Michael Jordan's Big Offseason Free Agent Signing Is A Mess
Chuck Burton/AP While the NBA world continues to dissect what's wrong with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Charlotte Hornets are quietly the biggest disappointment in the Eastern Conference.
Charlotte is 4-12. They've lost seven in a row, and nine out of their last 10.
The most worrying part of their slow start is what's going on with Lance Stephenson. The Hornets signed Stephenson to a three-year, $27-million contract this summer. He was supposed to give the team some much-needed wing scoring and bolster a defensive unit that was already ranked 5th in 2013. Hornets owner Michael Jordan even described him as a LeBron-stopper in a preseason interview.
Stephenson is a mess right now. He's averaging fewer than 10 points per game and shooting an abysmal 37% from the field (including 20% from 3-point range). One NBA scout called him out of shape.
In Wednesday's loss to the Blazers, he was benched for the entire fourth quarter. After the game, coach Steve Clifford said he's not a star player:
"To be fair, one of the things that's made it more difficult for him is that he came here and people proclaimed him as the next superstar. He's not a star. He's a guy that has talent to become a star. To be a star in this league, you have to do it over years."
Stephenson has taken the high road in the media, saying it's up to him to work himself back into the lineup (via Charlotte Observer):
"Hey it’s the coach’s decision. If he doesn’t play me in the fourth I’m just going to continue to work hard and do what it takes to win. Other than that I think I’m good. We just need to work harder."
To make matters worse, there's now a report that Stephenson was the reason for Roy Hibbert's perplexing late-season slump last year in Indiana.
Charlotte's big problem has been on defense. They were 5th in the NBA in defensive efficiency last year, but have fallen to 21st this year.
Stephenson was supposed to elevate the Hornets from a bottom-tier playoff team to a real contender in the East. Unless they get it together soon, they could find themselves in the seven or eight seed again this year.
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