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Buzz City Beat: Who the Hornets are Most Likely to Trade, McConnell Calls Out Batum

By Jerry Stephens

Feb 13, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford looks on during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford looks on during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Welcome to Buzz City Beat, Swarm and Sting’s daily roundup of the latest and greatest stories from around the web surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.

The Charlotte Hornets dropped their third consecutive game last time out as they fell to the Philadelphia 76ers at home. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at who the team’s most likely to trade, T.J. McConnell calls out Nicolas Batum for his guarantee and what’s wrong with Charlotte.

Who the Hornets are Most Likely to Trade

“Ramon Sessions is the more likely goner, and it has nothing to do with his performance. He’s played some of the worst basketball of his career, and now he’s on the shelf after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Maybe the New York Knicks are done with their Lance Thomas (signed through 2019-20) experiment. Ditto for the Orlando Magic and their D.J. Augustin trial run. Whatever the scenario, Sessions is the Hornets’ best shot at deepening the roster without eating into the nucleus.” (BleacherReport.com)

If Ramon wasn’t injured, I’d be 100% sure that he would be out of Buzz City before the February 23rd trade deadline. But he is injured so that complicates things. The article lists Jeremy Lamb as the next most likely to be traded. At this point, no one aside from Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum and Cody Zeller should be untouchable.

More from Swarm and Sting

McConnell Calls Out Nic Batum for Guarantee

“We don’t mean any disrespect but you aren’t going to overlook us. We are not a guaranteed victory for the other team. If you guarantee stuff, you better back it up. We are a damn good team and we just got to keep fighting.” (FOXSports.com)

Even though Nicolas’ prediction didn’t come true, he gave his reasoning as to why he made it saying “It worked three times — just not this time, I don’t know why people are getting freaked out. … I don’t know why people are getting mad about it. The question was like ‘Are you going to win the next game?’ I wasn’t going to say we were going to lose the next game. … I won’t stop believing in my teammates.” (Charlotte Observer) The problem with this prediction was that Batum’s prediction was used as motivation for the 76ers as the news got around to their entire team.

What’s Wrong With Charlotte?

“Everything. If you are what your record says you are, then the Charlotte Hornets are a bad team.” (TheCharlottePost.com)

Next: An Honest Critique of Steve Clifford

Despite being only 5-16 in 2017, the Charlotte Hornets still have a really good chance to make the playoffs this season. They are right in the thick of things out East and even though everything is currently wrong with them, the framework for a successful team is still there. It’s not going to be easy for them to turn things around but it isn’t out of the question that they could still be a top-six seed in the postseason at the end of the year. Only time will tell. But yes, everything is wrong with this team right now.

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