His airness has decided that at the end of the current season, everyone in the organization will be evaluated and changes will likely be forthcoming. No word on whether or not this includes himself, but my guess at the moment would be that it does not. Or perhaps he has decided that his investment isn't doing so well, and it's time to move on (though it would be odd, being that he just recently purchased a home in the area).
Currently the team sports a record of 15 and 52 - only marginally better than the shortened season of 7 and 59 from last year. While the team in its current incarnation hasn't ever been particularly good and any team from last year could be excused a record of any sort due to the lockout (and any records will surely have an asterisk attached), you have to wonder at the motivation.
Does a conference held in front of 100 "fans" count as motivation? Surely those responsible for the record - current coach Mike Dunlap and those on the team - aren't terribly concerned with the announcement any more than the articles written by any number of sources on a regular basis. Those in the front office may be arguably more worried that their jobs will go away, but how will they translate their message to something where the players get things going?
Fans on message boards across Charlotte are naturally responding by declaring this is merely a precursor to changing the team name back to the Hornets. Seriously? While I wasn't in Charlotte for most of the time the Hornets were here, I can generally understand the desire to go back. But listen: IT WON'T HAPPEN. You cannot go back, people. It just doesn't work, and if you try, it almost always ends badly because your memory shows you how you want things to be, not how they will end up being.
What is much more likely is that Jordan - or someone else if he has decided to sell the team - will cave to outside pressures, rename the team to the Hornets, they will still suck, and then all those beloved memories of the Hornets will be soiled by the same bad coach and bad players. Why would you do that?
Instead, why not let me help you.
The Hornets were owned, generally speaking, by George Shinn. Anyone remember him? At first, Saint George was beloved. Then he wasn't. Still want more? Search for it. I don't have time. Let's look at the numbers instead.
The Hornets didn't reach .300 until the third year of their existence - 1990/1991. The Bobcats were there in year two - 2005/2006. In fact, the two teams did it with the exact same record (26-56). Even through the fourth year, the Bobcats had better records than the Hornets, with a record of .390 to .378. Unfortunately at that point, the Hornets took off and never dropped below .500 again, while the Bobcats set new lows, with just a .106 winning percentage last year and .235 so far this year.
So tell me: How will it look, slapping such records on the second-look Charlotte Hornets?
Giving the team a fresh coat of paint will probably help fill seats for a short time. It may help morale for a bit. But it isn't going to help them win games. The team needs a different attitude in order for that to happen, so rather than soiling the memory of the Hornets, let them die. That is, let the Basketball Hornets name die. Hopefully you know what I mean.
If the name has to be kept alive, let the Charlotte Hornets come back to life by renaming the Charlotte Knights when they move back into Charlotte. The Hornets were a baseball team first, as far back as 1901. Drop the Knights and the need to drive into South Carolina with it. That would be a pleasant change.
If you want to change the name of the Bobcats, make it the Carolina Cougars or something that has nothing to do with the team that represented Charlotte's first foray into the major leagues. Let that one rest in peace. And find some decent motivation elsewhere, because it's not coming from a name change.
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