I have my opinions on this, being a Hornets fan for over a decade. But I am still wondering who others think is the best Hornet ever. You can have multiples, but provide a description for WHY you think that player is the best. Not necessarily the best right now, but the best of all time. It seems that this is one franchise that doesn't hang on to their good players for more than four or five seasons, so it seems that several players have good claims to this title.
Hmmm...I guess since no one's answered this in almost a week, I'll post my opinion. I think Glen Rice is the best Hornet ever. Although LJ and Zo had 20-10 seasons as Hornets, Rice had a much[/i] better scoring average, and was a better leader. Rice not only got a lot of league exposure for his '97 season(3rd in L in scoring, several all-star game scoring records, all-star game MVP, all-NBA 2nd team), he posted the highest single season and career scoring averages in Hornets history. He also lead the Hornets to the most wins over a two season period in the '97 and '98 years. I'd put Zo 2nd, BDiddy 3rd, LJ 4th, Muggsy 5th, Dell Curry 6th, Mash 7th, David Wesley 8th, Mason 9th, and Eddie Jones 10th.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting ObieCent:</div><div class="quote_post">Did Glen Rice ever play at the same level as Zo? (no ryhme intended)</div> Yea, i think he did...the trade benefited both teams. Rice in 96-97 shot 207-440 3pts for 47%!!! That's amazing...That was possibly the greatest shooting exhibition for a season ever...the best I've ever seen that's for sure... btw, i know it was a shortened 3pt line, but still...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting ObieCent:</div><div class="quote_post">Alonzo Mourning! Did Glen Rice ever play at the same level as Zo? No (no ryhme intended)</div> Umm... Can you say Hell Yeah? In Alonzo's three season's with the Hornets, his scoring was 21.0, 21.5, and 21.3. His rebounding went down all three years, from 10.3, 10.2, to 9.9. His blocks also went down each year. In Rice's first season as a Hornet, his average was 21.6, his lowest as a Hornet but higher than any of Zo's seasons. He then proceded to average 26.8, and then 22.3. As for wins, with Zo the Hornets were 135-111, while with Rice they were 146-100. Both were for three season periods. And even though Zo was known for his vaunted intensity and winning attitude, the Hornets had the same amount of success in the playoffs with Rice as with Zo. One first round exit and one second round exit.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting deestillballin:</div><div class="quote_post">Alonzo Mourning or Larry Johnson</div> Do you ever give reasons why in any of your posts? <div class="quote_poster">Quoting ObieCent:</div><div class="quote_post">Alonzo Mourning! Did Glen Rice ever play at the same level as Zo? No (no ryhme intended)</div> Were you even old enough to see Rice play in his prime? Rice was clearly the man, his play was MVP worthy no question. He could score 35 on you any night, he would run the floor very well and flush it with two hands (emphatically) LJ and Zo should have lead this franchise to a title, but were just too young and stubborn (of course LJ's health did not help) Rice LJ Zo Davis Mashburn (could have been number 1 if not for his health) Bogues (help put this team on the map)
Rice was in his prime with Charlotte, he was not only a great shooter, but a legitimate scoring threat with multiple weapons. Lay-Jay is up there with 'Zo, but to me Rice was the all-time (Charlotte) Hornet. BTW - Speaking of the original Hornets, Kurt Rambis also enjoyed his best statistical seasons in Charlotte and helped guys like Muggsy and K. Tripucka put the team on the map. More original Hornets: Kenny Gattison, Sam or Jay Vincent? - can't recall, Rafeal Addison, Rex Chapman. - All off the top of my head, I could be off by a year or two on Chapman and Vincent. Just testing my memory, I guess if you can actually remember any original Hornets it's a sure sign of getting old!
I have to say Glen Rice is the best Hornet of all time. Second on the list would be Muggsy. I gave Rice the nod over Larry Johnson because of the injury LJ suffered to his back. LJ was destined to superstardom if it wasn't for that injury. Muggsy lead the NBA in A/T ratio for a number of seasons. He really was the one to hold the Hornets together during their playoff runs. Too bad an injury also slowed him down. However, in a couple years it could likely be Baron Davis.
I gotta say LJ. He was the first huge Hornets superstar and ultimately led them to legit status..I gotta give props to King Rex too...I always had a soft spot for that cat. LOL
I think that Zo defines the Hornets for me. Maybe when Baron Davis finishes he can replace Zo but that Zo/LJ team that lost to the bulls in the playoffs was the best Hornets team in my opinion. But how come nobody mentioned Kelly tipuka(misspelled) :mrgreen:
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Henacy:</div><div class="quote_post">I think that Zo defines the Hornets for me. Maybe when Baron Davis finishes he can replace Zo but that Zo/LJ team that lost to the bulls in the playoffs was the best Hornets team in my opinion. But how come nobody mentioned Kelly tipuka(misspelled) :mrgreen:</div> No one mentions Tripucka because he was on the decline in his years in Charlotte, putting up his best numbers in Detroit, and because his numbers were inflated by the fact that he was the only real scorer in the team's 1st season, so the ball invariably went to him. But as guys like Johnny Newman and Rex blossomed into better scorers and the Bugs picked up Armon Gilliam for Rambo, Tripucka's numbers fell in only his second season with the team. And he was pretty much pushed out of the rotation after they drafted Kendall Gill. The '95 Hornets with Zo and LJ were good, and I watched every single playoff game for them. Although some might say they were the worst Hornets playoff team of the 90's('93 they made the 2nd rd, '97 they had the best record in franchise history, '98 they won 50 and made the 2nd rd), I disagree. The Hornets lost to the Bulls 3-1, but that 1(also the one game of the series I attended in person) was the only loss the Chicago Bulls suffered in the 1st round throughout all the 90's. Pretty impressive for the Hornets(although more impressive for the Bulls, since it still left them at 27-1).
g money, of course i am biased because he was, i suppose actually still is, my favorite player (please retire rice your were too good to have to be floundering with the clips). both zo' and lj were both really good as well but in rice's seasons with the hornets he put up outstanding numbers including a really high ppg which ranked top 5 in the league.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting wolfman50:</div><div class="quote_post">g money, of course i am biased because he was, i suppose actually still is, my favorite player (please retire rice your were too good to have to be floundering with the clips). both zo' and lj were both really good as well but in rice's seasons with the hornets he put up outstanding numbers including a really high ppg which ranked top 5 in the league.</div> I disagree(not about Rice being the best, but about retiring). He's my favorite Hornet of all time too, but I'd like to see him hit 20,000 points, which he still has a ways(but not too far) to go in order to reach this plateau. And he did rank in the top five, coming in third to Jordan and Malone in '97, and then 6th in '98. High caliber, definitely. As my family liked to say back in the mid 90's, the Hornets attack was like an Indian dish, Rice and Curry.
