Charlotte Hornets new GM wants to make team the NBA’s ‘premier franchise.’
The Charlotte Hornets held a 25-minute news conference Wednesday to introduce Jeff Peterson, the new head of their basketball operations.
In those 25 minutes, the phrase “premier franchise” — as in becoming the premier franchise of the NBA — was used eight times.
The vision that Peterson and co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin kept referring to was as lofty as Mount Everest. They want to turn this place into the best franchise of the NBA, they kept saying, over and over.
And that’s a laudable vision. But Peterson is a native of Missouri, the Show-Me State, so he’ll understand my skepticism.
That’s all fine to say.
But you’re going to have to show me.
And you’re going to have to show the Hornets’ passionate but frustrated fans, who are suffering through a 15-47 season right now.
In his opening remarks, Peterson set the tone by saying this: “Rick and Gabe have communicated very clearly that we want to turn this thing into the premier franchise in the NBA. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
Obviously, any new guy taking over a team like this needs to sell a vision of hope. That only makes sense. But let’s also be realistic here.
The Hornets haven’t made the NBA playoffs since 2016, the longest playoff drought in the league. They have not only never won an NBA championship, they’ve never made it to the NBA Finals, nor to the Eastern Conference Finals. The most famous shot in team history came in 1993, by Alonzo Mourning, and while it was magnificent, that doesn’t speak well of the ensuing 31 years.
Right now I’d be happy with “relevant franchise.” Just make the playoffs, for gosh sakes. It’s not that high of a bar — 16 out of 30 NBA teams (53.3%) make the field every year. The Hornets, though — their highwater mark over the past eight years has been a couple of appearances in the play-in tournament, whereupon they laid an ostrich egg. Twice.
Charlotte Hornets Co-Chairmen Gabe Plotkin, left, and Rick Schnall, right, announce Jeff Peterson, center, as its Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations during a press conference at Spectrum Center on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Peterson becomes the organization’s chief basketball decision maker while also being responsible for leading the team’s day-to-day basketball operations. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Peterson was light on specifics for the entire news conference, referring to this season’s final 20 games as an evaluation period. He’s only 35 and has risen quickly through the NBA front-office ranks, and his previous connections with Schnall with the Atlanta Hawks undoubtedly helped him to get this job.
Peterson has the unwieldy title of “executive vice president of basketball operations,” but for simplicity’s sake, I’ll just refer to him as the new GM. He’s the general manager of the roster and the director of the team’s day-to-day basketball operations, although Schnall and Plotnik remain involved in personnel decisions (like Panthers owner David Tepper in several ways, although Tepper receives loads more criticism for it).
With practically the entire Charlotte roster at a press conference attended by about 100 people, most of them Hornets employees, it was understandable that Peterson didn’t say something like, “Yeah, we’ll probably turn over at least half this roster in the offseason, because it’s just not getting the job done.”
Charlotte Hornets players including LaMelo Ball (far left) await the arrival of Jeff Peterson before a news conference on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Peterson is the team’s new director of basketball operations and its chief decision-maker on future rosters. Scott Fowler sfowler@charlotteobserver.com
But make no mistake, this is a team that needs major refurbishment, even with the trades in February that provided a lift.
LaMelo Ball is a great player who can’t stay healthy. Mark Williams is a good player who can’t stay healthy. Brandon Miller is an absolutely superb rookie and in my mind the most valuable player of the 2023-24 season for Charlotte. Miles Bridges will want big money to stay; Peterson will need to determine if he’s worth it. Head coach Steve Clifford, in his second stint with the Hornets, hasn’t been able to make the team a solid defensive squad, which is what he was hired to do.
