Charlotte Hornets (so far)

The Hornets returned to the playoffs last year after enduring a disappointing campaign in 2014-15. They lost a lot over the summer, can they make it back to the top 8 in the East?

They let go of Jeremy Lin (Nets), Al Jefferson (Pacers), Courtney Lee (Knicks), Troy Daniels (traded to Grizzlies for undisclosed terms). I thought Lin was great for them in the playoffs, brought a tenacity off the bench that was unexpected and brilliant, you just knew he was opting out of his $2m deal with how he went at the Heat. Jefferson was the hero of their previous playoff appearance (one of my favorite players of 2013-14 season), and was still a reasonably productive player but was clearly not part of their plan going forward. Lee came over from the Grizzlies during the year and played well off the bench for the Hornets, another eye-opening performance against the Heat. Realistically these guys were bench players but they were the core of the bench for the Hornets, rebuilding the second string is cheaper but chemistry issues come to the fore. They'll need new reliable veterans to replace the old reliables that moved on.

To that end they added Roy Hibbert (1yr/$5m), Ramon Sessions (2yrs/$12,5m), Christian Wood (2yrs/min) and traded for Marco Belinelli (only 1 year left on his deal, cost them the #22 pick).  Ehhhh....okay, I guess. There was a time--not that long ago--that Hibbert was one of the top rim protecting big men in the league, if the Hornets can get him back to that then his minimal paycheck will be one of the bargains of the summer. Sessions is a waterbug-type off the bench, not a bad player, should be a good fit on a team like the Hornets where he'll get regular minutes but won't ever have to do too much. I thought Christian Wood was one of the standouts of 2016 Summer League: moved well, good instincts with the ball, looked like a wicked shot blocker, definitely not a stiff out there; since the Hornets forsook this year's draft, Wood is basically their only youngster to work with. I think they chose wisely, should make a nice platoon mate with Hibbert. Belinelli is on those guys that brings real value for a good team, are the Hornets good enough for his contribution to matter? Not sure. He's not a dynamic scorer, just a long range 3-baller, he's not a replacement for Lee or even Lin so much as a new direction. If he gets hot he can score but I'm skeptical to his overall impact.

The Hornets were able to retain Nicolas Batum (5yrs/$150m), Brian Roberts (1yr/min) and Marvin Williams (4yrs/$55m). They opened up the checkbook for Batum and I say it had to be done: Batum might not be worth $30m/year but he would've been in demand by pretty much every team in the league, the Hornets had to pay him to keep him. (Personally Batum is one of my very favorite players, when he's healthy he does everything well and impacts the game all over the place, a great player) Williams had a nice year but I'm dubious of his overall worth; there is something to be said for continuity, I reckon. Roberts is another low price for continuity off the bench. Also, worth remembering that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist basically did not play at all last season, so they'll be adding him back into the mix.

Their starting five looks like: PG Walker, SG Kidd-Gilchrist, SF Batum, PF Williams, C Zeller with Roberts, Sessions, Belinelli, Lamb, Kaminsky, Hibbert off the bench. Not sure there's enough scoring there to make a dent in the East. Kemba is an unconscious shooter but MKG is not a scorer, Lamb is fragile and Belinelli needs a lot of service. Looks like the big guys (Williams, Zeller, Kaminsky) need to bring buckets and that seems a weird way to go. Last year they were in the logjam at 4th place but I don't see them competing that high next year.