Hornets' Salary Hell

We can all in hindsight scream and kick the Hornets' management for the sad state of affair this team finds itself in.
But when Posey, MoPete and Peja were signed, if we were all honest, 99% would at THAT time have said they agreed with these moves .
The true blame is on The Creaky 3 directly.
Posey has done nothing, and has in fact, been a huge liability on defense and even worse on offense.
In one recent 20 game stretch, Posey was shooting 16% from 3-pt land.
He is really good at something though that's hard to put a price on (though I'll value it at.. zero...): Posey is excellent at meeting the starters at mid-court, smiling,hugging them and whispering in each starters' ear.
My guess on what's being whispering goes like this: "Yo, playah, I'll only be scoring 2 points tonight in 25 minutes, but still get my $68,109 paycheck for tonight's game.(1/82nd of his $5,585,000 annual salary)"
In his 22 minutes per game, NoShot Posey is averaging a staggering 4.5 points per game on 35% shooting, 30% from 3-pt land.
So over 66 games, the Hornets' are getting banged for their buck at a $18,804 per point clip.
MoPete has contributed nothing to this team since his signing. Has any players shot more bricks and airballs?
And his out-of-control, off-balance heaves driving to the goal look like something out of a YMCA pickup game.
NothingPete's statistical contribution for his $6.21 million salary? 42% FG, 37% 3-pt FG, 6.33 pt a season scoring average.
And when he does score, the PA system should play "Mo Money, Mo Money, Mo Money" because that's all NoPete is doing: taking mo of Hornets' money, mo of Hornets' money, mo of Hornets' money.
At least Peja, when healthy, gives you an occasional offensive "explosion" of 20+ points.Peja unfortunately just physically fell apart over the last 3-4 years.
But for every 20 points he scores, Peja forfeits at least that scoring total in his complete defensive liability.
Yet more painful than his injuries is his 2009-10 salary: $13.392 million.
Yes, these contracts were too high, but that's hindsight.
So, when you want to do the typical "management sucks" tirade.. remember this:
The Creaky 3 continue to steal paychecks from the Hornets' organization, and because of the backward A** guaranteed salary structure of the NBA, the Hornets are literally stuck in salary hell.

Hornets Menu - stick a fork in 'em, they are done

As a huge Hornets fan and season ticket holder, I must proclaim with honesty,full factual analysis ... The 2009-10 Hornets are done. Stick a fork in them now.
Credit is due on many levels:
Effort: This team plays hard, scraps and does much with little.
Playing better than .500 ball without CP3 for more than 20 games now is a huge accomplishment.
Rookies Shining: As ESPN agreed, Collison and Thorton are the best rookie combo in the NBA this season, hands down.
Aside from Collison's turnover propensity at times, he has been - dare I say it - as good as CP3 as a starter.
Thorton is a cold-blooded scorer. Once he masters the finer points of the NBA game (drawing contact going to goal and earning more free throws, for example), this stud will be unstoppable.
Okafor: many doubted and questioned the swap of Chandler for Okafor. I never did, and Okafor has proven me right. Aside from being overmatched against bigger centers, he is a double-double machine, and intimidates with his shot-blocking more than Chandler ever did. Problem is he can't defend the post and subsequently gets in silly foul trouble.
There you have you shiny, happy news.
Now, back to reality.
As it stands at this moment, the Hornets' are at best a .500 team right now. Why? They are horrible defensively. When is last time they held a team under 50pts in a half and/or 100 pts in a game?
The number of uncontested layups and wide-open shots every game is unexplainable.
Check that.. I can explain: Lack of effort and discipline, more so effort. Defense is about intensity and effort, and to allow uncontested shots at the rim is (no pun intended) indefensible.
Anyone with knowledge of this team also knows, they are in a straight-jacket when it comes to contracts.
The heavy contract shackles of Peja, MoPete, and Posey have left needle eye's room to improve the roster.
And even worse about The Creaky 3 (my copywright is pending on this name) is their on-court performance.
(Following names have been changed to protect the innocent)
No-Shot Posey looks like he has cement in his shoes on D. All he takes are 3s, and my guess is he's hitting 25% of those.
Pejunk scores 20+, then can't hit a shot for 2-3 games.
NoPete... someone, anyone explain to me how he's getting a quarter worth of playing time????!!
Watch how often he gets beat defensively, I dare you. It's ugly.
And it's laughable how often he shoots an air ball or complete brick every game.
I've been screaming at TV for a month now --- how can this staff steal minutes from Thorton and play a washed-up MoPete??
One of the local sports guys, Mackel I think, said it best:
Aside from CP3, Collsion, Thorton, Sanguilla (sp?)and Okafor, and maybe Peja, the rest of the Hornets roster is garbage. Well said.
Finally, will this team make playoffs?
I pray NO.
Best course of action: Miss the playoffs, save the embarassment and get the lottery pick.
Then go into off-season, pick your new head coach and re-mix this whole team recipe, because this current menu has some very very unappetizing ingredients.