The Players Nobody Wanted

Training camp opened with the sound of shoes squealing and reputations dying. Thirty-one players walked into the practice facility. Half believed the Hornets were using them as cheap bodies. Half believed they could steal a career from the chaos. Daniel stood at the baseline with a legal pad while Coach Dawson set a rule before the first drill. "No one here owns minutes," Dawson said. "Not veterans. Not draft picks. Not men with guaranteed money. You defend, you run, you move the ball, or you sit beside me and learn the shape of the chair." The room went quiet enough to hear the air system. Marcus Reed listened with both hands on his knees.