Buzz Breaking News: Black Unis and… White Throwbacks?

December 7, 2017December 7, 2017Scotty & Evan Leave a comment

So “Royal Key” was somehow given access to the Hornets’ locker room and practice facility from the team’s equipment manager Jason Rivera and got to interview him in a cool video about the player’s day-to-day equipment needs and habits. Then….

At the 11:30 mark of the video you will hear something quite interesting.

We had already known that there would be a 5th Hornets uniform this season and we speculated that it would be the return of the fan favorite “Buzz City” uniform this time with a Jordan flare, presumably SLEEVELESS and you will see it come at the end of December!!! BUT what Jason said next caught us by surprise.

He said that they will be bringing back the White throwbacks next year and that is definitely some shocking and kick-ass news!!!

Poll: Does the Absence of Curry Change Your Plans for Attending Wednesday’s Game?

December 5, 2017December 5, 2017Scotty & Evan Leave a comment

It is no secret that Charlotte’s fans are a little more enamored by the super star than most cities.

Rightfully so considering Charlotte is his hometown and we all grew up watching his pops in the teal and purple. But the atmosphere of Spectrum Center seems to do a complete 180 when he comes to town. The sea of teal and purple Curry jerseys shifts to a tidal wave of blue and gold ones.

This is obviously a big money maker for the home team. The prodigal son returns and with him comes the sale of thousands of tickets to seats that are usually left empty. They even completely shift their marketing campaigns for a short time. Usual montages of Kemba and company juking and dunking are replaced by clips that are filled with our own team being dominated. Odd.

Many people purchase their tickets far in advance in anticipation of the night but like lots of sports fans in Charlotte many gamble and wait until the day of to see if prices drop. THIS may have paid off for many Curry fans.

Curry rolled his ankle pretty viciously in the 4th Quarter of Monday night’s game against the Pelicans and ended up walking off in crutches. Then came the news Tuesday that Curry would be sitting out his homecoming game that he always looks forward to. He even joked that “I’m gonna have to call my dad and cancel our game of golf tomorrow”. No news on how severe the injury is yet but he seemed optimistic.

The major question this must leave to the Hornets organization is… does this impact the ticket sales we projected OR the actual number of people who will still come and buy food, beer, apparel etc.

So we ask you… HAS THIS CHANGED YOUR PLANS TO ATTEND WEDNESDAY’S GAME AGAINST THE WARRIORS?

Swarm Survey: 11/29

November 30, 2017November 30, 2017Scotty & Evan Leave a comment

Bring Back The Buzz is by the fans, for the fans so we wanted to start a series called “#SwarmSurvey” where we ask YOU, the fan, questions about the team and we gauge your feelings on topics from the starting line up to your opinions on beer prices in the arena and share it with our 50,000+ followers on social media. We will post the questions on Twitter during the games to get max results and hopefully get a good sense of how Hornets Nation feels.

Some questions will be originated by the BBTB Bros others will be submitted by fans like you who can ask Hornets Nation whatever you want (Submit Your Questions Below)

Here are smoe sample questions from last night’s game and their results just to get the ball rolling.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Are the Charlotte Hornets Capable of Reaching the Eastern Conference Finals?

November 24, 2017Kyle Floyd Leave a comment

the hive

After a horrible 6 game losing streak, we have officially seen the highs and the extreme lows of the Charlotte Hornets. While the season is still early, it is fair to say that they will not get much worse than they were in those 6 games, barring a significant injury to a key player. This horrid stretch was riddled with stagnant offense, an incompetent defense, and much like last year a knack for blowing 4^th quarter leads. Granted this did come at the hands of MKG and Nic being absent for a majority of the stretch, it was still very alarming to watch. With all this being said we have also been able to see a side of the Hornets that looks like it could compete for the Eastern Conference Finals. The difference in these two sides is night and day, Howard is putting up crazy numbers, the team is moving the ball, and the bench is providing instant offense. While we would all prefer the latter, is it fair to believe it can be sustained?

The first thing that needs to happen if the Hornets are going to reach the Eastern Conference Finals is more consistency, and not just with their level of play. The energy needs to be more consistent. At the start of the season you could feel the energy they were playing with almost every game, but during the last 10 games it has been stagnant. If they can sustain energy from game to game and more importantly for the entire game, it will be a huge step in the right direction. Another area the Hornets need to get more consistent in is Clifford’s rotations. The team has played well together, but it is harder for players to be prepared when they are exiting and entering the game at times they are not expecting. The biggest player having to work with this is Malik Monk. Clifford has been inconsistent with the minutes he has given to Monk and that lack of consistency can be crippling for a rookie. There have been games when Monk plays all the way to the end of the 4^th like at the Knicks, and others like the two home games against the Clippers and Wizards where he did not touch the court. Monk also is not ready to play yet I personally believe, but in his defense when the minutes are inconsistent it is hard to always be prepared. All of the lineup confusion can be attributed to the erratic injuries that have plagued the team up to this point.

Kemba Walker

With a lack of all-stars in the east due to free agency, and no real impressive team other than the Boston Celtics who are without Gordon Hayward, the Hornets should be able to compete with anyone in the Eastern Conference. They have already beaten Milwaukee and Washington who are considered to be two contenders in the East, and they seem to be a different team in The Hive with a record of 7-2. The biggest problem the team has is winning road games, which can really haunt you come playoff time. They have only won ONE road game the entire season while losing 8, which is not promising for the rest of the season. Hovering around a .500 road record is good, but going 1-8 on the road to begin the season is horrendous. The deciding factors for if the Hornets can make the ECF will be determined by their ability to win road games, stay healthy, and play with consistency, not their ability to beat other teams in the east. We are capable of beating any team on any night. If we can progress in these three things we could be looking at a competitive series in the second round of the playoffs, and be fighting for an Eastern Conference Finals playoff bid.

Ticket Trends and How That Impacts the Panthers

November 21, 2017Scotty & Evan Leave a comment

via Charlotte Observer

While it may too soon for Panthers fans to be thinking about Super Bowl tickets, with today’s onsale of the first-ever “The Night Before” concert, there’s a lot more to do around Super Bowl weekend, whether or not your planning to attend the game. The show, which is co-produced by On Location Experiences and CBS Radio, will give 20,000 fans an opportunity to soak in the Super Bowl atmosphere at Xcel center, which is home to the Wild and every major concert that goes through the Twin Cities.

While parties have always been a staple of Super Bowl weekend, they’ve always been ultra exclusive, invite-only events. For fans that didn’t have a connection to get a ticket one of the big parties, whether it’s Playboy, Maxim, ESPN, you were basically on your own to come up with a plan for the weekend, which required navigating through a ton of options. For average fans looking to get into one of the big parties, the secondary market was often the only option, with prices usually ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.

With tickets as low as $67, the Dave Matthews show has created another option for fans to be a soak in the atmosphere without having to spend thousands more dollars on top of what they paid for their ticket. An article earlier this week in the Minnesota Star Tribune noted that the show’s tickets didn’t have a ‘very Super Bowl’ price.

For fans that are not into Dave Matthews, or just looking for a clubbier vibe, across town Florida – Georgia Line will play the 9,000-person Club Nomadic, now in it’s second year, and also run by OnLocation. The Tribune article goes on to speculate that it ‘could be the biggest Saturday night for concerts the Twin Cities has ever seen’ and tickets for that show are currently available for $200. While that’s expensive compared to the Dave Matthews price tag, it’s very affordable when compared to the prices you’d have to pay for a party like Playboy or Maxim.

Last year in Houston, Club nomadic was built from scratch and broken down at the end of the weekend. This year’s version of the pop-up Club Nomadic will inhabit the Armory for three days, with two more acts still to be announced for Thursday and Friday night. Last year’s Super Bowl weekend entertainment featured Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, The Chainsmokers and Red Hot Chili Peppers. If this years acts come anywhere close to that, it will make for an even more memorable weekend for fans that make their way to Minneapolis in February. In addition to the acts, the Armory itself also has an interesting history, for both sports and music fans. While it has been a parking garage for over ten years, prior to that it was former home of the Minneapolis Lakers, and it also served a the backdrop for a Prince video shoot. Unlike last year, when the parties are over this year, the Armory will remain as a brand-new 9,000-person venue that will be a major addition to the Minneapolis music and culture scene for years to come.

For fans that are feeling confident about the Panthers chances to return to the Super Bowl for the 2^nd time in 3 seasons, On Location is also currently selling an all-inclusive ticket for $7,599. In addition to a three-night hotel stay, that ticket also includes music on Friday or Saturday night as well as access to other weekend events, like tailgates and chef tastings, including the pre-game party at the Armory and feature ‘a curated tailgate-style menu with a Minnesota flair’.

Considering that tickets alone to last years game were going for $5,000 dollars and over $3,500 for the Panthers visit in 2016, that seems a really good deal, and also simpler way to enjoy the entire weekend than in year’s past. It also means that the most complicated part of the equation is now whether or not the Panthers get there.

(Sponsored Post)

Weekly Scouting Report

November 14, 2017dallaswpeyton18 Leave a comment

Weekly Scouting:

I was feeling a little under the weather on Sunday, so I didn’t get this written when I wanted. But I’m sitting here now soaking in a Panthers win and ready to talk about the Hornets!

Even though the Hornets played only 2 games this past week, they still managed to make it the most frustrating week of this season, so far. They had two roads games and got up big in both of them, yet still managed to find a way to lose them both. If the Hornets are serious about contending this year, then they better figure out how to win those games, and fast. With that being said, there is a long season ahead of them and this week offers a chance to bounce back, so let’s get on to some scouting.

@dallaswpeyton18

Cleveland Cavaliers (7-7) Wednesday, 11/15 at 8:00pm

(Image from Cleveland.com)

Matchup Overview:

Kemba Walker and the Hornets versus LBJ and the Cavaliers at the Hive on throwback night! What more do I need to say to get you hyped for this matchup? This is the Hornet’s first matchup of the season against the team that has represented the Eastern Conference in 3 straight Finals. They also are supposed to get Batum back in this game, which hopefully can act as a catalyst for the Hornets to propel their record above .500. The teams met 4 times last season, with the Cavs sweeping the season series.

Recent Form:

The Cavs and their struggles have been one of the biggest storylines from this young NBA season. They have some decent wins against the Celtics and the Wizards, but have struggled immensely against some of the worst teams in the league like the Hawks and the Nets. They will come into this matchup with the Hornets 4-2 in their last 6 following their win on Monday v. the Knicks at MSG.

Key Players and Recent Performers:

(Image from USA Today)

It all starts with LeBron. The last few years, LeBron has been satisfied being more of a facilitator and letting the offense come to him, but with the team’s struggles, he has been in attack mode. He currently leads the team in points, assists, blocks, and steals per game. Outside of LeBron, the next guy up is Kevin Love who is current4ly averaging a double double of 18.5 ppg and 10.8 rpg. With Thomas still out, the team has been relying on D-Rose who is averaging 14.3 ppg, but only 1.7 apg. Also worth noting, Dwayne Wade is averaging less than 9 ppg on less than 40% shooting. There are a lot of household names on this roster, but most of them have already put their best years behind them, which might explain some of the Cavs struggles this year.

Key Team Stats:

One Positive for the Hornets: 112 Def RTG

The Cavs are the worst defense in the league bar none. They have struggled to stop anyone and that is the main reason that they are still under .500. Hopefully the Hornets can take advantage of the Cavs defensive rating of 112 and put up a lot of points.

One Negative for the Hornets: 108.9 Off RTG

On the other side of the ball, the Cavs excel at pointing up points in a hurry. Their offensive rating of 108.9 is the third highest in the league and could give the Hornets some trouble if they aren’t locked in.

Matchup to Watch:

(Image from At The Hive)

LeBron James v. Michael Kidd Gilchrist. One of the main reasons that MKG is on the roster is due to his defensive prowess, and Wednesday will be his chance to prove that worth. In matchups in the past, MKG has struggled to slow down the King, but if he can force him to be a jump shooter, then he might be able to slow him down.

Final Thoughts:

With the Cavs coming to town, an appearance on national TV, the return of a key player, and the Hornets wearing their throwbacks for the first time, there should be plenty of excitement in the building on Wednesday. Hopefully the Hornets have used their longer rest to prepare for this game, and can really give the reigning East champs some trouble.

@. Chicago Bulls (2-9) Friday, 11/17 at 8:00pm

(Image from Pinterest)

Matchup Overview:

The Hornets will follow up their meeting against the Cavs with another Central Division matchup, this time against the Bulls. Last year, the Hornets won 1 out of their 3 match ups with the Bulls. The Bulls lost a lot of talent this offseason though, and the Hornets hope to have a better record against them this season.

Recent Form:

The Bulls were expected to be one of the worst teams in the league this season, and it is safe to say that they have no disappointed. They have wins against Atlanta and Orlando, but other than that have come up empty. They have a matchup Wednesday against the Thunder on the road before traveling home to face Buzz City on Friday.

Key Players and Recent Performers:

(Image from NBA.com)

Where to begin with this roster? Their best player, by a mile, has been Bobby Portis, but with a sample size of only three games, who knows how long that will continue. In his limited action, the Bulls big man has 19 ppg and 10 rpg, while shooting almost 50% from the field. Beyond Portis, the Bulls have Lauri Markkanen, Robin Lopez, and Justin Holiday all averaging around 14 ppg. They also will be getting Mirotic back from injury following his fight with Portis during preseason, so it will be worth keeping an eye on his performances as he gets back into the rotation.

Key Team Stats:

One Positive for the Hornets: -12.4 Net RTG

The Bulls have been bad in all aspects of the game. Their struggles are evident in their league worst Net RTG of -12.4. The Hornets are going to be the favorites in this game and should take care of business.

One Negative for the Hornets: 81.3% DREB

The Hornets are top 5 in the NBA in defensive rebound percentage, so there are few teams that are better than them in this category, yet the Bulls are one of those teams. They are currently 3^rd in the league with a defensive rebounding % of 81.3, meaning that the Hornets will not have many second chances on offense.

Matchup to Watch:

(Image from Daily Herald)

Marvin Williams and Dwight Howard v. Lopez and Portis/Markkanen. The key matchups in this game are going to take place in the paint. All three of their leading scorers are PF or Centers and 4 of their top 6. If Marvin and DH12 can find a way to limit their effectiveness in the paint, the Hornet’s guards should be able to feast on the inexperience players on the Bulls.

Final Thoughts:

This is an extremely winnable game for the Hornets coming off a day of rest and they should be able to take care of business. If they have high intentions this year, then this is a must have game.

LA Clippers (5-7) Saturday, 11/18 at 7:00pm

(Image from Zimbio)

Matchup Overview:

Following their Friday matchup with the Bulls in the Windy City, they will travel home to take on the Clippers at home on Saturday. This is their first matchup of the season against LA and they look to improve on their 0-2 record from last year.

Recent Form:

The Clippers have been one of the perennial playoff teams in the NBA over the last few years, but are off to a rough start this season at 5-7. They started the season off with 4 straight wins, but have only won 1 in their last 8 and have severely struggled. They open the week against the 76ers on Monday night, but then don’t play again until they travel to Cleveland on Friday. That matchup could be a tough one for the Clippers and hopefully will leave their team a little more worn out before this matchup on Saturday.

Key Players and Recent Performers:

(Image from Mercury News)

With Chris Paul gone and DeAndre Jordan underperforming so far, this is undoubtedly Blake Griffin’s team. The PF has responded well to this role and is averaging 22.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg, and 4.7 apg. He is the guy who makes this team tick and has been instrumental in everything they do. Another player who is off to a good start for LA is SG Lou Williams. He’s averaging 16.4 ppg with 45% FG and 36% 3FG. Jordan is doing his usual job of dominating the glass to the tune of 14 rpg, but to go along with that, he only has an average of 10 points and 1 block per game.

Key Team Stats:

One Positive for the Hornets: 37.2% 3FG Defense

The Hornets are middle of the league in 3-point shooting, but this matchup might give them a chance to get some open looks from the 3-point line. The Clippers are in the bottom 10 in the league at defending the 3, and allow their opponents to shoot 37.2% 3FG.

One Negative for the Hornets: 45.9 RPG

The Clippers are one of the best teams in the league at dominating the glass and this matchup could be huge. They currently are 7^th in the league with an average of nearly 46 rpg. This will be one of the battles to watch if the Hornets hope to be successful in this matchup.

Matchup to Watch:

(Image from Swarm and Sting)

Bench Units. One of the most important matchups in this game is the way that the Hornets bench unit will perform against the Clippers second guys. The Clippers bench is lacking in scoring options behind Lou Williams, so the Hornets need to take advantage of this lack of punch and use the time that Kemba and DH12 and others are on the bench, to extend the lead.

Final Thoughts:

This is another one of those indicator games for the Hornets this season. The type of games that they have to find a way to beat teams that are on about the same level as them if they want to make the playoffs. With both teams coming off a back to back, except a slightly sloppy game where the benches play a bigger role than usual.

Predictions for the Week:

My predictions last week were not great. I correctly predicted the loss against the Celtics but missed the game against the Knicks. If the Hornets could close out a game, they would’ve gotten both wins this week, but obviously they didn’t so hopefully this week will help them move on and get somemore wins.

W v. Cavs: Taking a risk here, but I believe that the excitement surrounding this game will help the Hornets pick up a big win.

W @ Bulls: Chicago is arguably the worst team in the league and the Hornets will win this one.

L v. Clippers: I think Blake Griffin and the Clippers will take this one in Charlotte to end the week 2-1.

A bounce back week for the Hornets that ends 2-1. Have a great week everyone!

Sunday Scouting (11/6-11/13)

November 6, 2017dallaswpeyton18 Leave a comment

Sunday Scouting:

(Image from NBA.com)

I don’t really know what to make of the last week for the Hornets. They started off with a great win over Memphis and followed that up with a solid home win over a good Bucks team. But the second half of the week has been a little rough with losses on the road to the Spurs and Timberwolves. The loss to the Spurs was somewhat expected, but getting blown out against the Timberwolves off a day of rest when Minnesota was playing on the second night of a back-to-back is less than ideal.

This week is a much lighter week, but still includes a tough trip to Boston for a meeting with the red-hot Celtics. Following that game on Friday, the Hornets will have 4 full days of rest to prep for their meeting with LeBron and the Cavs. Let’s get on to the scouting for the Knicks and Celtics.

@dallaswpeyton18

@ New York Knicks (5-4) Tuesday, 11/7 at 7:30pm

(Image from Newsday)

Matchup Overview:

On Tuesday night, the Hornets will open their season series with the Knicks. Last year, the Hornets went 1-2 in 3 games against New York, with both losses coming at MSG. If the Hornets hope to compete for a playoff spot in the East, then they will need to post a better record against the Knicks this year. Meanwhile, the Knicks hope to continue their surprising start with a win over Charlotte.

Recent Form:

The Knicks have been off to one of the more surprising starts in the league this season. After losing Carmelo and with all the madness that surrounded their offseason, little was expected of them. Yet here they are 9 games into the season with a record above .500. They started out 0-3 but have won 5 of their last 6, including wins over the Cavs and the Nuggets. To an extent, they have found success beating bad teams like the Suns and the Nets, but they have still managed to win. Like Charlotte, they will be coming into this matchup off 2 days of rest.

Key Players and Recent Performers:

(Image from SNY)

The Knicks start and end with Porzingis. In their 5 wins this season, Porzingis has been the highest scorer in 4 of them. He is currently averaging 29 ppg, 8 rpg, and almost 2 bpg. In their last 2 games, he scored 37 and 40 respectively. Needless to say, he is playing extremely well in his second season and will definitely taking some stopping if the Hornets hope to contain him. Outside of Kristaps, the Knicks are led by Tim Hardaway and Enes Kanter who are both averaging over 14 ppg this season. Kanter in particular has been extremely efficient and is posting a fg percentage over 63% and has chipped in with 10.5 rpg as well. Another player worth mentioning is a player that we all know well from his time in Charlotte, Courtney Lee. Lee is never going to light up the score board but he is an efficient 3 and d player who finds ways to contribute and help the team win.

Key Team Stats:

One Positive for the Hornets: 32% 3-point fg

The Hornets have struggled against teams who shoot the 3 well, as seen in the games against the Rockets and the T-Wolves. But in this matchup with the Knicks, the Hornets will be facing the 3^rd worst 3-point shooting team in the league. They are currently hitting the deep ball at a 32% clip, which means the Hornets should be able to force them to beat them from the interior, which is where the Hornets traditionally excel defensively.

One Negative for the Hornets: 27.2 % oreb

The Knicks are the second-best team in the league at turning their missed shots into second opportunities on offense. The Hornets are one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the league, but will have their work cut out for them in this one against a club who gathers 27.2 % of their misses.

Matchup to Watch:

(Image from WSJ)

Marvin Williams v. Kristaps Porzingis. This is a tough one for the Hornets. For the last few years, they have utilized the smaller Marvin Williams as a stretch 4 to help space the floor and get some more athleticism on defense. But this is a tough matchup due to Porzingis’s height and his ability to score in so many different ways. Clifford will have to decide if he wants to roll with Marvin here or maybe try MKG, but he’s even shorter than Marv. Whatever happens, the Hornets will need to find a way to slow him down if they hope to win this matchup.

Final Thoughts:

This game, similar to the games against Milwaukee will come down to whether or not the Hornets can make someone else beat them. Hopefully, they will come out with more energy than they had against Minnesota and get some early offense. If they can get some stops, they should have a good chance to pick up a much-needed road win. On the flip side, if they do not commit to defending the paint, they might struggle against a team that they need to beat.

@. Boston Celtics (8-2) Friday, 11/10 at 7:30pm

(Image from Fadeaway World)

Matchup Overview:

The Hornets will follow up their meeting against the Knicks with another Atlantic Division matchup, this time against the Celtics. Last year, the Hornets came up empty against the Celtics in 4 tries. Getting wins in this series this year looks to be a tough task, but would be a huge boost for the Hornets as they attempt to get back to the playoffs this season.

Recent Form:

Similar to the Knicks, the Celtics started off the season poorly with 2 losses right out of the gates. Since then, they have proceeded to win 8 straight and take their place at the top of the NBA standings. They have big wins against the Spurs, the Thunder, and a blowout of the Magic on Sunday. Not only have they been winning games, but they have been winning them fairly easily, the closest margin of victory during their streak is 6 points. They will be coming into this game following an away matchup with Atlanta on Monday and a home meeting with the Lakers on Wednesday.

Key Players and Recent Performers:

(Image from NBC Sports)

As is typical of Brad Steven’s coached teams, the Celtics have been getting solid contributions from numerous players, but at the heart of it all is Kyrie Irving. The summer acquisition has picked up the hole left by the Hayward injury and leads the team in ppg, apg, and spg while still shooting over 44% from the field. Behind him, the Celtics have Al Horford filling up the stat sheet with a stat line of 14.7 ppg, 9rpg, 4.3 apg. Couple these two guys with the scoring burst of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum and you begin to see why the C’s have started the season so well. They are getting contributions for numerous guys and it makes them hard to stop.

Key Team Stats:

One Positive for the Hornets: 102.9 ppg

The Celtics have been extremely successful in the early weeks of this season, but it is not really because of their offense. They are in the bottom 10 in the league with 102.9 ppg, and the Hornets strong defense should be able to cause some problems for the Celtics.

One Negative for the Hornets: 94.7 drtg

I could use almost any defensive stat in this spot, and the Celtics would probably be in the top 5 in that category. They are the best defense in the league by a fairly wide margin and there are numerous stats to back that up. Overall, they have a Defensive rating of 94.7, which is the best in the league by almost 3 full points.

Matchup to Watch:

(Image from Getty Image)

Kemba Walker v. Kyrie Irving. What more could you ask for in a point guard matchup? Two of the best point guards in the league will be going at it in this one and there are sure to be some slick highlights. Both guards are similar in play, with Kyrie being slightly better at getting to the rim and Kemba being a better shooter. Either way, these two are two of the very best and it’s gonna be a lot of fun to watch them go at it. If Kemba can outduel his counterpart, it will go a long way towards the Hornets locking up a victory.

Final Thoughts:

Away at TD Garden against the Celtics is going to be one of the toughest matchups that the Hornets will have all season, but if they play well for a full 48 minutes, they might have a shot at taking down the East leaders. It figures to be a defensive slugfest, but should still provide lots of fireworks.

Predictions for the Week:

My predictions last week were a little off. I correctly predicted the games against the Bucks and the Spurs, but was surprised by the win at Memphis and the loss to Minnesota. Hopefully this week, the Hornets can get a couple of quality wins and go into their longer break with good momentum.

W @ Knicks: Porzingis will be tough to stop, but I think the Hornets will be able to put up enough points in this game to get a much-needed win on the road.

L @ Boston: Boston has won 8 in a row for a reason, and I don’t think that the Hornets will offer enough offensively to win at the Garden.

Hope I’m wrong and we win both games! Have a good week everyone!

Sunday Scouting (On Monday?) 10/30-11/5

October 30, 2017October 30, 2017dallaswpeyton18 Leave a comment

Sunday Scouting:

Last week was a mildly successful week for the Hornets. They got good wins over the Nuggets and the surprising Orlando Magic, while dropping games on the road to Giannis and the Bucks and Harden and the Rockets. (It was also a successful week for my predictions as I was able to get all 4 correct haha). This upcoming week might be one of the Hornet’s toughest weeks of the season purely from a matchup stand point. They begin the week on the road tomorrow with the second half of a back to back and then play every other day for the rest of the week. This week will be a huge indicator of the Hornet’s intentions this season in the Eastern Conference. So let’s get cracking on some scouting reports.

On a personal note, I go to school in VA, so I don’t get to make it to the Hive all that often, but I will be there Wednesday night for the Bucks game. If any of you are going to be there, let me know. I’d love to make some new Hornets friends!

@dallaswpeyton18

@ Memphis Grizzlies (5-1) Monday, 10/30 at 8pm

Matchup Overview:

(Image from NBA.com)

On Monday night, the Hornets will take on the Grizzlies for the first time this season. The two teams met twice last season and split the meetings with the away team taking both matchups. The Hornets are going to be playing on the second night in a row with the chance to move their record above .500. The Grizzlies meanwhile will be hoping to maintain their spot at the top of the tough Western Conference with a win.

Recent Form:

The Grizzlies have been arguably the best team in the league so far in the young season, with 2 wins over the Rockets and a win over the defending champs. The Hornets will be the 3^rd in a 4-game home stand and their second game in 3 days. Their lone loss on the season came on the first night of a back-to-back against the Mavs, who they then defeated the following day by 5 points.

Key Players and Recent Performers:

(Image from ClutchPoints)

The Grizzlies had the same core of players for many years, but the band was broken up a little bit this summer when Z-Bo left to sign with the Kings. But in his absence, Conley and Gasol have continued to play at a high level and have carried this team so far. The younger Gasol brother is averaging a double-double at 22 ppg and 10 rpg. Meanwhile, Conley is averaging 17.5 ppg and 4 apg as one of the top PG’s in the West. One thing to note with Conley is that his shooting percentage is hovering around 40% which is lower than his career average of 45%. This might be a direct result of the increased responsibility that he has in the offense with the absence of Z-bo.

Key Team Stats:

One Positive for the Hornets: 25.6 FTA

The Hornets have been one of the best teams in the league at getting to the free throw line and the Grizzlies have allowed opponents to take 25.6 FT per game, which is one of the 7 worst averages in the league. Hopefully the Hornets will be able to take advantage of this and get a lot of free points in a matchup that promises to be a defensive battle.

One Negative for the Hornets: 40% FG

The Grizzlies are one of the best defensive teams in the league and hold their opponents to the lowest shooting percentage in the league at 40%. This means that the Hornets could struggle to get and make quality looks against this physical team from the Western Conference.

Matchup to Watch:

(Image from Charlotte Observer)

Kemba Walker v. Mike Conley. This is a matchup of 2 PG who have one skill at which they excel and it helps vault them into the league’s elite. We all know that Kemba is an excellent pick-and-roll ball handler and has been balling this year with DH12 to work with. Conley on the other hand is one of the best defenders in the league at the PG spot. This matchup will go a long way towards determining who wins this game.

Final Thoughts:

This game features 2 of the slower paced teams in the league and will most likely be a physical, defensive battle. Points are going to be hard to come by, so the Hornets need to be sure to make the most of their trips to the FT line. This game will be made even more difficult by the fact that the Hornets played on Sunday before having to travel and get ready to go less than 24 hours after beating the Magic. A win would be a major victory for the Hornets and would help build some confidence going into games against Milwaukee and San Antonio.

RESULTS: Since I was a little late getting this week’s article published, we have some exciting things to talk about from tonight’s game. On the second night of a back to back, with Howard only putting up 2 points, and playing against the #1 team in the West, it doesn’t seem like the ideal scenario for the Hornets to get a win. But that is exactly what they did.

They managed to come back from down 11 to beat the Grizzlies. A huge game from Kemba Walker, a solid night from Jeremy Lamb, and strong contributions off the bench allowed the Hornets to take this one. Also, as we pointed out earlier, the Hornets needed to take advantage of the Grizzlies tendency to foul and turn it into free points, and they managed to do this really well. The Hornets got to the line 29 times and managed to convert that into 23 points. Kemba was the main guy here, shooting 12/13 on the night.

Another major key is that MKG and the rest of the Hornets matched up well with Conley and forced him to shoot 4-18 from the field. Hopefully they can take this defense and use it to slow down Giannis on Wednesday.

The Hornets are now above .500 for the first time this season. Hopefully they will use the confidence from this game to beat the Bucks and begin something great.

Milwaukee Bucks (4-2) Wednesday, 11/1 at 7pm

(Image from Behind the Buck Pass)

Matchup Overview:

The Hornets and Bucks met for the first time this season last week in Milwaukee with the Bucks taking the contest by 9 points. They used a big 3^rd quarter to secure the lead and never gave it back. Overall the Bucks are one game ahead of the Hornets in the playoff race after the first 6 games of the season. This matchup will be an important one throughout the season as both teams seem set to fight for seeding in the East.

Recent Form:

Since that game, they’ve gone 1-1 with a loss to the Celtics at home and a win on the road in Atlanta. Prior to the game on Wednesday, they have a meeting with Russell Westbrook and the OKC Thunder at home on Tuesday. From a Hornets’ perspective, the hope is that the Thunder can beat up on Bucks a little bit so the Hornets might be able to get a little bit of an advantage.

Key Players and Recent Performers:

(Image from YouTube)

I may sound like a broken record, but the Bucks are more reliant on Giannis than perhaps any other team in the league is reliant on a single player. If you take a look at the Bucks leaders for the season, Giannis leads the team in every single category (points, assists, rebounds, and steals) except blocks (he’s second). He has also been the highest scorer on the court in every game that the Bucks have played this season. Needless to say, Giannis is going to be the Hornets main concern on Wednesday. The only other player worth mentioning is Khris Middleton. After starting the season out slowly, he’s caught fire the last few games and has averaged 20 ppg over the last 4. He had 20 in the game against the Hornets last week, and can supplement Giannis enough to help the Bucks be successful.

Key Team Stats:

One Positive for the Hornets: 38.7 rpg

Mainly thanks to the efforts of one Dwight Howard, the Hornets have been one of the best rebounding teams in the league through the first 6 games. The Bucks meanwhile are the worst team in league for rebounds with their average of 38.7 rpg. The hope is the Hornets will be able to dominate the glass and get extra chances on offense while preventing the Bucks from getting more than one shot per possession.

One Negative for the Hornets: 34.7 ppg

Often over the past few years, the Hornets have had trouble slowing down the number 1 option for many of their opponents. This means that Giannis and his 34.7 ppg might be able to cause some major issues for the Hornets defense. The main saving factor here is that the Hornets will have MKG back who they did not have when Giannis went for 30 in the first matchup.

Matchup to Watch:

(Image from NBA.com)

Malik Monk v. Rashad Vaughn. One of the biggest problems for these two clubs is that when the starters are not on the floor, the bench struggles to keep up with the opposition. That being said, I believe that the Hornets should have a major advantage when the second units are on the floor. The Buck’s bench is mainly filled with players who ususally struggle to score the basketball. The highest ppg of any of their rotation guys is Greg Monroe at 6.7 ppg. The hope here is that Monk and the rest of the second unit will be able to take advantage of this and allow Kemba, Dwight, and the other starters to get some rest.

Final Thoughts:

This will be a tough game for the Hornets but just like last week, if they can slow down the Buck’s options behind Giannis, then they will have a chance to win the game. Hopefully being at home this time will the difference needed for the Hornets to come out with a W.

@ San Antonio (4-2) Friday, 11/3 at 7pm

Matchup Overview:

The third game of the week for the Hornets might be the toughest of them all. On Friday, they will travel to Texas to take on Popovich’s Spurs for the first time this season. The Hornets lost both of their matchups with the Spurs last year, but hope to get the series off to a better start this season with a win.

Recent Form:

The Spurs started off the season 4-0 before inexplicably dropping both of their last 2 games to the Magic and the Pacers. The Spurs will look to get right on Monday night against the Celtics on the road for their 4^th straight game away from home. Following that matchup, they have 2 days of rest to prepare to face the Warriors at home on Thursday before playing the Hornets come to town.

Key Players and Recent Performers:

(Image from Project Spurs)

In the absence of Leonard and Parker, who have yet to play this season due to injury, LaMarcus Aldridge has been the go-to man for the Spurs, and he has answered the call. He’s averaging nearly 27 points and 9 rebounds per game to go with 1.33 blocks on the defensive end. Even as the focal point of the offense, he has been able to remain efficient and has shot over 50% from the floor. Outside of LA, the options get pretty thin. The next highest scorers are Rudy Gay and Danny Green who are both averaging less than 12 ppg.

Key Team Stats:

One Positive for the Hornets: 2 games

The Hornets seem to be catching the Spurs at the best possible time in the season. With Leonard and Parker still injured, the Spurs are not nearly as strong as they are going to be at full strength. The other thing is that the Hornets will be playing them on the second day of their back to back with the first game coming against the Warriors. All of this seems to make the Spurs more valuable than they usually are under Pop.

One Negative for the Hornets: 1 win

History is not on the side of the Hornets. Since the start of the 2010-2011 season, the Charlotte franchise has won exactly 1 game against the Spurs in 13 tries. This win came 2 years ago at the hive when Jeremy Lin led an incredible comeback to overcome a 23 point deficit and finally take down a Popovich led team.

Matchup to Watch:

(Image from Charlotte Observer)

Jeremy Lamb v. Danny Green. In both of the Spurs last 2 losses, there has been one common denominator: excellent guard play. In the loss to the Pacers, Victor Oladipo went off for 23, while Fournier had 25 for Orlando. Danny Green has been an excellent role player off the bench for the Spurs during his career, but is not cut out to be a starting shooting guard. As such, Lamb, who has started the season on fire, should be able to take care of Green’s defensive weakness to the benefit of the Hornets.

Final Thoughts:

The Spurs are an experienced and well-coached group of players who play in a system designed to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. Playing at home, this is going to be one of the Hornet’s toughest matches of the season. The hope is that they will be able to take advantage of the absences in the Spurs lineup to pull out a major W.

@ Minnesota (3-3) Sunday, 11/5 at 8pm

Matchup Overview:

(Image from Zimbio)

To end the week, the Hornets will travel to Minnesota to take on the young Timberwolves. The Hornets met the T-Wolves twice last season and they split the series 1-1 with the away team winning both matchups. This is one of the matchups that could do the Hornets a lot of good if they can manage to take 2 games from the Wolves.

Recent Form:

The Timberwolves are very inconsistent so far this season with losses to Indiana, Detroit, and Spurs while managing to beat the Thunder twice and the Utah Jazz. They have beaten 2 sold teams, while the loss to Indiana seems to be a little bit troubling. Ahead of this matchup with the Hornets, they have games against the Heat, Pelicans, and Mavs. The Mavs game is the first of a back to back

Key Players and Recent Performers:

(Image from Cody Schilling on Twitter)

The Timberwolves big 3 of KAT, Wiggins, and Butler have all performed well so far this season. Towns is the main guy for this team with a line of 24.8 ppg, 11.8 rpg, and 1.8 bpg. He excels in many areas and allows the Timberwolves to a do a lot on the offensive end of the floor. The other two guys are both averaging more than 16 points with Jimmy Butler in particular filling up the stat sheet in other areas as well. The main thing to notice about these 3 is that they all score the ball efficiently, with over 45% shooting from each of them.

Key Team Stats:

One Positive for the Hornets: 51.7% FG

The Timberwolves are one of the worst teams in the league defensively and should allow the Hornets to get good looks at the basket. They currently are allowing opponents to shoot 51.7% from the floor which is the worst mark in the league.

One Negative for the Hornets: 106.5 OFFRTG

On the other side of the ball though, the Timberwolves excel. They have the 7^th highest offensive rating in the league at 106.5 and could hurt the Hornets if they do not lock in on that end of the floor.

Matchup to Watch:

(Zimbio)

Karl Anthony Towns v. Dwight Howard. This game features one of the best centers in the league from years past against one of the main futures of the center position in the NBA. KAT has been a good player since being drafted number 1 overall, but will go against one of the best defenders in the league at the center position. On the other end of the court, Howard and Kemba should be able to eat against a poor pick-and-roll defender in KAT. Winning this matchup will go a long way towards a Hornets win.

Final Thoughts:

The Timberwolves are extremely young and exciting to watch, but they have yet to find their identity on the defensive end that is usually so standard of Tom Thibodeau coached teams. If they get hot, they could create some issues for the Hornets defense, but the Hornets are typically one of the most disciplined teams in the league and this should be a major factor in this game.

Predictions for the Week:

This is a tough week for the Hornets and I would not be entirely surprised if they end up going 1-3 or 0-4, but I’m going optimistic here and predicting 2-2. Hopefully I’m wrong and we see them get some major success against some of their best competition to date.

L @ Memphis: I think the Grizzlies will take this one on their own floor. The Hornets bench is not strong enough to outlast the Western Conference leaders. (Oops, missed this one)

W v. Milwaukee: I think the Hornets will get revenge on the Bucks in this game at home.

L @ San Antonio: Popovich is one of the best coaches in the league for a reason, and I don’t

see the Hornets being able to reverse their fortunes in this one.

W @ Minnesota: Minnesota has some great pieces on offense, but the Hornets are a good enough defensive team to slow them down. I think we can win this one on the road.

Charlotte Hornets Early Season Observations

October 29, 2017Kyle Floyd Leave a comment

Dwight-Howard

We are five games into the NBA season and we finally have a good enough sample size of the team to formulate our opinions on the 2017-18 Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are currently 2-3 and have shown tremendous upside, while falling just short to a very good team in the Milwaukee Bucks with potential future league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Through these first five games though, one thing has stood out: We are going to be one of the few teams to rely heavily on our big men. In a basketball era where every team wants to chuck threes we have accepted the fact that isn’t our identity. We haven’t been able to see Cody Zeller suit up but for one game this season so it is difficult to measure how he will mesh with Dwight Howard, but we do know he is not going to be a stretch center who launches threes. The big surprise though has been how well Frank Kaminsky has played during the absence of Cody, and how surprisingly well he has been able to fit alongside Howard this quickly. Howard himself has also been stellar early on, averaging 14 points a game to go along with 17 rebounds. Let’s dive into what kind of an impact these two have made thus far.

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard has been dominant, to say the least. Howard has averaged 14 points and 17 rebounds, and not on bad competition either. Howard has been able to do this going up against Andre Drummond, Nikola Jokic, and Clint Capela who tailed 20 rebounds and 16 points against Joel Embid’s 76’ers. This is very promising and could be a sign Howard has finally found a place he is wanted and can be productive. While I do not expect him to sustain this level of play I do think it is reasonable to think he will be able to put up these numbers every few games. The most important factor Howard brings us though, is his presence down low. I remember during the “revenge game” against the Hawks, Dennis Schroder took several drives past Kemba only to meet Howard and throw up a floater before getting close enough to attempt a layup. While this may seem small it plays a huge factor into each possession, it now becomes how to I get to the basket, and when I do how am I going to put it in? This leads to many mistakes, bad shots, and the occasional D12 swat whenever they forget about his presence.

The problem with working a guy like Howard into your lineup is the same as every player, turnovers. This is not because he can’t hold onto the ball or makes bad passes, as the majority of turnovers come from the team being unable to make the entry pass often forcing the ball into a space that isn’t there. Another issue that has hurt us to begin the season is the change of our team when he comes off the court. We have yet to find an identity for our bench unit as it still looks just as pitiful as last year. Hopefully this will change with the addition of Cody Zeller back into the lineup Sunday night against the Magic

Frank Kaminsky

Frank Kaminsky has been a totally different player at the start of this season, compared to last season. For the majority of last year, I did not want him to touch the ball or even be on the court. This season has been totally different, Frank has been very impressive and has sustained this level of play for more than just a few possessions. I am still very nervous to see him attempting to handle the ball, but he hasn’t given me a reason to yell at the TV incessantly…yet. If Frank is able to continue this level of play I will definitely consider erasing how he performed last year from my memory. As long as he doesn’t fall back into his poor habits of taking bad shots and playing bad defense he should be able to find success the rest of the season.

Opening Night: My View from the Cheap Seats

October 23, 2017October 24, 2017richdevita Leave a comment

As a huge fan of our Bugs, I often can be found at the Spectrum Center on game day. Sometimes I am lucky enough to sit in great seats and am glued to the action on the court in front of me. Other evenings, I opt for the cheap seats, as I did on Friday night when the Hornets hosted the Hawks for the 2017 home opener.

The upper deck is a world of its own. I wanted to share my perspective on our ’17-’18 Hornets, but also on the world that exists in the upper levels of the Hive.

The Fans

As I walk up the steps to row S of section 227, I look around and notice the people around me. I see some familiar faces, most I don’t recognize. There are a few things that did become noticeable to me, however. This was Charlotte. Many of the folks that I spoke with were native Charlotteans, and life long Hornets fans. Even the occasional Raymond Felton Bobcats jersey wasn’t out of the question. Fathers and their sons, college kids rooting for their hometown team, local school field trips, kids excited for their new Buzz City Alive t-shirt that swallowed them whole, etc. The closer to the top we got, the more fun I seemed to have. These were often people who were experiencing a game in person for the first time, and the excitement was noticeable. Chants of “let’s go Hornets” and “bee-fence” erupted five minutes into the game. “Being near the action is a special opportunity, but being in the upper deck is an experience of its own. If offered a chance to sit up there, don’t be upset that you are far from the action on the court, be excited that you are around true Charlotte fans.

2. The Game

Boy, the Hornets really started slow on Saturday night. While the Hornets are in “win now” mode, the Hawks seem to be in “tank now” mode. While the absence of Nic Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Michael Carter-Williams, and Cody Zeller was well documented, the slow start was worrisome. I couldn’t help but wonder “is this what we were going to see all season?’ The turnovers continued from Wednesday night, the second unit struggled to keep up, and perimeter defense was non-existent. Clifford’s squad had no inside presence and were settling for jump shots that they didn’t hit enough of. I began to envision an 0-2 start to the season while looking ahead at a tough schedule.

Then the second half started. Whatever Steve Clifford said at halftime, show that speech to the troops, at graduations, to the Carolina Panthers. What a different second half we were treated to! The Hornets had energy that we had not seen yet in 2017. Frank Kaminsky, Kemba Walker and Dwight Howard stole the show as the Hornets out-scored Atlanta 60-35 in the second half, aided by a 24-0 run. When asked about his mentality against his former team, Howard laughed and said ”’I just wanted to go out there and dominate – and that has to be my mentality every night”. Dominate Howard did with 20 points and 15 rebounds, and a ridiculous +34 rating.

Jeremy Lamb and Treveon Graham has nice games as well with 15 and 9 points respectively. Frank Kaminsky added 21 points on 50% shooting.

Kemba Walker should be an All-Star again this year, and was treated to an “MVP” chant from the crowd of 19,000. His 26 point and 9 rebound effort was a joy to watch. The largest growth in Walker’s game has been his assist numbers, which have grown steadily. For the Hornets to be successful this year, he will have to continue to get his teammates involved.

3. The Young Guys

Has this been the Hornets best draft in the past decade? While it is certainly too early to know for sure, it is hard to find another that stacks up. Dwayne Bacon has been starting in the absence of Kidd-Gilchrist, and playing nicely. He has the size defensively to guard players on the wing, and has done a marvelous job of keeping possessions alive with 11 rebounds on Friday. Look for his role to continue to grow as he becomes a more efficient shooter.

Malik Monk is going to be a star. I have no doubt that he is going to be a player that we lean on heavily for the next decade. He isn’t there yet though, as the lights appear to be too bright for him so far. Don’t expect this to continue as Monk hit two huge 3 pointers in the second half and had a confidence about him that was exciting to see. If he can become the play-maker he was in the preseason, the Hornets offense instantly becomes a lot more dynamic.

The Hornets take on Milwaukee on Monday night without five key players. Can Kemba Walker and Dwight Howard carry the load? We will find out. See you at a future Hornets game at the Hive, likely from the cheap seats.