Can the Hornets Surprise the East?

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When discussing the Eastern Conference, teams have spent this offseason constructing their rosters to take down the defending champion Boston Celtics. Whether it's the Philadelphia 76ers signing Paul George, the New York Knicks trading for Mikal Bridges, or the Cleveland Cavaliers extending Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, they are the target this upcoming season, and rightfully so. The East is not as loaded as the West, which can leave some teams an opportunity to make a leap and shock the rest of the league. A good team candidate to create such a surprise is the Charlotte Hornets. 


The Hornets have not been a well-respected franchise in the league but given some of their recent changes in the front office and moves they made this offseason, this upcoming season may be the start of a new era. Hiring Charles Lee as the new head coach, re-signing Miles Bridges, acquiring Josh Green, drafting Tidjane Salaun, and signing Taj Gibson who will bring great and tough veteran leadership to such a young team, these are the kind of moves that make a huge difference for a franchise looking to break through. Now the Hornets are not close to being considered title contenders however every season there always seems to be a team that takes the NBA world by surprise and Charlotte could be that team. Of course, a lot of their success will be tied to LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams, who missed a great portion of games last season, but if they can just manage to consistently stay on the court then the Hornets have the pieces to have a successful year. 


The top established teams in the Eastern Conference are the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic so the Charlotte Hornets have an opportunity to finish as a bottom playoff seed. While the Indiana Pacers are coming off a conference finals appearance, they didn't make any new additions to the roster which could be risky. The Miami Heat also didn't catch the whale they were hoping for this summer and their only hope of getting back to the top of the East is to stay healthy, which would be a miracle. The Chicago Bulls are beginning a fire sale after already dealing DeMar DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings and Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Hornets have a great opportunity to have a successful season, especially with some of these team's uncertainty. 
Location: Miami, FL, USA

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