THROUGH THE YEARS
	Year	Record	Playoffs
	1994-95	50-32	1-3
	1995-96	41-41	--
	1996-97	54-28	0-3
	1997-98	51-31	4-5
	1998-99	26-24	--
	Totals	222-156	5-11

The Present
The Hornets are 47-33, fifth place in the Eastern Conference, a game behind Philadelphia, and appear to have survived the incredible misfortune that's come their way this season. First there was the automobile accident which involved Coleman and Eldridge Recasner -- the latter suffering a collapsed lung.

Then came the car-crash death of Phills -- the team's on-the-court leader and locker room guiding light -- immediately after a team practice. To have the life of such a strong influence snuffed out under such bizarre circumstances, so quickly and in such close proximity to the group, could well have crushed team morale.

And then there were the legal charges levied against owner Shinn and Mason that had to be distracting -- at the very least.

But somehow Silas and his players have kept the Hornets afloat. Silas told me that he used the memory of the respected Phills to help him do this. He told his players that "with or without Bobby we have to go on. There are still games we have to play. Bobby wouldn't want us to give up on the season." They responded and credit their coach for providing the quiet leadership needed to keep their group -- one with such varied personalities -- together.

On the floor, Silas has a simple game plan ... he looks for post-up mismatches among his big men in every game. He usually finds one with Mason at small forward. Mase has bull-like strength and overpowers most of his opponents down low; but if doubled, he finds the open man (4.5 assists per game). If opponents defend Mason with their big forward, Silas sends either Coleman or Campbell down low and repeats the procedure. Charlotte is dangerous from three-point land when the post players are double-teamed, and also uses a lot of screen and roll action with their big men to generate half-court offense.

The Hornets are pesky defenders, fifth in the league in steals, and are quick into the open court. Jones (league leader in steals) and David Wesley are tough on-the-ball defenders who force an uptempo game. The absence of Phills has weakened the team's bench and forced Silas to rely on two rookies -- Baron Davis and Eddie Robinson -- more than he'd prefer.

The Hornets go into the playoffs with momentum -- they've won eight of their last 10 -- and will no doubt face Philadelphia in the opening round. Home court advantage is yet available to them at this writing. If they get it, I give them a good chance to upend the Sixers in the opening round.

The Future
The Hornets should be a playoff team for the immediate future. The veteran core -- Mason, Coleman, Campbell and Wesley -- all age 30 or over, should have a couple of solid production years left. But it's critical that the team re-signs Jones, who's a free agent at the end of the season. The loss of Jones and Phills would be hard for the team to overcome.

The young talent (the two Davises, Robinson and Brad Miller) will only get better, and Todd Fuller should become a valued big man reserve. Silas is a patient teacher with a good track record for developing big men.

General manager Bass must continue to draft well, pick up some sleeper free agents, and then make productive trades when needed.

The Hornets are not a contending team right now, but they can sting you if you're not careful.