Cody Zeller has been in Charlotte for seven years now, having predated even the rebirth of the “Hornets” moniker (his rookie season was as a Bobcat). That’s a long time to be in one place without experiencing any considerable amount of team success. Check out the records of the teams that Zeller has been on:
2013-14: 43-39 (we’re on the upswing! rebranding to the Hornets will put us over the top!)
2014-15: 33-49 (blame it on bust Noah Vonleh)
2015-16: 48-34 (not only made the playoffs, but got the sixth seed and didn’t get embarrassed in the first round)
2016-17: 36-46 (blame it on bust Mike Tobey, who was such a bust that he wasn’t even drafted)
2017-18: 36-46 (notice the trend of mediocrity)
2018-19: 39-43 (still mediocre)
2019-20: 9-15 (the tank isn’t even working)
That list of seasons is not the worst things I’ve ever seen from a winning perspective, but it’s one of the worst things I’ve ever seen from a mediocrity perspective, and it should cause Hornets fans to grimace in pain. Relentlessly being a 30- to 40-win team year in and year out, either barely making the playoffs as first round fodder or barely missing them as a nine seed, is exactly where a franchise doesn’t want to be. Eventually, fan apathy will set in, even if you have explosive, exciting players like…Cody Zeller. And Nic Batum. And Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Eventually those players will stop putting butts in seats.
If Devonte’ Graham hadn’t arrived and breathed some excitement into the proceedings, I’m pretty sure the Hornets would have relocated to Raleigh by now.