bobcats formula for success:

[gman15]

just my opinion, but i think this will help us win more games and put more fans in the seats through familiarity:
#1: hire either larry brown or paul silas (both have connections- mj has to reconnect to the fans' hearts...brown, of course having ties to chapel hill, with strong NC basketball ties...and silas, having coached the hornets during some great hornets years)
#2: pick up an ESTABLISHED nba unc player (i.e. Antawn Jamison, Jerry Stackhouse, Brendan Haywood) through any means necessary- obviously, HUGE unc fan base in this area
#3: pick up a hornets player from the past (i.e. Baron Davis, maybe David Wesley?, Ricky Davis, Brad Miller, Eddie Jones)
#4: get one of the players from this year's final four unc team through the draft - we've all been watching these guys and know who they are...

i know we would have to free up some space to make all of this work but i think we all know who needs to go and who stays...

also, i am not a diehard unc fan, so i am not trying to just bring in unc players, but i just have a feeling this would work because of the talent and, like i said before, the obvious unc fan base in this area

thanks for reading...what's everyones thoughts on this? i think this would turn the franchise around over the summer

[dnbman]

I don't think they have to cater to the UNC crowd. All they have to do is put a team on the court that plays hard and wins. If the team is winning, the players will endear themselves to the fans no matter where they are from.

Focusing on UNC players has the double-edged sword effect of making our team look like they're catering exclusively to the Tarheal massive, while ignoring the legitimate needs of a winning team. Obviously, if a great player could help us win and he had NC connections, that would be helpful. But, talent comes far before local connection.

[Alex]

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

This is what the organization has done from the start. They have focused on trying to get people in the seats by catering to the fans needs instead of the teams. It has already been proven that bringing in tarhole players won't do anything to attendance. Why would they bring an old Hornets player?? The fans didn't go see them when they made the playoffs in their last season here so why would they now?

There is only one way, well maybe two ways, that this franchise will rise from mediocrity. We need to get our hands on a superstar with incredible marketing potential (remember what LeBron did to the Cavs?), or we need to basically start winning, with or without a superstar.

Until one of those two things happen (or a combo of both) nobody in the city or the country will care about the Bobcats.

[ohara831]

Catering to UNC fans is not going to help. Getting the very best players and winning is what will help. Regardless of where they played.

We need to sign Vincent to a long term Contract to ease his mind of being fired. Then, he will be free to use his creativity and genius to guide us to a Championship! Let the crowd roar: WE LOVE SAM!!! WE LOVE SAM!!! WE LOVE SAM!!! He is just so good, it scares me. He is just playing "dumb" to get the competition off guard. Next season, watch out!!!

OK, I admit it. It was my April Fools Joke - a few days late. But I know I had some of you shaking your heads, didn't I? Gotcha!!

[TheBeagle]

Point 1 I agree with absolutely. After that, not at all. Would I love to see Antawn in Charlotte? Damn straight. Would I love to see BDiddy back in Charlotte? I couldn't turn him down. As a Tar Heel, I would love to have Tyler on our team....BUT none of these are necessary for this team to be a success in Charlotte. Unless I'm mistaken, the Hornets were an incredible success in Charlotte from 1988-1998. During these years they had ONE Tar Heel on their team: J.R. Reid, and he was one of the biggest busts they had in the draft during that span of exceptional excitement and sell outs. That fanbase was in love with Muggsy, Dell, Tripuka, LJ, Zo (first year, at least), Glen Rice, and even Matt Geiger; none of which had UNC ties.

The formula you've proposed is a formula for the misguided.

[gman15]

thanks for all the replies...i just thought it would be necessary to sign unc players because of the whole "bad taste" thing that the nba left in the fans' mouths when the hornets left...and i thought a logical way to help revive these fans was to bridge the gap between college (which is obviously much stronger in this area right now) and the nba, and i was thinking the most immediate way to do that would be to cater to the unc fan base (which is probably the largest fan base in this area)...

[Alex]

College basketball will ALWAYS be bigger in this area, it was bigger when the Hornets were selling out every game.

You're missing the point. College basketball fans love college basketball because of the passion, the rivalries, the atmosphere; these are all things that the Bobcats don't have but things they could have if they ever became good. This city will not support a loser.

[ammofan]

forumla for success:

Current team-Sam Vincent+Good Draft=success!!!!

[ohara831]

forumla for success:

Current team-Sam Vincent+Good Draft=success!!!!
________________________________________________

Simplicity is always a good way to go. I just have a funny feeling that next season, Sam is still on the bench. I think it will be "make the Playoffs or your Conract is not renewed" for Sam.

[ammofan]

forumla for success:

Current team-Sam Vincent+Good Draft=success!!!!
________________________________________________

Simplicity is always a good way to go. I just have a funny feeling that next season, Sam is still on the bench. I think it will be "make the Playoffs or your Conract is not renewed" for Sam.


I have had that cross my mind as well but I am trying to assume that FHB will be fired.

[Slam]

Ya, 'cause the last two UNC guys we picked to help put bums on seats worked out reallllllllllllllllllllll well.

How about we look forward to the future rather than keeping on looking in the past?