Admit it, you thought the The Charlotte Hornets would do nothing in the playoffs last season. You figured that the No. 6 seed Bugs, an inconsistent team all along that entered the playoffs with a four-game win streak following a four-game losing one, would be fodder for the Pat Riley-Alonzo Mourning comeback train? Well, the Hornets are only predictable in that they are unpredictable. So what will they do this year? And will they stay in town? Who knows?

	Davis is the emerging leader of the Hornets.

So as we continue our 2001 Summer Spotlight Series, here's the deal with the Hornets.

The good: The starting lineup is very talented, and after it plodded through the season's final months, it bombed the Heat easily and embarrassingly, then led the No. 2 seed Bucks three games to two before not winning again. You can't figure this group out. Their leading scorer, Jamal Mashburn, lit it up in the playoffs at 25 ppg, but during the regular season on some nights you weren't sure what to expect. Same with David Wesley, who had his breakout season, and future star Baron Davis, about to become their leader.

The Hornets relied a tremendous amount on the starting five, which was durable (only 13 missed starts combined) and productive. The only starter not to score in double figures was PJ Brown, and he led the team in rebounding. Elden Campbell had another teasing season where he's good but not that good. The team had its best rebounding season ever, a franchise-best No. 7 in the league, after averaging 23rd the last five years.

For Mashburn, it was critical for him to change perceptions that he couldn't stay healthy. Unhappy in the beginning with the trade from Rileyville to Paul Silas' world, Mash responded with his best season since 1994-95, and you can easily argue that although he didn't score as much, this was his best all-around year. Likewise, Wesley had something to overcome. Remember that Wesley was there when sixth man Bobby Phills died in the tragic traffic accident. Wesley struggled at the end of 1999-2000 and room had to be made for Davis, the No. 3 pick two years ago. So Silas tried Wesley out at shooting guard and -- wow -- he was terrific.

That opened the door for Davis, a great athlete who did very little as a rookie, but showed a glimpse of future All-Star appearances last season. Davis is more a point guard than Wesley. He's a playmaker who gets the ball to the right places, he defends well, should be among the steals leaders for years, and his offensive game should emerge soon, although it's not bad now (13.8 ppg, .427 FG). He was one of only five guards to average 5 or more points, rebounds and assists per game (Kobe Bryant, Steve Francis, Jason Kidd, Jalen Rose). If you're in a fantasy keeper league, get this guy now.

	THE FACTS
	2000-01 record: 46-36, 3rd in Atlantic, 6th in East Playoffs: lost in second round Team leaders: Mashburn 20.1 ppg; Brown 9.3 rpg, Davis 7.3 apg Team stats (NBA rank): Points, 91.9 (24th); Rebs, 44.4 (7th); FG %, .431 (23rd) Current rotation: Campbell C; Brown PF; Mashburn SF; Wesley SG; Davis PG; Coleman 6th man Spot in Summer Power Rankings: No. 18

The bad: So how can a team with such a balanced and diverse starting five struggle so much with inconsistency? Well, look at the bench, namely the league's poster boy for malcontents, one Derrick Coleman. The miserable one was once again not healthy, suiting up a lame 34 times, and when he played he was unproductive and/or disinterested. Coleman averaged 8.1 points and 5.4 rebounds on pathetic .380 shooting, and the Hornets, like the Nets and Sixers before, would love to send him packing. Silas wouldn't even activate him off the injured list late in the season until management gave him no choice. Coleman logged some minutes in the Miami series, but played only two games against the Bucks. And his contract isn't exactly a friendly one, except to him (two more years at $8 million per).

The rest of the bench doesn't offer a whole lot more, though at least it should suit up and try. Second-year man Jamaal Magliore looks fine as a backup center, while three newcomers in Stacey Augmon, Bryce Drew and Matt Bullard should all be more reliable than the people they replace. Bullard gives this team a legitimate outside threat, which is great considering Coleman had the most threes off the Hornets' bench last season. The departed Hersey Hawkins had the most assists off the bench, at barely one a game, so point guard Drew should really help. Augmon plays defense well.

The ugly: Of course, we didn't mention last season's top reserve, Eddie Robinson, because he's now a Bull, which to Hornets fans is just that. Robinson wasn't a star, but he could create his own shot and seems to have a bright future. The Hornets' negotiations with the 25-year-old forward never went anywhere, even though the team made it clear it wanted to keep him and the player said he wanted to stick around. And he goes to the Bulls, a team that can't attract any free agents? Hey, Robinson will get paid very well, more than he probably deserves, so you can't blame him.

But you can blame the Hornets for letting him walk. You can also blame the team for its off-court issues the last few years. A player died in a car crash, another one (reserve guard Eldridge Recasner) almost did while in a teammate's (Coleman) car and all the while the owner (George Shinn) is denying the substantial evidence that he committed a number of sexual offenses, including one on a team cheerleader.

And for the topper, the day the Vancouver Grizzlies officially applied to relocate to Memphis, there were the Hornets trying to do the same. Vancouver's top season was 23 wins; the Bugs last had a losing season in 1991-92. Voters in North Carolina and city council strongly rejected proposals to fund a new arena, and co-owners Shinn and Ray Wooldridge might try to move the team next year if a new arena isn't built. New Orleans and Louisville take note, there will likely be future relocation applications.

The future: Don't feel too bad for Hornets fans, unless their continued apathy costs them a franchise. The team has only been around since 1988, and five of the last eight seasons have ended in the playoffs (and this year looks promising), there's a future star at the point and in two years at worst Coleman will be gone! What's not to like?

Well, the inconsistency, for starters. Nobody complained when Charlotte was 20-9 and leading the Central out of the gates. (Of course, then came a 5-16 streak.) Nobody whined when the team was 15-3 after the All-Star break. (Um, then they won two of 10.) And Riley still hasn't forgotten how a team he half-built with the big trade swept him.

The Hornets have a good starting lineup and improved bench. There's plenty of rebounding and defense and the team isn't really old. But something always seems to be going wrong here. You can pencil this team in for a postseason berth, but don't be surprised if all you hear around playoff time is about which city will get the team.

So we asked you this question about the Hornets: What's the big story with the Hornets: a possible playoff berth, the emergence of Baron Davis or the relocation/arena talk?

Check the file to the right for selected responses.

Eric Karabell is ESPN.com's NBA editor.