We announce some big plans for the upcoming year, including the release of the season’s weekly lineup

Has there ever been a better time to be a Hornets fan? Have you ever been more excited for the future than you are today; right now? Honestly, it is all kind of surreal and nobody would blame you if you were still in shock from the barrage of events that this franchise has been a part of in just the last six months. From no owner to a known entity as our foundation. We go from uncertainty about where the Hornets will play to a brand new lease and an All-Star game in 2014. And who will ever forget May 30th, 2012? The day that those four magic ping pong balls popped up and gave the Hornets the chance to grab a franchise changing big man by the name of Anthony Davis.

Notice that I didn’t even mention the Eric Gordon re-signing, the Monty Williams extension, the drafting of Austin Rivers, or the trade for Ryan Anderson. The last six months have been magical and frankly, they’ve inspired us here at Hornets247. We are pushing forward with huge plans this season that include new weekly articles, more in-depth coverage, a renewed focus on social media and mobile apps that will let you touch base with us anytime and anywhere. We are fortifying our partnership with HornetsReport.com in an effort to combine each sites strengths. We have renewed our desire to put each of you closer to the action by offering giveaways that include free tickets to games and opportunities to interact with Hornets players and personnel.

But at the heart of Hornets247 is the original content that you simply can’t get anywhere else. This will be more evident than ever this year and it is because we have finally come to terms with ‘who we are.’ Many of you have asked for years that very question- “Who are you? Are you fans or are you journalists?” As the lines blur in this industry more and more, I must admit that this was a tough question for each of us to answer. What does either really mean? Are they mutually exclusive?

The fact is that each and every one of our writers are fans, at least that is how we got our start and that is where our passion comes from. But, by definition, a fan (short for fanatic) lacks objectivity, and that is where we step out of that box and into one that includes an obligation to YOU- our readers. While it is hard not to see the game through Hornets colored glasses, our primary objective in each piece will be to give you multiple sides so that you can take from it what you will. In short, we are just fans with more access, more time, and a self-imposed objective nature. Our hope is that with the additional resources at our disposal, we can provide you with the in-depth statistics, analysis, and projections that you would discover yourselves if you had the 100-120 spare hours a week that our writers spend watching, writing, and researching Hornets basketball.

So, be on the lookout for big things this season from Hornets247.com. Our first announcement is letting you know our ‘Weekly’s’ for this year. We have kept some favorites from last year, enhanced others, and said farewell to a few (Tracking the T’Wolves, we barely knew ‘ya). Without further adieu, here is the lineup for the coming season:

Monday- Hornets Beat

We kick off the week by tackling the five biggest questions facing the Hornets with our panel of writers and special guests.

Tuesday- Scouting the NBA

Tuesday is usually a day off for most NBA players, but not for the coaches, scouts, and staff who put together the game plan. This will hold true for us at Hornets247.com, as we launch a series dedicated to getting in-depth on the Hornets upcoming opponents.

Wednesday- Power Rankings

For the second year, Mason Ginsberg will handle this season’s Hornets player power rankings; however, they will look a little different than they did last year. Traditional “per-game” stats will be a thing of the past, and each player’s ranking will now be accompanied by pace-adjusted “advanced” statistics. For more info on some of these improved stat categories, check out part one of the tutorial here.

Thursday- Making the Transition

We will track Austin Rivers throughout the season as he attempts to make the transition from lead scorer to point guard. We’ll chronicle some players who went through similar transitions, both successful and unsuccessful, and by targeting specific traits and tendencies, try to determine by year’s end whether Rivers is on his way to becoming this franchise’s point guard for the next decade.

Friday- Underneath the Screen

Jake Madison will take a look inside the Hornets playbook and breakdown the X’s and O’s on both offense and defense. We’ll be taking a look at what is working, what isn’t, and why as well as looking at how the Hornets can improve.

Saturday- The Missing Piece

Dell Demps and Monty Williams came out last week and bluntly stated that they expect to add one more piece next off-season, and then “that will be our team.” The Missing Piece is the next evolution of last year’s favorite “Looking to the Future” as we look at players coming out in the draft, players in the 2013 free agent market, and players who could be potential trade targets with an eye towards the future as we try to find that missing piece.

Sunday- Sundae Ice Cream

Jason Calmes brings his unique flavor to Sunday mornings and he scans the web for anything and everything Hornets related from the previous week to make sure you didn’t miss a thing.

All of this and more, as we will also have a weekly video piece by the one and only Chris Trew and our podcast ‘In the NO’ expands to twice a week! It’s gonna be a great season, and this is only the beginning.

Michael McNamara

Editor, Hornets247.com