The Charlotte Hornets continue to progress after bottoming out with a seven-win season back in 2011-12, and they have since doubled their win totals in consecutive years, leading into last season's excellent 43-39 mark and playoff berth. The organization also showed its willingness to try and build a contender when it made a free-agency splash by signing a big, if slightly unstable, name in Lance Stephenson over the summer.

Charlotte has quietly built a very good team that has the potential to be a sleeper throughout the season and cover spreads without making too much noise on the national stage. The Hornets employ two top-level players in Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker yet continue to fly under the radar because of their small market and big-name owner-Michael Jordan, if you forgot-that attracts most of the attention. Let's take a closer look at Charlotte's 2014 futures odds with predictions and analysis.

2014 Charlotte Hornets Additions and Departures

Key Additions: Lance Stephenson, PJ Hairston (draft pick)

Key Departures: None

Charlotte lost a handful of players over the summer, but no one of consequence was on that list. The team's core of Walker, Jefferson and former No. 2 pick in the 2012 NBA draft, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, stood intact and should improve based on the fact that those players have another year of experience, along with a playoff series against the Miami Heat, under their belt. Stephenson was a huge pickup for the organization, even though the forward's most high-profile moments from last season were his outlandish quotes and blowing in LeBron James' ear.

Stephenson was surprisingly one of the most efficient players in the league last year as he became only the 22^nd player in NBA history to produce a season with at least 2.5 offensive win shares, 4.5 overall win shares, a PER of 14.5 and a true shooting percentage of .560 by the age of 23-James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul are also on that list. What those advanced metrics really state is that Stephenson is an excellent player, even though his reputation may imply otherwise.

2014 Charlotte Hornets Futures Odds

NBA Championship Odds: +6000

Eastern Conference Odds: +2500

Division Odds: +300

Win Total: 44.5

Charlotte is not a legitimate NBA title threat, even though the team could win 48 games and earn a fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. The squad does not have a go-to scorer that can take over late in games, even though Stephenson and Walker can fill that role from time to time, and it will struggle to score points during the postseason. The Hornets could, however, be a threat to win the division, and wagering on it at +300 might be worth a bet based on the value alone. The best record in the Southeast Division will probably end up with 44 to 48 wins, which is exactly the range that Charlotte will fall into.

2014 Charlotte Hornets Predictions and Futures Odds Picks

Record: 44-38

Playoffs: First-round appearance

Win Total: "Under"

In 2014 the Hornets produced the second-best ATS record in the league with a 48-35-3 (playoffs included) mark and covered nearly 58 percent of their spreads. Expect the team to once again be an outstanding wager for bettors simply because most gamblers will ignore Charlotte in favor of the higher-profile teams. Wagering on the spread will be the most efficient way to make money on the Hornets this season as they have all the tools in place to repeat last years excellent ATS run-just be sure to stay away from most of the squad's futures odds.

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