With just eight games remaining in the regular season, the Charlotte Hornets are five-and-a-half games outside of the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, at this point a virtually insurmountable deficit that will likely result in them missing the postseason for the second year in a row.
The last time the Hornets made the playoffs was in 2016, when they lost a gritty seven-game series to the Heat in the opening round. That marked just the second time All-Star point guard Kemba Walker had gotten a taste of the postseason during his seven-year career.
And the flashy and prideful New York City product, quite frankly, is sick and tired of it, as he said in a recent interview when asked about the prospect of once again being forced to watch the NBA’s second season from his living room.
Via Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer:
“At this point, I want to win. I want to be in the playoffs,” Walker told the Observer on Monday morning. “I’m tired of not being in the playoffs. … I hate watching them on TV.
“I’ve been there twice in seven years, and it’s just not fun” missing out.
Walker isn’t the only one missing out. NBA fans everywhere are being deprived of seeing one of the game’s best clutch players showcase his talents on basketball’s biggest stage.
Walker has been the subject of trade rumors this season as the Hornets have continued to under-perform. He’ll be a free agent at the end of next season, and the organization faces a difficult decision about his future between now and then. Complicating matters was Steve Clifford’s leave of absence in December to deal with stress-related health issues.
Walker, for his part, has consistently expressed his loyalty to the franchise, but time is most certainly running out for the Hornets to prove that they have a plan in place to get back into contention in the very near future. Otherwise, that future may not include Walker.
