Zo is Returning to Charlotte

February 2, 2016February 3, 2016Scotty & Evan Leave a comment

This Friday should be a pretty big night for the history of the Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats franchise. When the Miami Heat come to Charlotte, the Hornets will be honoring Alonzo Mourning as one of the legends of this franchise for his achievements both on and off the court. This will be the second time this season the Hornets have chosen to honor an important player from the past and give them a night of their own. The first one, Dell Curry, was a bit of an easy one for the Hornets to make happen considering he works for them….Zo not so much.

Zo is currently the Vice President of Player Programs for the Miami Heat and hasn’t been seen much around these parts since his departure from the city in 1995. As some of you may recall the terms under which Mourning departed were not exactly ideal. George Shinn informed Zo he was not worthy of the money he requested, even though, according to Zo….he wanted to stay in Buzz City. Pat Riley decided Mourning was worth the cash and made the trade for him. The Hornets received Glen Rice, Matt Geiger, and the 6th overall pick in the 1996 Draft (Kobe Bryant or Vlade Divac depending on how you want to look at it) in exchange for Zo in and a few reserves.

Mourning was drafted 2nd overall behind Shaq in the 1992 draft. While Zo was in his rookie season in 1993 he was elected to the all-rookie team and with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks ….he was just 7 blocks shy of averaging a triple double! He is also responsible for the single greatest shot in the history of the Hornets franchise. On May 5th, 1993 against the Boston Celtics in game 4 of the first round of the playoffs Zo jacked up a 20-foot buzzer beater in Charlotte Coliseum that would win the series for the Hornets and send them to the second round to face the Knicks.

In Zo’s final season as a member of the Hornets in 1994-1995 he lead the team in points, rebounds, blocked shots, field goal percentage and made his first ever appearance in the NBA All-Star Game. Alonzo still currently holds the Hornets franchise records for most blocks with a grand total of 684. Zo was inducted into Naismith the Hall of Fame on August 8th of 2014, where he elected to wear a teal shirt and purple tie….coincidence? We think not.

pic via miamisports.org

I am glad to see Zo receiving the recognition he deserves. Now if we could just get this franchise to recognize a few more greats like *cough* *cough* Muggsy, Grandmama, Baron and Glen Rice to name a few!

Hornets - Alonzo Mourning, Mugsy Bogues, Dell Curry and , Larry Johnson 1995

2 down…4 to go!

Cardiac Kemba Gets Hornets Back on Track

January 19, 2016January 19, 2016trace937 Leave a comment

By Trace Walker

Follow @Trace937

“I’m a little upset with myself right now,” that’s what Kemba Walker told Stephanie Ready following his 52 point performance against the Utah Jazz. Kemba was talking about not taking advantage of opportunities to end the game before it reached double overtime. That quote summarizes the mindset of the young guard Walker, always striving for improvement and to become a better player for his team.

Kemba’s 52 points are the most ever put up by a Charlotte player, breaking Glen Rice’s previous record of 48 points which he set in 1997.

@KembaWalker (52 points) broke Glen Rice’s @Hornets franchise mark of 48 points (vs. @Celtics, March 6, 1997) pic.twitter.com/AjT1C89bL1

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) January 19, 2016

The Hornets needed Kemba’s performance to help them get only their second win in the last ten games. To go along with his 52 points, Walker also had 9 rebounds and 8 assists.

(NBA)

Only four players this season have had a 50+ point game, Kemba joins elite company in the 50 club.

(ESPN)

Here’s what Kemba Walker’s record-setting afternoon looked like: pic.twitter.com/NIOL8Xw8Tw

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 18, 2016

The Hornets lost their large lead in the fourth to let the Jazz back in it. It seemed like every time Charlotte started to pull away, Utah would answer with their own big shot. Such as Trey Burke’s corner three at the end of regulation which sent the game to overtime.

It was also an impressive night for Marvin Williams who finished with 19 points. The timing of his points though were crucial, as he knocked down clutch three pointers and free throws to secure the game.

(http://goo.gl/WNkUBt)

Gordon Hayward finished the night with 36 points and 9 assists. Although he made a crucial mistake at the end of double overtime, when he stepped out of bounds while attempting to shoot the potential game tying three. Gordon was almost a Hornet back in 2014 when the team signed him to a 4 year, 63 million dollar deal. Hayward stayed in Utah though due to the Jazz matching the offer on the restricted agent.

(Via Hayward’s Twitter)

Two overtimes led to players in very high minutes played

Hornets Vs. Jazz
Player	Minutes Played
Hayward	48
Gobert	43
Williams	44
Zeller	41
Batum	47
Walker	46
Lin	36

Looking ahead, the Hornets travel to Oklahoma City, Wednesday night to try and slow down the Thunder. The Thunder, led by MVP, Kevin Durant, and All-Star, Russell Westbrook, will be hard to beat as they have won eight of their last ten games. The last matchup between the two was earlier in the month, the Thunder took the game 109-90. Kemba was the high scorer that night with 32 points.

(http://goo.gl/GFjFKI)

Also, good news for Hornets fans, MKG is back. Back to full contact practice that is. But that’s one step in the right direction in getting the defensive wingman back.

INJURY UPDATE: @MKG14 has officially been cleared for full-contact practice🙌 Full release: https://t.co/Zv6KkyOnSU pic.twitter.com/yl2bqHoPHG

— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) January 19, 2016

Possible Charlotte Hornets 2014-2015 Uniforms, Logo, and Court!

July 26, 2012October 30, 2013Scotty & Evan 9 Comments

At this point in the process there is no doubt in our mind that the 2014-2015 season will be the return of our beloved Charlotte Hornets. One can only fathom how magical this day will be when it takes place. The next logical step is to wonder what will MKG and Kemba Walker be rocking when they step on to the court. Well, a few months back a designer friend of ours from New Orleans, Rollin BigDub Garcia created some jaw dropping renditions of what a contemporary version of the uniform would look like. We thought we would re post it for our new followers.