Feels good to have an article called “Hornets Playoff Time:Coming Soon”. It feels even better to know that the #KeepSwarming train would really have to derail in order for the Hornets to not make the playoffs this year. The Eastern Conference has definitely been a tight race all the way to the finish, and although we haven’t officially clenched a playoff spot, I firmly believe that we will be doing that quite soon.
I was recently blessed with the opportunity to have lunch with Mr. Rich Cho this past Wednesday. Mr. Cho wanted to sit with some of the blog sites for the home team to just hang out and talk basketball. He said that it didn’t have to be specific to the Hornets, and it could entail anything in general. I will be the first to admit that I was CRAZY nervous. For Trade Street Post, getting a chance to sit with the GM of our beloved Hornets was going to be a dream-come-true for me. I’ve always wanted to sit with him, and this was actually something that was supposed to happen a few years ago. Those few years ago, no one could get their schedules to mesh with his, and the opportunity passed by. For the past few years, I’ve always asked and hinted that I would like to meet with him and chat, but I never felt that anyone was listening. Imagine my surprise when I received an email inviting myself and a few other blog sites to come have lunch and talk with Mr. Cho. It was truly a highlight of my time running this site. Within 30 minutes, I had RSVP’d and was on the phone with my wife, telling her what I had been blessed to do.
See, for me, this is extraordinarily special because this is just a hobby. Following the Hornets is just something that I do because the Charlotte Hornets are my only true sports passion (other than watching my 12 year old play baseball). There have been so many dark days as a Bobcats fan and as a Hornets fan…I look back on that 7-win season, and I have no idea how I ever had the strength to keep the site rolling. The game recaps where we were losing game after game; they were just laughable. How many ways can one person describe that many losses? I always found a way, or some of my other writers would help in the effort. I’ve had as many as 5-6 writers, and as few as 1. Currently, for this season, I have floated mostly as a site of 1, with contribution articles being posted by my host site, or an occasional recap by Matt Ferrie. You could call this year the season of Andrew, because I’ve been doing all I can to keep content here.
Let me bounce back to last Wednesday for now. Trade Street Post, At the Hive, Bring Back the Buzz, and Queen City Hoops were all represented at our lunch. It was great to sit with these guys and just talk Hornets Basketball. My nervousness shone through as Mr. Cho arrived, because I think I gave the weakest, “dead fish” handshake that I’ve ever given. My nerves definitely had the best of me. I had questions written down to ask, but since I didn’t know what exactly to expect, I kept them in my pocket. I might have been the most nervous person there, so, of course, we began by going around the table to introduce ourselves, our sites, and what our content was. Wouldn’t you know that I was first? I noticed that the more I described the site, my content, and general information about myself, I was instantly calm, cool, and collected. The words came effortlessly. It felt like Mr. Cho asked me a hundred questions and I felt like I gave a 15 minute speech about the history of the site, what our goals were, what I did for a living, etc. When I was finished, I felt like Rich was genuinely interested in what I did, what our site has to offer, and overall, I felt like there was a connection.
The beauty of this meeting was that I feel that we all gained a new respect for just how in depth the scouting is for a player. We learned just how in depth Mr. Cho’s database goes with players. In the end, I felt like I shouldn’t ever have the need to question any decisions that the Hornets organization ever makes in regards to player personnel. They think it through a great deal. We discussed successful signings, not so successful signing, draft picks, trade rumors, and lack thereof, and even what WE, as direct links to fans, hear that fans do not like about the team and its decisions. Every site seemed to be on the same page in terms of questions that we were asking Rich, and, in turn, Rich would answer them as best he could, without revealing too much to us. By the end of the lunch, I had so many warm fuzzy feelings about the organization as a whole.
Rich got to laugh with me as I talked about how I defend the organization like family. I was discussing how fans of other teams may go after us or poke fun at us, but I’ve always defended the team like family. I said that probably makes me sound like a crazy person. Mr. Cho laughed and said, “Keep doing what you’re doing”. It made me feel good. I love this franchise. I can remember when it left Charlotte and it left a huge void in my heart. As soon as Charlotte got another team, that void was filled. It’s taken a while to fill completely because there have been many years of some ugly basketball, but we are now at a point where Hornets Basketball means something again in the Queen City. National media is paying attention to us now, and the future looks bright.
One question that was asked by Mr. Cho at the luncheon was where did WE think the Hornets would be seeded and how far could they go in the playoffs. I will share only my answer. I said that I fully believed that the Hornets could be a 4-5 seed in the playoffs. All it takes is for everyone to be healthy, all of the pieces to be meshing together, and we continue to play basketball in the way that is comfortable to us. When we do that, there are few teams in this league that can beat us. I also stated that I could easily see us playing in the Eastern Conference Finals. It all depends on the matchups. I don’t believe that the Cavaliers will just waltz their way into the NBA Finals. I finished by Stating that at the beginning of the season, I fully believed that this team could win 50 games.
Rich ended the luncheon by repeating all of our names and sites back to us and telling us that if we see him at the games, to say hi. That’s something that I have had the chance to do before, but have never done. Now, I feel that I can do it and he will remember who I am.
Flash forward to today, when we will be facing the San Antonio Spurs. We are 39-30, and there are 13 games let in the season. I need 11 wins to hit that 50-game win total. We have dropped games to Denver and Dallas in the past week. Do I still think we can win 50 games? I think I’m going to back off a little and say 48 wins. It’s entirely possible if we play the right way. Is the 4-5 seed possible? I still say yes. Like I said, I’m the eternal optimist.
By the way, after that lunch last Wednesday, I had won “Pete’s Seats” for the game against Orlando that night. Now, my hometown is Hickory, NC, which is an hour from Charlotte. I drove down an hour for the luncheon and an hour back home. Now you may be wondering why I drove back home if I had tickets for the game. The answer is a simple one. The long-standing tradition in my family has always been that my mom and I would stand in line at the mall, waiting to buy tickets for the Hornets 1.0, back in the 80s/90s. It’s a tradition that we have always had, and will always have. We love our Hornets and are fans tried and true. So, I drove from Hickory to Charlotte to Hickory to Charlotte to Hickory so that my mom and I could cheer the Hornets on to a victory. And the Hornets did win! Would we do it again? Every chance we get we will do it.
Let’s beat those Spurs tonight and #KeepSwarming our way to a home court advantage in the playoffs!
Let’s Go Hornets!
By the way…thank you Mr. Rich Cho, Brian Travis, and the Hornets organization for taking the time to talk to the blog sites. I think we are the best liaison between the fans and the organization. Sometimes being objective isn’t easy when you’re a fan as well as a blogger but it’s a burden I happily bear. I saw Rich at the game and I waived at him. He waived back. I truly believe he remembers me now.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
