Brooklyn Nets: Way-too-early Eastern Conference standings predictions
By Nolan Jensen
#15) Charlotte Hornets
This is a fan base that deserves betters, it’s been a tumultuous ride since the inauguration of the then-Bobcats back in the 2004-05 season.
The team has made the playoffs three times in that stretch and have never passed the 50-win threshold—and bypassing that barrier does not look like it’s on the horizon.
For one, they’re stuck in the confines of a salary cap nightmare, this has been an organization that is unafraid of handing out albatross contracts.
Here are 5 examples of contracts on the books for the upcoming season:
| Sala | Sala | Sala | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Age | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
| Nicolas Batum | 30 | $25,565,217 | $27,130,434 | |
| Bismack Biyombo | 26 | $17,000,000 | ||
| Marvin Williams | 33 | $15,006,250 | ||
| Cody Zeller | 26 | $14,471,910 | $15,415,730 | |
| Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | 25 | $13,000,000 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/18/2019.
They lost their franchise cornerstone, Kemba Walker, despite having the luxury of offering him the supermax—which he turned down to head to Boston.
With Walker’s absence, this is a team without an identity. They added in Terry Rozier via a sign-and-trade but grossly overpaid him, which is the norm for this organization. Tony Parker retired, Kaminsky is a Sun, and Jeremy Lamb went to the Pacers. In 2018/19 they were just two wins away from a playoff berth if they get anywhere near that this season—James Borrego deserves a COY nod.