Buzz City Beat: Mitch Kupchak to meet with Steve Clifford, Kemba’s uncertain future
Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the latest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
Willy Hernangomez may not play in the Las Vegas Summer League this offseason because of the dates conflicting with those for the Spanish National Team. (Twitter/ @Rick_Bonnell) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we examine the uncertain future’s of Steve Clifford and Kemba Walker while also looking at the Charlotte Hornets‘ lack of postseason success since 2001.
Mitch Kupchak to meet with Steve Clifford (Twitter/ @ChrisMannixYS)
"Steve Clifford will meet with Mitch Kupchak tomorrow in Charlotte, and expect Clifford to push for a decision. Clifford, highly regarded in league circles, will be in demand for some of these coaching vacancies."
It sounds like a decision regarding Steve Clifford’s future as the Hornets’ head coach could come very soon. If he is going to push for an immediate decision from Kupchak, then Charlotte could fire their head coach as soon as this weekend. Although, if they do keep Coach Clifford, it allows the team to immediately move forward and start planning for next season.
Two teams (New York Knicks and Orlando Magic) have already fired their head coaches with Jeff Hornacek and Frank Vogel being let go. It has been rumored that as many as 10 teams could make head coaching changes this summer. If Clifford is fired, I think Jerry Stackhouse would be a strong candidate to replace him.
Kemba Walker’s uncertain future (USAToday.com)
"“I have no idea,” Walker said Wednesday regarding his future after Charlotte’s regular season finale. “That is out of my control. I am just going to focus on getting better as a player. That is really all you can do. I don’t know what they are going to do.”"
No one really knows what’s going to happen with Kemba this summer. He’s already been involved in a number of trade talks this past season and is expected to be the center of more rumors this offseason. He wants to win and do so in Charlotte but the team/new GM Mitch Kupchak may decide to go in a different direction and rebuild instead.
If a rebuild is the case, then Walker is as good as gone. The bottom line seems to be that the two-time all-star point guard won’t demand a trade and it’s up to the Hornets to decide if they want to move him or not. This leaves his future up in the air, at least for the next month or two.
Charlotte Hornets’ playoff success since 2001
"Fewest playoff wins since 2001: Knicks – 9 Timberwolves – 13 Hornets – 13 Pelicans – 15"
Charlotte only has 13 postseason wins since 2001 which is tied for the second-lowest in the NBA. If you look at their playoff victories after basketball returning to the Queen City in 2004, they only have three wins and those all came in 2015-16. They’ve only been to the playoffs three times since 2001-02 and haven’t won a playoff series since then.
Next: Hornets attendance drops for second consecutive season
At least they haven’t been as bad as the New York Knicks but the Hornets’ postseason success still isn’t anything to brag about. Compare Charlotte’s 13 playoff wins since 2001 to LeBron James who has 144 since 20015-06. We’ll see if they can find some postseason success in the near future.