up and and it didn’t work out but the revisionist history on that is I think is a little shortsighted well I think it says that I’m doing Twitter correctly because I

Did not see this conversation at all I have curated my Twitter or X or whatever such that I avoided this so that that really tells me that the work that I’ve put in over the past year has has been valuable has been good and and like we’re not saying it’s good right now

Obviously it’s not but both things can be true right like it was time to make a change and this is a disaster like right if Kenny ainson were the coach right now we would not be talking about even if they even if you take Kenny ainson and all of the injuries

Like we wouldn’t be talk no no one would be talking about James Rego well and this is my point too trying to find the number that encapsulates all of the pain and the trauma as Doug puts it like I know it’s tough to find that number but

The one I went to I think it was a few weeks ago that I’ll say again here Terry roier played 63 games last season and that was the fourth most of any Charlotte Hornet when you go to James breo’s last year 63 would have been eighth would have been eighth and it was

Fourth last year so all the injuries like Steve Clifford used to have this reputation of not wanting to play rookies at all even if you were dropped drafted in the lottery now he’s going to Nathan Minah you think he’s going to Mah by choice this is the guy that didn’t

Want to play Malik bunk the 11th overall pick this is the guy that didn’t play a lot of rookies but no no it’s his it’s his decision he wants to play menah because menah just is showing that something all right I’m done piling on M

That’ll do it for lock down hey I got a number I got a number for you my number is zero that’s the number of things that Mitch cup Che has done outside of the draft to improve this team it’s also the number of centers on this roster that

Can pass and shoot um I don’t know if a boozer wears zero but it might be that that might be their number as well um in the in the 2026 draft okay we’ll end with Boozer talk that’ll do it that will really do it for lockon Hornets thanks

For making us your first listen we’re free and available anywhere you get your podcast go follow David Walker on Twitter at davidb Walker go read Doug’s work on his substack every Hornets boox score.com and go listen to me on WFNZ every weekday from 12: to 300 PM have a

Great rest of your day we’ll be back with you tomorrow to preview the New Orleans Pelicans game led by James Rego n

Doug and Walker welcome David Walker to discuss who should stay, who should go and how the Hornets navigate a rebuild with a budding young star in LaMelo Ball. PLUS! The center position is once again failing the Charlotte Hornets and are people really still debating the James Borrego firing?

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