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Charlotte Hornets
Overall: 83
Title track: 112
Ownership: 84
Coaching: T88
Players: 101
Fan relations: 93
Affordability: 39
Stadium experience: 83
Bang for the buck: 40
Change from last year: -54
As the Hornets learned last season, what seems like a good idea -- like signing Lance Stephenson -- sometimes isn't. A borderline contender entering the season, Charlotte went 33-49 and dropped 54 spots in our rankings.
What's good
The Hornets have ranked among the NBA's best franchises in affordability for the past two seasons, thanks to a $30.60 game ticket (only 40 cents more than the cheapest in the league), $5 parking (the NBA's best deal) and a league-low $47.77 average cost per game (more than $30 cheaper than the NBA average). That also assists their bang for the buck rating, which, while it dropped from the previous year, is still among the top 40 in all of pro sports. Not bad for a team with a losing record and no superstar draw on the roster.
What's bad
No surprise for a team that hasn't made it out of the first round since 2002, the Hornets' lowest score came in title track, where, at 112, they're third worst in the NBA. At 101, their second-worst showing was in the players category, a 60-spot drop from last year. That was in large part due to the play of Stephenson, who had performed very well in Indiana but bombed in the Queen City after signing a three-year, $27 million contract. Factoid from the Charlotte Observer's Scott Fowler: Of every NBA player in history with at least 100 attempts in a single season from 3-point range, Stephenson shot the lowest percentage last year (17.1). So GM Rich Cho traded Stephenson to the Clippers in June.
What's new
Besides that big drop in the players category, fan relations also fell a whopping 63 slots, and coaching dropped 55, down to 88th overall. If anyone can increase that players score, it's Wisconsin star and fan favorite Frank Kaminsky, whom the Hornets chose as their top draft pick (ninth overall). Add Kaminsky to a stable of steady vets, including Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who signed a four-year extension in August, now will miss six months with a shoulder injury), alongside fresh faces like Jeremy Lin, Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lamb, and the Hornets could see themselves back on the right side of the standings next year. The ever-competitive Michael Jordan, who no doubt didn't like that 28-spot drop in ownership, is counting on it.
Next: Detroit Pistons | Full rankings