*Putting on my shaman hat
It all goes back to the great philosophical divide of perspectives, the embodiment of the yin and yang, the opposing sects of glasses: the half-fullians and half-emptyiums.
Excluding the blind homers and eternal optimists, the half-full members generally give a full benefit of the doubt to players until they prove us wrong. Having a longer leash may make it seem like they’re giving excuses, but it allows for enough time to see development, improvement, and a good gauge in projecting a trajectory.
Ultimately, this perspective can eliminate any excuses if a player fails to meet expectations, as they had been given a chance to prove themselves (See Felton/DJ/Hendo/Frank/MKG/Ham Vincent/Dunlap). The trick here is when to call it, as being too late can cost time and room for other potential players (See Hendo/Frank/MKG).
On the other hand half-empty proponents generally don’t give much benefit of the doubt, and won’t hop on board with a player until they prove themselves right. Simply meeting expectations is the baseline which deserves no credit, as there are no excuses not to be there. Anything above still contains an air of skepticism until a consistent pattern of exceeding expectations are established.
While this perspective does make sure that only players showing success get through, it doesn’t exist in a perfect world. It may cut off a player before they get to fully develop into who they are, it may not account for extenuating circumstances (bad coaching/player fit). It may also have a repressive affect that can squelch hope and burgeoning talent until the oppressive force is relieved (see Larry Brown, or any shitty boss you’ve ever had).
Neither perspective is right or wrong, and the failure of the new Hornets can easily send someone to the dark side of the force of cynicism. For me, the only way Hornet fandom can be enjoyable is maintaining that glimmer of hope, that hope we may have a hidden gem, or maybe team chemistry can cover weaknesses and give that extra push to the successful side of the ledger.
I know every step will result in the rake handle popping up into my face, but hoping for the best despite expecting the worst can at least get me through better than not allowing any hope at all until its fully proven.
), seriously overrate the talent we watch each night. Mostly because we WANT to see the good and we largely ignore the not so good. The fact of the matter is most of these guys are marginal nba talents and of the top 7 most are marginal nba starters.