Listened to All Hornets podcast free agency primer with HPs own @Plowright. Good stuff. Nice work.
2 Likes
As always, I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your response and everyone here. I think youāre absolutely right.
Also, I think Iām just at a philosophical impasse with many here about what is perceived as the best next moves for this franchise. The team tried to get away with a partial reset of the team, which has put us in this hamster wheel. I want out of the hamster wheel of this partial reset, and commit to a more proper roster reset around three worthy players (Melo, Mark, Miller). Iād like to avoid cap jail again. Weāre starting to see some daylight from cap jail and it would appear that weāre going to extend our cap jail sentence. Iād like to find a roster that I feel can grow into something better than trying to slip into the playoffs. And if that means taking a step back in order to take two steps forward, well okay. Better than the past and present. I have a deep feeling weāre on the cusp of locking ourselves into another several years of the hamster wheel.
I appreciate all the good conversation and I really wish you guys the best, but I think Iām going to bow out.
Yeah, see, we almost get to the point of moving on, but you characterize it as us just seeing things differently, as if weāre doing the same thing, so I gotta say one more thingā¦
Again, you posted a query to the board of why do Action A.
I responded with reasons how, and reasons why we could do A, with ways to mitigate problems if they should arise.
I eagerly awaited your response because Iād honestly like to see your consideration and thoughts surrounding such mitigation techniques in Action A. But your post didnāt address any of these thoughts, it went to what team B did in Action B. And as it is a different team and situation to what we were discussing, then it would be considered proper deflection from my points if you will, but we can call it a sidetrack, sidebar, or something aside from the original premise and counter argument to Action A.
And then I in fact responded to why Action B did not apply to Action A, so therefore, directly responding to your initial query, while in addition also responding to your ancillary query, logically does not constitute a deflection from my part, either to your first post or last post.
There was just one solitary deflection in this whole set my brother.
Anyway, I guess to get more to my point Iāve been getting at:
-
You worry about Miles contract hamstringing the team. Does adding a team option every year to get out of the contract at any time change your calculus? Adding incentive bonuses and behavioral clauses also can mitigate damage. Is it now worth the risk?
-
Do you agree that Terryās contract is tradeable? So if getting bigger wings in Miles and PJ back fit the team better than an undersized 2, would you rather have those lesser contracts while moving the big contract of Terry out.
-
Gordon expires at the end of the year, so further cap relief and mitigation of salary cap hell is nigh. Does this consideration ease concerns?
-
Regarding player development, do you feel playoff experience is best for development of young foundational pieces to get, or do you think missing the playoffs for a couple years spinning the wheels to get a better fit would help their development more?
-
If the answers to these questions involve nuances and caveats that cant be predicted with 100% certainty, to the same degree that many have concerns with about finding several better free agents, who are willing to sign here, and willing to sign for a lesser amount each successive offseason. Is it now that everyone else still has their heads in the sand or doesnāt understand how to improve the team, or are we all equally not as sure which risk is best to take in this situation, and therefore shouldnāt have to keep hearing about how we donāt know how to analyze a situation every few days.
Plow is the best!
1 Like
My bets are:
- that we have a deal with PJ in place tomorrow night and I am hopeful itās in that range I have been circling
- that we drop Theo to focus on DSJ and end up on the short end with both of them (or they prove more desired than we here have been thinking and garner too-rich-for-our-blood contracts)
- that the miles bridges situation goes well into the weekend w/out resolution
If one of any of those goes right, you can win Coach Karlās voice on your answering machine.
I remember the Bob Bass Hornets as a time when I was much more disgusted with the organization than I am now. It started with the breakup of Zo and LJ, the Divac/Kobe trade and went down from there. Sure he did the best he could with a bad hand (hands), but for a while we kept seeing new faces in town - Eddie Jones, Glen Rice, Anthony Mason, Derrick Coleman ā¦. it was a turnstile. I hated it. Never looked at any of those guys as Hornets.
So thatās why Iām generally on board with running-it-back. I like watching my guys develop; not somebody elseās. I hate watching my guys play elsewhere after they leave.
Thereās a time to go. Zeller out - ok, Martin - ok - we donāt need both and theyāre better not competing with one another.
The constant signing debate of how much for how long is tiring. I mostly skip over. The Hornets will sign A for X and B for Y. They donāt care what you think. Iāll wait and rip them after lol.
5 Likes
We should take our time as teams money dries up and prices come down for our players. We one of a few teams who can match and they know it. And that waste time and money for them . We make them wait three days then match . While unristricted players are flying off the market. Jail is 165 this year we at 90, 181 the next year so we in decent shape.
If Miles gets offered 30 per year . We might be able to get Kuzma for 27 . So we just chill. We have the leverage for the first time in a long time and should use it.
1 Like
Migrating this conversation over from the other thread:
Chef
Now that the draft is settled and there is some clarity on direction:
It is 100% critical that Charlotte nailed the Miller pick. Not is relative terms to Scootās performance but in terms of Miller being able to be the 1st or 2nd of a 3 man core. Anything less and I really do think itās doomsday. Like if he turns out to be RJ Barrett, game over.
So letās just assume he will as we donāt have a choice.
Regarding this yearās restricted free agents:
You canāt bring back both at what is considered average market rate. They become anchors to your flexibility and bad contracts instantly. They just donāt perform to that level. So if you want one, fine. I wouldnāt but I can live with one.
On terry, I am not saying now nor have I said you just have to dump him. Sure, if a deal for an expiring and an asset comes up, I would do it. But chances are it wonāt. The key to Terry is finding a better use of his salary allotment. Something that makes the roster better. He is an ideal 6th man. He is less than ideal as the starting sg next to Melo. They just donāt get it done against good teams down the stretch.
Hayward, at this point, let him expire unless you can package him into someone like Pascal sikam, paul george, a starting sg etc.
What you canāt do is lock yourself into a team that doesnāt move the needle past the first round of the playoff, gets very little national attention and expect Melo to just stay out of loyalty while he loses millions of dollars in endorsement deals not playing in a market that matters.
Does that make sense?
Reply
So letās assume we donāt trade Terry and Gordon but donāt but re-sign Miles, PJ or Kelly which is your preference. I guess my question would be, do you think the addition of Miller, is enough for us to be a playoff team this year? If not, what do you think that means for Meloās desire to stay here?
And lastly, do you feel that even if that meant we lost Melo, that would still be preferable to locking into a core that includes Miles/PJ and/or Kelly?
Ok, parsing through some typo/voice to text errors that I hope I am understanding correctly:
Terry and Hayward are back. Whom to resign between PJ, Miles and Kelly.
PJ is the most valuable because he can realistically play valuable rotation minutes at 3, 4 and 5. HOWEVER, i canāt stomach anything over $15m a year and think over $20m is catastrophically bad.
Miles, I just donāt like a player. Off court stuff aside, I just donāt like his game and I really feel like he is an empty stats kind of guy that will get paid like a crunch time producer.
Kelly is a luxury a team like the hornets just canāt have. He is a 7-9 rotational guy on a championship level team.
On playoff team:
I donāt consider 7-10 a playoff team. Thatās an after thought especially when the history is you arenāt making it out of the play in tournament. Sure the lakers and heat did well as 8 seeds but that is a statistical outlier and they are teams that the hornets are not. Meloās desire to stay here is going to be on excitement not locking into a dull and attentionless team like the Bulls.
If keeping melo meant locking in those three, than yes I would do it. My contention is that a team locked into a roster that gets zero national attention or casual fan buzz is a guarantee to lose melo.
Thanks for posting this 
Weāll, Barnes may not be in picture.
Said we will pay PJ 16 as market sets, while does fall in between Barnes 18 & Naz 14. Leaning to get more. As with Naz get paid, I undervalue age bump up, + 25% doubles.
Not max or top paid, Agents pushing hard for higher pay shorter 2 year deals
Replace 4/64 with 3/54 last player option or 3/64 third year club option.
C Mo Bamba free agent, only in mix if Clifford play old school twin towers.
Appreciate your support, thanks for listening.
Any reviews people can leave help get our name out there and support the Apple podcast ranking, so please if you have a spare 30 seconds take the time to leave one
1 Like
PJ and Miles are highly ranked:
Barnes has alway been under appreciated and overlooked.
Grant Williams is very interesting to me. I love his defensive ability and versatility, and his ability to space the floor. Surely he merits serious consideration?
Iād also look into Dario Saric, as we need a backup PF whoās also our small ball centre option, in case PJ doesnāt come back. Donāt know enough about him to put my hand up, though.
I will say the likelihood that if PJ was a Celtic and Williams was a hornet, PJ would get $20m+ for 4 years and Williams less than $15m is 100%.
PJ is probably the better player now.
1 Like
Iād agree PJ is the better player. By how much is the question. If PJ canāt be signed for less than 20 and Williams can be got for, I donāt know, 12-14 ā¦ Iām going Williams.
I like Williams as a versatile 3&D role player. Someone who is genuinely good at both shooting the 3 and defending multiple positions. PJ has been featured as a starter much more, played higher minutes and had a much higher usage rate. Iād pay PJ 25% more, maybe 33%, but not 50% or 60% more.
1 Like
Oh donāt get me wrong. Neither is worth over $15m in my mind and thatās being inflation generous.
