Charlotte Hornets Offseason Analysis: On the Road to Relevancy?

Written by Dylan Hunter Carter

It has been a struggle for the Charlotte Hornets’ fan base to watch their team lose over the past decade. North Carolina is undoubtedly a passionate basketball state with notoriety coming from their various NCAA titles and as Michael Jordan’s home state. The Hornets once shared the notoriety of the state in the days of Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson, and Muggsy Bogues; although those days are long gone. The Hornets now spend their days as a middle of the run team in the weak Eastern Conference.

After a season in limbo, missing playoffs but also missing out on a top 5 draft pick, the Hornets seem to be ready to take a step into relevancy. General Manager Richard Cho made some under the radar moves with the Trail Blazers and the Thunder to increase their young core. The team acquired Jack of All Traits, Nicolas Batum for Noah Vonleh and Gerald Henderson. They also acquired UConn alumni Jeremy Lamb for Luke Ridnour. These trades bring athleticism and versatility to a team who is still learning what their play style should be centered around.

Now in a contract year, veteran bigman Al Jefferson is expected to make a big impact on the team after an unfortunately injury plagued season. Jefferson was fantastic in his first two seasons with Charlotte, even making his way onto the All NBA 3rd Team. Jefferson’s experience and his vast skill set in the post can be a huge asset for the Hornets as they attempt to develop young bigmen Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky.

Kaminsky was drafted with the 9th pick in the draft back in June. He had a great 4 year career with the Wisconsin Badgers, but many people questioned the Hornets’ choice due to his lack of athleticism. Kaminsky had an impressive Summer League and shut down those who questioned his abilities. Kaminsky is also an impressive shooter which is important with the change of pace that the Warriors have brought into the NBA. Kaminsky is very capable of coming into the NBA and making an impact on his team. The main issue that the Hornets face is that they have a plethora of bigmen and not enough impact coming from the wing.

Kemba Walker, coming into his 5th season in the NBA and has subtly made a huge impact on the Hornets. Walker has become the definite point guard of the team and a clear leader for younger talent. At 25 years old, Kemba Walker has already brought him team into the playoffs and is easily averaging 16.3 points for his career. Walker’s biggest issue in his young NBA career has been health. Walker has struggled to keep his knees and legs healthy over the past few seasons. With Walker fully recovered after undergoing surgery in January, the Hornets have potential to improve exponentially.

Although they lost Bismack Biyombo to the Toronto Raptors in Free Agency, the Hornets had successful offseason. Although his stats over the past few years suggest otherwise, Nicolas Batum is still an incredibly effective player and will help Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson to lead this team back into the postseason. The Hornets haven’t won a playoff series since 2002, and with a weak Eastern Conference, this is the Hornets’ time to shine.

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Can Sam Bradford resurrect his career in Philadelphia?

 

Written by Taylor Odenat

With a Heisman Trophy win under his belt, Sam Bradford was the dominant prospect on the 2010 NFL Draft board. St. Louis held the No.1 pick and was in need of a leader of the franchise, they believed Bradford could be that leader. Bradford’s throwing arm and accuracy intrigued the Rams and with a strong core of wide receivers at his side, a rugged runner in Steven Jackson and a competent defense; the Rams believed they had a bright future ahead of them.

After an abysmal 1-15 record the season prior, the 2010-2011 St. Louis Rams finished 7-9 and second in the NFC West. Bradford looked quite sharp, even eclipsing Peyton Manning’s record for most completed passes by an NFL rookie quarterback, and eventually won the NFC Offensive Player of the Year Award. He started all 16 games and showed signs of a player that was durable and strong-armed that the Rams could stabilize around.

With such a productive season behind them, the Rams and Sam Bradford were poised to continue climbing the ladder of the NFC West and return to the Divisional Playoffs for the first time since 2004. However, the expectations were extreme and Bradford’s injury-riddled career would begin during the 2011-2012 season and the Rams would finish with a 2-14 record.

Disregarding the 2010-2011 season, Bradford has never seem to be able to stay on the football field and it hurt his team in the process. Head Coach Jeff Fisher passed up on drafting a superstar prospect out of Baylor, quarterback Robert Griffin III, in anticipation that Bradford would be healthy and ready to play again. Coach Fisher thought wrong as Sam would continuously suffer more and more injuries whether it be a high ankle sprain or a torn left ACL (twice).

Fast forward to the 2014-2015 season and the Rams have suffered three straight seasons without going to the Wild Card Round or the Divisional Playoffs. Now former franchise quarterback, Sam Bradford, has re-torn his left ACL after a pretty solid seven games; and now the Rams have no other choice but to trade him.

In the offseason after the 2014-2015 season, Bradford was traded to to the Philadelphia Eagles along with a 2015 fifth round pick, in exchange for Nick Foles, a 2015 fourth-round pick, and a 2016 second-round pick. Nick Foles proved himself as an accurate pocket passer and should be able to display to the Rams fans and organization that he is worthy of being the starter. However, Bradford’s situation is on a different level. He needs to exhibit the same talent and throwing arm that earned him the Heisman Trophy and starter job for the Rams if he wants to continue to call himself an NFL player.

It's surprising that Bradford has been able to last this long being such an injury-riddled player. However, this stint with Philadelphia is a new chapter of his career. If he plays it wisely he can prove himself to be an elite quarterback and worthy of being the No.1 pick back in the 2010 Draft. On the other hand, if Bradford doesn't make good use of this opportunity, the Eagles will start Mark Sanchez instead, resurrecting a career that many thought had died with the New York Jets a couple seasons ago. In doing that, Bradford will fade into NFL oblivion becoming just another player that won the Heisman Trophy; and I don't think he wants to be on ESPN performing color commentary just yet.

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Where do the Jets Stand Before the 2015-2016 Season?

Written by Dylan Hunter Carter

With the NFL season officially underway, many fans speculate about the future of the league and about which teams may develop into winners. A team getting a lot of attention is the New York Jets. Although they spent years falling out of the playoffs into irrelevance, the Jets are finally in a situation where they may be able to emerge as playoff contenders. After parting ways with head coach Rex Ryan and reuniting with elite cornerback, Darrelle Revis, the Jets are ready to reinvent themselves. Todd Bowles, former defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals and NFL player, signed a 4 year contract as head coach for the team and is ready to prove himself worthy of a head coaching position.

After two years, two teams, and 1 Super Bowl ring, Darrelle Revis is back home in New York where he hopes to ignite passion into the Jets’ mediocre defense. Revis’ 5 year, $70 million dollar contract secures that the Jets can continue to build their team around his strengths and weaknesses for years to come. With the 6th pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Jets selected USC defensive end Leonard Williams because of his impressive size and speed. Williams showed signs of dominance against the Falcons in preseason, recording a Safety and a Sack. If Leonard can come up with big plays like such as he develops with time, he can be an important part of the growing Jets defense.

While the Jets’ defense is expanding, their offense is still suffering. Previous starting quarterback Geno Smith had his jaw broken by Ik Enemkpali over a $600 debt in early August. Although he has been recovering and working towards his return, Smith will not be available for the first game of the season. Veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is the projected starter with 4th round pick Bryce Petty as his backup. While neither are the best option for a starting quarterback, each has the potential to excel in Geno’s absence and possibly even after his return. It’s been reported that the Jets front office wants Smith to earn his way back into his spot. Smith had an incredibly inconsistent season, totaling 13 Touchdown thrown and 13 interceptions thrown. While he has shown signs of great potential, Smith still needs to work extremely hard to help his team win games.

The Jets will kick off against the Cleveland Browns in MetLife Stadium tomorrow at 1:00 PM. This will begin what shall be an uphill battle for the Jets, but with lots of work and a bit of luck, the Jets may work their way into the playoffs as a Wild Card.

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