For the Charlotte Hornets, it has been a summer filled with excitement after yet another disappointing season of missing the playoffs. After the Hornets held some hope for the future by making the playoffs in the 2013-2014 season, last year was plagued by injuries to Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson and the team finished 33-49, 10 fewer wins than the previous season. A year ago, there was plenty of excitement and hope surrounding the signing of Lance Stephenson, but that plan didn’t work
Mo Williams trade gives Hornets much-needed PG stopgap
The Charlotte Hornets got much-needed point guard depth on Tuesday in their quest for an Eastern Conference playoff spot by acquiring veteran Mo Williams from Minnesota in exchange for shooting guard Gary Neal and a 2019 2nd round pick. Charlotte can now start Williams at the point with Kemba Walker still out after undergoing knee surgery, and avoid using the much-maligned Lance Stephenson at the position. “Mo Williams is a proven NBA player who gives us additional versatility and depth in the backcourt, both
Tweet of the Day: Lance Stephenson Is Heading To The Hive
Lance Stephenson, seen posing with $1 million in cash, will be cashing in upwards of $27 million in Charlotte. Lance Stephenson has chosen to turn down longterm offers to stay in Indiana for the Charlotte Hornets. The reports seem as perplexing as his on-court behavior. He was being offered five years and $44 million guaranteed to remain with the Pacers, but opted for three years and $18 million guaranteed—the third year is a team option. While it may seem puzzling to
SH Blog: Finals won’t determine LeBron’s future; could they determine Duncan’s?
Lots of NBA news today, so let’s get right to the latest: FINALS WON’T DETERMINE LEBRON’S FUTURE Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com The Heat’s success or failure in these Finals will not affect LeBron James’ decision on whether to opt out of his contract by the end of this month, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. James and the Heat would be the first team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit and come back and win a title.
Five Things To Watch: Charlotte Bobcats
This offseason was an eventful one for the Bobcats and their fans. It started the same as the previous one: looking for a new coach. This time, the search did not last quite as long as they snapped up long-time Jeff Van Gundy assistant Steve Clifford. Then they stunned analysts and fans alike at the draft by selecting Cody Zeller over Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore and Alex Len at fourth overall. With newfound financial flexibility because of DeSagana Diop’s expiring contract, the
Podcast: Sheridan on Charlotte radio re Kidd-Gilchrist trade talks
I had the pleasure of going on the air in Charlotte this morning on WFNZ immediately after general manager Rich Cho came on the program. An excerpt of Cho’s interview was played, and wait until you listen to his nervous laughter before saying he is not “shopping” Michael Kidd-Gilchrist but is listening to offers. That, folks, is semantics. “Shopping” is a loaded word. “Listening to offers” is a more soothing statement. I went on to defend the story we posted yesterday about Kidd-Gilchrist,
Bernucca: Three new coaches have plenty of work to do
There are three NBA teams with new coaches for the start of the 2012-13 season, and no one is expecting any of them to work miracles. In fact, ownership and management appear to be expecting just the opposite. The Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic both are undergoing massive rebuilding projects and don’t seem overly concerned with winning. Both teams have hired inexperienced coaches with strong backgrounds in player development, which means they also have strong backgrounds in patience. It remains to be
SH Blog: J.R. Smith expects championship, Shaquille O’Neal calls out Dwight Howard again
As some of you may know, the site was down on Monday due to GoDaddy issues, but we’re back to fill you in on some relevant NBA news. See what Knicks guard J.R. Smith expects from his team this season, what Dwight Howard has to do to earn the respect of Shaquille O’Neal, what Dwyane Wade thinks of his jump shot and more below. Speaking of Wade, be sure to check out what he thought when Steve Nash was traded to