WEBVTT -  Hornets Have Issues as the Season Gets Started

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<v Speaker 1>So on. TikTok, a fan of the heat Check, sent

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<v Speaker 1>me a message with the following question, why aren't we

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<v Speaker 1>talking about the Charlotte Hornets as a dysfunctional team. That's

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<v Speaker 1>a good question, you know what, I guess because they're

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<v Speaker 1>not relevant in any way from a contending standpoint. But

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<v Speaker 1>still in terms of dysfunction function, what's your function? It's

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<v Speaker 1>right up there? How come where's Miles Bridges? Does anyone

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<v Speaker 1>know what his timeline is? Is there a timeline? Is

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<v Speaker 1>there a timeline with the Hornets and Miles Bridges? Am

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<v Speaker 1>I out of the loop because I feel like I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know what's going on there? I have no idea.

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<v Speaker 1>Is he he was supposed to get the max contract.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think they've rescinded his offer. Who knows, But listen,

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<v Speaker 1>when you've got your centerpiece outside of Lamello ball, your

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<v Speaker 1>other centerpiece star going down for domestic violence against all

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<v Speaker 1>kinds of folks, that's strike one. That's absolutely chaos. That

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<v Speaker 1>was one of the things that was talked about most

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<v Speaker 1>a summer league is like, what's gonna happen with Miles Bridges?

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<v Speaker 1>Like what's Charlotte gonna do? And up until a few

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<v Speaker 1>days ago, there was pretty much no news about him.

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<v Speaker 1>Right now we learn that his domestic violence case has

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<v Speaker 1>been pushed back from September twenty ninth to October seventh.

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<v Speaker 1>That is the third time, folks, that has been postponed. Presumably,

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<v Speaker 1>nothing's going to happen concerning his future until all of

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<v Speaker 1>this is finalized. But I tell you what, it's a

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<v Speaker 1>big time storm cloud over a franchise. We know that

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<v Speaker 1>Sports Illustrated reported the Bridge's status to possibly rejoin the

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<v Speaker 1>Charlotte Hornets before the start of the season, very much

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<v Speaker 1>in doubt, obviously, like yeah, okay, captain obvious, there you are.

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<v Speaker 1>Great reporting, and as his whole career in the NBA

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<v Speaker 1>as a whole, I mean, did you see the photos?

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<v Speaker 1>Fucking obviously the kind of risk that you face when

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<v Speaker 1>you're not facing one but three felony counts, including two

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<v Speaker 1>felony child abuse charges. So that's just one thing facing

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<v Speaker 1>the Charlotte Hornets. The best thing I think about all

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<v Speaker 1>of the issues in drama and chaos surrounding these NBA

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<v Speaker 1>teams is they all have their own brand of fucked up.

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<v Speaker 1>Like there's not like an overarching theme this year each one.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean it's just kind of like dealer's choice. We've

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<v Speaker 1>got we've got isms, we've got abuse, we've got sexual misconduct,

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<v Speaker 1>we have vulgar language like Adam Levine sexting. I imagine

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<v Speaker 1>that's gotta be one reason why no one's talking about

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<v Speaker 1>the Hornets very much. Horn it's also other questions that

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<v Speaker 1>they have to deal with. First, do we have clarity

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<v Speaker 1>on why Kenny Atkinson decided to say no to the

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<v Speaker 1>deal was in writing, the ink was drying, and he

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<v Speaker 1>decided last minute to pull a switch THROO does anyone

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<v Speaker 1>know why? Truthfully? Like what really happened? Because I liked it?

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<v Speaker 1>Know he chose to remain an assistant rather than take

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<v Speaker 1>a head coaching job. Who does that? As Brian Windhorst

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<v Speaker 1>would say, why would he do that? Very weird? What

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<v Speaker 1>did he see? What came out? Maybe it was Miles Bridges,

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<v Speaker 1>who knows. I need clarification. It's very very rare that

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<v Speaker 1>an NBA franchise is left at the altar by a

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<v Speaker 1>potential head coach. Another question looming, where is Gordon Hayward.

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<v Speaker 1>What's happening with him? He was this huge part of

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<v Speaker 1>the off season rumor mill and just nothing. He was

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<v Speaker 1>supposed to go to Brooklyn, maybe maybe Utah for picks,

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<v Speaker 1>apparently staying put in Charlotte and Yward. He's a good player,

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<v Speaker 1>always injured, and which is why being ruled out for

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<v Speaker 1>the first preseason game is hardly surprising, but also problematic.

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<v Speaker 1>Knee injury again acting up and if you're a Hornets fan,

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<v Speaker 1>for the amount of money that they've paid him, that's

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<v Speaker 1>got to be concerning coming out of the late offseason,

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<v Speaker 1>when you're supposed to be at your healthiest. The fact

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<v Speaker 1>that you're getting a late scratch coming off of a

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<v Speaker 1>glorified scrimmage. I would put that in the category of

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<v Speaker 1>rout row third. At one point, I didn't even remember

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<v Speaker 1>who the head coach of the Hornets is at this

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<v Speaker 1>very moment, think to yourself, do not google this. Who's

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<v Speaker 1>the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets right now? Yeah?

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<v Speaker 1>Who is he? Venture? Guests? Is he young? Is he old?

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<v Speaker 1>Has he ever coached before? These are all questions that

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<v Speaker 1>I couldn't remember. It's Steve Clifford. Steve Clifford. If you're

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<v Speaker 1>saying to yourself, wait, didn't he already coach the Charlotte Hornets,

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<v Speaker 1>Yes he did, Folks, he also coached the Orlando Magic.

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<v Speaker 1>He's partying like his twenty sixteen all over again, second

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<v Speaker 1>time around for good old cliff who probably shouldn't have

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<v Speaker 1>been the fall guy for the Orlando Magic because truthfully,

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<v Speaker 1>as bad as he is and was, he still figured

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<v Speaker 1>out a way to make Vussovich look serviceable enough where

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<v Speaker 1>the Chicago Bulls paid four first round picks for him,

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<v Speaker 1>so he was doing something right. He didn't make him

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<v Speaker 1>look like as much of a defensive liability as he

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<v Speaker 1>is in Chicago. They gutted the Magic like the fishing

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<v Speaker 1>tournament director on TikTok who sliced open those fish only

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<v Speaker 1>to find lead weights in their bellies. Like it was

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<v Speaker 1>like that, right Clifford coached. In case you want a

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<v Speaker 1>little history of lesson, he coached the Hornets from twenty

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<v Speaker 1>thirteen to twenty and eighteen. He knows Mike, he knows

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<v Speaker 1>this organization that at that point was his very first

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<v Speaker 1>head coaching job, and yet still he chose to come

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<v Speaker 1>back after being fired. Isn't this kind of like being

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<v Speaker 1>dumped by your high school girlfriend who leaves you for

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<v Speaker 1>another guy, and then then she dumps him just for

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<v Speaker 1>the chance to date Kenny Atkinson. And then when Kenny

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<v Speaker 1>Atkinson bolts, she comes back and he's like, it's always

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<v Speaker 1>been me and you, you know, like, hey, baby, whatch

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<v Speaker 1>you doing wid on the late night tip? It's ever.

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<v Speaker 1>I can't stop thinking about all those good times that

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<v Speaker 1>me and you had back in Chuck's Notes twenty fourteen,

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<v Speaker 1>what Steve Clifford came home to Charlotte? What does it mean?

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<v Speaker 1>Probably a lot of lamellow ball, probably not much Gordon Hayward.

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<v Speaker 1>Probably a lot of Kelly Oubray chucking. But honestly, that

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<v Speaker 1>could have been any coach except for Kenny Atkinson. He

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<v Speaker 1>would have not let that stand. No shot. Jalen Duran.

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<v Speaker 1>Jalen Duran, No Aylan Duran's a Detroit piston. Mark Williams

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<v Speaker 1>looking around thinking, what have we gotten ourselves into? The

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<v Speaker 1>Charlotte Hornets, folks, You're right, they should be in the

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<v Speaker 1>bucket of most dysfunctional organizations. I am sorry I didn't

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<v Speaker 1>bring them up. They don't exactly come top of mind.