The Charlotte Hornets And The Value Of Culture

It is a truism of team sports, one so widespread and universally regurgitated as to perhaps be trite. And it is here to stay. “Culture”, a thing that is both hard to define and badly yearned for, is key to creating winning sports teams. So says everyone.

Basketball is no different. The late Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause was widely mocked for his (paraphrased) statement that “organisations win championships”, and his clunky phrasing (which either gave or allowed for the inference that he was saying he and his front office were more important than Michael Jordan) did not help his case. But he was on the right lines. It is a foundational principle of roster construction in the NBA that, no matter where on the ziggurat a team places, they need to be developing the right “culture”.

Indeed, the Miami Heat in particular have so sought to become known for their “Heat Culture” that the very phrase has become an object of parody. But how do we measure culture? If we cannot measure it, how do we acquire it? And what if it is only identifiable by its absence?

The same Michael Jordan once frustrated by Krause’s statement is now the owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets, and therefore, while he may not have much of a hand in the day-to-day running of the operation, he is at the head of snake. It follows that if he and his team are to put together a winning product, they will have to adhere to the principle of “culture” that everybody else seems to focus on.

It is well known that, to date, there has been little winning around the franchise. Since its inception in 2004, the artists formerly known as the Bobcats have made the playoffs only three times in 18 seasons, and twice were swept out in the first round. The other time, they managed to get to a game seven, but still lost, thereby having not one postseason series victory to their name yet. And in that time, along with a cumulative 584-849 regular season record, they also managed to set the unfortunate record of the worst season in NBA history when they went 7-59 in the lockout-shortened 2011/12 season.

The past does not dictate the future, but it can anchor it, and with their reputation for mediocrity further reaffirmed with each passing non-competitive season, the Hornets are seen to embed more of a “losing” culture. It does not need to necessarily be true. It just needs to look it.

While the main way to throw off the shackles of the past is to of course start winning, there are steps to take before that can happen. In terms of premium talent acquisition, the Hornets need a lot to be competitive, yet in terms of internal player development, they have long fallen short. Their best success so far, Kemba Walker, is long gone, and arguably their second-best success, Devonte’ Graham, is gone too.

What is also undeniably true is that a series of events over the last few weeks and months has seen this “losing” reputation get only further entrenched. These are not events that are happening on the court – although their lacklustre 3-4 start to this season after a winless preseason certainly is not turning any heads – but off of it, with those in and around the team.

Consider for a minute what has happened to the Hornets since the very end of last season.

1. 13th April: Their season ends limply with a heavy 132-103 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in game, resulting in another postseason-free year.
2. 22th April: Head coach James Borrego is fired.
3. 7th June: Miles Bridges posts a controversial picture on Instagram widely interpreted to be proof of him drinking “lean”, an opioid concoction.
4. 10th June: After a long search, Golden State Warriors assistant and former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson is hired as Borrego’s replacement
5. 13th June: Montrezl Harrell is arrested on felony drug possession charges.
6. 18th June: Atkinson changes his mind, backs out of the commitment and returns to Golden State.
7. 24th June: Steve Clifford hired – the man who Borrego initially replaced after nearly five seasons in charge – is now rehired to replace Borrego.
8. 30th June: Miles Bridges is arrested on felony domestic assault charges after his wife shares pictures on Instagram of injuries she claims he caused.
9. 16th October: James Bouknight is arrested for driving while intoxicated, having been found sleeping at the wheel in the early hours of the morning, an incident that drew comparisons to one he was involved in when at college three years previously.

If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. If there was some good news to counter it with, that would be one thing. Ultimately, though, these stories made up the Hornets’ summer, and when viewed in conjunction with the limited internal player development of the last few seasons, the 2020 suspension for guard Malik Monk for drug problems, and the fact that they have to massively overpay to get anyone without using the draft, and the stench of uncertainty lingers on.

Dealing with them meant doing some post-facto tidying up. Harrell (who signed with the Philadelphia 76ers) and Bridges (who is now unsigned where once he may have been looking at a maximum-value contract) were let go, and the Hornets once again seek to position themselves as a young, feisty underdog team that will entertain as they grow.

If that was true, though, they would surely have something to show for it. As it is, Clifford-Ball is not hugely entertaining, and the quality of the product is not growing. The Hornets remain a team that opponents want to see on their upcoming schedule more than neutral fans want to see their games, and there are no good vibes oozing out from a franchise better identified by salary cap expenditure, 30-win seasons and player arrests. Organisations may win championships, but not like this.