As a Charlotte basketball fan, the draft is always a time of hope and promise. After many losing seasons, we have found ourselves around the top of the draft several times. In the last decade, it seems that we can’t seem to catch a break in drafting a player that had the power to change the franchise. Our first ever drafted player, Emeka Okafor showed promise after winning the 2004-2005 Rookie of the Year award over Dwight Howard. From there, the Bobcats draft history went downhill. Here are a few examples:

2004- We pick Okafor following Dwight Howard. He has had an OK career as a big man in the league, but he was expected to be much better. Other forwards and centers that we could have picked include Big Al, Andre Iguodala, and Luol Deng.

2005- The Bobcats select a pair of UNC Tarheels hot off their National Championship win. At the time Raymond Felton and Sean May looked like they might have both had good careers. Felton went on to have a pretty good NBA career as a good scoring point guard. His weight has been an issue. Speaking of weight being an issue, Sean May’s career never amounted to much of anything. He was out of the league by 2009. Guards and Forwards selected after both of these players include Danny Granger, Gerald Green, David Lee, and Nate Robinson.

2006- Adam Morrison. That’s all I’m going to say. Many teams got screwed in this draft, but we could have at least drafted Rudy Gay. This image haunts me.

The next few seasons saw the Bobcats pick up a lot of role players and guys who nobody would say was a total bust or flop. DJ Augustin was a solid guard for us, and helped us clinch a playoff berth in 2009-2010. Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson have proved to be great contributors who are major cogs in the Hornets future success.

Needless to say, our drafts have not all been total catastrophes. In a smaller market like Charlotte, drafts can mean a lot because of our lesser capacity to sign star players. The draft gives us hope that a LeBron James could fall into our lap.

I have a lot of hope for the guys we drafted this season. Normally, I feel a sense of uneasiness after we make our draft picks. I hear what the analysts have to say about the players and I read up on them as much as I can. Here are my thoughts on Noah Vonleh and PJ Hairston.

Vonleh- I was ecstatic to see a player of this caliber fall to #9. Many thought the Lakers or Celtics would gobble him up in a heartbeat. He seems to have some of the most upside in the draft, and is ready to play this season. He already has the body of an NBA power forward, at 6 foot 10 inches and 250 lbs. His wingspan is a wonderfully long 7 foot 2 and he often plays with the athleticism of a small forward. He has the ability to develop a very useful mid-range game and is ready to take on the physical toll of playing defense in the NBA.

Many have compared him to Chris Bosh or former Hornet Jamal Mashburn. A scoring PF is something that the Hornets are in desperate need of. He and Zeller could be a dangerous combination down low. Both posses superior athletic ability and could split time this season at the 4. I hope these two former Hoosiers can aid each other in the best way possible, pushing each other at practice to better themselves. Having Patrick Ewing and Al Jefferson as mentors certainly won’t hinder Noah either.

My hopes for his rookie season are high. I don’t think he will get a ton of minutes because he and Zeller will likely split time. Let’s say McRoberts is gone at this point. Both Hoosiers will score in the double digits and grab at least seven boards per game. I think Vonleh is the future of the Hornets franchise and if he is developed at a good rate, this 19 year-old will be an All-Star someday. Hard to believe there is a guy on the Hornets that younger than I am.

Hairston- PJ has the chance to be one of the sleepers of this draft. Since the pick, I have been watching a lot of footage on this guy. He dominated the D-League with consistent 3-point shooting and rim-shaking dunks. He will be Kemba’s new alley-oop target this season. He fills in a lot of the gaps in Henderson’s game. If only there was a way to combine these two players to form a mega Hornet shooting guard.

His off the court issues need to be eliminated immediately. This worries me, but young men have a knack of getting into trouble of all degrees. Let’s hope he takes this opportunity seriously and becomes a solid NBA player. People underscore the talent of players in the D-League, but I know that Hairston is for real. He could have had an illustrious college career, had he not gone into the UNC system. He did not fit well into Roy Williams’ team, but he has the skill to make it in the next level. He has garnered comparisons to Arron Afflalo and Isaiah Rider, with great shooting ability and game changing offensive skills across the table.

My prediction for Hairston’s rookie season may be a bit rash. I think by the end of the year he may start over Henderson, leaving Gerald to play 6th man. Hairston could work very well with Walker in the backcourt and hit open 3’s when Jefferson is double-teamed down low. I see him averaging 12-14 points per game this year if all goes according to plan. Signing players like Stephenson or Deng could hinder this, but I think he still may be an unexpected contributor out of this draft.

Either way, I think the future of bright for the Charlotte Hornets. We got what we need and we have the cap space to make a decent signing or two. Let’s hope the Hornets can make the playoffs again next season. Maybe next time we won’t have to face the Heat.