the reason the hornets suck is because of the structure of the NBA.
no its because Jordan sucks as an owner. I think there are real arguments that he is the worst owner in the NBA and a bottom 5 owner in all of sports. I mean aside from Jordan, Dolan is the only other owner I think could be considered the worst NBA owner right now. And it isn't just that Jordan is cheap, he interferes, and his interference almost always has disastrous consequences (like the Frank Kaminisky trade debacle). The Hornets suck because Jordan sucks. At least he finally hired a GM with a track record. Now granted Kuptchak isn't an elite GM, but he at least found some success in the league.
weather Jordan is a good or bad owner is irrelevant as to why the hornets organization as a whole is disappointing.
doesn't matter who the owner or gm is, there's only 2-3 teams superstar/free agents want to play for. so like the 29-30 other teams in the league their best and only chance of getting a superstar/free agent on their team is if they draft one.
Any organization, whether in sports or not, are usually only as good as the people at the top. Crap rolls downhill. If your owner is awful, chances are the organization will be awful.
Look at the Knicks. All the advantages you can get. Unlimited money. One of the greatest cities in the world. A terrible owner. An awful organization.
Charlotte has some obstacles to overcome to have a great team but no more than most NBA small market teams. They suck because of the way their owner handles things. A better ownership and management group would really make Charlotte a better franchise.