Mashburn Mondays #3

The University of Kentucky made history at last week's NBA Draft by laying claim to both the 1st and 2nd overall picks with Anthony Davis going #1 overall to the Hornets and, in a mild surprise, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist going #2 to Charlotte.  When the lottery picks were announced, many were up in arms over the (no longer owned by the NBA) Hornets getting the first pick especially since the prize was Davis who is regarded as a monster prospect.  I don't believe for a second that the lottery was rigged, because if it was Davis would be in Brooklyn right now with the large-market Nets.  I personally think it was fate for the Hornets to get the #1 pick when a Wildcat was guaranteed to go, because when I think of several of the former Cats I collect, the Hornets come up a lot.  In their 24 year history (25 #1 picks total), the Hornets organization has picked a Cat 4 times, including their first ever selection. 

This week I will be focusing on the Hornets and the prior three #1 picks by them.  Even though Jamal Mashburn was not drafted by the Hornets, he spent arguably the most successful years of his career with the team.  Therefore in the Mashburn half of today's post, I will be fully focusing on his Hornets cards.

So let's venture into the Hive.

Jamal Mashburn

Total Cards Owned = 502

 2000 Stadium Club #150

This is one of my favorite Mashburn cards with the Hornets because it gives a really good view of the court at the Charlotte Coliseum (aka The Hive).  Aside from that it is also a tremendous rim-level photograph.  It is a bit odd that no other players are in the background.  I guess they were all shifted to the sides.  Since it is Hornets day here at the Quarry, this card is especially fitting with the Knick on the card as well.

Card grade - A+

Other players on the card

Knicks - Larry Johnson

2001 Fleer Shoebox Collection #142

Here we have a decent overhead shot of a Mashburn lay up featured in the one-and-done set Fleer Shoebox Collection.  I also like the pennant showcasing the team name.  Overall, I don't like this card very much for one reason, the ugly basketball logo for the set.  Red, white, and black??  When was that color combo ever used on a basketball?  It clashes horribly with the aqua and purple of the Hornets.  I think a nice orange ball would have sufficed and made the card better.

Card grade - C

Other players on the card
none

2003 SPx Winning Materials #WM-13

Here we come to something I think works better for basketball than baseball, the jersey card.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a nice Rockies relic but they are too often either white or gray.  Very seldom do you not see a colored swatch with basketball relics.  This one is especially nice since it is a dual relic with both an aqua jersey piece and a purple piece of warm-up.  All in all a very nice overall relic.

Card grade - A

Other players on the card 

none

RANDOM CAT(S) OF THE WEEK

Hornets' First Round Picks

Total Cards Owned

Rex Chapman = 119

Tony Delk = 126

Jamaal Magloire = 157

1989 Hoops #54

Rex Chapman was the first ever draft pick for the expansion Charlotte Hornets after they took him 8th overall in the 1988 draft.  Chapman never turned out to be the franchise foundation that he was drafted to be (mostly due to injury), but he put in three and a half very good seasons in Charlotte before being traded to Washington.  For some the 1986 Fleer set with Michael Jordan's rookie (among many others) is the definitive basketball set.  I think that 1989 Hoops is even more important because this is the set that made basketball card collecting cool in the 80s.

Card grade - B+

Other players on the card
none

1996 Upper Deck #190

Tony Delk was selected with the 16th pick of the 1st round of the 1996 draft after his MOP performance in the 1996 Final Four.  Delk didn't do much in Charlotte and became a journeyman, but he did have a 10 year career and had a couple of pretty good years with Phoenix and Boston.  I like this Upper Deck design better in basketball than in baseball due to the basketball-look of the border.  I'm still not a big fan of text on the front, but the photo shows Delk at his sharp shooting best.

Card grade - C

Other players on the card
Cavaliers - Chris Mills

2000 SPx #115  Serial numbered 2027/2500

Jamaal Magloire was picked by the Hornets with the 19th pick in the 2000 draft.  He is widely regarded as one of the top 2 or 3 players that came of that year's class, but the 2000 class is also thought of as the worst of all time.  As a whole that is probably true, but Magloire did quite a bit in five seasons in a Hornets uniform including making the 2003 All Star Team.  This card is a bit strange in that it is an autographed relic card, but it is also numbered as part of the base set.  I really hated that technique, which was used quite a bit by Upper Deck in the early 2000s. 

Card grade - B

Other players on the card
none (well other than the unidentified third of a head who may or may not be a player)


Will Anthony Davis (or Hornets 2nd rounder Darius Miller for that matter) outperform the previous UK/Hornets connection?  Only time will tell, but I'd say he has a pretty good chance.

Thanx for reading.