Buzz City Beat is a daily roundup of the latest and greatest news and stories from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
The Charlotte Hornets dropped an overtime thriller to Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans in their last outing. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the team’s leader taking things personally, Kemba Walker making a cancer patient’s wish come true and Mike Tobey shines in Greensboro Swarm’s victory over the Windy City Bulls.
Marvin Williams Takes Defense Personally (CharlotteObserver.com)
"Williams shouldn’t be the only player on the Hornets taking a close look at his defensive performance this season. As the Hornets continue to tread water on the edge of the NBA Eastern Conference’s playoff race, coach Steve Clifford has consistently been frustrated by sub-par defensive performances, especially in the fourth quarter of tight games."
Despite his recent offensive outburst, Marvin still puts an onus on his defensive play. That speaks to his leadership and winning mentality as many players would be perfectly fine with just scoring 20+ points. Instead, Williams is upset because he wasn’t consistent enough on the defensive end. He said that he takes it “personally” and “that’s where my coach and teammates count on me.”
The 30-year old veteran knows what it takes to win in this league and him scoring 20+ might help his team but playing good defense and grabbing rebounds are the best things he can do to help games result in victories. With Anthony Davis dropping 46 points against Williams and the Hornets, I’m sure that Marvin wasn’t too happy with his performance even though he scored a season-high 27 points.
Kemba Makes Cancer Patient’s Wish Come True (WCNC.com)
"The Hornets All-Star guard walked out and warmed up as normal, but he knew he had an extra set of eyes on him on Saturday. Walker was not only the reason Alyson and her family wanted to see the game, he was the one who got them there. “I just want to bring some positive energy into her life. I can only imagine what that little girl goes through on a daily basis,” Walker said."
This is definitely one of the best stories of the year. Kemba Walker flew out 15-year old Alyson and her family to experience a Hornets’ game in VIP fashion. The All-Star point guard met with her before the game and was grateful just to meet one of his biggest fans. Large B Cell Diffuse Hodgkins Lymphoma and after reaching out to Walker’s agent to try and get an autograph, Kemba decided he wanted to do more than just that. Credit to Walker for being such a good guy and we send good vibes Alyson’s way.
Mike Tobey Leads Greensboro Past Windy City (Dleague.nba.com)
"A jump ball won by Mike Tobey and tipped to Damien Wilkins provided Rasheed Sulaimon the opportunity for a fast break dunk and gave the Swarm a five-point lead with 27.8 left in play. Wilkins would then go on to sink six free throws to secure the 99-93 win over the Windy City Bulls Saturday night at the Fieldhouse."
Next: Rumor: Orlando Pursued Marvin Williams Last Summer
Mike Tobey continues to have a great season for the Swarm in the NBA D-League. He put up 23 points and 16 rebounds in Greensboro’s win over the Windy City Bulls. It’s easy to see why the Charlotte Hornets called him up earlier this year as the big man has serious talent that is still developing.