Swarm and Sting
Fansided

Why the Charlotte Hornets Signing an Expensive Center is Counter-Productive

By Anthony Boscia

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 28: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the Los Angeles Clippers drives to the basket past PJ Washington #25 of the Charlotte Hornets during the first half of a game at Staples Center on October 28, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 28: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the Los Angeles Clippers drives to the basket past PJ Washington #25 of the Charlotte Hornets during the first half of a game at Staples Center on October 28, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Charlotte Hornets
MIAMI, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 22: Andre Drummond #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on against the Miami Heat during second half at American Airlines Arena on February 22, 2020 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

What does signing a Drummond/Whiteside/Harrell really do for the Charlotte Hornets?

Yes, rebounding is a problem and would help fix that, but signing somebody as just a talent upgrade when we could be using that spot to either develop a younger center that could mesh with the young core or, do I dare say experiment with P.J. Washington at the 5 a bit?

Whiteside is 30 and has been known to show out on contract years and then have his quality of play drop off before, and his competitive fire seems to come and go. Harrell has been having a stellar season off of much the bench for the Clippers, but is there a point in giving him money to give slightly boost the team and maybe put us back into the NBA purgatory that is also known as having the 11th pick almost every freaking draft for what seems like an eternity?

And no, I have not yet recovered from that yet. Anyways, Drummond is a case of great stats, but not really having a big impact, which is part of the reason Detroit just could not get over the hump for the 6-7 years that he was there. Now it would be unfair to put all of that on Drummond, poor management, bad luck, and at times, subpar coaching really handicapped what they could achieve with him, but it is also just a case of the Andre Drummond type of center being almost phased out of the league.

Related Story. Charlotte Hornets: Is Rudy Gobert an offseason trade prospect?. light

Why else do you think most centers, both older and younger, are improving their handles or trying to add three-point shooting or playmaking to their offensive arsenal in hopes to prolong their career? If you don’t have any of those qualities or can’t create your own shot, then you better grab basically 99% of rebounds that fly off of the hoop and be a Top 5 defender a la Rudy Gobert.

This is not necessarily a knock on any of these players as they are obviously talented and deserve their big paydays, I just don’t think it would be shrewd of a team in the Hornets’ position to splash the cash on them.

Sure, it’s an improvement over the crop of talent the Hornets currently possess at the 5, but it does not really improve the team as a whole enough to justify spending a good chunk of money and giving up valuable cap flexibility as a rebuilding team.

It would be much smarter to just draft/acquire a (most likely) cheaper young center that can mesh with the young core we currently have and potentially improve the future of the franchise, which should be the FO’s focus anyways. Plain and simple, it just does not make sense to splurge on them.

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