The Hornets Went From Free Agency’s Red Flag to a Real Destination for Players

The Play-In Tournament brought back an all too familiar feeling for Charlotte Hornets fans, although the end result was at least delayed by a win over the Miami Heat in the 9 vs. 10 matchup.

For the third time in three Play-In appearances, the Hornets were sent home packing in embarrassing fashion. The blowout losses to Indiana and Atlanta were pretty bad, but this one to Orlando took the cake.

As disappointing as it may be for the Hornets not to still be playing, it doesn't take away from the progress that was made. They had, without question, one of the most memorable turnarounds in the history of the NBA, and for a franchise that has been at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for years, it's something that can't be ignored. They changed the narrative of the Charlotte Hornets.

“First thing that comes to mind is progress was made," head coach Charles Lee said. "The standards and commitment level to try to compete and try to be together rose significantly. I think that the players, in the offseason, set out to train harder, to train together a lot more, and they had a mission coming into this season that they wanted to win more games and wanted to get better, and I think they did that. They earned the respect and changed the narrative about this Charlotte Hornets basketball team and organization. I’m super proud of everything they gave.”

Flipping this thing around and becoming one of the most entertaining teams in the league will also help attract better talent, as players around the NBA have taken notice of how bright the future is for this organization.

“It’s something I’m proud of because it makes my job easier," Hornets President of Basketball Ops Jeff Peterson said. "Whether we’re recruiting free agents or draft workouts, whatever it may be, Charlotte is a place where guys want to come to and play. They respect the staff, respect the team.”

I mean, it wasn't all that long ago that players viewed Charlotte as a place where careers go to die.

Just last summer Paul George said, "Listen, if I'm in free agency, I'm not picking Charlotte, just because there's no winning culture there alone. Regardless, Charlotte is an amazing city, would love to play for it because of the city, like I could see myself living there, but in terms of a basketball standpoint? I'm not going, my career's over with if I go there."

That is not how the organization will be viewed now, and I'm sure Paul George would be the first to admit, the Hornets have a culture now and a real path to success.

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