Charlotte Hornets

Charlotte Hornets
history	Charlotte Bobcats 2004 to 2014 Charlotte Hornets from 1988 to 2002 since 2014
Stadion	Spectrum Center
Location	Charlotte , North Carolina
Club colors	Dark purple, petrol, gray, black, light blue, white      
league	NBA
Conference	Eastern Conference
division	Southeast Division
Head coach	James Borrego
General manager	Mitch Kupchak
owner	Michael Jordan
Farm teams	Greensboro Swarm
Championships	no
Conference title	no
Division title	no
Association Icon Statement

The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional NBA basketball team , in which they played from 1988 to 2002 and since the 2004/05 season. The franchise is headquartered in Charlotte , North Carolina. The team plays in the Southeast Division , along with the Miami Heat , Orlando Magic , Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards teams . Basketball legend Michael Jordan owns the Hornets.

The team was called Charlotte Bobcats until the beginning of the 2014/15 season and was renamed Hornets after this name became free again after the former Hornets were renamed New Orleans Pelicans . The team colors of the Bobcats were orange, blue and silver. In the course of the name change, the franchise received the history of the original Hornets from 1988 to 2002, including all successes and statistics.

history

Charlotte Hornets (1988-2002)

When the NBA wanted to expand the league in the late 1980s, George Shinn, an entrepreneur from Kannapolis North Carolina, had the goal of bringing an NBA team to Charlotte . Shinn's trump card was the Charlotte Coliseum , a state-of-the-art arena under construction in Charlotte that could hold around 24,000 spectators. After some time he managed to bring an expansion team to Charlotte, which was later named "Hornets". The name was derived from the city's fierce resistance to British occupation during the War of Independence , which led the British commander to refer to the city as "a veritable hornet's nest". The team received a lot of attention when they chose teal and purple as their team colors, starting a fashion move in sports in the 1990s. Many other professional and amateur teams soon followed with similar team colors. The "Hornets" popularized the use of pinstripes on jerseys and inspired similar designs in other NBA franchises.

The "Hornets" began in the 1988/89 season , together with the Miami Heat , to play in the NBA. After difficulties in the first few years (typical for most expansion teams), the team qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 1992/93. The team around Larry Johnson , Muggsy Bogues and the then rookie Alonzo Mourning defeated the Boston Celtics in the first round . In the conference semifinals, however, she was defeated by the New York Knicks in five games. After rather modest success in the following three seasons, Glen Rice led the team in two consecutive seasons ( 1996/97 and 1997/98 ) in the playoffs, but where they failed at the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls . Despite continued success on the field and the development of other stars like Baron Davis , the number of visitors dropped sharply. This was mainly due to player changes that were initiated by team owner George Shinn. After the team finished last in the 2001/02 season , the "Hornets" left Charlotte and moved to New Orleans, Louisiana , where they played under the name New Orleans Hornets .

In the 14 years in Charlotte they achieved a balance of 522: 546 (48.9%) in the regular season and a balance of 20:28 (41.7%) in the playoffs, which the franchise reached seven times and four times in the conference semifinals moved in.

Between 2002 and 2004, Charlotte did not have a basketball franchise.

Charlotte Bobcats (2004-2014)

Point Guard Raymond Felton

All-star Kemba Walker played for the franchise for eight years

When the Hornets left Charlotte in 2002 and settled in New Orleans as the New Orleans Hornets , the NBA promised the city to get a new NBA team as soon as possible. In 2004, the Bobcats joined the NBA as an expansion team , and TV millionaire Robert "Bob" Johnson was the first owner of the franchise. The first team name "Bobcats" (German: bobcat ) was taken because the bobcat is typical for North Carolina and Bob Johnson was able to bring part of his first name. The first coach was Bernie Bickerstaff . In the first NBA draft they secured the services of Center Emeka Okafor in second place in the draft and signed Gerald Wallace in the expansion draft . The Bobcats had a tough season, winning only 18 of the 82 season games, the defensive Okafor was NBA Rookie of the Year , and Wallace soon established himself as captain. In the 2005-06 second season , point guard Raymond Felton and power forward Sean May were drafted, both of whom were from North Carolina University . Because both May and soon Okafor suffered many injuries and Felton never stepped out of the shadows of eventual All-Stars and Olympic champions Chris Paul and Deron Williams , who were drafted immediately before him, the Bobcats only won 26 games.

In the summer of 2006, Hall of Famer Michael Jordan became the team's co-owner and manager. College star Adam Morrison was drawn third in the draft. The forward tore the Achilles tendon, however, and he never achieved the shape he had hoped for. The Bobcats won 33 games and again missed the playoffs. After Coach Bickerstaff was dismissed due to unsuccessfulness and replaced by Sam Vincent, the multiple NBA slam dunk contest winner Jason Richardson moved to Charlotte in the 2007/08 season . However, Richardson could never match the high expectations and the Bobcats only won 32 games. After Vincent was fired, legendary coach Larry Brown took over the job. In the draft point guard D. J. Augustin was signed and Richardson was transferred for the two versatile wingers Boris Diaw and Raja Bell . Under Brown, the Bobcats finally played for the playoffs. Augustin was the first draft pick in a long time that met expectations, the team narrowly missed the playoffs.

In 2009/10 , the injury-prone Okafor was swapped for the experienced Tyson Chandler . Led by lead player Gerald Wallace and newly signed swingman Stephen Jackson , the Bobcats won 44 of their 82 games and qualified for the playoffs for the first time as seventh in the Eastern Conference. They allowed only 93.8 opposing points per game, which was a league record. Wallace established himself as one of the league's strongest defensive and rebound wingers and went down in history on February 14, 2010 in Dallas as the first all-star of the franchise . In the playoffs, the Bobcats were defeated 4-0 by the Orlando Magic .

The 2010/11 season was used to rebuild the team again. Tyson Chandler moved to Dallas and Raymond Felton and Wallace were given to Portland. This should create space in the squad so that a new structure can be started. After only 34 wins and 48 losses, the Bobcats missed the playoffs. In the 2011 draft, the Bobcats signed two talented young players, Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo .

But the 2011-12 season became the worst season of any franchise in NBA history. In the shortened 2011/12 season, the Bobcats only got seven wins out of 59 defeats, which meant the worst percentage of wins (10.6%) in NBA history. The season ended the Bobcats with 23 defeats in a row. Head coach Paul Silas was sacked shortly after the end of the season because the relationship between coach and team was no longer intact due to the many defeats. Due to the poor performance of the Bobcats in the 2011/12 season, the Bobcats had the best chances of all teams not qualified for the playoffs in the NBA Draft Lottery for the 2012 draft. But despite a probability of 25% on the first choice in the draft was the Bobcats only awarded the second pick; The New Orleans Hornets were able to secure the “First Pick”.

In June 2012 a new coach was presented with Mike Dunlap. He was previously an assistant coach at St. John's University and the Denver Nuggets for several years . In the draft, the Bobcats finally secured Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in second place. The experienced players Brendan Haywood , Ramon Sessions and Ben Gordon were also signed up to bring more quality to the squad. For the 2012/2013 season , the Bobcats also presented a color-changed logo and new jerseys in the main colors blue and white. Under Dunlap, however, the team presented itself only slightly improved and closed the season with 21 wins and 61 defeats. Immediately after the season, the Bobcats announced the separation from the coach.

May 2013 a new head coach was introduced with Steve Clifford , who received a contract for 2 years in Charlotte. A short time later, the Bobcats presented their first notable new signing with Center Al Jefferson . Jefferson was previously active for the Utah Jazz . At the same time, the Bobcats dissolved the contract with Tire Thomas by option. In terms of sport, the 2013/2014 season was again more successful and the Bobcats were able to move into the playoffs for the second time in team history with 43 wins from 82 games. There the team met NBA champion Miami Heat in the first round . The Bobcats were eliminated 4-0 against the Heat, not least due to an injury to Jefferson.

Charlotte Hornets (since 2014)

In April 2013, the New Orleans Hornets franchise (which originally came from Charlotte) was renamed New Orleans Pelicans , making the nickname "Hornets" free again for an NBA team. The management of the Bobcats wanted a name change, as they promised increasing awareness and increasing income for the franchise. The Charlotte fan base was split over whether the team should revert to the old name. According to NBA officials, the name change should take at least 18 months, as many legal aspects would have to be clarified and this would result in enormous costs. After all aspects could be clarified faster than expected, the Bobcats started running again as Charlotte Hornets from the 2014/2015 season . In the course of the name change, the new Hornets received the history of the old Hornets together with all the successes and statistics.

In the 2014 NBA draft was chosen Noah Vonleh , via free agency committed to Marvin Williams of the Utah Jazz and Lance Stephenson , of the Indiana Pacers came. Despite the significant commitments, the team was rarely able to convince and had to contend with enormous injury concerns. Because of this, the Hornets could not move into the playoffs again as hoped and clearly missed them.

In the summer of 2015 Vonleh and Gerald Henderson were swapped for the French Nicolas Batum in Portland. Likewise, Stephenson, who failed to meet expectations, was sold. Furthermore, were Spencer Hawes , Jeremy Lin and Jeremy Lamb obliged. In the 2015 NBA draft , Frank Kaminsky was selected in 9th place. The Hornets reached the playoffs with 48 wins and met the Miami Heat in the first round. Although they led the series 3: 2 in the meantime, the Hornets were eliminated again 3: 4 in the first playoff round. The following year it was not enough for the playoff qualification with 36 wins. In the summer of 2017, former All-Star Center Dwight Howard was signed by the Atlanta Hawks . Nevertheless, the playoffs were again missed with only 36 wins.

The next two seasons did not go optimally for the Hornets either, the team remained with an almost unchanged squad in the lower midfield of the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs. Among other things, this led to the fact that coach Clifford was replaced by James Borrego in the summer of 2018 . In the summer of 2019, all-star Kemba Walker , up until then the most successful basket shooter in Hornet history, left the Hornets and switched to the Boston Celtics . Terry Rozier from the Celtics came as a replacement .

arena

The home games are played in the Spectrum Center , a multifunctional arena opened in 2005 in the heart of Charlotte (Uptown) with 19,026 seats. During the 2004/05 season, the Bobcats played at the Charlotte Coliseum (24,042 seats). The Charlotte Bobcats are a relatively young team; The founding date was January 10, 2003. The team was founded on the initiative of the city of Charlotte and the NBA when the Charlotte Hornets (now: New Orleans Pelicans ) moved to New Orleans . As a result, the city decided in a bidding process to set up a new basketball team on the basis of a solvent investor.

Current squad

Charlotte Hornets squad (as of March 11, 2020)

player	Coaches
No. Nat. Surname position birth size info college 0 Miles Bridges Forward 03/21/1998 201 cm Michigan State 1 Malik Monk Guard 02/04/1998 191 cm S. Kentucky 3 Terry Rozier Guard 03/17/1994 188 cm Louisville 4th Devonte 'Graham Guard 02/22/1995 188 cm Kansas 5 Nicolas Batum Forward December 14, 1988 203 cm France 6th Jalen McDaniels Forward 01/31/1998 208 cm R. San Diego State 7th Dwayne Bacon Guard / Forward 08/30/1995 201 cm Florida State 8th Bismack Biyombo Forward / Center 08/28/1992 206 cm Democratic Republic of Congo 9 Willy Hernangomez center 05/27/1994 211 cm Spain 10 Caleb Martin Forward 09/28/1995 201 cm R. Nevada 11 Cody Martin Forward 09/28/1995 198 cm R. Nevada 23 Kobi Simmons Guard 07/04/1997 193 cm G Arizona 25th PJ Washington Forward 08/23/1998 203 cm R. Kentucky 26th Ray Spalding Forward 03/11/1997 208 cm G/ Louisville 31 Joe Chealey Guard 11/01/1995 191 cm Charleston 40 Cody Zeller center 05/10/1992 213 cm Indiana	Nat. Surname position James Borrego Head coach Jay Triano Assistant coach Chad Iske Assistant coach Jay Hernandez Assistant coach Ronald Nored Assistant coach Dutch Gaitley Assistant coach Joe Sharpe Medical trainer
	Legend Abbr. meaning No. Jersey number Nat. nationality C. Team captain R. Rookie G Two-way contract S. suspension Inactivity due to injury

Head coach

The first coach in the club's history was Bernie Bickerstaff , who was previously under contract with the Seattle SuperSonics , Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards . He also took over the post of general manager at the Bobcats , but already resigned after the 2006/07 NBA season . Bickerstaff, however, remained executive vice president of the team. On May 25, 2007, Sam Vincent was introduced as the new coach, who was previously assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks and three years head coach in the NBA Development League . However, Vincent only stayed in Charlotte for one season and was released on April 26, 2008.

On April 29, 2008 it was announced that coaching legend Larry Brown would become the third Bobcats coach in the club's history. Brown was followed by Paul Silas (2010 to 2012) and Mike Dunlap (2012 to 2013). From May 2013 Steve Clifford was head coach of the Bobcats and Hornets. After failing to reach the playoffs twice, Clifford was sacked by the Hornets two days after the end of regular time in April 2018.

Trainer

Surname	time	Victories: defeats	Wins [%]
Bernie Bickerstaff	2004-2007	77: 169	31.3
Sam Vincent	2007-2008	32:50	39.0
Larry Brown	2008-2010	88: 108	44.9
Paul Silas	2010–2012	32:88	26.7
Mike Dunlap	2012-2013	21:61	25.6
Steve Clifford	2013-2018	196: 214	47.8

Honors and achievements worth mentioning

Center Tyson Chandler in the jersey of the Hornets

Jersey numbers that are no longer assigned

No.	Nat.	Surname	position	time
13		Bobby Phills	Guard	1997-2000

Well-known former players

Surname	current club
Dell Curry	Career ended
Larry Johnson	Career ended
Baron Davis	Career ended
Muggsy Bogues	Career ended
Bobby Phills	Career ended
Eddie Jones	Career ended
Glen Rice	Career ended
Jamal Mashburn	Career ended
Alonzo Mourning	Career ended
Emeka Okafor	without a club
Gerald Wallace	Career ended
Tyson Chandler	Houston Rockets
Boris Diaw	Career ended
Nazr Mohammed	Career ended
Adam Morrison	Career ended
Raymond Felton	Free agent
Raja Bell	Career ended
Jason Richardson	Career ended
Stephen Jackson	Career ended
DJ Augustin	Orlando Magic
Vlade Divac	Career ended

statistics

The Bobcats in the game against the Dallas Mavericks (2005)

Playing times in the National Basketball Association

year	Victories: defeats	Wins [%]	Playoffs
Charlotte Hornets
1988/89	20:62	24.4	Not qualified for the playoffs
1989/90	19:63	23.2	Not qualified for the playoffs
1990/91	26:56	31.7	Not qualified for the playoffs
1991/92	31:51	37.8	Not qualified for the playoffs
1992/93	44:38	53.7	3-1 in the first round against the Boston Celtics 1: 4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks
1993/94	41:41	50.0	Not qualified for the playoffs
1994/95	50:32	61.0	1: 3 in the first round against the Chicago Bulls
1995/96	41:41	50.0	Not qualified for the playoffs
1996/97	54:28	65.9	0: 3 in the first round, the New York Knicks
1997/98	51:31	62.2	3-1 in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks 1: 4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Chicago Bulls
1998/99	26:24	52.0	Not qualified for the playoffs
1999/00	49:33	59.8	1-3 in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers
2000/01	46:36	56.1	3-0 in the first round against the Miami Heat 3-4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks
2001/02	44:38	53.7	3-1 in the first round against Orlando Magic 1: 4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New Jersey Nets
Charlotte Bobcats
2004/05	18:64	22.0	Not qualified for the playoffs
2005/06	26:56	31.7	Not qualified for the playoffs
2006/07	33:49	40.2	Not qualified for the playoffs
2007/08	32:50	39.0	Not qualified for the playoffs
2008/09	35:47	42.7	Not qualified for the playoffs
2009/10	44:38	53.7	0: 4 in the first round against Orlando Magic
2010/11	34:48	41.5	Not qualified for the playoffs
2011/12	07:59	10.6	Not qualified for the playoffs
2012/13	21:61	25.6	Not qualified for the playoffs
2013/14	43:39	52.4	0-4 in the first round against the Miami Heat
Charlotte Hornets
2014/15	33:49	40.2	Not qualified for the playoffs
2015/16	48:34	58.5	3: 4 in the first round against the Miami Heat
2016/17	36:46	43.9	Not qualified for the playoffs
2017/18	36:46	43.9	Not qualified for the playoffs
2018/19	39:43	47.6	Not qualified for the playoffs
2019/20	23:42	35.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
total	1050: 1345	43.8	23:40 in the playoffs ( 36.5% ) As of March 2020

Web links

• Charlotte Hornets website
• Official squad of the team

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Andrew Lynch: Welcome Back, Charlotte Hornets; Good Bye Forever, Charlotte Bobcats. Now Take Back Your Franchise History And Statistics And… ( September 12, 2015 memento on Internet Archive ) Archived by Hardwood Paroxysm Basketball Network — website; Nixa, MO, May 20, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
2. ↑ Associated Press: Charlotte Bobcats are worst NBA team ever . In: The Guardian . April 27, 2012, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed April 27, 2020]).
3. ↑ Charlotte Business Journal: Paul Silas out as Charlotte Bobcats' coach. bizjournals.com, April 30, 2012, accessed May 1, 2012 . 
4. ↑ ESPN Article - New Orleans gets 1st pick
5. ↑ Article on www.CBSsports.com Charlotte Bobcats begin process of changing name to Hornets (English)
6. ↑ Article on www.newsobserver.com Possible Bobcats name change at least 18 months away
7. ↑ NN: Sam Vincent Relieved of Head Coaching Duties. On: National Basketball Association website; New York, NY April 25, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2019 (in English).
8. ^ NN: Bobcat's name Larry Brown Head Coach. On: National Basketball Association website; New York, NY April 29, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
9. ↑ spox.com: NBA: Charlotte Hornets sacked Head Coach Steve Clifford April 13, 2018 article.