February offers a multitude of reasons for basketball fans to be excited. The two-week stretch between the NFL conference championships and the Super Bowl often sees the sports world shift its focus from the gridiron to the hardwood.
Fantasies of a perfect bracket begin to fill the heads of the college basketball faithful. Numerous NBA fanbases prepare to cheer on their superstar players at All-Star Weekend. The entire NBA community waits with bated breath for a franchise-altering trade notification to emerge on their lock screen. For most basketball fans, February is an exciting time for the sport.
For the Charlotte Hornets, February is just like any other month. There are no players representing Buzz City in the All-Star game, no blockbuster trade potential, and no playoff push scenario. Like so many seasons before, the fate of the 2023-24 season has already been decided when the calendar flips to the shortest month of the year.
The Hornets currently possess a 10-41 record and find themselves at 13th in the Eastern Conference standings. Labeling the season as a disappointment for Charlotte would be an understatement - they're 12 games back from even sniffing a spot in the NBA play-in tournament. A 51-game sample size and lingering injuries to multiple starters are enough to confidently proclaim that the Hornets won't be making any noise in the final three months of the regular season.
Some may find this outlook overly pessimistic - I call it acceptance. This is reality. The fifth and final stage of grief that fans of the teal and purple know all too well. However, it wasn't always like this. The tumultuous journey to begrudgingly accepting this team's fate has been a long one, filled with denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally…acceptance.
It's time to rewind the season and discover how we reached this point. Here are the five stages of grief through the eyes of Charlotte Hornets fans.
Stage 1: Denial
The Charlotte Hornets open the season with a 3-5 record.
We begin our journey on October 25th - opening night in the Spectrum Center. Spirits were high following an impressive win against the Atlanta Hawks. P.J. Washington led the team with 25 points, Terry Rozier added 24, and the Hornets held Trae Young to 4/19 shooting. Toppling a division rival in the season opener is always a step in the right direction. The Charlotte Hornets were 1-0.
Narrator: "This would be the only time during the entire season that the Hornets had a record above .500."
The following seven games showcased a myriad of red flags that would continue to haunt this squad throughout the year. The number one issue for the Charlotte Hornets through this early season stretch was a lack of defensive identity. Following their victory over Atlanta, the Hornets lost by double digits at home to a less-than-stellar Pistons team. Over their next five games, Charlotte allowed 124 points or more to every opponent, losing four times to teams currently out of the playoff picture.
Cue the excuses. "The team isn't fully healthy!" True. "Miles Bridges will be back next week!" Also true. "It's only been eight games." Okay, fine. 3-5 isn't the worst thing in the world. Let's chalk it up to a slow start and turn a blind eye to the underlying issues that were clearly evident in each game. There's nothing like a seven-point win against the Wizards to wash that bad taste out of your mouth!
This is the first stage of grief: denial. The Hornets have to be better than this. They returned five of their top players from a 43-39 season two years ago, found a legitimate starting center, and added the #2 overall pick to the team. Most Hornets fans refused to believe this team could find themselves near the bottom of the standings again. Through eight games, Charlotte supporters ignored the warning signs and clung to a false, preferable reality that this team would fight for a playoff spot in the spring.
Stage 2: Anger
The Charlotte Hornets lose their next four games in convincing fashion.
There's no denying it: those next four games were a tough spot in the schedule. A Sunday matinee in Madison Square Garden kicked off a week where the Hornets faced the New York Knicks (twice), the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Miami Heat. Nobody expected Charlotte to steamroll through this week with four straight wins, but one or two would've been nice. At the bare minimum, the Hornets needed to stay competitive.
That didn't happen. Charlotte dropped all four of these games, three of them by double digits. Rotational players were in and out of the lineup, there was zero chemistry or consistency, and the Hornets continued to struggle on the defensive side of the ball.
Questions surrounding the team turned quickly into irritation. Why can't the Hornets compete with upper-tier Eastern Conference teams? How do opponents consistently score 120 points? Why is the injury report the length of a CVS receipt? Will this eternal cycle of mediocrity ever end?!
Enter the second stage of grief: anger. Hornets fans realized their denial could no longer continue. This year's team has clear, undeniable issues that jeopardize their ability to compete for a play-in spot. Injuries, defense, coaching...they all lead to one conclusion: the Charlotte Hornets are staring down the barrel of another bottom-three finish in the Eastern Conference.
Stage 3: Bargaining
The Charlotte Hornets topple title-favorite Boston Celtics and win four of their next eight games.
The 11-2 Boston Celtics, widely considered the championship favorite, visited the Spectrum Center on a crisp Monday night in mid-November. Down 11 at halftime, expectations were in the gutter for the home squad. However, the Hornets fought back in the second half behind a stellar performance from LaMelo Ball and sent the game to OT. Ball's heroics propelled the Hornets past the Celtics, and Charlotte had something to be excited about for the first time in almost a month.
This win felt like a potential turning point in the season. LaMelo shredded Boston's defense to the tune of 36 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists; Mark Williams and Miles Bridges both posted double-doubles, and Brandon Miller was a +22 in 40 minutes played. Even Gordon Hayward was healthy! The fanbase began convincing themselves that this team could make some noise if everyone eventually returned to the lineup.
Hope is a dangerous thing. Optimistic thoughts began to creep into the minds of Hornets fans everywhere. Like a kid staring at an unattended cookie jar or Lakers fans spending hours on the trade machine every week - we couldn't help ourselves. The phrase "We are so back." was sent from my phone no less than ten times. Finally, after almost a month of the regular season, fans saw a different side of this Hornets team. A glimpse of their ceiling. A sliver of success. A single ray of sunshine peeking through the clouds surrounding the Queen City. Despite all of the negatives surrounding the franchise since October, there may still be a chance for a small turnaround.
It's time for the third stage of grief: bargaining. The Hornets went on to win three of their next seven games and brought their record to 7-13. It wasn't ideal, but they were in the hunt. Fans began to bargain with the basketball gods to give this team a chance. With three-fourths of the season left to play, there was plenty of time for the Hornets to make a run.
What-if scenarios became common when discussing Charlotte. If this team stays healthy, they could win a play-in game; if the defensive scheme improves, they can compete against top-tier teams; if the Hornets can get rid of their bad luck, things will take a turn for the better. Spoiler alert: these what-if scenarios seldom work out for historically underachieving franchises like Charlotte.
Stage 4: Depression
The Charlotte Hornets drop 17 of their next 18 games and plummet to the bottom of the standings.
The next five weeks of Hornets basketball ranks as the absolute worst stretch of hoops I've ever watched, including the 7-59 Charlotte Bobcats in 2011. James Naismith had to be rolling in his grave every time Ish Smith turned the ball over or Miles Bridges hoisted a stepback three-pointer at the end of the shot clock. There's no other way to describe it - this was basketball hell.
The Hornets lost 17 of their next 18 games and possessed a record of 8-30 at the end of the losing streak. With 12 of these 18 losses coming by double digits, many games felt decided before the fourth quarter began. In December, Charlotte ranked 29th in defensive rating and dead last in both points per game and opponent three-point percentage. Taking time to watch this team became a chore, but not the kind you get a weekly allowance for.
Cue the fourth stage of grief: depression. Aside from the legendary Eric Collins one-liners, absolutely zero joy came from turning on Bally Sports three times a week. (Side note - Collins and Dell Curry deserve some sort of award for maintaining their enthusiasm while working these games.) Every blown defensive assignment or terrible offensive possession took time off my life. I often found myself reminiscing on Al Jefferson post hooks or Kemba Walker's late-game heroics. We didn't know how good we had it.
Stage 5: Acceptance
The Charlotte Hornets are currently 10-41 and hold the 13th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. That should be the motto of every Hornets fan from now until the end of t̶i̶m̶e̶ the season. A valiant comeback win against the current #1 seed Minnesota Timberwolves allowed us to escape from reality for a night, only to be pulled back to Earth with an ongoing eight-game losing streak and yet another LaMelo Ball injury.
Don't let the disappointment of this season weigh you down any longer. When people ask you what's wrong the morning after another Hornets defeat, force a smile and reply: "Everything's fine!" Nobody has to know that "fine" really means that the Hornets gave up 130 points for the third game in a row, and there's still no injury update on Mark Williams.
It's time to shift your perspective when tuning in to watch a Charlotte Hornets game. Instead of basing your happiness on wins and losses, look for small victories within each matchup. Celebrate when Brandon Miller takes over a fourth quarter with the confidence of a seasoned veteran or when Nick Smith Jr. gets hot from behind the arc. Define the season with memorable moments that make you think, "Hey, in a couple of years, this young core could really make some noise in the East." Trust me, it's the only way to maintain your sanity.
We've now arrived at the fifth and final stage of grief: acceptance. With 31 games remaining in the regular season, the fate of the 2023-24 Charlotte Hornets has been sealed. Enjoy these last two months of Hornets basketball because, believe it or not, you'll soon be counting down the days until it returns. Why? Because that's what fans do. No matter how much pain, anguish, or grief your favorite franchise may cause you, you'll be right back here next season with a brand-new sense of optimism. Now it's time to create some mock drafts, pray for draft lottery luck, and manifest that next year's playoffs will once again include the Charlotte Hornets.