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There could be a Charlotte Hornets vs Washington Wizards rivalry for years to come

By Chase Pletcher

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Kemba Walker
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Kemba Walker /
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A new southeast division rivalry could be brewing between the Charlotte Hornets and the Washington Wizards.

The Washington Wizards walked away with the Southeast Division Title last season. They were a healthy six games above the second place Atlanta Hawks, but by improving their roster, the Charlotte Hornets may have begun a division rivalry for years to come with the Wizards.

There’s no denying that the Wizards have the best roster, and arguably best player, in the division. However, the Hornets aren’t necessarily all that far behind.

Of course, the amount of threat the Hornets can pose to the Wizards depends on how well new additions to the team integrate with the current roster. Even though the season hasn’t begun, there’s no reason to not be optimistic about the outlook for the season.

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Division titles don’t mean nearly as much as they used to, but they are still an accomplishment. Here are three reasons why the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards may form a rivalry for the division title for the next few seasons.

1. The Point Guard Battle

The best player for each of these teams is their point guards. Yes, that’s stating the obvious, but it is still an extremely valid point.

Kemba Walker and John Wall are both Top-10 point guards in the NBA.  Both have an electrifying, fast-paced game style. Both are the leaders of their respective teams.

Whenever the Hornets and Wizards play each other, this will be the marquee matchup that everyone is watching. Seeing these two guys battle it out with each other will be something any NBA fan, not just a fan of these two teams, will want to see.

Don’t be surprised if there are games between these two that get moved to National TV. Games that can be seen nationally normally tend to have a high profile feel and level of importance to them.

That level of importance that these two All Star’s will help create will cause the teams to kick up the intensity whenever these two face off.

Both Walker and Wall are fierce competitors. They will both be battling not only to win but to show who the better player is. Whenever their teammates are watching these two guys go at each other, some animosity between the teams is sure to develop.

2.  Both Teams Have Their Core Locked Up For The Next Couple of Years

Every year, certain teams have to worry about whether they will be able to resign their star player (or players) for their next season. Neither the Hornets or Wizards are one of those teams currently. Both teams have their best players under contract for the next few years.

For the Charlotte Hornets core, it’s Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, and hopefully Malik Monk. Walker is guaranteed for at least the next two seasons. Batum is guaranteed for the next three seasons with a player option for a fourth. Lastly, Monk is guaranteed for at least two seasons with team options for the third and fourth. (via basketball-reference.com)

It also doesn’t hurt noting that Dwight Howard is guaranteed for the next two seasons as well.

For the Washington Wizards, it’s their dynamic duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal. This offseason the two recently signed a four-year deal and a five-year deal, respectively.

These are the best players on the Wizards and one of the top backcourts in the league, so with them locked up under contract for years to come, don’t expect this team to be going anywhere.

The core players for each of these teams aren’t just under contract for the next few years. They also are all fairly young, with the exception of Nic Batum.  This means that the majority of these core players either have just entered or are yet to enter their prime.

It’ll be fun watching the best players on the Hornets and Wizards, in the best years of their career, compete with each other throughout the season.

3.  Lack of Other Competitors Within the Division

The Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, and Orlando Magic are the three other teams that challenge for the Southeast division title each year. Only one has a realistic chance of disrupting the potential Hornets and Wizards rivalry.

The Miami Heat are that team. They finished last season by having a blistering 30-11 record in the second half of the season. Led by Dion Waiters and Hassan Whiteside, they should be a playoff team this year. Their roster still isn’t quite as complete as the Hornets, but this team should not be taken lightly at all.

The Atlanta Hawks, on the other hand, have completely dismantled. After making the playoffs each of the last ten seasons, that streak looks to be coming to an end. They have officially lost every starter from their 2014-2015 team that won 60 games. This team is no threat to anything the Hornets or Wizards will want to accomplish this year.

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    • The Orlando Magic are not nearly in as bad of a position as the Hawks. They recently drafted Jonathan Issac who has loads of potential. They even signed a former San Antonio Spurs player in Jonathan Simmons. You also can’t forget about the absurdly athletic Aaron Gordon. However, the roster is still full of young guys, unproven guys, and has little to no depth. For at least this year, they don’t pose much of a threat.

    Aside from the Heat, the Hornets and Wizards do not have any other teams that could have a chance at mixing things up within the division. These teams will be focusing on one another whenever they are looking at the standings.

    Final Analysis

    Those are the three reasons why a rivalry can be formed between the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards.

    As I previously mentioned, division titles don’t necessarily mean much. They no longer guarantee a Top four seed in the playoffs, but if you win your division you will most likely be close to the Top four in the conference standings anyway.

    The Charlotte Hornets will not be first in the Eastern Conference. If they can win the Southeast Division, though, it will give the organization and fans something to be proud of. A banner would, of course, be raised in the Spectrum Center, something never done before.

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    The Wizards won their first division title in 38 years this past season, and I’m sure they will want to raise another division banner soon. That, mixed with the Hornets eagerness to get their first division title, should make for a great rivalry in the upcoming seasons.

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