This week, we continue with our five-part series where I pick my all-time Charlotte Hornets starting 5. This week, We are choosing our small forward. When we look at the state of the Hornets in that position today, I think Brandon Miller will have his name in this discussion quite soon. In his last seven games, Miller has averaged 22.9 PTS, 5.1 REBS, and 2.0 ASTS, helping the Hornets to a 3-4 in that span. In that stretch, he had a game where he scored 35 points on 10/25 FG, 5/12 3PT, and 10/12 FT. He became the second rookie in NBA history with 35 points, ten field goals made, five three-pointers, and ten free throws since Grayson Allen.
Brandon Miller has a bright future in Charlotte but still has a way to go to be in this discussion. Who will join Mugsy Bogues and Dell Curry in my all-time Charlotte Hornets starting five? Will it be the sharpshooter Glen Rice, The all-around Gerald Wallace, or the three-level scorer Jamal Mashburn? No more small talk; let’s get into the arguments for these three Charlotte legends.
Glen Rice’s Background.
Glen Rice was selected with the 4th overall pick of the 1989 NBA draft by the Miami Heat. Rice is the Heat’s third-ever first-round pick in history, joining Ronny Seikaly & Kevin Edwards. In six seasons with the Heat, Rice missed only 14 games and averaged 19.3 PTS, 4.9 REBS, and 2.2 ASTS. He tied for fourth place in the most-improved voting during the 91-92 season, losing the award to Washington Bullets center Pervis Ellison. Before the start of the 95/96 NBA season, newly hired coach/GM of the heat Pat Riley traded Rice to the Hornets for Matt Geiger and disgruntled center Alonzo Mourning.
Becoming “The Guy”.
With the trade, The Hornets had a dynamic scoring attack with him and Larry Johnson at the forward positions. Rice was selected for his first all-star game that season and finished averaging 21.6 PTS. Charlotte would drop from being a 50-win team the previous season to a 41-win this season, losing out on the 8th seed by one game to the Miami Heat. With the trade of Larry Johnson after the season, Rice was the #1 option for the Hornets. The veteran leadership of guys such as Vlade Divac and Anthony Mason and the hiring of Celtics legend Dave Cowens proved what the Hornets needed.
MVP Candidate.
The Hornets improved their record from 41-41 to 54-28 with Rice as the guy. He played in 79 games, averaging 26.8 PTS, 4.0 REBS, and 2.0 AST with 47/47/86% shooting. He was named to his second consecutive all-star game, where he would win the all-star game MVP. In that game, Rice would post an all-star game record of points in the third quarter (20) and the second half (24). The New York Knicks would sweep the Hornets (3-0) in the first round of the playoffs, but Rice had a great season and put the league on notice. Rice was 5th in MVP voting, made 2nd team all-NBA, and was 5th in most improved voting.
His Last Season.
The following season saw Rice and the Charlotte Hornets continue their consistent play. Despite dipping in wins from 54 to 51, Charlotte improved its playoff seeding from 6th to 4th. Rice played in all 82 games this season, averaging 22.3 PTS, 4.3 REBS, and 2.2 AST with 45/42/84% shooting splits. He would be selected to his third consecutive all-star this year and helped the Hornets win its first playoff series since the 92-93 season when they made it to the semifinals. After a slow start to the 98-99 season, Rice would be traded to the LA Lakers. He would help the Lakers win a championship during the 2000-01 season.
After the trade of Rice in 1999, the Hornets acquired another Miami Heat small forward who could put the ball in the bucket. Jamal “Monster Mash” Mashburn was traded to the Hornets after playing four seasons in Miami, averaging 15.8 PTS, 5.2 REBS, and 3.3 ASTS. Mashburn’s Hornets franchise lasted four seasons,’ but he played just two seasons in Charlotte before the team moved to New Orleans. With that in mind, Let’s make the case for Mashburn as the starting 3 in my all-time starting five line-up.
Jamal Mashburn’s Background.
Mashburn, Like Rice, was a 4th overall pick in the NBA draft (1993). The Dallas Mavericks selected him and became a part of one of the biggest “what-ifs” in NBA history. Mashburn would join the 4th overall pick in the 92 draft (Jim Jackson) and the 2nd overall pick in the 94 draft (Jason Kidd) to form “Three J’s.” The start of Mashburn’s career was promising. He averaged 21.6 PTS, 4.3 REBS, 3.5 ASTS, and 1.1 STLS while playing in 159 of the 164 games. After a third season that saw him only play 18 games, The trio proved not to be a winning formula. Mashburn would be traded to the Heat, where he had two injury-riddled seasons before playing in 76 games his last season in Miami.
Having to fill a huge hole.
Glen Rice was not only a bucket-getter but a guy who wouldn’t miss games. Mashburn could score the ball, but he was a serious question mark regarding injuries. Mashburn shut all the critics up in his first season in Charlotte. Not only did he increase his scoring average from the previous season in Miami (17.5 to 20.1), but his numbers across the board improved (5.0 to 7.5 REBS and 3.9 ASTS to 5.4). Charlotte would be the 6th seed in the playoffs that season and swept the 3-seed Miami Heat. They took the 2-seed Milwaukee Bucks to seven games, but they couldn’t get over the hump.
Continued Success.
With a 2nd year of Baron Davis, Veteran presences such as P.J. Brown, Stacey Augmon, and Elden Campbell, and off-season pickups George Lynch and Robert “Tractor” Traylor, The Hornets were gearing up for a deep playoff run. The injury bug returned to hunt Mashburn this season and was limited to only 40 games. He still averaged 21.5 PTS, 6.1 REBS, 4.3 ASTS, and 1.1 STLS, but he was limited to playing in just one game during the Hornets’ playoff run that saw them defeat the Magic 3-1 in the first round, losing 4-1 to the New Jersey Nets in the semi-finals.
Balling in New Orleans.
The Hornets would relocate to New Orleans after the 01-02 season. In his first season in New Orleans, Mashbutn played in all 82 games for the first time in his career. He averaged 21.6 PTS, 6.1 REBS, 5.6 ASTS, and 1.0 STLS while playing 40 minutes a game! He would be selected for his only all-star appearance and helped the Hornets to another playoff run, losing to the Sixers in six games. Mashburn would finish the season 11th in MVP voting and being selected to the all-NBA 3rd team. He was limited to 19 games the following season and ultimately retired after the 03-04 season.
Jamal Mashburn and Glen Rice brought different aspects to the teams they played on in Charlotte. Rice was a sniper you wouldn’t dare leave open, while Mashburn brought that style and flare of scoring you would only see from a New York player. While both of these guys were buckets, they lacked in the defensive aspect of the game of basketball. This next guy in consideration NEVER played for the Hornets franchise, but since he played in Charlotte and the Hornets were once known as the Bobcats, I have to consider him. Let’s make an argument for Gerald Wallace.
Gerald Wallace’s Background.
Gerald Wallace was the 25th player the Sacramento Kings selected in the 2001 NBA draft. This Sacramento squad was extremely deep, so playing time was limited for Wallace. He played in just 138 games in his three seasons, averaging 3.4 PTS in 9.7 minutes. He was left unprotected in the 2004 expansion draft and was selected with the Bobcats 3rd to last selection. With a chance to finally get some meaningful minutes, Wallace would go out there and show the league what the Kings were holding back.
Starters Minutes.
The Bobcats weren’t expected to be any good, as expansion teams have shown a history of taking several years to figure it out. In Wallace’s first season, he made substantial improvements across the board.
- 2.0 PTS to 11.1 PTS
- 2.0 REBS to 5.5 REBS
- .5 ASTS to 2.0 ASTS
- .4 STLS to 1.7 STLS
- .4 BLKS to 1.3 BLKS
- 36% FG to 44% FG
- 0% 3PT to 27% 3PT
- 45% FT to 66% FT
- 9.1 MPG to 30.7 MPG
Wallace finished the season 26th in voting for the most improved player. With his emergence and Emeka Okafor showing his worth in his rookie season, winning Rookie Of The Year, The Bobcats were poised to improve on the 18-game winning inaugural season.
Defensive Presence.
Charlotte’s second season in the NBA saw them win eight more games than the previous season. Wallace would improve his numbers even more with his feet officially in the water of being a starter. He averaged 15.2 PTS, 7.5 REBS, 1.7 ASTS, 2,5 STLS, and 2.1 BLKS. His 2.5 steals for the season ranked him #1 in the league in that department, while his 2.1 blocks tied him for 10th with Eddie Griffin. He was 9th in Defensive Player Of The Year voting and 4th in Most Improved Player Of The Year Voting.
They improved even more in Charlotte’s third season of existence, going from 26 to 33 wins. This season saw Wallace show more when it came to his offense as he led the team in scoring with 18.1 PTS. The defense was still displayed as he averaged 2.0 STLS and 1.0 BLKS. He finished the season 7th in DPOY voting and 21st in MIP voting.
Finally, Getting His Just Due.
The following two seasons saw an increase in offense and a bit of a decline in his defensive numbers. With the hiring of coaching legend Larry Brown the previous season, not only were the Bobcats the best defensive team in basketball, but Wallace would become an all-star for the first and only time during his career. He averaged 18.2 PTS, 10.0 REBS, 2.1 ASTS, 1.5 STLS and 1.1 BLKS. He would be selected to the all-defensive 1st team, finish 3rd in DPOY voting, and 8th in MIP voting. He would play 48 games the following season before being traded to the Portland TrailBlazers to finish the 11-12 season. Wallace averaged 16.4 PTS, 7.5 REBS, 2.4 ASTS, 1.8 STLS, and 1.2 BLKS in his seven seasons in Charlotte. He was one of three players (David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon) to average at least two steals and two blocks per game throughout an entire season in NBA history.
The Staring 3 For My All-Time Charlotte Hornets Team Is…
Glen Rice. When Rice was traded to the Hornets, he turned up. In addition to what he brings on the offensive end, I will never have to worry about him missing any time due to injuries. Jamal Mashburn brings an all-around game that Glen Rice doesn’t have, but he can’t stay healthy enough for him to be considered. If Gerald Wallace had more of a shot in him, he would be a starter over Rice with his defensive abilities.
Starter: Glen Rice
Bench: Gerald Wallace
Cut: Jamal Mashburn
Starting 5 As Of Today
- Point Guard: Muggsy Bogues
- Shooting Guard: Dell Curry
- Small Forward: Glen Rice
West Coast Hoops 