Post by James Kay on Jun 26, 2014 17:40:51 GMT
Press Release :
Q: I’ll just get this out of the way – who are you taking with the first pick?
A: (laughs) Well wouldn’t you like to know – as well as every GM in the league. However, I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to reveal that yet. We’re still waiting on the real NBA draft to take place – we really think that the destination of a player can impact his development – no matter what his true potential is.
Q: Speaking of potential, who do you think has the highest ceiling in this draft?
A: I think we all know the answer is Embiid. Big men are most certainly a premium in today’s league – and a kid with moves like that at his size, well, the sky’s the limit for him. We also really like Wiggins and Exum. Wiggins’ explosiveness and lateral quickness make him an extremely competent defender, and that’s usually hard to find in young talent. And Exum has concerns about the level of competition he face, but that kid can shoot the lights out, and that’s something that is relatively stable no matter the competition.
Q: How do you think your selection will impact this off-season’s free agency?
A: Well, I definitely think that players are interested in our team this year. We had a few great late-season acquisitions in Mike Conley and Eric Bledsoe, and the addition of a future superstar could appeal to players looking to join an up-and-coming team. We’ll have to wait and see, though.
Q: What are you thinking about in regards to the #14 pick?
A: I definitely can’t tell you who I’m thinking about for this pick, I don’t want anyone else to nab him first! I will say that with this pick, we are definitely looking to fill a team need.
Q: You recently hired esteemed coach Phil Jackson. This move went overlooked by most of the league. How do you feel about that?
A: You know, I feel like as the Hornets, we have somewhat of a stigma directed against us. Yes, we have a bit of a history as a team that has lacked direction, and floundered in drafts, and just made bad team moves. However, this is all in the past. It’s history. This is a new team now, and we’re ready to make moves. When Phil decided to sign with us, I knew things were looking up. The Bobcats are behind us, the Hornets are just arriving.
Q: What free-agents are you looking at this off-season?
A: We’re looking at a few people, especially some big men. We really want to keep a defensive identity with this team. Conley, Bledsoe, and Jackson are all solid defenders. Some star power in the front-court would be optimal, but if we don’t manage to sign too many big names, we’ll look to conserve cap space for Bledsoe in the next off-season.
Q: How much do you hate Mr. Charles Barkley?
A: Listen – this is off the record, OK? But I fucking hate that dude, getting the number 2 pick with chances like that. I would’ve been okay with it if it was his top 5, but getting the pick like that? I’m definitely super salty. I’m almost inclined to hope D. Rose experiences another setback with the level of salt I’m feeling towards him.
Finally, check out our team's new home court design:
www.nba.com/hornets/hornets-court-unveiled
Tonight is the big night! The 2014 NBA Draft, and the beginning of the 2014 D5 Draft – and the Charlotte Hornets are sitting on top with the #1 pick in a draft that presents with the most exciting pool of players since the 2003 draft. The Hornets look poised to show huge improvement from last year, so the number one selection shouldn’t worry about wallowing about on a bottom-feeder team as usually is a concern. We’ve remained somewhat quiet about our though process going into this year’s draft in order to avoid media scrutiny and pressure from other organizations. However, I can’t stress enough how excited the Hornets are to have the number one pick. When the Rockets were announced as a top 3 pick, our hopes were crushed. We thought that Boston and Houston would surely push us out of top 3, and were feeling doubtful about even getting a top 5 pick. We could not believe it when we were announced to be the winners of the 2014 draft lottery – in addition to our #14 pick. We hope to make the best of our pick and secure our future as a successful franchise for years to come.
Q: I’ll just get this out of the way – who are you taking with the first pick?
A: (laughs) Well wouldn’t you like to know – as well as every GM in the league. However, I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to reveal that yet. We’re still waiting on the real NBA draft to take place – we really think that the destination of a player can impact his development – no matter what his true potential is.
Q: Speaking of potential, who do you think has the highest ceiling in this draft?
A: I think we all know the answer is Embiid. Big men are most certainly a premium in today’s league – and a kid with moves like that at his size, well, the sky’s the limit for him. We also really like Wiggins and Exum. Wiggins’ explosiveness and lateral quickness make him an extremely competent defender, and that’s usually hard to find in young talent. And Exum has concerns about the level of competition he face, but that kid can shoot the lights out, and that’s something that is relatively stable no matter the competition.
Q: How do you think your selection will impact this off-season’s free agency?
A: Well, I definitely think that players are interested in our team this year. We had a few great late-season acquisitions in Mike Conley and Eric Bledsoe, and the addition of a future superstar could appeal to players looking to join an up-and-coming team. We’ll have to wait and see, though.
Q: What are you thinking about in regards to the #14 pick?
A: I definitely can’t tell you who I’m thinking about for this pick, I don’t want anyone else to nab him first! I will say that with this pick, we are definitely looking to fill a team need.
Q: You recently hired esteemed coach Phil Jackson. This move went overlooked by most of the league. How do you feel about that?
A: You know, I feel like as the Hornets, we have somewhat of a stigma directed against us. Yes, we have a bit of a history as a team that has lacked direction, and floundered in drafts, and just made bad team moves. However, this is all in the past. It’s history. This is a new team now, and we’re ready to make moves. When Phil decided to sign with us, I knew things were looking up. The Bobcats are behind us, the Hornets are just arriving.
Q: What free-agents are you looking at this off-season?
A: We’re looking at a few people, especially some big men. We really want to keep a defensive identity with this team. Conley, Bledsoe, and Jackson are all solid defenders. Some star power in the front-court would be optimal, but if we don’t manage to sign too many big names, we’ll look to conserve cap space for Bledsoe in the next off-season.
Q: How much do you hate Mr. Charles Barkley?
A: Listen – this is off the record, OK? But I fucking hate that dude, getting the number 2 pick with chances like that. I would’ve been okay with it if it was his top 5, but getting the pick like that? I’m definitely super salty. I’m almost inclined to hope D. Rose experiences another setback with the level of salt I’m feeling towards him.
Finally, check out our team's new home court design:
www.nba.com/hornets/hornets-court-unveiled
THE HIVE IS ALIVE!!