Many fans likely don't think of the Charlotte Hornets as a dirty team, but they surprisingly made it to the top third of RotoWire's ranking of the dirtiest in the league in the past 10 years. The Hornets edged out the Orlando Magic to round out the top 10, and Miles Bridges had a hand in his squad's placement on the list.
Per Ryan Ward of RotoWire, their ranking was based on Spotrac's Fines and Suspension Index, which combines player fines, fine totals, suspensions, and games lost.
The Miami Heat ended up at the top of the ranking, which came as no surprise due to their reputation as a gritty, physical team. The Brooklyn Nets stunningly placed second, and it wasn't due to their play on the floor, but primarily because of Kyrie Irving's pandemic-related issue. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers placed fifth only because they amassed a total of $18.1 million in fines, nearly all of which can be attributed to Ben Simmons' infamous holdout with the franchise during the 2021-22 campaign.
As for Charlotte, it actually logged the highest number of total games suspended among all teams during that timeframe with 44. Bridges accounted for 30 of that sum after his domestic violence incident with his former girlfriend, and some fans still have not warmed up to him, partly due to his infraction. Malik Monk also had a hand in running up that total, as he was suspended indefinitely in 2020 for violating the NBA's substance abuse policy. The former Hornet was reinstated after missing eight contests.
Funnily enough, Buzz City is fortunate that RotoWire's coverage of its ranking began in 2015. One year early, and Jeffery Taylor's 24-game suspension for another domestic violence case would have counted.
Hornets is not a dirty team but could benefit from increased physicality
Despite its lofty standing on the list, Charlotte still shouldn't be considered a tenacious team, at least not yet. It doesn't even have anyone who can be deemed an enforcer, although it can surely benefit from having a player who could inspire physicality among his teammates.
The Hornets have developed a reputation as a pushover, if only because of how often they were blown out last season.
However, things are expected to be different from hereon after the addition of several talented players to the fold. Even so, many pundits seem to believe they are still behind most squads in terms of skill level. If that's the case, they can make up for it by playing harder, faster, and especially more physically than their opponents.
Hopefully, there would be no need for them to resort to dirty tactics and gain unnecessary notoriety around the league.