May 13, 2025 • 28 mins
The Hornets will officially hold the No. 4 overall picks as determined by the NBA Draft Lottery. Sam Farber and Sam Perley react to the news, take a look at what a top-five pick has meant historically for the Hornets, and also list the notable players that have been selected fourth overall in NBA history.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Hornets Hoovecast, presented by Charlotte I ear
nosen Throat Associates, the official I ear nozen Throatcare provider
of the Charlotte Hornets. Here's your host, Sam Farber.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to another edition of the Hornets Podcast, Your Hornets
Podcast with all the notes, quote, san daily buzz around
your favorite NBA team. I'm Sam Farber and it is
a pleasure and a privileged toa you with us here
once again on the Hornet's I've Cast, brought to you
by Santa Charlotte I ear nosen Throat Associates, the official
I hear nosen Throacare provider of the Charlotte Hornets. It
is a post draft lottery episode of the HHC Hornets.
(00:37):
Land the number four pick in the twenty twenty five
NBA draft. They had a one in roughly six or
seven chance of ending up number one, a one in
two chance roughly fifty to fifty odds of landing in
the top four, and that's where they'll go. They'll pick
behind the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, and Philadelphia seventy
six ers, but ahead of Utah and wash is Washington
(01:00):
who had things gone in another direction, they might have
picked behind in again an alternate universe for the twenty
twenty five draft lots to get into on this our
reaction to it, some of the history behind the number
four pick, and why there is ample reason for Hornets
fans to be excited about where Charlotte is selecting. Helping
me go through all of these topics, he's one of
(01:21):
our favorite part of every two. Sam's episode of the
AHHC Senior writer for Hornets dot Com, Sam Purley, who
was on the ground in Chicago for the lottery. Sam,
I think he brought just enough lucky objects for the
Hornets to move into the top four, but apparently not
enough to get number one.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
No, apparently not to need to next time.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
And hopefully you know, he was hoping that there is
not a next time coming to the lottery, because that
means you make the playoffs the following season. But maybe
next time I'll have to bring a separate suitcase just
full of little rabbit's feet and four leaf clovers and
just started collecting them throughout the year. But obviously not
the worst it could be, but certainly not what Hornets
fan and my self included we're hoping for. But you know,
(02:03):
still reason to be positive and optimistic moving forward is
the beginning of draft season begins.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Look, there's a reality to this that the initial reaction
is this kind of sucks. You wanted the number one pick,
you wanted to be at the head of the draft,
one that has a chance to be historical for a
number of reasons, one of which is the assumed top
prospect in thus top pick in the draft. Cooper Flag
is seen as a unique talent entering the NBA and
(02:32):
someone that people are very high on. But the reason
overall this draft was so highly acclaimed was not just
because of one player who is assumed to lead it,
but because of the plethora of opportunities later on beyond
number one to get an all star level player. When
you're comparing this draft class to twenty twenty one, part
(02:53):
of me to two thousand and three to nineteen eighty four,
it's not just because of the best player that is
a merged from that class twenty twenty one. We don't
even really know who's gonna end up being the best
player when it's all said and done. But it's more
because there are so many options, so many all stars,
so many potential Hall of famers and franchise changers, and
(03:14):
that's how people are looking at this draft as a whole.
One of those people is the Hornets President of basketball Operations,
Jeff Peterson. He spoke to the media, he spoke to
you Sam Purley, when the event, or the lottery portion
of the event had come to a close. Here's what
he had to say about where the Hornets landed in
(03:36):
the twenty twenty five draft.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
Yeah, we're excited the fourth pick. You know, this this
is a deep draft. You know, obviously everyone was competitive
and wanted to win the lottery, but at the same time,
like this is what we do all our work for
over of course of the season to prepare for all
the players in the draft. So we're really excited.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Sam. Jeff kind of said it all right there, like, yes,
there there was some hope to be in the number
one spot, but coledgement that this is a very deep
draft which presents a lot of opportunities. Most people say
more than four shots at an All Star, and the
Hornets are going to be ahead of a lot of
other teams that are in desperate need for All Star
level talent.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
It's one of those things that I've been to a
couple of lotteries. It's a strange event. There's a strange
feel in the room, just kind of knowing that, you know,
a handful of franchises could see their directions completely change
in a moment and it just kind of happens in
real time.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
And if you were kind of that thought they were
going to be you know, you know, get the luck
was going to be on their side and didn't.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
So it's definitely one of the more unusual event that
I've personally witnessed in person since I've joined.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
The Hornet and I've been to a handful of them now.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
But the reality is, you know, I think everybody knows
that when you look at fourteen percent odds to get
the top pick, it's it just mathematically, it's it's not
in your favor. So only one team is going to
get that top pick and everybody else You've got to
figure out and do the best you can with the
pick you end up getting.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
And so that's just kind of the tough thing.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
It's you know, you feel, I think, certainly speaking from
a a Hornet's perspective, that you know, just with the
amount of bad luck that it had on the injury side,
particularly not only this past season, but the previous couple
of seasons that you were hoping that maybe the NBA
gods would kind of finally, you know, shift some of
that good luck the other way, and this was going
to be making up for that, but you know, just
(05:18):
not the reality sometimes. So you know, the front office,
no Jeff and a scout scouting.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Team and everybody, they've been doing it.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
This is a full year long process of going through
the draft, draft prospects, and this is always kind of
in the back of their mind that yes, it would
have been fantastic to the number one pick, but the
reality is is is just not likely just from a
strictly mathematic probability standpoint. So you've got to be ready
to adjust and adapt. And again, could have been worse, certainly,
(05:44):
could have been better, but they're kind of right exactly where,
you know, kind of right in the middle of where
they were projected to get. So if nothing else, and
it's a very very tiny silver lining, you do have
some clarity now where you're picking.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
You do have some to fit.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
I guess you know what you're looking at with the
fourth pick, and you know who's ahead of you and
what they might be targeting, so you can kind of
adjust accordingly.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Over this next month, we'll talk momentarily about some of
the opportunity ahead, some of the math of lottery day
and how it certainly did to a certain extent fall
in the hornets favor coming up after this quick break
here on the Hornetsive Cast, Sam Farvar, Sam Purley here
with you on the HHC, the Hornetside Cast, brought to
(06:28):
you by Santa We are post lottery.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Now.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
The draft order is locked in. The Hornets are going
to select fourth overall in a very talent heavy twenty
twenty five NBA draft, and they will have two of
the top four picks in the second round as well,
giving them three in the top thirty five for again
what is proclaimed to be a very deep draft. But
(06:52):
before we get into some of the prospects and some
of the possibilities here for the Hornets, I want to
go through the TikTok of how it all went down.
Sam Parly, you were at the lottery itself in Chicago.
You were not in the lottery room, although there were,
of course a Hornet's representative and I believe Rod Boone
was there part of the media contingent. But you were
there as the cards were being unveiled. You saw Charles
(07:16):
Lee up on the stage. I was at the Hornets
fan lottery party at Legion Brewing in South Charlotte, and
you know, there was such a range of emotions for
me from my vantage point. You know, we went through
a great panel. We had Paul b and Cardi of ESPN,
Terrence Oglesby of FanDuel Sports Southeast, as well as from
(07:36):
several networks covering the college game, talking about the depth
of the class. And then we get into the lottery.
We're seeing the names unveiled. We see, oh, Dallas has jumped.
That might not be great for the horns because you
don't want too many teams jumping up. You see that
san Antonio jumped, You realize Philadelphia jumped. And then they
unveil the Washington Wizard's card and I am the math
(08:00):
guy and so I'm thinking, wait a minute, that means
we moved up. But no one on the network broadcast
said that. So it took one more selection for Washington
to be unveiled, for everyone to get excited in the
room and realize that the Hornets had moved in the
top four. We spent that whole commercial break, you know,
rubbing lucky objects together and hoping that things would follow
(08:22):
the Hornets way. Of course, number four Charlotte, it's being
the pick. But you know, it was a great moment
in time there for the Hornets fans in the Queen
City collectively to come together and you know, bringing enough
good fortune for the Hornets to move into the top four,
which again, just like Washington and Utah, Charlotte had a
fifty to fifty chance, a coin flip chance of being
(08:44):
in the top four or being out of the top four,
which had it gone another way, maybe they end up seventh.
Charlotte wins that top four spot, and teams in Washington
and Utah that maybe are in more need of an
all star level talent. You could make an argument, I mean,
everyone needs all stars, but you know those are teams
that had a very very difficult season and they are
(09:04):
not rewarded with the top four selection. The Hornet turn.
What was the TikTok for you on your vantage point
in Chicago.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
You know, I didn't have anything in front of me,
and it was a little strange because maybe I should
have pulled something up in hindsight, but I didn't have
one of a sort of a reference sheet of like, Okay,
this team should be picking here, this team should be
picking here, this team should be picking here. So I
was I didn't realize, you know, the teams that jumped
up at the time, until they said something like Dallas
and San Antonio. And once it got to I think six,
(09:36):
or once they're about to unveil six, I was like, okay,
I just I hope, I really hope we can at
least make it to the commercial break, because it's you
look at the odds and you're like, okay, at least
two teams have jumped into the top four, which means
two teams that were in the.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Top four have moved down.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
So now you're looking at okay, it's going to be
either one of Charlotte, Utah, Washington, or New Orleans in
that five and six spot. So it was part of
me that once they got to six, I was like,
let's just make it in the commercial break. Let's just
make it the commercial break, and you kind of process
everything and then once you guys are in the top
four and it's Philadelphia and it's San Antonio and it's Dallas,
(10:11):
and it's like, this is kind of a I would
love to know what the odds of those four teams
and the order, because it's, you know, we hit the
tankathon sim lottery thing, and that's got to be a
pretty odd or unusual slash rare combination. But I think
it was like everybody else, you know, you just your
heart sank this a little bit when they opened that
Hornet's envelope at four.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
But crazy because it just it happens so fast in
the moment. It's once they get moved it it goes.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
They don't drag it on to two hours and open
one envelope at a time, and I mean it starts
moving and it's hard to kind of process a little bit,
and then it's you know, once they open at four,
there's there's obviously, uh, you know, this disappointment.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
There's a lot of disappointment.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
But like I said, you have clarity of where you're picking,
and you can kind of start looking at who's going
to potentially be in that range and how they can
potentially and it's tough. I think you're certainly, you know
you as in Hornets fans, you and I you're certainly
allowed to be disappointed, but one team is.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Gonna get the first overall pick.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
There's twenty nine of the teams, and you gotta shake
it off, and you know when the combine starts tomorrow
or today. Now, if you're listening to this, you just gotta,
you know, get back to it and then find the
best guy you can at the position you've been assigned.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Percentage wise, the Hornets had a technically a fifty two
percent chance of ending up in the top four, but
saying was true for Utah and Washington, they obviously did
not the chance of winning the lottery of ending up
number one. Charlotte had a fourteen percent chance. The combined
percentage going into the day for Philadelphia, San Antonio and
(11:43):
Dallas was roughly eighteen percent. So of course the mathmyers,
so I was going, all right, let's it's like a
forty something percent chance that Charlotte's gonna win this going
into that break, Obviously a Hornets the I had already
been cast. They have the number four pick, but still
a lot of opportunity here ahead for the Hornets. It
has been called a very deep draft class, and I
(12:04):
think the depth of the class is maybe more remarkable
than the talents of the players at the very top
of the class, and that is always presumed. You don't
learn until far later down the road. Who actually ends
up being the best player. Michael Jordan greatest of all time.
He was selected third in his class. There's more than
you can name. More often than not, the best player
(12:25):
in the class is not the number one guy. But clearly,
all due respect to the players at the top of
this class, they are very highly acclaimed. But the talent
pool in this class is seen by the experts to
be as deep as any we've had in recent memory.
And the list of names that are within the Hornets
range depending on how things fall to number four. Ace Bailey,
(12:46):
the big wing shooter out of Rutgers vj. Edgecombe, super athlete,
super score out of Baylor, the Big twelve freshman of
the year. You've got Jeremiah Fears and sec phenom as
a freshman at Oklahoma led them into the tournament. Tray
Johnson similar for Texas leading the Longhorns into the tournament.
There's a couple more duke guys. There's a lot of talent.
(13:09):
Quite frankly, Sam, the one thing we don't have is
a whole lot of consensus after the top two picks
for who really should be three through anywhere in the lottery.
And that's less of an indictment on any one player
for not claiming that third best in the class and
more of an applause line for the class overall, because
there is so much depth, there is so much talent
(13:31):
that there are a range of opinions on who those
next all star level talents might be. The one thing
we do know is picking at number four, you're gonna
have a swing at one of them.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
For sure.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
And there's been no We'll get into it, you know, shortly,
but you know, you go back and look at the
history of fourth overall picks.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
I mean, it's it's a pretty good track record, you know.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
I know every year is a little bit different, but
you know, I'm not going to say that I'm super
well versed in college basketball and scouting. I think most
of my focus during the season is kind of on
the NBA and the fortnets and that takes up, you know, obviously,
plenty of time. But you know, from everything I've read,
I've done a little bit of a kind of a
crash course in the draft and the prospects. You know,
last three or four weeks coming into the Combine and
(14:13):
just kind of getting a little bit of familiarity. I mean,
it does seem the more you listen and the more
you read, the more you talk to people, that is
a very deep draft. I don't think that necessarily can
be said every year, and I don't think people.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Are saying it just to say it.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
I think this is you've heard in some years that
you know, it's it's just kind of a you know,
it's a so so year, or you know it's a
very top heavy draft, or you know, this one's.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
A deep draft, and the consensus is a.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
Very deep draft, and you get a lot of talent available,
a lot of young guys, especially at the top. But again,
so much of it is going to matter where they go,
what team they go to, what organization, what role. You know,
how they perform, you know, outside of college, how they
do it the combine, how they do it the scrimmages,
you know, how they do in the interviews and the testings.
I mean, that's what I think makes this you know,
(14:58):
obviously disappointment last night with the lottery, but that's why
I find fun about this this Combine week is it's
kind of the beginning of the you know, I know
that the teams have been scouting for you know, several
several months now, but it's kind of the beginning of
draft season when you really start to kind of you
know where you're gonna be. You can start talking to guys,
you can start inviting them to workouts, and you.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Really get the ball rolling.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
So it's a fun you know, it would have been
a little bit more fun obviously to have that number
one pick, just because, you know, for obvious reasons.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
But it is fun because.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Where the Hornets are picking at number four, you know
there's gonna be a lot of options. You know that
there's a deep candidate of potential picks there, and you
know there's a wide range of guys I think could
help the team right off the bat for sure.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
And one thing that was really a consensus of the
experts I was speaking with last night, Paul be and Cardi,
who covers the high school and college levels for ESPN,
Terrence Oglesby, who covers college basketball in addition to working
covering the Hornets. They said, in this year's class, had
they been eligible to come out the year before, there
were four, maybe five players that would have been the
(16:05):
first or second pick in the twenty twenty four NBA Draft,
So you're getting potentially a number one pick quality player
at the number four spot here for the Charlotte Hornet.
Something to be excited about in the twenty twenty five draft,
which is now roughly a month away. We'll of course
be covering it for you here on the Hornets I've cast.
We'll have expert opinions on how the draft might fall,
(16:28):
some of the players to consider, not just at number four,
but high in the second round as well. Coming up next,
we're going to talk about some of the history of
the number four pick. It's stronger than you might have assumed.
You might even argue it's stronger than some of the
other spots on the board. I'm not going to say
one one's got to create history to it, but number
four has as well, both recently and historically. We'll talk
(16:49):
about that next Here on the Hornets, I've cast Sam
Farbar Sam Perley here with you on the AHC the
Hornet side cast brought to you by sent A Horne,
and it will select fourth in the twenty twenty five
NBA Draft. Certainly something to be excited about. Considering the
depth of this class it's been compared to twenty twenty
(17:09):
one to two thousand and three to nineteen eighty four.
Not even so much in terms of the best player
in it, but the overall depth the first two or
the later two of those, I should say, eighty four
and three. There's been plenty of time for those draft
classes to develop, and it's turned out seven plus All
Stars in both cases for Hall of Fame worthy players
(17:34):
that either already are or will be in the Hall
of Fame one day. Twenty twenty one class, it's a
little early to say definitively who's going to be the
Hall of Famers, who are the All Stars, but we
know that there are several already in Scottie Barnes, Kate Cunningham,
Evan Mobley. So that's another example of a class that
has turned out multiple All Stars and possibly will still
(17:56):
turn out some more given some more time for those
plays to mature and further develop in the NBA. So
those are the kinds of comparisons the experts are making.
But before we get into that in the coming days
and weeks, wanted to look at the history of the
number four overall pick. So Sam Purley. In the few
seconds since the draft lottery wrapped up until we've recorded
(18:17):
this podcast, I gave you an assignment. I want one
number four overall pick in recent memory, last six years
that stands out to you as an example of what
might be possible here for the Charlotte Hornets, and one
historically whose career is either you know, all all the
way complete or close to being so, who you would
point to and say, hey, that's the kind of talent
(18:39):
that you can select at number four and could be
added not just to the Hornet's roster but eventually their
history books for sure.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
And I am looking at the history of the fourth
overall picks, and I will propose this that I am
not and I'm sure you're going to do the same.
I am not comparing said player that all not to
mention to who the Hornets could draft it for, and
this player will be similar. It's simply an exercise to
kind of show the available talent that you can get.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
At any position in the draft, no matter where you're picking.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
But over the last six years, I mean looking at
the names, I mean, the first one that really pops
out is and he's been a couple of years in
the league and really really to the big jump this
year and could be very solidly on the All Defensive
Team first team, if not the second team for sure.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Is Amen Thompson on the Houston Rockets.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
I think there was obviously some question marks coming into
the draft for him.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
I don't remember what.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
Houston's lottery odds were that season in particular, but I
want to say.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
They fell maybe a touch I can't remember.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
But they ended up getting fourth overall pick, and you know,
there's a lot of questions with the men Thompson, the
shooting at the time, coming from a non traditional pre
draft program in overtime elite, and I think last year
he didn't get necessarily as much of an opportunity, or
didn't until the later part of the season, but it.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
Was terrific this year, I mean absolutely terrific.
Speaker 4 (19:58):
Just freak athlete shooting still has a little bit, you know,
to go, but they've hit an absolute home run with
that pick at number four, and I think he could
be a mainstand All Defensive team for years to come.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Very impressive. By the way, I did not have him
as high on my list, but I'm glad you brought
him up because He's someone who has clearly had an
impact now on a playoff caliber team. I was thinking, hey,
let's look for Rookie of the years, and there are
two of them in the last handful of drafts who
were selected fourth overall. The most recent the now reigning
Rookie of the Year Stefan Castle out of Yukon. He
(20:33):
was the fourth overall pick. It was a very different draft.
There was a lot of eye the beholder in it.
He was a player who, obviously, coming off a national
championship run at Yukon, I was very highly acclaimed, but
you know, people were looking at possible awards in his game.
He didn't show a whole lot of them in his
rookie season, as he was a runaway winner of Rookie
(20:53):
of the Year and far outshined to anyone else in
terms of overall scoring, not just in terms of raw
data raw counting stats, but also on a per game basis.
He was far and away number one in his class.
But the one that I really had stand out to
me another former Rookie of the Year, Scottie Barnes. Barnes
has gone on to become an All Star now he
(21:14):
is one of the main key pieces, a foundational piece
for the Toronto franchise, and what stands out to me
about him now. That draft class, the twenty twenty one
is one of the ones we're referencing here. At the time,
it was seen as a very talent rich one. People
weren't quite sure how many All Stars would end up
coming from it, but they were pretty sent going into
(21:35):
it on the lottery order or what should be the
top four or so picks, and Scotty Barnes wasn't necessarily
one of them. Toronto saw more in him than some
of the other experts did. Grabbed Scottie Barnes at four,
somewhat controversial on the day of the draft. I remember
some of the experts saying, I don't know you had
so and so available, why did you go out of
order here? Well, he ended up being Rookie of the
(21:57):
Year and is now an All Star. And some of
those guys that people we're pointing to and saying you
should have selected ahead of Scottie Barnes, they have not
achieved the same thing in their careers, which goes to
show you that there's going to be a lot of
draft boards that come out in the coming week Sam Purley,
and there's going to eventually be some kind of consensus.
Don't panic if that's not the opinion of Jeff Peterson
and the Hornets front office. They know these guys better
(22:20):
than anyone. They've been working on this for years and
certainly all of this year. They know this class inside
and out. And so just because it flies on the
face of whatever, the experts who don't have the culpability
of having to go back and really speak for their
draft boards when something goes outside of what they had selected,
Jeff Peterson, he's got a track record to stand on
(22:42):
for sure.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
Yes, And just because I'll preface this, this is you know,
I know there's a lot of different mop drafts out
there and a lot of different opinions, and that's what
I think makes you know, the draft season so fun
as you can take, you know, kind of different perspectives
and kind of formula your own opinion. But don't necessarily
look at you know, sometimes mock drafts as a reference to, oh,
(23:04):
this guy was projecting fifth in the mock draft and
some teams taking him at second. It's you know, not
necessarily how it works, you know, the mock draft is
it's just it's largely inexact to an extent, and also,
you know, kind of for an entertainment purposes. Like you said,
the front offices kind of have a little bit. I mean,
they've got a great feel on all this. Not only
the Hornets, but the entire league has been scouting these
(23:25):
guys really since probably most of them started high school
or finished high school, I should say, you know, especially
those the younger guys. And I played one year in college.
So again, that's what makes it fun, that's what makes it.
I'm sure there'll be a lot of discourse in the
coming weeks, and but just know that, you know, whoever
the Hornets end up picking it for, if they will
(23:46):
have certainly most definitely one thousand percent done their due
diligence on.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Last, but not least your all time historic favorite number
four overall. Pick.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
I'm looking at the list right now, and for whatever reason,
I'm having trouble getting anything past two thousand. I got
to kind of use my get Google going. But there's
obviously one name that's sticking out to me in particular
even in that timeframe, and it's got to be Chris
Paul two thousand and four, still going in twenty plus
(24:15):
years later, Bona fide A Hall of Famer, one of
the all.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Time great assists, leaders, point guards.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
Chris Paul has to be, at least for me, looking
at that draft in two thousand and two thousand and five,
and I want to see this kind of off the
top of my head, I want to say, ahead of
him was Andrew Bogan went number one, Marvin Williams, and
Darren Williams, who all had great careers in their own
Obviously we saw Marvin here in Charlotte for a little bit.
(24:42):
But Chris Paul, I think is probably easily cemented himself
as the top player in that two thousand and four
two thousand and five excuse me and be a draft class.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
But I'm going to take in a quick lift just
in case I'm wrong.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
But that's obviously the name that stands out to me
right now is Chris Paul as the fourth overall pick
in two thousand and four.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
You got him all, and you got him right, and
you also got the players draft ahead of him, right.
There's so many to choose from. Some honorable mentions to
Kemba Matumbo. He went fourth overall in the nineteen ninety
one draft. Out of Georgetown. Chris Bosh, part of that
two thousand and three draft out of Georgia Tech, eventually
formed a super team in Miami and went on to glory.
(25:21):
There one guy I want to mention, even though he's
not necessarily heralded the same way the guys I've already
mentioned are, but he hails from just down the road,
Providence High School zone Anton Jamison, fourth overall selection in
his draft class back in nineteen ninety eight. But my pick,
the one that I want to highlight here for this
(25:42):
segment is Russell Westbrook. Not a Hall of Famer yet,
but he's almost assuredly going to be one. An MVP.
He's been an All Star Game MVP, a scoring champ
nine times, All NBA nine times, All Star. Decent chance
still that he ends up winning a ring. We'll see
how things go in the next coming days here for
(26:03):
him with Denver. But you know, mister triple double, without question,
one of the best in the history of the game,
and within his draft class was one where it was
incredibly deep. He had so much acclaim around him and
yet fell to four. Derek Rose, Michael Beasley, O J.
Mayo ended up going ahead of him. All of them
(26:25):
have faded into the background compared to Russell Westbrook. So
there's plenty of great examples of outstanding number four picks.
And hopefully the next one is coming up here in
his twenty twenty five draft class, and we'll be wearing
a Charlotte Hornets uniform come October.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
Yes for sure. And one more honorable mention.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
I ended up finding a list of fourth overall picks
now that I can reference it and see the whole
thing honorable mentioned. Glenn Rice not drafted fourth overall by
the Hornets. It was fourth over by the Miami Heat
in nineteen eighty nine, but went on to become a
three time All Star All Star Game MVP had a
sensational career, one of my favorite players growing up when
he was with the Hornets and ended up becoming an
NBA champion.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
Looking at that eighty nine.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
Draft class, he was most certainly one of the top
guys along with Sean Camp and a couple others, but
he was there at four as well.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
So it's a good good list if you want to
go check it out. But like I said, Hornets will
find the right guy there at four.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
It's obviously a little bit of disappointment, but he turned
the page. You move forward and you'll figure it out.
So of all the faith in the world and the
front office to get the guy they want.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
Or the guy that I should say will be the
best FID for the Hornets. There in that fourth.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Position in Jeff Week. Trust Jeff Peterson leading the way,
President of Basketball Operations for the Charlotte Hornets. That's going
to do it for this post draft lottery episode of
the HHC. In the coming days and weeks, his news
breaks surrounding the Hornets will have you covered. We'll have
several draft preview episodes of the Hornets Hive Cast coming
up for you leading up to draft day, and of
course on a draft day or the day after draft day,
(27:55):
we will have the recap of how things go for
the Charlotte Hornets in the twenty two twenty five NBA Draft.
Sam Purley safe travels home from Chicago. Enjoy the combine.
Thanks for joining us here on this episode of the AHC.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Of course, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Thanks to our producer Rob Longo for putting this podcast together.
Most of all to all of you for tuning in.
For all of us here, I'm Sam Farber saying it's
been a pleasure to privilege having you along. We'll talk
to you next time right here on the Hornets Podcast.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Thank you for listening to The Hornets Podcast, brought to
you by Santa, the official i ear nosen Throadcare provider
of the Charlotte Hornets. For more coverage, visit Hornets dot com.
Welcome to the Hornets Hoovecast, presented by Charlotte I ear
nosen Throat Associates, the official I ear nozen Throatcare provider
of the Charlotte Hornets. Here's your host, Sam Farber.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to another edition of the Hornets Podcast, Your Hornets
Podcast with all the notes, quote, san daily buzz around
your favorite NBA team. I'm Sam Farber and it is
a pleasure and a privileged toa you with us here
once again on the Hornet's I've Cast, brought to you
by Santa Charlotte I ear nosen Throat Associates, the official
I hear nosen Throacare provider of the Charlotte Hornets. It
is a post draft lottery episode of the HHC Hornets.
(00:37):
Land the number four pick in the twenty twenty five
NBA draft. They had a one in roughly six or
seven chance of ending up number one, a one in
two chance roughly fifty to fifty odds of landing in
the top four, and that's where they'll go. They'll pick
behind the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, and Philadelphia seventy
six ers, but ahead of Utah and wash is Washington
(01:00):
who had things gone in another direction, they might have
picked behind in again an alternate universe for the twenty
twenty five draft lots to get into on this our
reaction to it, some of the history behind the number
four pick, and why there is ample reason for Hornets
fans to be excited about where Charlotte is selecting. Helping
me go through all of these topics, he's one of
(01:21):
our favorite part of every two. Sam's episode of the
AHHC Senior writer for Hornets dot Com, Sam Purley, who
was on the ground in Chicago for the lottery. Sam,
I think he brought just enough lucky objects for the
Hornets to move into the top four, but apparently not
enough to get number one.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
No, apparently not to need to next time.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
And hopefully you know, he was hoping that there is
not a next time coming to the lottery, because that
means you make the playoffs the following season. But maybe
next time I'll have to bring a separate suitcase just
full of little rabbit's feet and four leaf clovers and
just started collecting them throughout the year. But obviously not
the worst it could be, but certainly not what Hornets
fan and my self included we're hoping for. But you know,
(02:03):
still reason to be positive and optimistic moving forward is
the beginning of draft season begins.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Look, there's a reality to this that the initial reaction
is this kind of sucks. You wanted the number one pick,
you wanted to be at the head of the draft,
one that has a chance to be historical for a
number of reasons, one of which is the assumed top
prospect in thus top pick in the draft. Cooper Flag
is seen as a unique talent entering the NBA and
(02:32):
someone that people are very high on. But the reason
overall this draft was so highly acclaimed was not just
because of one player who is assumed to lead it,
but because of the plethora of opportunities later on beyond
number one to get an all star level player. When
you're comparing this draft class to twenty twenty one, part
(02:53):
of me to two thousand and three to nineteen eighty four,
it's not just because of the best player that is
a merged from that class twenty twenty one. We don't
even really know who's gonna end up being the best
player when it's all said and done. But it's more
because there are so many options, so many all stars,
so many potential Hall of famers and franchise changers, and
(03:14):
that's how people are looking at this draft as a whole.
One of those people is the Hornets President of basketball Operations,
Jeff Peterson. He spoke to the media, he spoke to
you Sam Purley, when the event, or the lottery portion
of the event had come to a close. Here's what
he had to say about where the Hornets landed in
(03:36):
the twenty twenty five draft.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
Yeah, we're excited the fourth pick. You know, this this
is a deep draft. You know, obviously everyone was competitive
and wanted to win the lottery, but at the same time,
like this is what we do all our work for
over of course of the season to prepare for all
the players in the draft. So we're really excited.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Sam. Jeff kind of said it all right there, like, yes,
there there was some hope to be in the number
one spot, but coledgement that this is a very deep
draft which presents a lot of opportunities. Most people say
more than four shots at an All Star, and the
Hornets are going to be ahead of a lot of
other teams that are in desperate need for All Star
level talent.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
It's one of those things that I've been to a
couple of lotteries. It's a strange event. There's a strange
feel in the room, just kind of knowing that, you know,
a handful of franchises could see their directions completely change
in a moment and it just kind of happens in
real time.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
And if you were kind of that thought they were
going to be you know, you know, get the luck
was going to be on their side and didn't.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
So it's definitely one of the more unusual event that
I've personally witnessed in person since I've joined.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
The Hornet and I've been to a handful of them now.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
But the reality is, you know, I think everybody knows
that when you look at fourteen percent odds to get
the top pick, it's it just mathematically, it's it's not
in your favor. So only one team is going to
get that top pick and everybody else You've got to
figure out and do the best you can with the
pick you end up getting.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
And so that's just kind of the tough thing.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
It's you know, you feel, I think, certainly speaking from
a a Hornet's perspective, that you know, just with the
amount of bad luck that it had on the injury side,
particularly not only this past season, but the previous couple
of seasons that you were hoping that maybe the NBA
gods would kind of finally, you know, shift some of
that good luck the other way, and this was going
to be making up for that, but you know, just
(05:18):
not the reality sometimes. So you know, the front office,
no Jeff and a scout scouting.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Team and everybody, they've been doing it.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
This is a full year long process of going through
the draft, draft prospects, and this is always kind of
in the back of their mind that yes, it would
have been fantastic to the number one pick, but the
reality is is is just not likely just from a
strictly mathematic probability standpoint. So you've got to be ready
to adjust and adapt. And again, could have been worse, certainly,
(05:44):
could have been better, but they're kind of right exactly where,
you know, kind of right in the middle of where
they were projected to get. So if nothing else, and
it's a very very tiny silver lining, you do have
some clarity now where you're picking.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
You do have some to fit.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
I guess you know what you're looking at with the
fourth pick, and you know who's ahead of you and
what they might be targeting, so you can kind of
adjust accordingly.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Over this next month, we'll talk momentarily about some of
the opportunity ahead, some of the math of lottery day
and how it certainly did to a certain extent fall
in the hornets favor coming up after this quick break
here on the Hornetsive Cast, Sam Farvar, Sam Purley here
with you on the HHC, the Hornetside Cast, brought to
(06:28):
you by Santa We are post lottery.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Now.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
The draft order is locked in. The Hornets are going
to select fourth overall in a very talent heavy twenty
twenty five NBA draft, and they will have two of
the top four picks in the second round as well,
giving them three in the top thirty five for again
what is proclaimed to be a very deep draft. But
(06:52):
before we get into some of the prospects and some
of the possibilities here for the Hornets, I want to
go through the TikTok of how it all went down.
Sam Parly, you were at the lottery itself in Chicago.
You were not in the lottery room, although there were,
of course a Hornet's representative and I believe Rod Boone
was there part of the media contingent. But you were
there as the cards were being unveiled. You saw Charles
(07:16):
Lee up on the stage. I was at the Hornets
fan lottery party at Legion Brewing in South Charlotte, and
you know, there was such a range of emotions for
me from my vantage point. You know, we went through
a great panel. We had Paul b and Cardi of ESPN,
Terrence Oglesby of FanDuel Sports Southeast, as well as from
(07:36):
several networks covering the college game, talking about the depth
of the class. And then we get into the lottery.
We're seeing the names unveiled. We see, oh, Dallas has jumped.
That might not be great for the horns because you
don't want too many teams jumping up. You see that
san Antonio jumped, You realize Philadelphia jumped. And then they
unveil the Washington Wizard's card and I am the math
(08:00):
guy and so I'm thinking, wait a minute, that means
we moved up. But no one on the network broadcast
said that. So it took one more selection for Washington
to be unveiled, for everyone to get excited in the
room and realize that the Hornets had moved in the
top four. We spent that whole commercial break, you know,
rubbing lucky objects together and hoping that things would follow
(08:22):
the Hornets way. Of course, number four Charlotte, it's being
the pick. But you know, it was a great moment
in time there for the Hornets fans in the Queen
City collectively to come together and you know, bringing enough
good fortune for the Hornets to move into the top four,
which again, just like Washington and Utah, Charlotte had a
fifty to fifty chance, a coin flip chance of being
(08:44):
in the top four or being out of the top four,
which had it gone another way, maybe they end up seventh.
Charlotte wins that top four spot, and teams in Washington
and Utah that maybe are in more need of an
all star level talent. You could make an argument, I mean,
everyone needs all stars, but you know those are teams
that had a very very difficult season and they are
(09:04):
not rewarded with the top four selection. The Hornet turn.
What was the TikTok for you on your vantage point
in Chicago.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
You know, I didn't have anything in front of me,
and it was a little strange because maybe I should
have pulled something up in hindsight, but I didn't have
one of a sort of a reference sheet of like, Okay,
this team should be picking here, this team should be
picking here, this team should be picking here. So I
was I didn't realize, you know, the teams that jumped
up at the time, until they said something like Dallas
and San Antonio. And once it got to I think six,
(09:36):
or once they're about to unveil six, I was like, okay,
I just I hope, I really hope we can at
least make it to the commercial break, because it's you
look at the odds and you're like, okay, at least
two teams have jumped into the top four, which means
two teams that were in the.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Top four have moved down.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
So now you're looking at okay, it's going to be
either one of Charlotte, Utah, Washington, or New Orleans in
that five and six spot. So it was part of
me that once they got to six, I was like,
let's just make it in the commercial break. Let's just
make it the commercial break, and you kind of process
everything and then once you guys are in the top
four and it's Philadelphia and it's San Antonio and it's Dallas,
(10:11):
and it's like, this is kind of a I would
love to know what the odds of those four teams
and the order, because it's, you know, we hit the
tankathon sim lottery thing, and that's got to be a
pretty odd or unusual slash rare combination. But I think
it was like everybody else, you know, you just your
heart sank this a little bit when they opened that
Hornet's envelope at four.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
But crazy because it just it happens so fast in
the moment. It's once they get moved it it goes.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
They don't drag it on to two hours and open
one envelope at a time, and I mean it starts
moving and it's hard to kind of process a little bit,
and then it's you know, once they open at four,
there's there's obviously, uh, you know, this disappointment.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
There's a lot of disappointment.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
But like I said, you have clarity of where you're picking,
and you can kind of start looking at who's going
to potentially be in that range and how they can
potentially and it's tough. I think you're certainly, you know
you as in Hornets fans, you and I you're certainly
allowed to be disappointed, but one team is.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Gonna get the first overall pick.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
There's twenty nine of the teams, and you gotta shake
it off, and you know when the combine starts tomorrow
or today. Now, if you're listening to this, you just gotta,
you know, get back to it and then find the
best guy you can at the position you've been assigned.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Percentage wise, the Hornets had a technically a fifty two
percent chance of ending up in the top four, but
saying was true for Utah and Washington, they obviously did
not the chance of winning the lottery of ending up
number one. Charlotte had a fourteen percent chance. The combined
percentage going into the day for Philadelphia, San Antonio and
(11:43):
Dallas was roughly eighteen percent. So of course the mathmyers,
so I was going, all right, let's it's like a
forty something percent chance that Charlotte's gonna win this going
into that break, Obviously a Hornets the I had already
been cast. They have the number four pick, but still
a lot of opportunity here ahead for the Hornets. It
has been called a very deep draft class, and I
(12:04):
think the depth of the class is maybe more remarkable
than the talents of the players at the very top
of the class, and that is always presumed. You don't
learn until far later down the road. Who actually ends
up being the best player. Michael Jordan greatest of all time.
He was selected third in his class. There's more than
you can name. More often than not, the best player
(12:25):
in the class is not the number one guy. But clearly,
all due respect to the players at the top of
this class, they are very highly acclaimed. But the talent
pool in this class is seen by the experts to
be as deep as any we've had in recent memory.
And the list of names that are within the Hornets
range depending on how things fall to number four. Ace Bailey,
(12:46):
the big wing shooter out of Rutgers vj. Edgecombe, super athlete,
super score out of Baylor, the Big twelve freshman of
the year. You've got Jeremiah Fears and sec phenom as
a freshman at Oklahoma led them into the tournament. Tray
Johnson similar for Texas leading the Longhorns into the tournament.
There's a couple more duke guys. There's a lot of talent.
(13:09):
Quite frankly, Sam, the one thing we don't have is
a whole lot of consensus after the top two picks
for who really should be three through anywhere in the lottery.
And that's less of an indictment on any one player
for not claiming that third best in the class and
more of an applause line for the class overall, because
there is so much depth, there is so much talent
(13:31):
that there are a range of opinions on who those
next all star level talents might be. The one thing
we do know is picking at number four, you're gonna
have a swing at one of them.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
For sure.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
And there's been no We'll get into it, you know, shortly,
but you know, you go back and look at the
history of fourth overall picks.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
I mean, it's it's a pretty good track record, you know.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
I know every year is a little bit different, but
you know, I'm not going to say that I'm super
well versed in college basketball and scouting. I think most
of my focus during the season is kind of on
the NBA and the fortnets and that takes up, you know, obviously,
plenty of time. But you know, from everything I've read,
I've done a little bit of a kind of a
crash course in the draft and the prospects. You know,
last three or four weeks coming into the Combine and
(14:13):
just kind of getting a little bit of familiarity. I mean,
it does seem the more you listen and the more
you read, the more you talk to people, that is
a very deep draft. I don't think that necessarily can
be said every year, and I don't think people.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Are saying it just to say it.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
I think this is you've heard in some years that
you know, it's it's just kind of a you know,
it's a so so year, or you know it's a
very top heavy draft, or you know, this one's.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
A deep draft, and the consensus is a.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
Very deep draft, and you get a lot of talent available,
a lot of young guys, especially at the top. But again,
so much of it is going to matter where they go,
what team they go to, what organization, what role. You know,
how they perform, you know, outside of college, how they
do it the combine, how they do it the scrimmages,
you know, how they do in the interviews and the testings.
I mean, that's what I think makes this you know,
(14:58):
obviously disappointment last night with the lottery, but that's why
I find fun about this this Combine week is it's
kind of the beginning of the you know, I know
that the teams have been scouting for you know, several
several months now, but it's kind of the beginning of
draft season when you really start to kind of you
know where you're gonna be. You can start talking to guys,
you can start inviting them to workouts, and you.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Really get the ball rolling.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
So it's a fun you know, it would have been
a little bit more fun obviously to have that number
one pick, just because, you know, for obvious reasons.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
But it is fun because.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Where the Hornets are picking at number four, you know
there's gonna be a lot of options. You know that
there's a deep candidate of potential picks there, and you
know there's a wide range of guys I think could
help the team right off the bat for sure.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
And one thing that was really a consensus of the
experts I was speaking with last night, Paul be and Cardi,
who covers the high school and college levels for ESPN,
Terrence Oglesby, who covers college basketball in addition to working
covering the Hornets. They said, in this year's class, had
they been eligible to come out the year before, there
were four, maybe five players that would have been the
(16:05):
first or second pick in the twenty twenty four NBA Draft,
So you're getting potentially a number one pick quality player
at the number four spot here for the Charlotte Hornet.
Something to be excited about in the twenty twenty five draft,
which is now roughly a month away. We'll of course
be covering it for you here on the Hornets I've cast.
We'll have expert opinions on how the draft might fall,
(16:28):
some of the players to consider, not just at number four,
but high in the second round as well. Coming up next,
we're going to talk about some of the history of
the number four pick. It's stronger than you might have assumed.
You might even argue it's stronger than some of the
other spots on the board. I'm not going to say
one one's got to create history to it, but number
four has as well, both recently and historically. We'll talk
(16:49):
about that next Here on the Hornets, I've cast Sam
Farbar Sam Perley here with you on the AHC the
Hornet side cast brought to you by sent A Horne,
and it will select fourth in the twenty twenty five
NBA Draft. Certainly something to be excited about. Considering the
depth of this class it's been compared to twenty twenty
(17:09):
one to two thousand and three to nineteen eighty four.
Not even so much in terms of the best player
in it, but the overall depth the first two or
the later two of those, I should say, eighty four
and three. There's been plenty of time for those draft
classes to develop, and it's turned out seven plus All
Stars in both cases for Hall of Fame worthy players
(17:34):
that either already are or will be in the Hall
of Fame one day. Twenty twenty one class, it's a
little early to say definitively who's going to be the
Hall of Famers, who are the All Stars, but we
know that there are several already in Scottie Barnes, Kate Cunningham,
Evan Mobley. So that's another example of a class that
has turned out multiple All Stars and possibly will still
(17:56):
turn out some more given some more time for those
plays to mature and further develop in the NBA. So
those are the kinds of comparisons the experts are making.
But before we get into that in the coming days
and weeks, wanted to look at the history of the
number four overall pick. So Sam Purley. In the few
seconds since the draft lottery wrapped up until we've recorded
(18:17):
this podcast, I gave you an assignment. I want one
number four overall pick in recent memory, last six years
that stands out to you as an example of what
might be possible here for the Charlotte Hornets, and one
historically whose career is either you know, all all the
way complete or close to being so, who you would
point to and say, hey, that's the kind of talent
(18:39):
that you can select at number four and could be
added not just to the Hornet's roster but eventually their
history books for sure.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
And I am looking at the history of the fourth
overall picks, and I will propose this that I am
not and I'm sure you're going to do the same.
I am not comparing said player that all not to
mention to who the Hornets could draft it for, and
this player will be similar. It's simply an exercise to
kind of show the available talent that you can get.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
At any position in the draft, no matter where you're picking.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
But over the last six years, I mean looking at
the names, I mean, the first one that really pops
out is and he's been a couple of years in
the league and really really to the big jump this
year and could be very solidly on the All Defensive
Team first team, if not the second team for sure.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Is Amen Thompson on the Houston Rockets.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
I think there was obviously some question marks coming into
the draft for him.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
I don't remember what.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
Houston's lottery odds were that season in particular, but I
want to say.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
They fell maybe a touch I can't remember.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
But they ended up getting fourth overall pick, and you know,
there's a lot of questions with the men Thompson, the
shooting at the time, coming from a non traditional pre
draft program in overtime elite, and I think last year
he didn't get necessarily as much of an opportunity, or
didn't until the later part of the season, but it.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
Was terrific this year, I mean absolutely terrific.
Speaker 4 (19:58):
Just freak athlete shooting still has a little bit, you know,
to go, but they've hit an absolute home run with
that pick at number four, and I think he could
be a mainstand All Defensive team for years to come.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Very impressive. By the way, I did not have him
as high on my list, but I'm glad you brought
him up because He's someone who has clearly had an
impact now on a playoff caliber team. I was thinking, hey,
let's look for Rookie of the years, and there are
two of them in the last handful of drafts who
were selected fourth overall. The most recent the now reigning
Rookie of the Year Stefan Castle out of Yukon. He
(20:33):
was the fourth overall pick. It was a very different draft.
There was a lot of eye the beholder in it.
He was a player who, obviously, coming off a national
championship run at Yukon, I was very highly acclaimed, but
you know, people were looking at possible awards in his game.
He didn't show a whole lot of them in his
rookie season, as he was a runaway winner of Rookie
(20:53):
of the Year and far outshined to anyone else in
terms of overall scoring, not just in terms of raw
data raw counting stats, but also on a per game basis.
He was far and away number one in his class.
But the one that I really had stand out to
me another former Rookie of the Year, Scottie Barnes. Barnes
has gone on to become an All Star now he
(21:14):
is one of the main key pieces, a foundational piece
for the Toronto franchise, and what stands out to me
about him now. That draft class, the twenty twenty one
is one of the ones we're referencing here. At the time,
it was seen as a very talent rich one. People
weren't quite sure how many All Stars would end up
coming from it, but they were pretty sent going into
(21:35):
it on the lottery order or what should be the
top four or so picks, and Scotty Barnes wasn't necessarily
one of them. Toronto saw more in him than some
of the other experts did. Grabbed Scottie Barnes at four,
somewhat controversial on the day of the draft. I remember
some of the experts saying, I don't know you had
so and so available, why did you go out of
order here? Well, he ended up being Rookie of the
(21:57):
Year and is now an All Star. And some of
those guys that people we're pointing to and saying you
should have selected ahead of Scottie Barnes, they have not
achieved the same thing in their careers, which goes to
show you that there's going to be a lot of
draft boards that come out in the coming week Sam Purley,
and there's going to eventually be some kind of consensus.
Don't panic if that's not the opinion of Jeff Peterson
and the Hornets front office. They know these guys better
(22:20):
than anyone. They've been working on this for years and
certainly all of this year. They know this class inside
and out. And so just because it flies on the
face of whatever, the experts who don't have the culpability
of having to go back and really speak for their
draft boards when something goes outside of what they had selected,
Jeff Peterson, he's got a track record to stand on
(22:42):
for sure.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
Yes, And just because I'll preface this, this is you know,
I know there's a lot of different mop drafts out
there and a lot of different opinions, and that's what
I think makes you know, the draft season so fun
as you can take, you know, kind of different perspectives
and kind of formula your own opinion. But don't necessarily
look at you know, sometimes mock drafts as a reference to, oh,
(23:04):
this guy was projecting fifth in the mock draft and
some teams taking him at second. It's you know, not
necessarily how it works, you know, the mock draft is
it's just it's largely inexact to an extent, and also,
you know, kind of for an entertainment purposes. Like you said,
the front offices kind of have a little bit. I mean,
they've got a great feel on all this. Not only
the Hornets, but the entire league has been scouting these
(23:25):
guys really since probably most of them started high school
or finished high school, I should say, you know, especially
those the younger guys. And I played one year in college.
So again, that's what makes it fun, that's what makes it.
I'm sure there'll be a lot of discourse in the
coming weeks, and but just know that, you know, whoever
the Hornets end up picking it for, if they will
(23:46):
have certainly most definitely one thousand percent done their due
diligence on.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Last, but not least your all time historic favorite number
four overall. Pick.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
I'm looking at the list right now, and for whatever reason,
I'm having trouble getting anything past two thousand. I got
to kind of use my get Google going. But there's
obviously one name that's sticking out to me in particular
even in that timeframe, and it's got to be Chris
Paul two thousand and four, still going in twenty plus
(24:15):
years later, Bona fide A Hall of Famer, one of
the all.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Time great assists, leaders, point guards.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
Chris Paul has to be, at least for me, looking
at that draft in two thousand and two thousand and five,
and I want to see this kind of off the
top of my head, I want to say, ahead of
him was Andrew Bogan went number one, Marvin Williams, and
Darren Williams, who all had great careers in their own
Obviously we saw Marvin here in Charlotte for a little bit.
(24:42):
But Chris Paul, I think is probably easily cemented himself
as the top player in that two thousand and four
two thousand and five excuse me and be a draft class.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
But I'm going to take in a quick lift just
in case I'm wrong.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
But that's obviously the name that stands out to me
right now is Chris Paul as the fourth overall pick
in two thousand and four.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
You got him all, and you got him right, and
you also got the players draft ahead of him, right.
There's so many to choose from. Some honorable mentions to
Kemba Matumbo. He went fourth overall in the nineteen ninety
one draft. Out of Georgetown. Chris Bosh, part of that
two thousand and three draft out of Georgia Tech, eventually
formed a super team in Miami and went on to glory.
(25:21):
There one guy I want to mention, even though he's
not necessarily heralded the same way the guys I've already
mentioned are, but he hails from just down the road,
Providence High School zone Anton Jamison, fourth overall selection in
his draft class back in nineteen ninety eight. But my pick,
the one that I want to highlight here for this
(25:42):
segment is Russell Westbrook. Not a Hall of Famer yet,
but he's almost assuredly going to be one. An MVP.
He's been an All Star Game MVP, a scoring champ
nine times, All NBA nine times, All Star. Decent chance
still that he ends up winning a ring. We'll see
how things go in the next coming days here for
(26:03):
him with Denver. But you know, mister triple double, without question,
one of the best in the history of the game,
and within his draft class was one where it was
incredibly deep. He had so much acclaim around him and
yet fell to four. Derek Rose, Michael Beasley, O J.
Mayo ended up going ahead of him. All of them
(26:25):
have faded into the background compared to Russell Westbrook. So
there's plenty of great examples of outstanding number four picks.
And hopefully the next one is coming up here in
his twenty twenty five draft class, and we'll be wearing
a Charlotte Hornets uniform come October.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
Yes for sure. And one more honorable mention.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
I ended up finding a list of fourth overall picks
now that I can reference it and see the whole
thing honorable mentioned. Glenn Rice not drafted fourth overall by
the Hornets. It was fourth over by the Miami Heat
in nineteen eighty nine, but went on to become a
three time All Star All Star Game MVP had a
sensational career, one of my favorite players growing up when
he was with the Hornets and ended up becoming an
NBA champion.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
Looking at that eighty nine.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
Draft class, he was most certainly one of the top
guys along with Sean Camp and a couple others, but
he was there at four as well.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
So it's a good good list if you want to
go check it out. But like I said, Hornets will
find the right guy there at four.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
It's obviously a little bit of disappointment, but he turned
the page. You move forward and you'll figure it out.
So of all the faith in the world and the
front office to get the guy they want.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
Or the guy that I should say will be the
best FID for the Hornets. There in that fourth.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Position in Jeff Week. Trust Jeff Peterson leading the way,
President of Basketball Operations for the Charlotte Hornets. That's going
to do it for this post draft lottery episode of
the HHC. In the coming days and weeks, his news
breaks surrounding the Hornets will have you covered. We'll have
several draft preview episodes of the Hornets Hive Cast coming
up for you leading up to draft day, and of
course on a draft day or the day after draft day,
(27:55):
we will have the recap of how things go for
the Charlotte Hornets in the twenty two twenty five NBA Draft.
Sam Purley safe travels home from Chicago. Enjoy the combine.
Thanks for joining us here on this episode of the AHC.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Of course, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Thanks to our producer Rob Longo for putting this podcast together.
Most of all to all of you for tuning in.
For all of us here, I'm Sam Farber saying it's
been a pleasure to privilege having you along. We'll talk
to you next time right here on the Hornets Podcast.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Thank you for listening to The Hornets Podcast, brought to
you by Santa, the official i ear nosen Throadcare provider
of the Charlotte Hornets. For more coverage, visit Hornets dot com.
Hosts And Creators
Sam Farber
Rob Longo
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