5 Players the Charlotte Hornets Gave up on too soon

2. Ricky Davis

Ricky Davis played two seasons in Charlotte after being drafted 21st overall in the 1998 NBA draft. Davis was a high-energy player off the bench, who brought a sense of excitement to every game he played thanks to his high-flying tendencies.

While Davis played hard and brought loads of energy, he had a hard time finding his way onto the court for the Hornets. During his short time in Charlotte, he never averaged more than twelve minutes per game.

He was traded to Miami in a massive nine-player trade involving Anthony Mason in August of 2000. However, that wasn’t where he blossomed.

Davis spent the rest of his career bouncing around franchises such as Cleveland, Toronto, and Boston where he found a more prominent role than he had in Charlotte. He averaged around 15 ppg for the rest of his career and even had seasons where he averaged as high as 19 ppg.

Davis did, however, have a  problem with selfishness that plagued him during his time in the NBA. He found himself involved in a stat-padding controversy during his time in Cleveland and that reputation never seemed to ease for the rest of his career.

While those accusations may allow Charlotte to not lose any sleep over their decision, they must feel some sense of regret for letting go of a potential scorer with an exciting style of play who  could’ve sold tickets.