In Charlotte, this back-to-school season will have a bit of a special flavor. While the Hornets players play their first game of the season on the night of Wednesday to Thursday on the Houston floor, the new owners Gabe Plotkin And Rick Schnall will watch this from franchise HQ. The two men may have regained control of the Hornets in August 2023, but this 2024/25 exercise looks like their first real season in the role of commanders on board, after a few months of observation.
The tandem does not have the fame of the former boss, Michael Jordan, but their style nevertheless seems to hit the mark in North Carolina. More present on site, in contact with the Hornets, the two businessmen surprise with their mixture of relaxation and ambition, as the Charlotte Observer depicts it.
“ It's an important, really important part of our culture because we want to show the players that we care, that we're watching, that we're aware of what's going on here and that it matters to us. » says Rick Schnall, who adds that he puts his phone and other professional activities on pause during each workout. “ We want them to feel like, 'Hey, this place is special, the owners are here, they love this game.' »
“ They are more involved, they are more around and that is a good thing for us » confirms Miles Bridges. “ I'm not saying the previous owner didn't care, but they are just there more. »
Changes galore in the “front office”
There, and not just to make up the numbers as the Hornets are too often used to doing. Frenchman Tidjane Salaün's new team has been absent from the playoffs since 2016 and oscillates between the bottom of the league and its soft underbelly, without ever confirming significant progress. If the franchise did not really make waves during free agency, it has accelerated its reconstruction behind the scenes in recent months since the announcement of the purchase of Michael Jordan's shares.
Jeff Peterson, a former protégé of Sean Marks in Brooklyn, was chosen as president of basketball operations in March. Charles Lee was named coach, after having been the right-hand man of NBA champion Joe Mazzulla in Boston. Shelly Cayette-Weston has been recruited to the Cavaliers as their new president. And in July, no less than ten people were recruited in a new “health and performance” department after a season during which LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams notably missed three quarters of the matches. Even the Spectrum Center room was given a first facelift, before a second phase completed at the start of the next season, during which construction of the franchise's new training center will begin.
Becoming a “first-rate franchise”
This new chapter begins, so to speak, with a floor-to-ceiling renovation, with the exception of the squad, which wants to capitalize on its young hard core, with LaMelo Ball or Brandon Miller. “ To be good on the pitch, you must have great players, you must invest in your facilities, and have confidence in your structure » analyzes Gabe Plotkin. “In every business or basketball aspect that we analyze, we want to be at the forefront. And it's the combination of all of that that makes you a top-notch franchise. »
To achieve this, the Hornets have no other deadline than a “ long-term and sustainable success » specifies their owner. Arriving a few months ago, Jeff Peterson has already worked on the subject by separating himself from cumbersome contracts or possible expensive extensions like Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward or PJ Washington, in order to recover Draft rounds which have long been squandered – like the picks that led to the selections of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jalen Duren – or poorly exploited (James Bouknight, Frank Kaminsky or Noah Vonleh).
“ We went from an organization that was empty of valuable assets, with almost no draft rounds, to a franchise among the five or six with the most. Jeff has picked up a lot of second-rounders (seven over the next four Drafts, as well as three first-rounders in 2027 alone, editor's note) and we have them in abundance, pieces that can allow us to build something great. There will come a time when it will be time to use these pieces to make a title contending team. »
Before that, we will have to be patient, after having only gleaned 21 victories last season, far from a place in the playoffs.
