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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jul 1, 2014 14:49:00 GMT -6
 1995 Charlotte Hornets Media DayAfter last seasons success of finally reaching post season play in Charlotte, there was a lot of hope and optimism. Finishing 4th in the division with a double digit win improvement from the previous season could be a banner year for any team but GM Nick Malone couldn't stop smiling as he overlooked the media here at press row. The true accomplishment was the first round sweep of the heavily favorite, Detroit Pistons. But that was in the rear view mirror. The tandem of Mookie and Tom Gugliotta had taken the central division by force and with the additions made here in the off season, nobody was looking at this franchise as a pushover joke but a team that could still compete at a high level.GM Nick Malone: Welcome everyone to our annual media day here in Charlotte. We appreciate you all coming and we have plenty of outlets for your Macintosh computers. Anyways, I first want to thank Ron Harper and PJ Brown and Chris Mullin for their invaluable leadership qualities that helped us a great deal reach the post season for the first time. We wish them nothing but the best in their new homes. Many new and old faces, almost another tradition here for this club. The likes of seasoned vets and newer vets give this club an ability to know what they need to do to prepare for the season ahead.GM Nick Malone: With the tough decision to let those parties go, our #1 goal this off-season was to pair Tom Gugliotta with guys that he wouldn't have to feel the burden of being pushed around in the paint. In comes Patrick Ewing, fresh off a jet in Dallas and many years of success in Indy to our franchise for what we hope will bear fruit and post season wins and maybe even a championship to come. We understand the difficult price to pay in acquiring this all star but we felt like with the cap being what it is, that this team needed a viable option in the paint to pair with Gugs. There weren't a lot of options in free agency and few teams hardly came knocking with an offer that we felt was fair and justified for the services of Patrick Ewing. Another big we acquired in the off-season was a man we've coveted for the last two years and finally found a way to strike a deal that didn't cost us much except for the left over goggles that sales still has left behind in Bo Outlaw for Robert Werdann. Werdann's abilities to rebound and defend the paint will be a nice asset for us to utilize this season. Looking at not only the bigs but the wings and guards for this squad, in the #SaveGugs movement, the 1 year rentals of Sam Perkins and Danny Young and Charles Oakley will definitely come in handy at some point this season.GM Nick Malone: With the aggressiveness of Mookie Blaylock on the defensive side of things and his propensity to get steals, this team can generate a quicker pace and a style of basketball that I think will excel at this level. Quality guys like Joe Dumars is back here in Charlotte and isn't asked to do it all like he was a few years ago but will be a nice scoring option for us off the bench. Guys like Detlef Shrempf and Dino Radja that may have been underutilized while playing with Shaq will get the opportunity to stand out and truly make a difference on this club. Also, if Shaq were to have an unfortunate accident this season ahead, that 1996 First will come in handy for us this season because the draft ahead is looking fairly prosperous. But lets not forget about the draft we just had, We were able to snag guys we feel could make immediate contributions to our club in Bobby Sura and Corliss Williamson. Sura is a lightning quick guard out of Florida State that can drill a 3 or two and we really liked his metrics and should get plenty of minutes for us this year. Corliss is a raw prospect that we feel we can mold like we did with Bo Outlaw into a tough body to deal with in the paint. After glistening over his club, he took a sip of his water at the podium and then looked at the media who were ready to ask away.GM Nick Malone: Now that I've said my piece, I'm sure you all have plenty of questions to ask. The floor is yours. |
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J2
Junior Member
Washington Wizards
Posts: 955 
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Post by J2 on Jul 1, 2014 15:15:49 GMT -6
Johnny Junior, The Washington Post: While the acquisition of Patrick Ewing will help Gugliotta in the post, it also heavily damages your cap situation. With Gugs' free agency looming, how are you planning to handle things? Is this season ECF or bust?
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Post by coltsguy510 on Jul 1, 2014 15:25:58 GMT -6
Do you think Gugliotta will excel even more now that he will play at the PF position and won't have to match up with Robinson and Zo and the other centers of the East.
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Post by LoCo89 on Jul 1, 2014 15:31:45 GMT -6
Jean Baptiste Étienne, La Révolution de Vancouver (Memphis Branch): Is there any fear that due to his age, Ewing may not be the answer that this team is looking for and could put you further behind then you were without him?
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jul 1, 2014 15:31:50 GMT -6
Johnny Junior, The Washington Post: While the acquisition of Patrick Ewing will help Gugliotta in the post, it also heavily damages your cap situation. With Gugs' free agency looming, how are you planning to handle things? Is this season ECF or bust? GM Nick Malone: Johnny, a pleasure to see you here in Charlotte again. We are aware of Ewing's contract. We made a promise to Gugs that we would get him some help in the offseason so he wouldn't have to handle the burden of dealing with all the other bigger bodies in the paint and we did that. I think we've seen also our fair share of examples that any contract could be moved for the right price. We intend to make Gugliotta a Hornet for life. We have our resources but also if there's a deal we can't afford to pass up, that'll fit in greatly with our plans also. We are always looking. |
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jul 1, 2014 15:34:38 GMT -6
Do you think Gugliotta will excel even more now that he will play at the PF position and won't have to match up with Robinson and Zo and the other centers of the East. GM Nick Malone: With so many talented forwards and centers out there right now, we really needed Gugliotta last season to play a position that he wasn't quite comfortable handling. We needed to make a move to get him some size next to him and now that Gugs can move back to his natural position, I'd expect nothing more than a season where Gugs can show the entire Eastern Conference that he is the best player at his position and finally earn himself a bid as a starting all star. Maybe even best in the league. |
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jul 1, 2014 15:38:13 GMT -6
Jean Baptiste Étienne, La Révolution de Vancouver (Memphis Branch): Is there any fear that due to his age, Ewing may not be the answer that this team is looking for and could put you further behind then you were without him? GM Nick Malone: Everyone is acting like Patrick Ewing is headed to the grave this upcoming year. We are aware of the post 30 curse but we're also talking about a dominant big man that's used to handling the rigors of going toe to toe on a nightly basis with the likes of Shaq and Zo. He can still play at a really high level and make it a nightmare for teams to cover the paint with our version of the men in the middle and to protect the rim. Our medical staff is fully on call 24/7 to make sure the bumps in the road are taken care of. Patrick Ewing will be fine and he isn't ded yet. |
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Post by WigNosy on Jul 1, 2014 18:17:01 GMT -6
Should we expect deals to shore up a thin backcourt? Dumars is getting old next to Mookie and it's not even clear who your best option as a backup guard would be.
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jul 1, 2014 19:08:21 GMT -6
GM Nick Malone: Honestly, looking at the roster I have now, I only have 2 players that I could feasibly trade now if I wanted to do so but are going no where in Mookie and Gugs. The rest have the silly 60 day rule attached to it but I digress. I'm sure there will be teams looking for extra bigs in 60 days or so. I'm always looking for moves that could improve this club.
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Soundwave
Full Member
Toronto Raptors
Winter is coming
Posts: 2,465
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Post by Soundwave on Jul 1, 2014 20:50:24 GMT -6
How do you feel you have grown as a GM?
Are you ready to try and compete for the Division, or do you believe it is yours already?
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jul 2, 2014 10:04:12 GMT -6
How do you feel you have grown as a GM? Are you ready to try and compete for the Division, or do you believe it is yours already? GM Nick Malone: I feel like you never stop learning. Of course, there have been some mistakes and also some good fortune with player development that I think has given us a valuable lesson on what to do. I think this year may be the most complete team I've had since I've been a GM of this franchise. Am I saying the best? Not sure because we haven't seen how this team has gelled yet. But I think we definitely have balance on both sides of the court. Last year, our goal was to make the playoffs. We did that with flying colors. This year, I think we have a team that's capable of winning the division crown. But, I won't leave out of the mix those pesky Pacers and Toronto Raptors even with trading away Barkley. I think the Bucks are primed for a bounce back season but is also very young. I'll just say that I like our chances this season ahead. |
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Post by TrayWithAnA on Jul 2, 2014 10:13:34 GMT -6
In hindsight, would you execute that Ewing trade again? Are you afraid of the stiff learning curve this much turnover will create for you even though there is still a lot of talent there? Do you see yourself as a favorite for the Central?
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jul 2, 2014 13:05:15 GMT -6
In hindsight, would you execute that Ewing trade again? Are you afraid of the stiff learning curve this much turnover will create for you even though there is still a lot of talent there? Do you see yourself as a favorite for the Central? GM Nick Malone: Let's tackle each one at a time. Nobody is going to question Ewing's talents and what he brings in terms of leadership qualities and sage wisdom on and off the court. Ewing was always highly regarded as being one of the best Centers of the league the last few years and looking at the price tag in terms of what I gave up for him, I think alot of people are looking at his age and questioning whether he can still go another few seasons. We believe that he can contribute at a high level and playing along side another skilled big man in Gugliotta won't burden each other down in the paint like either of them may have been in past situations. For the contract space that his deal will eat up over the next few seasons, we'll find a way to work around that between him and Gugs. As we've seen in the past, no deal is untradable. On the second question, we had alot of turnover from what our roster looked like then to when we signed Mullin last year and traded for Ron Harper. Talent will rise to the top when put in the right situation to succeed. I've always been aggressive in finding ways to better this franchise. Our success last year I think was finally the knock on the door of Central success that took the leagues notice, especially when we toppled over the Pistons in the playoffs. We didn't have any answer for Robinson and now we may have found one in Ewing. As I said in earlier questions, I would be disappointed if this team wasn't a favorite to win the Central, especially with alot of transition from within our own other division mates. I think it will be a tossup honestly between us, the Pacers, Raptors, and Bucks. To put it bluntly, I like our odds. |
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Post by IamQuailman on Jul 2, 2014 16:01:16 GMT -6
Will Maukie from the Milwaukee Tribune: Over the past couple of seasons the Bucks were able to steal a couple wins from you despite a depleted squad. If you couldn't handle those Buck, how do you expect to handle the newly reformed Bucks? Also, where do you envision Detlef playing for you?
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jul 2, 2014 16:12:36 GMT -6
Will Maukie from the Milwaukee Tribune: Over the past couple of seasons the Bucks were able to steal a couple wins from you despite a depleted squad. If you couldn't handle those Buck, how do you expect to handle the newly reformed Bucks? Also, where do you envision Detlef playing for you? GM Nick Malone: No matter how talented my teams have been and yours, vice-versa, etc. the Bucks have always been a thorn in my side. I can't explain why a team that's main goal some would say was intentionally losing could defeat a squad with the immense talent amassed here. It's just one of those quirks of the game that I just can't explain. However, I think the moves the Bucks have made to remove the tank from this equation will serve them well. A deep and young roster with several talents that I think could start are on the bench and Milwaukee should at least see the land of post season play for the first time in a few years. I think they will be quite the challenge again when we play them for the upcoming season. I know Gugs and Ewing are looking forward to the battles. Onto your other question about Shrempf. We value his shooting skills for his size and versatility and with the absence of Chris Mullin and Ron Harper, we expect to see him play some minutes mostly at the wing while also maybe playing at the 4. Spreading the floor offensively for when teams may target Ewing or Gugs specifically. He should play a vital role for us this year. |
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Post by IamQuailman on Jul 5, 2014 16:59:32 GMT -6
Awarded 5 Pts (to Preseason presser pts)! THANKS FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION!
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