NBA Rumors: Lance Stephenson Trade Not the Answer for Charlotte Hornets

Lance Stephenson's new nickname? Scapegoat.

In reality, expectations are to blame for the miserable perception of the franchise after a rough start to the season for the Charlotte Hornets. Sure, Stephenson has not helped things, but there are deeper problems beneath the surface.

The Hornets won no more than 34 games over the course of the three years prior to last season, but a 43-39 effort before an eventual sweep at the hands of Miami in the postseason seemed to bode well for the franchise.

Add in a suave new teal look and name with a hot-ticket addition such as Stephenson, and to say expectations were a bit overblown is putting it lightly.

Alas, the Hornets have four wins and obvious weaknesses. Grantland's Zach Lowe notes that the front office seems ready to put on a fire sale:

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The Hornets have been aggressive making trade calls, according to sources across the league.

The Hornets are searching for upgrades on the wing and at power forward, per those sources, and they are willing to talk turkey on basically anyone other than Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson. Free agents signed this past offseason can’t be traded until December 15, and few would be surprised if the Hornets make and take calls on Lance Stephenson ahead of that trigger date.

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Stephenson is no saint. In 18 games, he averages 9.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists on 37 percent shooting with a woeful 18 percent conversion rate from long range. Considering he posted 13.8 points per game on 49 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc last season, Stephenson has been a disappointment.

But is now the time for a franchise that finally took a step out of the cellar to give up on a 24-year-old star who is currently struggling? Hardly.

Then again, Hornets coach Steve Clifford may take issue with the word "star."

“To be fair, and I’ve said this to him, one of the things that’s made it more difficult for him is he came here and people proclaimed him this next superstar,” Clifford told reporters. “He’s not a star; he’s a guy who has the talent to be a star. To be a star in this league you’ve got to do this over years.”

Again, expectations.

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Stephenson will get the blame regardless, but consider other problems. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is the team's only legitimate two-way player. His defense is downright elite, which is where the Hornets buttered their bread last season en route to the postseason.

One problem: Kidd-Gilchrist has missed 10 games in a row due to injury.

Sure, Stephenson clangs a ton of shots from distance and hurts floor spacing, but so does everyone else. Kemba Walker shoots 27 percent from downtown. P.J. Hairston is at 37 percent, but the rookie is too much of a liability on the defensive end of the court.

Look at Gerald Henderson, whose numbers are down across the board in comparison to last year. He also shoots 27 percent from range.

As USA Today's Sam Amick points out, Henderson is on the block in a big way as a result:

Really, rumblings of a major shakeup for the Hornets might be a tad overblown. Also, keep in mind this is a team in the face of a brutal stretch out of the gates with plenty of new faces that need time to jell, as illustrated by Michael Lee of The Washington Post:

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The schedule has certainly been unmerciful. The Hornets are one of six teams that have already played at least 18 games, which has affected their opportunities to practice and develop some familiarity for a team that has five rotation players who weren’t around last season. And they’ve had the league’s fourth-toughest schedule, with opponents combining to have a .564 winning percentage.

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This is not to suggest the Hornets will not need to shake things up down the line.

But try to keep in mind that the team is 10 games under .500 and still hardly out of the No. 8 spot in the miserable Eastern Conference. These things take time—not overreactions.

Give the Hornets some time to get their best perimeter defender back, everyone in the lineup together and accustomed to one another. Furthermore, give a budding superstar some time to play like one—especially as the schedule lessens in difficultly.

Blowing up a roster this early and shipping away a player like Stephenson is exactly what a team like the Bobcats would do. Not the Hornets.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.