Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets News Update for this past week!

It's Friday again so it’s time for a Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers news recap for the week. Let’s get started with the Panthers, Last Sunday the Panthers defeated San Francisco 49ers, 23-3 in the season opener. Panthers have claimed former Packers cornerback LaDarius Gunter and waived rookie kicker Harrison Butker. So that means Graham Gano has won the kicking battle after going 3-for-3 on field goals last Sunday. Panthers did, however, place Butker on the practice squad and parted ways with DT Eric Crume. Gunter, who landed in Green Bay as an undrafted rookie out of Miami in 2015, led the injury-plagued Packers' secondary in snaps (859) and passes defensed (12) last season. He then helped hold Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. to four catches and 28 yards in a Wild Card playoff win but struggled in subsequent weeks against Dallas' Dez Bryant and Atlanta's Julio Jones. With the Packers' secondary healthy again, Gunter played just two snaps in Sunday's season-opening win over Seattle. But at 6-foot-2, 201 pounds, he has the size Carolina looks for in its outside corners. Panthers also claimed former 49ers OT John Theus and put rookie CB Cole Luke (ankle) on injured reserve. Second-year defensive end Vernon Butler (knee) was a full participant at Wednesday practice, expected to play Sunday. Speaking of Sunday, Panthers have their home opener against the Buffalo “Carolina North” Bills. Lastly, it announced that the Panthers have the third-oldest roster in the NFL…so suck on that Atlanta!

            The big news coming from the Charlotte Hornets this week was them unveil classic uniforms, pinstripes and pleats which was made famous in the 80’s are coming back. Charlotte is one of eight NBA teams allowed to wear “Classic Edition” alternate uniforms the upcoming season. There were rumors over the summer that the Hornets would be wearing the classic uni’s throughout the summer, glad those were accurate. Hornets will play three games wearing the new classic jersey, the first game is the nationally televised matchup with the Cavs on November 15, other two are against the Bucks on December 23^rd and against the Thunder on January 13^th. According to the NBA 2K Hornets 4^th jersey is the purple Statement Uniforms, there will likely be the fifth uniform and a lot of people are suspecting it to be the Buzz City jersey. Next, is according to head coach Steve Clifford, rookie Malik Monk ankle injury is still “significant” and causing him enough issues that he is not yet able to undergo rigorous training. Hopefully, he will be ready for the season opener next month. Finally, Sports Illustrated did a top 100 NBA players, Charlotte had 5 players in it; 88-Marvin Williams, 73-Dwight Howard, 70-Cody Zeller, 48-Nic Batum, 29- Kemba Walker. Yeah, that seems pretty accurate to me, nothing much else to say about that.

            That’s all the news from the past week for the Hornets and Panthers if I missed anything tell me in the comment section below! And if you want you can follow me on Twitter @CarolinaFlights and check out my brand-new YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/TLOmMVRjy90! Also, make sure to check back here Sunday night for a Bills at Panthers recap and my initial thoughts of the game!

Hornets new "Classic Edition" uniforms

Weekly update on the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets!

            Since it's Friday, it’s time for a Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets weekly news roundup! Let’s start with the Charlotte Hornets news since there hasn’t been much news from the Hornets this past week. But it was announced that the Hornets are close to signing Eddie Jordan as an assistant coach to head coach Steve Coach according to the Charlotte Observer. Charlotte is finalizing a contract for Eddie Jordan, Jordan would fill the role formerly held by Bob Weiss, who recently joined the staff of the Denver Nuggets. Jordan was the head coach of the Sacramento Kings (1996-98), Washington Wizards (2003-08) and Philadelphia 76ers (2009-10). He was 257-343 in those jobs, coaching 4 playoffs appearances with the Wizards. Charlotte coaching staff lost a lot of experience in the past 6 months. Associate head coach Patrick Ewing left in the spring to become head coach at his alma mater, Georgetown. Then Weiss moved on to the Nuggets to be closer to his family living in Denver. After Ewing left, Stephen Silas was elevated to lead assistant, Silas has been with the Charlotte Hornets since 2010. And it was just announced by head coach Steve Clifford that Michael Carter-Williams had a knee procedure in August and is uncertain if he’ll be ready for the season-opener; he also announced the starters going into camp. Kemba Walker, Nic Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marvin Williams and Dwight Howard.

            Next up is the Carolina Panthers, unlike the Hornets, the Panthers has had a busy week. Carolina cut roster the roster to mandated 57 rosters. The notable names that were cut were third string quarterback and Panthers pre-season MVP Joe Webb and punter Andy Lee were both cuts, Webb signed with the Buffalo Bills and Lee signed with the Arizona Cardinals. Left footed Michael Palardy won the punting job after having a strong summer. Rookie Alex Armah made the practice squad, who the Panthers really like but is a working project. Panthers reached an injury settlement with cornerback Zach Sanchez, who becomes free-agency. The injury was hip, not the groin. Carolina traded wideout Kaelin Clay to Buffalo and a 2019 seventh round-pick for second-year cornerback Kevon Seymour. Seymour, a sixth-round pick from USC last year, can play inside and outside corner and gives the Panthers more depth at a spot where they were a little thin. Seymour missed time during training camp with foot and shoulder injuries and struggled in coverage as a rookie. Clay becomes the latest ex-Panther to jump on the Charlotte-to-Buffalo train, following Bills head coach Sean McDermott, Beane, and several players. There were rumors and talks of safety TJ Ward came close to signing with Panthers but instead signed with the Buccaneers. Carolina Panthers begin their season in San Francisco to face off against the 49ers, I wrote a preview on here’s the link: https://carolinaflight.blogspot.com/2017/09/carolina-panthers-at-san-francisco.html yes this is a shameful advertisement for my own blog which you are on right now. But some more news about the game has come out, quarterback Cam Newton (shoulder) questionable but did practice all week, defensive tackle Vernon Butler (knee) doubtful. Graham Gano will handle kicking duties for the season opener after having a kicking battle with rookie Harrison Butker. Finally, Panthers announced this year captains, who are Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, Ryan Kalil, Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, and Kurt Coleman (his first time as a Panther).

            That’s all the news from the past week for the Panthers and Hornets! Make sure to check back here after Panthers game Sunday for a recap and my initial thoughts of the game. Hopefully, the Panthers can get the win and start the season off on the good note!

Panthers/Hornets new roundup #2

Welcome back to the second edition of Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets news roundup! If this is your first time reading this, all I really do is collects news from the Hornets and Panthers from the past week and give my opinion on such news. So, if that interests you in any way then stick around!

            Let’s get started with the Carolina Panthers who played their fourth and final preseason game of the year Thursday night They lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-14 on a 1-yard run by quarterback Joshua Dobbs with 2-seconds left to play. No starters played for each team, both teams now have less than 48 hours to cut their rosters to the 53-man regular-season roster. The notable to players that got injured was this year second-round pick Curtis Samuel, was had two catches for five yards, limped to the locker room with an ankle injury early in the third quarter, he didn’t return. Second-year cornerback Zach Sanchez hobbled off in the fourth quarter. The three players that shine in my opinion is running back Cameron Artis-Payne who capped an excellent preseason; carried 8 times for 51 yards Thursday night. Wide receiver Damiere Byrd, who caught that touchdown pass from Webb. And third string quarterback Joe Webb who besides a couple passes that he lost control of, has been surprisingly good this preseason. Let’s see what else happened early Thursday Panthers added 2 million dollars in incentives to tight-end Greg Olsen’s contract that will make him the 5^th-highest paid tight-end in the NFL if he meets them. It’s a good middle ground for both parties, Olsen’s got some extra cash if he plays well while the Panthers didn’t have to spend a lot and give out a contract that could potentially hurt them in the long haul. Finally, with the Panthers is that the Panthers are activity shopping punter Andy Lee, Arizona Cardinals the biggest team that’s interested in the punter. Not much else to that story makes sense for Carolina to trade Lee, he’s old and cost a lot for a punter. But if you want to read more there the link: https://www.profootballrumors.com/2017/08/cardinals-interested-in-panthers-punter-andy-lee.

            There isn’t much Charlotte Hornets news…not much NBA news beside the Kyrie Irving trade drama that ended early this week. But according to Hornets head coach Steve Clifford shooting guard-small forward, Jeremy Lamb has really improved this offseason, applied himself this summer as much as any Hornet has. He needs too with rookies Dwayne Bacon and Malik Monk coming and second-year pro-Treveon Graham coming off a fantastic summer league along with returning starters Nic Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The only other news that is somewhat related to the Hornets is that Milwaukee Bucks waive former Hornet center Spencer Hawes or other known as “Agent Zero”, Charlotte traded him to Milwaukee to get Miles Plumlee, who Charlotte shipped to Atlanta along with Marco Belinelli to get center Dwight Howard.

Well, that’s all the news and rumors for the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers from the past week. If I miss anything or want to give your opinion on any I reported on tell me in the comment section below! Come back either tomorrow or Sunday for a new post on the key players for the Caroline Panthers this season. Have a good day and make sure to not watch that much college football this weekend😉

Carolina's Flight new logo! 

Weekly Hornets/Panthers news roundup!

Hello! I hope you’re having a nice day today, something new I will try to do each week is tried to go over news that isn't all that important in my opinion from the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers! Let’s start with the Charlotte Hornets, Wednesday the Hornets signed point guard Julyan Stone to an undisclosed contract. Stone appeared in 47 career NBA games (2 starts) over three seasons with Denver (2011-2013) and Toronto (2013-2014), average 1.3 points, 1.1 assists and 1 rebounds in seven minutes of play time. Julyan Stone played overseas in Italy last season, should be a good third point guard behind Kemba Walker and Michael Carter-Williams. Marvin Williams was named Charlotte best teammate, second year in a row that Marvin has taken home that honor. NBA 2K release their all-time Charlotte Hornets NBA roster, starters are 1) Kemba Walker 2) Eddie Jones 3) Glen Rice 4) Larry Johnson 5) Alonzo Mourning. The reserves are, Point Guards- Muggsy Bogues, Baron Davis and Raymond Felton; Shooting Guards- Dell Curry and Kendall Gill; Small Forwards- Stephen Jackson; Power Forwards- P.J. Brown and Kenny Gattison; Centers- Al Jefferson and Derrick Coleman. I do have to say where’s Gerald Wallace? He went from an expansion-draft castoff in Sacramento to an All-Star in Charlotte. He should be on this list. Coleman over Vlade Divac or Elden Campbell strikes me as odd. Coleman replaced Divac in 1999, and it was a clear downgrade. How could Felton make this group and David Wesley not? At worst, Wesley is the same statistically, and he had far more impact here. No Anthony Mason? No Jamal Mashburn? No Marvin Williams? I think it’s an easy argument each of those players was better in Charlotte than Brown or Gattison. I’m not saying P.J. and Gatt didn’t contribute, but they weren’t Mase, Mash or Marvin. Finally, the Hornets G-League team Greensboro Swarm released their schedule Thursday night ( http://greensboro.gleague.nba.com/schedule/ ) I went to a few games last year, was really fun and cheap, if you haven’t gone to a game yet and want to you should totally should!

            Now let’s talk about the Carolina Panthers news of the week! The Panthers went to Jacksonville Thursday night and defeated the Jaguars 24-23 in their third pre-season game. It was Cam Newton first game back since having shoulder surgery in March. The 2015 NFL MVP led the Panthers on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a 9-yard scoring pass to Kelvin Benjamin over the middle on the first series of the game. Newton was 2-for-2 for 21 yards. Cam Newton and Panthers offense looked strong in the opening drive, while Cameron Artis-Payne had yet another great game (37 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns). The two big standouts were that second year pro Daryl Worley needs to improve because right now he’s the weak link in the secondary while Joe Webb might move ahead of Derek Anderson as the back quarterback with Anderson having a bad pre-season and Webb is not.

            If I missed anything tell me in the comment section below! Make sure to check back here next Friday for another weekly roundup for the Hornets and Panthers! Have a great day!

Four players that will determine if the Charlotte Hornets will have a successful season or not

With the NBA schedule coming out last night, I thought why not write something about the Charlotte Hornets! So I decided to go with four players that will determine if the Charlotte Hornets will have a successful season or not. Let's do this!
            1) Nicolas Batum

The first player I thought of when thinking of this is Nic Batum, skipping the EuroBasket 2017 with the French national team this summer in order to focus on his individual play with the Hornets. Saying in an interview “I really want to stay focused on my game, because I know I’ve got to be more of a scorer next year.” Even though he’s been the team’s second-leading scorer, behind Kemba Walker each of the past two seasons, but Batum has been too unselfish at times. Although Batum average a career-high 15.1 points per game past season, that mark was still near the bottom of the league in terms of secondary scoring options. Nic needs to be more aggressive on offense to be a better scorer; look for his own shot rather than deferring to teammates. He can still be an all-around playmaker and create shots for other players but he needs to get more shots up himself.

            2) Dwight Howard

Trading for him right before the draft, Dwight Howard is no longer in his prime, will he be able to produce near an all-star level or will he regress? The reunion with Steve Clifford should hopefully help his game. Looking at his last few stops, he’s had some chemistry issues. Be interesting to see how things go for Dwight in the queen city.

            3) Malik Monk

After missing the entire summer league due to an ankle injury. The 11^th overall pick, Charlotte might have gotten a steal with the best shooter in this year draft. Monk shot 39.7% from beyond the arc during his one year at Kentucky as he made 104 total threes’. If he’s able to shoot like that off the bench, then the Hornets bench will be greatly better than it was last season, with Cody Zeller, Frank Kaminsky, Jeremy Lamb and Michael Carter-Williams. Speaking up Carter-Williams…

            4) Michael Carter-Williams

The Charlotte Hornets signed Michael Carter-Williams to a one-year, $2.7 million deal this offseason, and should provide the Hornets the upgrade at backup point guard they sought after Ramon Sessions struggled in his second stint in Charlotte last season. The former first-round pick, averaged 6.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 18.8 minutes per game last season. He struggled a bit offensively, shooting 36.6 percent from the field and 23.4 percent from behind the 3-point line. But his real value came at the other end of the floor. Carter-Williams posted a 1.7 defensive box plus/minus, the best mark of his career. The stat measures the box score estimate of the defensive points per 100 possessions a player contributed above a league average player translated to an average team. So Carter-Williams was a better than average player on the defensive end of the floor. With his 6’7” wingspan, Carter-Williams has the ability to bother opposing point guards. The wingspan also helps the guard reach out into passing lanes and disrupt the flow of the offense. With his tall frame, Carter-Williams also has the ability to guard some of the biggest point guards in the league, something that Kemba Walker won’t be able to do. Carter-Williams’ defensive makes a much better fit with the second unit. With multiple scorers coming off the bench, including the likes Malik Monk, Jeremy Lamb, and Frank Kaminsky, the Hornets don’t need a scoring backup point guard, they need someone that will play well on the defensive end of the floor.

            That’s the four players who I believe will make the difference for the Hornets this season. Do you agree or disagree? Tell me in the comment section below! Also, sorry about not posting anything lately been busy with work and school. But I have a couple cool and new things I’m working on for this blog and possibly a YouTube channel(?) as well! Check back here Friday for a weekly update on the Hornets/Panthers. Have a great day! 

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! 

The Charlotte Hornets drafted Malik Monk with the 11th overall pick in this year NBA Draft!

The Charlotte Hornets might have gotten a steal in this year NBA Draft by drafting freshmen shooting guard Malik Monk from Kentucky with the 11^th overall pick. Going into the draft most NBA insiders had the Hornets drafting either guard's Luke Kennard or Donovan Mitchell with the 11^th pick. Couple days ago ESPN insiders had Monk dropping to the Hornets and Charlotte taking him, I initially thought that’s too good to be true, either a team will draft him before we were able to or that the Hornets would pass on him and take Kennard or Mitchell instead. Lucky, I was wrong. Malik Monk was the first option on a Kentucky team that finished as the nation’s 12^th ranked offense. Was a key to the Wildcat’s run to the Elite Eight and earned All-SEC first team honors while average 19.8 points a game. Strengths: Monk is an explosive athlete in terms of both burst and leaping, highlight dunker with an explosive bounce in space. Good defender when motivated and good at close out. Dynamic Scorer, scored 30+ points four times, including a 47-point game. Deep range, confident, versatile shooter; explodes into pull ups, jumper threat opens drive. Dangerous stepping into three’s. Great contested, very confident shooter, has the quickness to lose his man off screens. Reads the defense well, good mid-range game and good crossover to get to the rim, sharp footwork. Has a score-first mentality but can make basic passes, makes the simple play. Made clutch shots all year long and is a very confident shooter. NBA-ready scoring guard with considerable upside. Weaknesses: He is undersized as a two guard at 6’3” has an average frame, not physical. Doesn’t absorb contact well when he does attack bigs, lacks the size to contain most shooting guard and even some big point guards. Effort/IQ comes and go on defense, needs to play with consistent intensity, ball watches, beat by straight line drives and takes bad angles and needs make more of an effort to keep the ball in front of him. He’s mostly limited to basic crossover/straight line drives which can make him very predictable. Not good with ball pressure. Reliance questionable shot leads to inconsistent efficiency, wants jumpers over assists doesn’t hit the open pop. Doesn’t let plays develop/recognize lacks spacing.

Charlotte had the 31^st pick from the Atlanta trade early in the week and the Hornets drafted guard Frank Jackson from Duke but traded him to the New Orleans Pelicans for the 40^th pick and cash. And with the 40^th pick, the Charlotte Hornets drafted small forward Dwayne Bacon from Florida State. Played alongside 6^th overall pick (Orlando Magic) Jonathan Isaac, Bacon could highlight his offensive versatility and his efficiency from the floor. As a sophomore, Bacon held an average 23.9 points, 5 rebounds per 40 minutes. Strengths: Listed at 6-7. 6-9.5 wingspan, nice size for a wing. Can absorb contact and finish. A physical defender, capable rebounder for a wing. Ability to challenge shots with length. Is an elite scorer in transition, confident shooter and can attack in transition after defensive rebound and has sound shooting mechanics. Creates space for pull ups. Is NBA ready in terms of scoring and physicality and could possibly become a reliable 2^nd unit guard? Weaknesses: Struggles to create vs NBA-level length and athletes, an average athlete with questionable shot selection. Lacks explosiveness at the rim. The inconsistent three-point shooter, not a consistency shooter in general. Inconsistent defense effort doesn’t play in a stance, lacks focus off the ball, lose shooters. Needs the ball in his hands to make an impact on offense. Has a low basketball IQ, can he think at the NBA level?

Overall, I think the Hornets knocked it out of the park this year in the draft. Especially over the past drafts where we had failed miserly. I think Malik Monk can be a factor for the Hornets for years to come and help unload some of the scorings from Kemba Walker also. Also, gives them a player who is explosive and a dynamic scorer which the Hornets needed to badly. The trade the Hornets made also makes sense, they needed money because they were getting close to reaching the tax threshold and would not surprise me if we trade for an experienced backup point guard. Drafting Dyane Bacon was probably the best player they could get at the selection, I see him playing for the Greensboro Swarm, especially since we have Jeremy Lamb, Treveon Graham, and Malik Monk. Like I said I generally think the Hornets did a great job in this year draft, I haven’t felt this way about the Hornets after the draft in a long time. And with the trade to bring in Dwight Howard as the starting center, if the Hornets can get a reliable back-up point guard I believe they can make the playoffs again. Well, that’s what I think about the Charlotte Hornets draft, what do you think about it? Tell me in the comment section below! And Gives this a thumbs up!

Charlotte Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks agreed upon a deal to send center Dwight Howard to Charlotte!

Only hours after the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks were making trades for ‘snap with a puppy filter’ and ‘right to swap ’18 draft tweets’ on Twitter. The Hornets and Hawks have agreed to a deal to send center Dwight Howard and the 31^st pick for center Miles Plumlee and guard Marco Belinelli and the 41^st pick. First reported by the great Adrian Wojnarowski, the trade came out of nowhere with no one even disgusting the idea of the Hornets making any kind of deals before the draft. The trade is great for the Hornets on many fronts in my opinion. The first front is the fact that we got rid of Plumlee ridiculous 3 years 12 million per year contract. I know whenever we traded for him midway through the season that I said the trade was great, which it was because we got rid of both Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes who both terrible and at the time I was for the most OK with the bad contract if Plumlee was able to come off the bench and score points for the Hornets, something the other two players did not do and help the Hornets make the playoffs. But for most of the season Plumlee was bothered by an ankle injury and when he was able to come back, Hornets playoffs chances were all but dead. I know Dwight contract isn’t much better, 2 years 23 million per year. But is a possible starter who averaged 13 points per game last season and even not in his prime anymore a way better player than Plumlee. Howard contract times really well for Kemba free-agency, Miles extra year could’ve really messed things up for Charlotte. Dwight Howard best season was when Hornets head coach Steve Clifford was on the coaching staff helping him personally if anyone who can get him to play well it's Clifford. Also with this trade, the Hornets moved up to have the first pick in the second round. With this year draft being so deep the Hornets could possibly get someone that could be a decent bench player. Charlotte did have to give up Marco Belinelli who I liked, mostly because of his crazy circus three-pointers and Eric Collins reactions to them, however Jeremy Lamb looked like he was finally getting his crap together in the second of last season and with this season being a contract year for him I imagine he wants to go out and prove to teams that they should sign him in free agency. The only question I have after this trade is who is going to Hornets starting center, Cody Zeller, or Dwight Howard?

To keep the good news coming ESPN Chad Ford new mock draft came out today and he’s taking the Hornets to draft point guard Malik Monk from Kentucky! Malik Monk is a dynamic scorer and an elite shooter. While he’s a tad undersized (6’3), Monk finds ways to create space and shoot over defenders. He has an excellent pull-up jumper and he’s comfortable shooting off screens. He also has unlimited range. While most identify him as a perimeter shooter, Monk is very agile and can explode to the hoop. He’s fearless and always in attack mode. He plays with relentless energy and is fairly crafty when he accelerates inside. Because of his size, some wonder if Monk can transform into a point guard. While his court vision and game management need improvement, Monk is more unselfish that he gets credit for. Who I believe will be good in the NBA and would be a great backup point guard or even starter for the Hornets next season.

What do you think of this trade and the new mock draft? Tell me in the comment section below! And make sure to check back here Thursday after the draft to read what I have to think about the moves the Hornets will make. For me. It’s so far so good!

Charlotte Hornets draft predictions 2.0! Who will the Hornets draft at the 11th spot?

With less than a week left before the 2017 NBA draft, I thought it would be a good time to do another and probably the last one for this year Charlotte Hornets draft predictions! The Charlotte Hornets holds the 11th and 41st overall picks in this year draft. And according to Chris Kroeger, Rich Cho said that the “team has already been approached about multiple trades and the team has also proposed trades to other teams.” Cho also said “the Hornets have gotten a lot of calls for the 11th overall pick. He thinks they’ll have even more interest next week.” So, with that in mind let’s get in all the draft prospects that various sites are predicting the Hornets to draft with the 11th overall pick. Granted now the Hornets might possibly either trade up or down or just draft some random player no one is talking about right now so this whole thing is probably for nothing. So, let’s get into it! Bleacher Report.com and CBS Sports.com both predict the Hornets to draft freshmen power forward Lauri Markkanen from Arizona University with the 11th pick. DraftExpress.com has the Hornets drafting international point guard Frank Ntilikina. Sports Illustrated.com got the Hornets taking sophomore shooting guard Donovan Mitchell from Louisville University. The last one is FoxSports.com has the Hornets drafting freshmen center Jarrett Allen from Texas.

The first player I’m going to be talking about is Arizona freshmen power forward Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen earned All-Pac 12 first-team honors while scoring 15 ppg (points per game) on 42% shooting beyond the arc. Listed as 7’0-230 pounds, great size for a power forward; fluid, coordinated athlete who lacks a degree of explosiveness, length and physical strength. Strengths: His main strengths are his versatile shooter, made more three-pointers than any 7-footers since 2000. Smooth stroke, good balance, soft touch. Great on moving to the left, screens, pull-ups and uses size to his advantage. Can use him a lot of different ways with NBA space. Has simple shooting mechanics, quick from catch to release, no wasted movement. Use size/lean to shoot over the top of a smaller defender and isn’t afraid of a bigger defender either. Good out of pick-n-roll. He’s tall for a power forward at 7-0, agile, solid feet good closeout defender, plays angles. Solid first step attacking to his left, defender must respect his jumper. Fluid enough to attack if run off touch with either hand, sound closeouts, good foot in short-slide situations. Can step out and guard if have too and is a solid rebounder for a stretch big. Has a professional/mature approach, a likable teammate. Weaknesses: Lack of elite length and reach really limit him on defense, plays smaller than his height, average frame at 225 pounds. Instincts aren’t great, more intriguing on offense at center, but can he guard a center? Weak base struggles to hold positions in ¾ or front. Not physical, average awareness and no length. Lack reach to block shots, trouble contesting jump hooks from forward's. Doesn’t have the tools or mentally of a rim protector, the technique needs works. Instincts aren’t great on defense-glass. Need to improve post/finishing, was taking out of games by pick-n-roll switches. Very predictable on the perimeter, only drives left. Bad in isolations situations and doesn’t confidence in the post. Overall, he isn’t an explosiveness player the Hornets need, he will be nothing but a role-player in the NBA. He also has way too many similarities to Frank Kaminsky, Hornets do not need another Frank Kaminsky on the team. A player who 7-foot-tall and just stands on the three-point line and throws up three-pointers all game and not play a lick of defense and has no post moves.

The next player is International point guard Frank Ntilikina. Ntilikina finished the U18 European Championships average 22 points, 3 steals, 1 block and 5 turnovers per 14 minutes on 42% from two-point range and 58% from three-point range while on the French national team. Strengths: 6-6 with a near-7-footer wingspan, big frame, elite tools for a point guard. Fluid with a long stride may have some untapped athletic penitential, great in transitions. Lengths allow him to finish from different angles/above the rim in space. Has defense upside, long quick feet, sharp instincts, active hands. Works to fight over ball screens covers ground on closeouts. 3.2 steals and 1.7 blocks per 40 minutes at the U18 Euros. Willing defender with great feet works to make up for mistakes, impressive timing as a shot blocker and good at getting through screens. Has a nice feel for the game with a high basketball IQ. Makes the simple play out of pick-n-roll. Shot 17-of-29 from three (58.6%) led the U18 Euros in a pull-up jumper efficiency. Doesn’t create much space but sound footwork off the dribble catches in rhythm off the catch. Shoot from NBA range with confidence, made 5-of-7 jumpers with the clock below 4 seconds. Weaknesses: Needs to develop his lead guard skills, struggles with ball pressure, 5 turnovers per 40 minutes. Handles is a bit loose, average burst must rely on size, timing, and accuracy as a passer; can improve accuracy and timing on drop offs. Will force passes into tight spaces at times. Struggles to make the simple play, telegraphs passes. Exposes the ball vs pressure. Struggles to finish vs length and turning the corner vs athletes. Can we improve his offhand dribble. Has room to improve as a shooter, struggles when contested, will have to become more reliable given other limitations.

Follow up player is sophomore shooting guard Donovan Mitchell from Louisville. Had an inconsistent freshmen season at Louisville, coming off the bench but made a big leap as a sophomore, first team All-ACC and All-defensive team member. Strengths: 6’2” with 6’10” wingspan, strong and can take contact. Excellent speed and body control in the open court uses length at the rim. Fastest ¾ sprint at combine slow to fast, long strides. Long arms and two feet leaping help him play above the rim. Has the tools to finish from different angles. Versatile shot maker, great balance, and rise, capable playmaker. Strong foundation as a pick-n-roll shot maker, sharp footwork on step backs and creates space with pullbacks. A good defender who can checkpoint guards, shooting guard the and even some forward. Elite length, strong frame, good feet sits and slides his feet. Active off the ball, will scrap and get on the floor and pick up in the backcourt. Works to contest, capable of making plays at the rim and good at anticipating passes. High-character and well-spoken on and off the court, competitive on both sides of the floor; good work ethic, proven by his shooting stroke. Weaknesses: Settles for jumpers too often, sped up at times. Pulls up for three’s when having numbers on numerous times. Lives off contested pull up two’s a bit too often, bad shot selection. Drives in the line without much of a plan, not great going left and needs to improve his touch in the paint. Consistency in the important considering style of play likes to live off tough shots. Slightly undersized for a two guard at 6’3”. Overall, will he be a good backup guard in the NBA, be better than Ramon Sessions? Will he improve his game more in the upcoming season?

The final player is freshmen center Jarrett Allen from Texas University. Was a highly regarded prospect but started the season slow, but found his footing and eventually being named Big 12’s All-Rookie and All-Conference 3rd team. Strengths: Excellent physical tools for a modern NBA center. Has massive hands. Long strides, agile runner/roller when motivated, length allows him to finish from all different angles, potential as a pick-n-roll finisher due to agility and length at the rim. Potential as a rim protector, good instincts at the rim. Inconsistent motor and toughness but upside is there, rangy on closeout, versatile pick-n-roll defender. Big hands and long arms help high-point the ball for rebounds. Has touch and footwork to be more than a tool big, excellent extension on jump hooks, soft touch left and right. Mid-range potential, post flashes and has a good push shot. Weaknesses: Defense energy wavers, not nearly the rim protector he should be and not physical at all. Gets push around by stronger and physical bigs. Slow to help and doesn’t always contest. Lose focus when contact is involved and fundamental not great. Uncomfortable in traffic on offense, goes up soft, weak with the ball; minimal deep catches in the paint. Panic dribbles a lot, uncomfortable vs help defense. Needs to be stronger with the ball after offense-boards. Poor awareness on the block, slow, mechanical stroke, not a pick and pop threat. Not good at creating for others, best as a finisher. Limited mental toughness. Overall, he started the year very slow and had an up and down production. Will be hard to rely on him on a daily basic. What does he do consistently well?

            After talking about these four prospects I think the Hornets is really in a rough situation at the 11th spot. I kind of hope the Hornets trade up to get a better player but I don’t see anyone trading with them since they have nothing to give up besides Kemba Walker and the Hornets would be idiots to trade Kemba. But if I had to choose out of these four players I would have to pick either Frank Ntilikina or Donovan Mitchell. I think both players can fill the backup point guard need pretty decent I guess, Frank Ntilikina plays just like Nic Batum but he’s a point guard other than a shooting guard, both like to shoot the three balls and make passes that sometimes he shouldn’t make and have a high turnover rate. But he could fit in the Hornets system well. Donovan Mitchell has a good work ethic, just compare him shooting the ball when he was a freshman to him shooting the ball as a sophomore. There completely different in a good way. He plays tough aggressive defense which what coach Clifford loves in a player and again be a good backup point guard replacement. But I do not want the Hornets to select Lauri Markkanen because he plays exactly like Frank Kaminsky and I don’t won’t another Frank the Tank on the team. And Jarrett Allen just seems lazy and not physical at all for a center. Also, Charlotte doesn’t need a center, we have two good centers (?) as is. Well, I’m done talking about what the Hornets should do, who do YOU think the Charlotte Hornets should draft? Or should they make a trade to either move up or down or just takes another player like they did last year with the Marco Belinelli. Tell me in the comment selection below! Have a great day and make sure to watch the NBA draft Thursday at 7 pm!

Charlotte Hornets draft predictions 1.0

After checking multiple sites and reviewing a lot of game tapes I have finished my first Charlotte Hornets draft predictions for this year (2017)! Before I get into that the Charlotte Hornets have hired Mike Batiste as an assistant coach, Batiste joins the Hornets after spending last season with the Brooklyn Nets as a player development assistant. Now I got that out of the way lets dive into this shall? I looked at four different trustworthy websites to see who they had the Hornets drafting eleventh overall in this year draft. DraftExpress.com had the Hornets drafting sophomore shooting guard Luke Kennard from Duke with the eleventh pick. BleacherReport.com had them drafting Duke forward Harry Giles and both CBS Sport.com and FoxSports.com had the Charlotte Hornets drafting freshman power forward/center Zach Collins from Gonzaga.

            The first player I’m going to talk about is Luke Kennard from Duke. Kennard was the 21^st recruit in the 2015 high school class and was a McDonald’s All-American and USA basketball fixture who surprised a lot by developing into one of the best players in college basketball and potential lottery pick. Kennard has a solid freshman season, averaging 12 ppg (points per game) in 27 minutes. But as a sophomore, he finished as the 2^nd best scorer in the ACC at 19 ppg earning him ACC first-team All-Conference honors. Strengths: Has positional size and scoring versatility who plays with a great pace, savvy ball handler. Uses size well to get to the paint for pull-ups and floaters, tough cover for opposing point guards in college. Has a pretty good head/ball fake into side step three’s or mid-range pull-ups, confident from NBA range. A big one for me plays with his head up and few turnovers! Makes quick decisions and has an excellent feel for the game. Can shoot over the top of smaller defenders. Built around his jumpers, floaters, sharp footwork, and tight handles. Can play point guard if need too. Weaknesses: Not very physical and quick enough for a guard, struggles with big wings. Can show more urgency on closeouts, takes bad angles and opens lines when defending bigger guards. Limit ball pressure, caught sleeping on ball multiple times. Will have to rely on his instincts to get by in the NBA. Kills his dribble in the paint too often, leans on his fakes, floaters a lot against smaller guards. Very predictable, jump shot in the paint, pivot to opposite shoulder. Struggles with length and in traffic, won’t explode with a full head of steam and seek contact and didn’t take many free throws at Duke. Overall: Will his game even translate in the NBA? Much less take him with the eleventh pick in the draft.

            Next players is Luke Kennard teammate Duke freshman Harry Giles. Was one of the best prospects in all high school before tearing his ACL, MCL, and meniscus in his left knee. Then in his first game in his senior year of high school, he tore his ACL in his right knee. Had another minor surgery in late 2016 that delayed his collegiate debut until late December. Played behind fifth-year senior Amile Jefferson due to his late start and persistent foul trouble (I get back to that later). Only played 11½ minutes per game. Strengths: Good length and wingspan for his size (6’11”, 7’3”) also light on his feet mobile runner, shot 61% at the rim in half court; good dive man out of pick and roll, rolls with a purpose. HUSTLES. Working off the rust but still competitive and active on defense, has the feet to check power forward’s, the length to guard modern centers and can be a good rim protector. Elite offensive rebounder crashes the board aggressively, knows how to get inside position, box out and pursue with strong hands. Jump shot comes and goes needs to work on expanding his range as well but can make a jump hook with both hands. Weaknesses: Limitations on offense, limited to mostly rim runs and pick and roll dives and put backs, lacks skill in the paints. When sped up is an uncomfortable playmaker, must improve decision making and needs to slow down, catch then go up misses a lot of under the basket wide open shots. Not a treat outside 10 feet can’t utilize his quickness without a reliable jumper. Doesn’t have a great feel as pick and roll defender, bad angles. Gets beat a lot and take to many “avoidable” fouls, 7.7 fouls per 40 minutes. Loses focus too much, awareness needs to improve. Overall: Giles has untapped potential and can possibly be a good starter in the NBA if he works on his offense. He hustles and plays, for the most part, good defense (when he’s not fouling) which that’s what coach Steve Clifford loves in a player. Just worry about his past injuries and if they will be a problem down the line.

            The last player is freshman power forward/center Zach Collins from Gonzaga. Zach Collins arrived at Gonzaga as a McDonald's All-American but nevertheless exceeded expectations significantly. He put up some of the best numbers in the country among freshmen on a per-minute basis and finished the season on as strong a note as you can possibly hope for, leading Gonzaga to the NCAA Tournament Championship game and playing extremely well in both Final Four games. Thus, there wasn't much surprise when Collins decided to enter the draft following the season, even though NBA scouts never quite got to see him in a featured role playing behind an All-American senior in center Prezmek Karnowski. Strengths: Has nice size for NBA power forward/center at 7-0. Light on his feet, great verticality, instincts, and timing. Agile in transitions also good in pick and roll. Quick to shooters, has feet to guard traditional power forward’s, can stay with the ball in pick and roll, recover to block at the rim; has flashes of a high motor. Has stretch potential, touch on jump hooks, a pick/pop threat has simply shooting mechanics. Good mid-range and decent face-up game. Has an average vision. Good instincts on the backboards have nose the ball. Quick to the ball on the offense boards, gets low and boxes out. Weaknesses: Average length and reach, 230 pounds get moved off the block by NBA caliber centers. Gets moved easily after catch, not overall tough. Doesn’t get great extension on post finishes. Has a bad habit of bringing the ball down in traffic. Very jumpy on defense, bites of slight shot fakes. Fundamentally sound but lacks discipline inside, really struggles vs experience, foul prone. Does need to sharpen skills to play more on the perimeter, lacks NBA range. Slow, not a dynamic stroke. Not a threat off the bounce, easy to run off. Not a perimeter playmaker. Overall: In my opinion, he looks a lot like Frank Kaminsky that can’t shoot three-pointers. Will he be able to play consistent NBA minutes? Looks more of a D-league player to me.

            If I had to guess which on these three players the Hornets would mostly draft it would be Harry Giles. He just fits the Hornets profile; He hustles and plays, for the most part, good defense (when he’s not fouling) which that’s what coach Steve Clifford loves in a player. Just worry about his past injuries and if they will be a problem down the line. He does have untapped potential that maybe the Hornets can get lucky and tap into. Luke Kennard, I think will be best a decent back-up in the league if that and Zach Collins just doesn’t impress me. The Hornets need a secondary scorer to help the Hornets. The Hornets was hoping that Nicolas Batum would fill that void but Batum would rather pass then take the shot. I was hoping would tank and get a high pick because I think there some good prospect that fills that void for them but from the looks of things the Hornets just going to get another average player at best and the Hornets won’t be able to do much in free agency this year also. keep being an average team. What do you think of the three players I reviewed? Which one would you be happy with the Hornets drafting? Or should they draft someone else? Tell me in the comment section below! 

Charlotte Hornets sweep the season series against the Nuggets, beating the Denver Nuggets 122-114

Charlotte Hornets got one step closer to making the playoffs Friday night after defeating the Denver Nuggets 122 to 114. It’s the second straight win for the Hornets, while the Nuggets have lost three out of last four games. Charlotte pulled within two games of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Hornets completed the season sweep of the Nuggets and their third sweep of Denver in last four seasons. Hornets trailed by eight going into the fourth quarter, but scored the first 12 straight and went on a 20-4 run, Kemba Walker helped start the run with a long three-pointer and then next possession had a three-point play. Lamb hit a layup to give Charlotte a 95-94 lead with 8 minutes left, then Belinelli hit two straight threes’. After that, Kaminsky and Belinelli combined for Charlotte's next 12 points. By that time, the game was over. Frank Kaminsky and Marco Belinelli both hit three three-pointers each in the fourth helping Charlotte outscored Nuggets 36-20 in the fourth quarter.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game is Kemba Walker who scored 31 points and had 8 assists. Kemba made 4-of-10 3-pointers and, as importantly, was 9-of-11 from the free-throw line. But the biggest thing Kemba Walker did tonight was becoming the second player in team history to score 8,000 points when he made a three-pointer in the first quarter. The only other Hornet player to do so is Dell Curry. Charlotte Hornets did a lot of good things in this game, hitting 17 three-pointers, the bench outscoring Denver’s bench by 50-19 ( the second straight game where the bench has scored 50+ points). The Hornets looked like a playoff team in the fourth quarter, balling the ball well and forcing turnovers and making stops when needed. Past two games the Hornets have played excellent in the fourth, when earlier in the season the fourth quarter has been their weakness. Hornets do need to work on their defense through, allowing 52 points in the paint and 48.5 percent 3-point shooting isn’t ideal. The leading scorers for the Hornets this game were Frank Kaminsky with 22 points, Nicolas Batum with 13 points 9 assists, Jeremy Lamb, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with 11 points and 7 rebounds. The leading scorers for the Nuggets this game were Nikola Jokic with 26 points 13 rebounds 10 assists, Gary Harris with 20 points, Danilo Gallinari with 19 points, Kenneth Faried with 18 points 13 rebounds. Charlotte Hornets (35-41) travel to go up against triple-double machine Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Charlotte Hornets gets a must-win against the Toronto Raptors, defeating the Raptors 110-106

Charlotte Hornets snapped Toronto Raptors six-game winning streak Wednesday night by beating the Raptors 110 to 106. This loss prevents Toronto from clinching home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, while the Hornets are three games back for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Raptors starting point guard Kyle Lowry was out due to wrist surgery but forward DeMarre Carroll started after missing past two games with a sore lower back. Hornets backup shooting guard Marco Belinelli played after receiving seven stitches to the face after colliding with a Milwaukee Bucks player late in last night game. Behind Frank Kaminsky 13 points in the first half Charlotte led 50-47 at halftime. But after Nic Batum and-one to start the third quarter, Charlotte would miss their next 12 shots that would allow the Raptors to go on an 12-0 run to re-take the lead. The Raptors held Charlotte to just 23% shooting in the third quarter and carried an 74-66 lead into the fourth quarter. But that’s when Marco Belinelli and Kemba Walker came alive scoring a combine 22 points in the quarter. Charlotte made eight threes’ in the fourth quarter helping them score 44 points in the quarter. Walker then hit two big threes’ in the final two minutes, including one that gave Charlotte a 104-101 lead with 37 seconds left. Then finally with eight seconds Marvin Williams hit a huge three-pointer to give the Hornets a four-point lead and take the game away from the Raptors.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game is Kemba Walker who scored 19 points. It was difficult to choose an MVP for this game since there was multiply players who could’ve been MVP but Kemba takes it because Kemba struggled all game long, at one point in the third quarter he was 3-of-16 from the field. But lucky for the Hornets he came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 points, and hitting two clutch three-pointers to help give the Hornets this must-win game. I guess that’s why they call him cardiac Kemba! Charlotte did a lot of good things in this game, shooting 50% from the three-point line, grabbing 11 offense rebound that lead to 22 second chance points, only turning the ball over 8 times and forcing 13 turnovers. But the main things were the bench came ready to play, Brain Roberts, Belinelli, Kaminsky and Plumlee(!) all played with a lot of energy and intensity that the bench lack last game. The starters also came ready to play, last game they looked like they didn’t care. But from tip the starters looks dialed in, especially Batum who was more aggressive on offense than usually. Hornets also played much better defense, especially at the end of the game, past games this year they would’ve have allowed the Raptors to score late in the game. But they played good team defense and held their ground. The leading scorers for the Hornets this game were Marco Belinelli with 21 points, Marvin Williams with 18 points 12 rebounds, Nicolas Batum with 15 points and Frank Kaminsky with 13 points. The leading scorers for the Raptors this game were DeMar DeRozan with 28 points 8 assists, Cory Joseph with 18 points 7 rebounds, Serge Ibaka with 15 points, Jonas Valanciunas with 14 points 15 rebounds. Charlotte Hornets (34-41) return home Friday to go against the Denver Nuggets.

Charlotte Hornets playoff hopes dwindle after heartbreaking loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, 118-108

Charlotte Hornets lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, 118-108 on Tuesday night. It’s the first time since the 2011-2012 season that the Bucks took the season series against the Hornets, Bucks have also won 12 times in last 15 games. Charlotte backup guard Marco Belinelli left the game late in the fourth quarter due to a gash over his right eye after colliding with Kris Middleton. Charlotte entered tonight only two games back from the Miami Heat for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference so the Hornets needed this win badly with only nine games left. Milwaukee came out on fire, hitting their first five shots and making 20 of their first 26 shots and shoot 73% from the field in the first half to take a 72-50 lead at halftime. Charlotte trailed by as much as 26 in the second half but would able to cut the deficit to eleven with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter after the Hornets went on an 11-2 that was capped off by Jeremy Lamb transition three. But Charlotte was never able to cut the lead to single digits until the final minutes of the game.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game is Jeremy Lamb who scored 16 points off the bench. Lamb played good tonight, helped keep this game in arms reach for the Hornets. In the second quarter help the Hornets go on 10-2 run to cut the deficit to 14 and again the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 11. Lamb needs to work on his defense but is explosive on offense which is what the Hornets bench needs dearly. The Hornets were terrible on defense tonight, allowing the Bucks to shot 73% from the field and 56% from the three-point line in the first half is embarrassing bad. Giving up 14 threes’ in one game is again embarrassing. The Bucks exploited the Hornets lack of having a backup center, Greg Monroe, and Giannis Antetokounmpo killed Frank Kaminsky on the block. Frank Kaminsky is already terrible on defense much less putting him as center and guard center's that just out muscle him is a bad move. I understand that Miles Plumlee was injury and Johnny O’Bryant were both injury but Plumlee has been cleared for play for a few games, if you want to make a run for the playoffs you’re going to need a backup center. I know that this isn’t the whole reason we lost tonight and that he might be fully in shape yet but putting him for a few minutes a half can change how the other teams attack. The leading scorers for the Hornets this game were Kemba Walker with 26 points 5 assists, Frank Kaminsky with 20 points, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with 12 points 6 rebounds and Cody Zeller with 8 points. The leading scorers for the Bucks this game were Tony Snell with 26 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo 20 points 8 rebounds, Malcolm Brogdon with 14 points 10 assists, Greg Monroe with 13 points 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Charlotte Hornets (33-41) travel to Toronto to face off against the Raptors Wednesday night in a due-or-die game for the Hornets final playoff push.

Charlotte Hornets take care of business defeating the struggling Phoenix Suns, 120 to 106

Charlotte Hornets blew out the Phoenix Suns 120-106 Sunday afternoon. It’s the fourth win in the last five games for the Hornets, while the Suns have lost eight straight. Charlotte is two games back from the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with ten games remaining. Charlotte Hornets came out on fire to start the game, quickly built a 30 to 7 lead with help from Marvin Williams who help sparked the run, connecting on his first three three-pointers. And would lead by 22 at halftime. The Suns did cut the lead to four with 4½ minutes left after TJ Warren made a reverse layup and Devin Booker hit some jumpers. But the Hornets would respond with a Nic Batum three-pointer and Kemba Walker cutting layup that ignited an 11-0 run and would outscore the Suns 14-5 after that to put the game away.

The MVP for the Hornets this game is the captain Kemba Walker who scored 31 points and handed out 9 assists. Kemba always comes ready to play but the past few games he hasn’t been playing well. But that changed today, shooting 55% from the field and 44% from the three are great numbers to see out of our number one scorer. He also had two buzzer beaters in this game also, hitting a three-pointer right before halftime and crossing-over a Phoenix defender and hitting a mid-range jumper as the third quarter was winding down. I guess he thought he was back at UCONN or something. That not much more to say about this game, Suns never led in this game, Hornets had 8 steals and blocked two shots which are two great stats to see from a team that is known for their defense. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist also did a great job on Booker who scored 70 points in the Suns game before this game. Shutting down Booker for the first 10 minutes of the game, not allowing him to score or get into a rhythm. The leading scorer for the Hornets this game were Marvin Williams with 21 points 7 rebounds, Nicolas Batum with 18 points 10 assists, Cody Zeller with 16 points 4 steals, Frank Kaminsky with 10 points and Marco Belinelli with 8 points. The leading scorers for the Suns were Devin Booker with 23 points, TJ Warren with 21 points 10 rebounds, Tyler Ulis with 16 points 9 assists, Alan Williams with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Charlotte Hornets (33-40) host the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night. 

Charlotte Hornets loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-105, snapping Hornets three-game winning streak

Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 112 to 105, snapping Hornets three-game winning streak. Cavs bounced back after losing to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. Hornets are still three games back behind the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Hornets backup center Miles Plumlee (calf strain) and backup point guard Ramon Sessions (knee) were both cleared to play against the Cavs but did not play. Sessions missed the past 21 games while Plumlee missed the last 16 games for the Hornets. Charlotte went on an 11-1 run in the fourth quarter to cut the Cavs lead to just two and had a chance to tie the game at 100 with four and half minutes left, but Kemba Walker made only one of two free throws. Cavs quickly responded with JR Smith hitting a three-pointer on the next possession and then Kevin Love hit a 12-foot jumper and then LeBron James converted in the lane to push the lead to eight. Charlotte would cut the lead to five, but Batum missed an open three-pointer with 25 seconds left. James grabbed the rebound and was fouled and would make two free throws to put the game away.

The MVP for the Hornets this game is Marco Belinelli who scored 22 points off the bench. Belinelli stepped up when MKG got in foul trouble and came up huge for the Hornets in the fourth quarter. Scoring nine points in the quarter, including a transition dunk to cap off the 11-1 run from the Hornets to cut the Cavs lead to two. Charlotte did everything right tonight to win just the Cavs made enough plays especially at the end of the game to win. The Hornets outscored the Cavs in the paint 50-40, grabbed 14 offense rebounds that result in 24-second chance points, forced the Cavs to turn the ball over 12 times and even made ten three-pointers. Like I said the Cavs just made enough plays to take this win from the Hornets. The leading scorers for the Hornets this game were Kemba Walker with 28 points 5 assists, Nicolas Batum with 19 points, Cody Zeller with 15 points 11 rebounds, Marvin Williams with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The leading scorers for the Cavs were LeBron James with 32 points 11 assists 9 rebounds, Kyrie Irving with 26 points 7 assists, Kevin Love with 15 points 12 rebounds and JR Smith with 9 points. Charlotte Hornets (32-40) play Sunday afternoon against the Phoenix Suns, the next game for Devin Brooker after scoring 70 points(!) against the Boston Celtics. 

Charlotte Hornets defeat the Orlando Magic 109-102! Takes the season series against the Magic!

For the first time in franchise history, the Charlotte Hornets sweep the season series against the Orlando Magic, beating the Magic 109-102 on Wednesday night. It’s the third straight victory for the Hornets and pulls the Hornets within three games from the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Magic starting forward Jeff Green didn’t play tonight due to back spasms, Hornets starting forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist did play after spraining his ankle in the third quarter against the Atlanta Hawks. It only took less than three minutes for Marco Belinelli to score 11 points in the second quarter to help give the Hornets a five-point lead and outscore Orlando 14-3 to start the second quarter. The Magic would re-take the lead by converted nearly 48% from the field and hitting six threes’ in the first half and led at halftime, 54-48. Orlando led by as many as ten points twice in the third quarter, but with help from Kemba Walker, who scored 8 points in the quarter. Charlotte pulled within five going into the fourth quarter. Charlotte outscored the Magic 20-10 during a five-minute stretch that began at the seven-minute mark. During that time, Frank Kaminsky scored 11 points, including three three-pointers. Hornets went up 104-97 after Walker’s three-pointer with two minutes left. Charlotte outscored the Magic 32-20 in the fourth quarter. Orlando would make a run with less than a minute left, but it was too late and the Hornets held on and won.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game is Frank Kaminsky who scored 18 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Frank scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to help the Hornets make a comeback and get the win. Frank has been playing good ever since the All-Star break, especially after coming back from his shoulder injury. Usually after an injury it takes time for a shooter to get going again, but Frank didn’t miss a step averaging 16 points in the previous three games since returning from a shoulder injury. The Hornets didn’t shoot the three ball well in this game, only shooting 33% for the entire game. But they made it up by scoring 50 points in the paint. It helped the Hornets grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and scoring 16 points off those rebounds, also having 24 assists is a great stat to see from a team that likes to share the ball. Charlotte starters didn’t play well, being outscored 70-63 by the Magic starters. But the bench help keep the Hornets into it and the starters made enough plays in the fourth quarter to help get the victory for the Hornets. The leading scorers for the Hornets this game were Kemba Walker with 22 points 7 assists, Marco Belinelli with 20 points, Cody Zeller with 15 points 6 rebounds, Nicolas Batum with 10 points and 6 assists. The leading scorers for the Magic this game were Terrence Ross with 19 points, Elfrid Payton and Evan Fournier both had 15 points, Nikola Vucevic with 14 points 12 rebounds and a career-high 8 assists. Charlotte Hornets (32-39) return home Friday to take on defending NBA Champions Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Five Hornets players scored in double-digits help the Charlotte Hornets blow out the Atlanta Hawks 105-90

Charlotte Hornets beat the Atlanta Hawks 105 to 90 and are undefeated this season when facing the Hawks. It’s the second straight win for the Hornets while the Hawks have lost four straight. Hornets pulled within three games of the eighth-place Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Kemba Walker became the third player in franchise history to make 200 three-pointers in a single season. Atlanta was without All-Star forward Paul Millsap due to a tenderness in the right knee and was without top reserve guard Kent Bazemore due to a bone bruise in right knee. Hornets starting forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist left the game with a right ankle strain in the third quarter and did not return. Charlotte went on 23-4 run to start the second quarter and took a 51-42 at halftime. Hornets stretched its lead to 22 early in the fourth quarter after Frank Kaminsky drove and dished it to Marvin Williams for a dunk. Around the two-minute mark in the fourth quarter, Atlanta threw in the white flag and put in their bench players to play the rest of the game.

            The MVP for the Hornets for this game would be Nicolas Batum who scored 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting and dished out 6 assists. Ever since Batum came back from his migraines problems the Hornets are 2-0. Batum is a key part of the Hornets offense, from his passing to his ability to shot the three ball to posting someone up and hitting a fade away on one foot and his rebounding. When he’s out the entire offense suffers from it. Charlotte did a lot of good things in this game, scoring 17 points off 18 Hawks turnovers. In the first half, Dwight Howard killed the Hornets on the boards but after halftime Hornets did a better job of containing Howard, especially on the offensive boards. Another stat that I like was Hornets bench outscored Hawks bench 43-22. I think the one of the reason Hornets bench has been playing so much better of late has been the play, Briante Weber. Weber brings a burst of energy when he comes in, from full court press to handling the ball well and not turning the ball over. He not a scorer but he brings so much other stuff to the team and can get to the line and score if he has too. The leading scorers for the Hornets this game were Kemba Walker with 16 points, Frank Kaminsky with 14 points 5 assists, Marvin Williams with 13 points 8 rebounds and Jeremy Lamb with 12 points. Leading scorers for the Hawks this game were Dennis Schroder with 20 points 6 assists, Dwight Howard with 13 points 10 rebounds, Ersan Ilyasova with 13 points 6 rebounds and Tim Hardaway Jr. with 11 points. Charlotte Hornets (31-39) travel to Orlando tomorrow to face off against the Magic Wednesday night. 

Charlotte Hornets snap three-game losing skid, beating the Washington Wizards 98-93

Charlotte Hornets defeated the Washington Wizards 98-93 on Cam Newton bubble head night. Snaps Charlotte three-game losing streak, while the Wizards have lost three out of their last four games. Charlotte is four games back of Miami for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs with 13 games left. Charlotte Hornets signed center Johnny O'Bryant to a rest of the season contract and point guard Briante Weber to a two-year deal early this week. Weber is expected to be the backup point guard for the rest of the season, while O’Bryant is expected to return soon from an ankle sprain and be the backup center until Plumlee is fully healthy. Hornets starting shooting guard Nic Batum was back in the starting lineup after missing the past two games due to a migraine. Kemba Walker hit a clutch three-pointer to give the Hornets a 93-86 lead with 1:23 seconds left in the game. Beal answered with a three of his own and then stole an inbound pass at midcourt and dunked to cut Charlotte lead to two with 17 seconds remaining. Marco Belinelli was fouled with 13 seconds left but only made one of the free throws, giving the Wizards a chance to tie with 14 seconds to play But Beal missed a step-back three from 28 feet with 10 seconds, Marvin Williams grabbed the rebounds and was fouled and made two free throws to seal the victory for the Charlotte Hornets.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game was Cody Zeller who scored 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and grabbed 5 rebounds. Cody was a man on a mission, Zeller was doing it on both sides of the court, grabbing a season-high 4 steals and blocking 2 shots. If it wasn’t for Cody the Hornets might not have been in this game, since he and Marvin were the only two Hornets to make a field goal in the first quarter. Charlotte looked like their old selves this game, playing great defense; holding the Wizards to just 36% from the field. To moving without great without the ball and outscoring the Wizards 40-28 in the paint. If the Hornets could ever get everybody healthy and play like they did tonight, they wouldn’t have to be worried about missing the playoffs because they would already be a playoff contender. The leading scorers for the Hornets this game were Marvin Williams with 16 points 8 rebounds, Kemba Walker with 16 points 6 assists, Frank Kaminsky with 14 points, Nicolas Batum with 8 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. The leading scorers for the Wizards this game were John Wall with 19 points 8 assists, Bradley Beal with 18 points, Otto Porter Jr. with 16 points, Bojan Bogdanovic with 12 points, Marcin Gortat with 6 points and 16 rebounds. Charlotte Hornets (30-39) host the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.

Indiana Pacers use a big second half to beat the Charlotte Hornets 98-77

Charlotte Hornets lost to the Indiana Pacers 98-77 on Wednesday night. It’s the third straight loss for the Hornets and fourth in previous five games. Since the All-Star break the Pacers have held 9 of their 11 opponents to fewer than 100 points. The Pacers never seemed tired, even though they were on the second night of a back-to-back after losing to at New York Knicks last night. Hornets starting shooting guard Nicolas Batum missed his second straight game due to a migraine, Batum went and had a CT scan done early today and the result was negative. So hopefully Nic can come back Saturday. Nothing was decided in the first half of this game, Pacers and Hornets were tied 42 apiece at halftime. The Pacers did open the second half on a 21-5 run to quickly take a double-digit lead and would eventually outscore the Hornets 33-16 in the third quarter. Charlotte would make one last comeback attempt, opening the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run that pulled the Hornets within 10 points. But the Pacers answered with a 14-2 run to go ahead by 22. The Hornets eventually waved the white flag and put the bench players in around four minutes left in the game.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game would be Briante Weber who scored 8 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Weber who is on his second 10-day contract with the Hornets took over for Brain Roberts as the backup point guard for the Hornets this game. He did not disappoint. The past two games Weber has played excellent for the Hornets, he hustles, is fast and athletic, plays great defense, can get into the line and make layups or kick it out to the right player for a three-point jumper, has a good mid-range jumper, makes good decisions when the ball is in his hands, has active hands on defense (2 steals against the Pacers) and is basically everywhere on defense. I’m not saying that Weber should be our full-time backup point guard, but he been playing better than Brain Roberts and I do believe he’s earned another 10-day contract or even a rest of the season contract. Hornets shot 13% from the three-point line only making 3 of 23 attempts, Pacers made four times as many three’s than Charlotte did. Charlotte did outscore the Pacers in the paint 42-18 but only shot 40% overall while Indiana finished at 53%. There not much else to say about this game, Charlotte just didn’t look invested into it and the Pacers just took over in the second half. I do believe after watching this game, the Hornets are trying to tank this rest of this season. From how they perform to the number of minutes some players played from others. I don’t blame them, I typed an entire article on how they should. The leading scorers for the Hornets this game were Frank Kaminsky with 20 points, Marco Belinelli with 11 points, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with 10 points, Jeremy Lamb with 8 points and 7 rebounds. The leading scorers for the Pacers this game were Paul George with a season-high 39 points, Monta Ellis with 16 points, Jeff Teague with 8 points 11 assists, Myles Turner with 6 points and 11 rebounds. Charlotte Hornets (29-39) host the Washington Wizards Saturday.