Larry Johnson should be happy. After a back injury limited him to 51 games two seasons ago and had many thinking he was washed up, Johnson returned last season to average 18.8 points and 7.2 rebounds and once again earn a spot as an Eastern Conference All-Star.
So what are Johnson's thoughts on the coming season?
"I'm not in the right frame of mind to play basketball," the Charlotte power forward said last week, a day before the Hornets opened training camp.
What has upset Johnson is the off-season trade of Hersey Hawkins to the Seattle SuperSonics for Kendall Gill. In case you've forgotten, Gill's complaints about being overlooked on the offensive end while playing with Charlotte and his stormy relationship with coach Allan Bristow prompted his trade to Seattle after the 1992-93 season.
Johnson is upset that the Hornets never consulted him about the trade, complaining that "I thought I had a say-so." Teammates are hoping that the bad blood between Johnson and Gill from an on-court altercation in 1993-94 does not carry into games.
"They don't have to go home with each other," Alonzo Mourning said. "They just have to work together a couple of hours a day."
Gill is a talented 6-foot-5 forward, and had he accepted his role as the third option behind Mourning and Johnson, the Hornets would have been on the verge of breaking through as an Eastern Conference power. Instead Gill went to Seattle and found himself in the same role and at odds with coach George Karl. He left the team briefly last season after a bout with depression.
Gill's a more aggressive player and a better defender than Hawkins, which will help playing against Eastern Conference shooting guards such as Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller and Glen Rice.
But even if he is a model citizen, the Hornets are still in trouble as they'll start the season with Rafael Addison at small forward (Scott Burrell is out until December, recovering from a torn Achilles' tendon) and Michael Adams at point guard (Muggsy Bogues is recovering from knee surgery).
Charlotte doesn't appear to have gotten any better by drafting George Zidek. So if the team plans on staying afloat, Johnson and Gill need to get along.
"We're going to get along for six months or fight or get traded," Johnson said.
Barkley not happy either
As the wheeling and dealing began after the lockout was lifted, Phoenix Suns forward Charles Barkley looked on with interest.
