Charlotte Hornets Round Table: Five early predictions for the 2019-20 season
Unfortunately, the Charlotte Hornets had to lose their greatest player. How will the fans react when he returns in a different uniform?
Giovanni Spillman:
“I think it’s going to hurt, but fans will be grateful for all of the times that Walker stepped it up and led the Hornets to many exciting wins. Hopefully, Charlotte can make it bittersweet and come out with a win when he comes, but we all know Walker is going to come back and probably have a huge game against his former team.”
Zachary Padmore:
“When Kemba Walker returns to Charlotte for the first time as a visitor, it’s going to be an emotional moment for many, including Walker himself. He grew up in Charlotte, became an All-Star in Charlotte, and was probably the best player in franchise history. He will be showered with cheers and he is 100 percent deserving of a video tribute as well. He left everything out on the court as a member of the Hornets, and it’s unfortunate that things worked out the way that they did during free agency.”
Filippo Barresi:
“True love and real appreciation. He fought for our color as hard as not much player. I would like a classy reaction by all of the fans but that is not in doubt, we all understand what he did and what he gave us. He’ll be a Hornet forever.”
Nick Vetrone:
“Reverence. Hornets fans might be dismayed by seeing their former franchise star on the opposite side of the court, but I don’t think there are any hard feelings aimed at Walker. He gave some of the best years of his career to a team that hardly helped him reach the postseason. Expect the Spectrum to still roar when he sinks his first acrobat layup on his former home court.”
Elijah Edwards:
“As much as Kemba insisted he wanted to stay in Charlotte and how much he loved the city, I think everyone feels the separation was amicable, though handled very poorly. Kemba has no ill-will towards the Hornets, the fans, or the city, so I think the fans will give him a very generous standing ovation. That’s how it should be, anyway.”
Brendan Boylan:
“Sell-outs are going to be hard to come by in 2019-2020 for the Hornets, but not when Boston travels to Charlotte for the first time next season. In Kemba Walker’s return to the city he called home for 8 seasons, a sell-out crowd will welcome home its hero. Expect a tribute video, a roaring applause, and an emotional Kemba Walker. It is bound to be a warm homecoming for the queen city’s king.”
De White:
“As much as I love Kemba and want him to do well wherever he goes, part of me is still a little salty at the fact that our owner failed to bring him back, that he settled for less money elsewhere, and that the front office failed to give him adequate help for at least six of his eight years here. Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee, and Al Jefferson were the best teammates that he played with production wise, and two of them stayed for only a year. It’s tough to hate him for wanting and finding better, but it’s hard to not feel upset that the best player to ever play for the franchise will never be only a Hornet. Still, I expect fans to be on both ends of the spectrum because our fan base is volatile. When Stephen Curry and LeBron James come to Charlotte there are more away jerseys than home, but when Walker comes back there will still be a lot of home town jerseys. But HIS jersey. Way more than anyone on our current roster.”
Owen Watterson:
“To put it briefly, Kemba Walker should and will receive the highest of praises and gratitude from Hornets fans everywhere. Nobody can blame him for leaving based on the circumstances he was put in, and the city of Charlotte and the fans of the team will forever show him the recognition he deserves for all he did not only for the city, but for the team.”
Although there are more questions we could discuss, these are five of the most important ones we could pull out of our hats.
As you can see, our writers have a very diverse set of answers to these questions and we hope we’ve answered them to our readers’ likings. We all know that it’s not going to be an easy rebuild for the Charlotte Hornets, but our writers remain loyal to the team, even if it’s mismanaged at times.
Next. Predicting the 2019-20 depth chart. dark
Our team of writers put out some good stuff, so be sure to check out our other content here at the Swarm and Sting. And of course, you can always follow our writers on Twitter:
Giovanni Spillman: @GSpillmanNC
Zachary Padmore: @ZP12Hoops
Filippo Barresi: @BarresiFilippo4
Nick Vetrone: @nick_vetrone
Elijah Edwards: @Elijah_Blue_03
Brendan Boylan: @BtBoylan
De White: @DeDashCray
Owen Watterson: @owattersonNBA