Carolina Panthers have released offensive tackle Michael Oher

I’m late on this one, but this was announced when I was at work so I guess I’m doing it now!? So here we go! Carolina Panthers have released offensive tackle Michael Oher, who has been in the NFL concussion protocol since September, was released Thursday after failing a physical. It’s the second move made by interim GM Marty Hurney since being hired Wednesday. Oher, 31, is guaranteed $900,000 as part of injury protection benefits, his release saved the Panthers $1.69 million toward the salary cap, had three years remaining on his contract after signing an extension last season. Expect the Panthers to move Daryl Williams and rookie Taylor Moton at right tackle.

            Oher was a first-round draft pick in 2009 and played in two Super Bowls, winning a championship with Baltimore Ravens in 2013. He was best known because of his life story, was the catalyst for the 2009 movie “The Blind Side” starring Sandra Bullock. Oher joined Carolina in 2015 and started all 16 regular-season games at left tackle during the 15-1 season and run to the Super Bowl. He started the first three games of the 2016 season before going into the concussion protocol. I hope Michael Oher gets better soon, he was a great player that helped the Carolina Panthers do some great things while he was on the team, he was a great player and even better guy. Tell me what you think of this move in the comment section below! Get better soon, Oher!

Carolina Panthers gives Pro Bowl Guard Trai Turner an 4-year extension!

Marty Hurney didn’t waste any time making his first move as Panthers new GM, giving out a four-year 20.5 million dollar guaranteed extension to Pro Bowl right guard Trai Turner. Turner hasn’t missed a game the past two seasons and been a Pro Bowler the past two seasons, was entering the final year of his rookie contract. The four-year deal is worth $45 million and included $20.5 million guaranteed according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That contract contains the seventh-highest overall compensation among guards, per Spotrac, as well as the fourth-highest average annual salary and the ninth-highest guarantee. Turner will hit free agency again at 28 years old when he could command another similarly-sized contract if he continues his strong play. Turner was the second young Panthers star to receive a big payday this offseason. Defensive tackle Kawann Short signed a five-year, $80 million deal earlier this offseason. Turner is one of the best young guards in the league (just find the GIF of him guarding JJ Watt), Turner is good. But like I said in another post I’m just afraid he going to sign contracts that will haunt the Panthers later. Just forewarning the agent that represents Trai Turner also represents tight end Greg Olsen, so you know he’s getting an extension very soon; as well of guard Andrew Norwell who is in his last year of his contract with Carolina. Tell me what you think of the Carolina Panthers giving Trai Turner a contract extension in the comment section below!

Carolina Panthers hired Marty Hurney as new interim GM!

     In a not surprising move, the Carolina Panthers hired former general manager Marty Hurney as interim general manager. Hurney takes over for Dave Gettleman, who on Monday was fired by team owner Jerry Richardson despite helping Carolina reaching the playoffs including a trip to Super Bowl 50 in three of his four seasons. Marty Hurney joined the Panthers in 1998 after serving in the Chargers’ front office, was named the GM in 2002 and helped the Panthers reach the Super Bowl after the 2003 season. But after large contracts and four straight nonwinning seasons (2009 to 2012) ultimately led to Hurney dismissal, the Panthers were $16 million over the salary cap when Gettleman was hired.

       Hurney has remained in Charlotte after being fired in 2012, purchasing a radio station ESPN 730. Among the current players, Hurney drafted is quarterback Cam Newton, middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, center Ryan Kalil, outside linebacker Thomas Davis and defensive end Julius Peppers. Hurney also helped bring in the six captains on the team. Will also help Carolina pick a full-time general manager, names that have been floated around are Trent Kirchner, who works in the Seattle Seahawk’s front office and Ryan Cowden, who is with the Tennessee Titans. In an interview, Jerry Richardson said that he is trusting Hurney to make decisions that will impact the team long term; which means he will probably give Greg Olsen and Thomas Davis contract extensions. I still do not like the fact the Panthers fired Dave Gettleman Monday but since that happened, I don’t mind the idea of Marty Hurney as the interim GM to help the Panthers get through the season on onto next offseason so Carolina can get their shit together. I’m just afraid he going to sign certain players to ridiculous contracts that will haunt the Panthers in the future. So I guess we will just have to wait and see, so while we wait to tell me what you think of the Panthers new interim GM and who the Panthers should get as full-time GM in the comment section below!  

Carolina Panthers fire General Manager Dave Gettleman

In a very surprising move today the Carolina Panthers fired general manager Dave Gettleman. The move comes 9 days before the Panthers are scheduled to report to training camp at Wofford College. Carolina Panthers had the most successful three-year stretch in franchise history (playoffs-wise) under Gettleman, going 40-23-1, making the playoffs each season from 2013-2015, winning three straight NFC South titles, and going 15-1 and reaching Super Bowl 50 during the 2015 season. But the following season Panthers took a step back, going 6-10 and finishing last in the NFC South. The reportedly reason he was fired was Gettleman’s lack of interest in extending tight-end Greg Olsen’s and linebacker Thomas Davis contracts, who’s two of owner Jerry Richardson’s favorite players. There’s another report saying there has been tension between the front office and the locker room because of unpopular moves Gettleman made and it's only increased of late. Gettleman parted ways with serval of Carolina’s all-time best players in receiver Steve Smith Jr., running back DeAngelo Williams and cornerback Josh Norman. A couple of names to look out for are Trent Kirchner, who works in the Seattle Seahawk’s front office and Ryan Cowden, who is with the Tennessee Titans. But their talks of the Panthers might bring back former Panthers GM Marty Hurney to be the intern GM since there’s only a month before the season begins and they do not want to rush into things. Whoever the Panthers hire, it will be the third general manager head coach Ron Rivera will have worked with.

            In my opinion, the Panthers just made a terrible move, I truly believe that Dave Gettleman was a great general manager, who helped the Panthers win three NFC South titles, NFC championship and a trip to Super Bowl. A lot of people have said his success was due to the last GM who drafted Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly, but Gettleman signed those players long term, fixed the payroll problem the Panthers had when he came in and drafted/signed the right players, players who didn’t get in trouble with the law and was the best fit for the team. I think the biggest thing he did was that he made the Panthers into a franchise that players wanted to go too and people talked about outside of North Carolina. People knew players who played for the Panthers, had prime time games and got the city of Charlotte into the Carolina Panthers again. He was a big part of that. I understand that Greg Olsen and Thomas Davis are two main faces of the organization and that you should keep them on the team, but you shouldn’t fire your GM that turned your organization around in a great way because he doesn’t want to give those extensions. Gettleman and Olsen/Davis could’ve come to the middle ground and agreed to terms both parties would’ve been happy with. No player is bigger than the team. I just worried that the Panthers will go back to not even mediocrity but back to where they won’t have primetime games and the people stop caring for the Panthers. Well, tell me what you think of this surprising move in the comment section below! 

Michael Carter-Williams agrees to one-year deal with the Charlotte Hornets

Since I was out of town yesterday and did not bring my laptop with me, I’m a day behind from every other Charlotte Hornets news site but it doesn’t matter, let’s get into this! Charlotte Hornets have agreed to a one-year deal with point guard Michael Carter-Williams. Contract details are one-year 2.7 million deal. Carter-Williams will be replacing Ramon Sessions as the Hornets backup point guard after Charlotte chose not to exercise Sessions’ team option of nearly 6.3 million for next season. Michael Carter-Williams was 2013-2014 NBA Rookie of the Year with the Philadelphia 76ers. But was traded twice in the next two years, first to the Milwaukee Bucks in February 2015, then to the Bulls just before the start of last season. Carter-Williams was an unrestricted free-agent after the Chicago Bulls decided not to extend him a qualifying offer after acquiring point guard Kris Dunn from Minnesota Timberwolves in the Jimmy Butler trade.

The 6-foot-6 guard struggled this past season with the Bulls, was in and out of the rotation (19 starts), bothered by knee pain (only played 45 games) and he averages just 6.6, 2.5 assists well below his career average of 13 points and 5 assists. Now I have a few things to say about this move in general! First, all he is big for his position at 6-6, with that body type, he is sometimes compared to former Charlotte Bobcat and now backing up Stephen Curry, Shaun Livingston. I believe that the coach Clifford will try to play him with Walker at times like they did with Jeremy Lin two season ago. Michael Carter-Williams should be wanted to prove that he should be in the NBA like Lin did as well, considering the fact that he been on his fourth team in five seasons and coming off a very disappointing last season also. Carter-Williams is not a good three-point shooter, his career three-point percentage is 25 and last season he was 23%. He’s more of a pick-n-roll then shooter, which can work with the second unit. The Hornets have done a great job fixing the roster over the past couple of weeks. As it stands right now the roster looks like 1) Kemba Walker 2) Nic Batum 3) Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 4) Marvin Williams 5) Dwight Howard and coming off the bench will be Michael Carter-Williams, Malik Monk, Jeremy Lamb, Frank Kaminsky, Cody Zeller, Briante Weber and Johnny O’Bryant. That a lineup that can should make the playoffs in a very weak Eastern Conference. And while I’m typing this the Charlotte Hornets signed this year first round pick Malik Monk to his rookie contract, still no word of on second-round pick Dwayne Bacon contract, who been playing great in the summer league. Tell me what you think about this news in the comment section below! Have a great day!