Buzz City Beat: Fixing the Charlotte Hornets, Former Teammates Together on Swarm
Welcome to Buzz City Beat, Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the latest articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
The Charlotte Hornets will continue their pursuit of the playoffs as they host the Atlanta Hawks. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at how to fix the team, how bad Nicolas Batum‘s migraines were and former college teammates together again on the Greensboro Swarm.
How to Fix the Hornets (BasketballInsiders.com)
"The Charlotte Hornets are a team searching for answers. The Hornets came into the season following a relatively successful 2015-16 campaign in which they went 48-34 and made the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Making the playoffs was a notable accomplishment for a team that had losing records in four out of the last six seasons going to back to the 2010-11 campaign."
Fixing the Hornets won’t be easy but James Blancarte of Basketball Insiders tries to break down how the organization can do so. The first step is to “accept the season is lost and prioritize the future” then follow that by bolstering the bench and be overly cautious with injuries. But it doesn’t end there as Charlotte must address their defensive issues at the end of games, find a long-term solution for their cap situation and finally, re-embrace defense-first mentality.
All of that is a lot easier said than done but it isn’t impossible. It could take one summer to clear up these problems or it could take a few years. Most of the issues are pretty easy to fix over the summer but finding a long-term solution for the Hornets’ terrible salary cap situation will be one of the hardest ones to address. The rest can be fixed with a few minor changes.
Nic Batum Couldn’t Get Out of Bed Because of Migraines (CharlotteObserver.com)
"Nic Batum is back in the Charlotte Hornets lineup after receiving one of the scares of his life. Batum missed two games last week with a migraine headache, a malady so severe that he couldn’t get out of bed for four days."
Batum’s migraine injury quickly went from a minor injury to a serious issue once he had to get a brain scan because of the longevity of the severe headache. Nicolas said that he couldn’t move and didn’t do anything for those four days. Despite the severity of the injury, Nic was still scared to go get a brain scan because he didn’t want bad news.
This was a strange migraine injury that popped up seemingly out of nowhere but luckily, Batum has since returned to the court after recovering. To not eat, drink or watch TV for four days will definitely take a lot out of you. The migraine came at a bad time for the Hornets as they were attempting to make a late push for the playoffs but Nic’s health was of the utmost importance.
Former Wolfpack Teammates Together Again on the Swarm (Courier-Tribune.com)
"It’s a rarity for college teammates to team up once again at the professional level, but when the stars align, it can make for a formidable combination. Such is the case with former N.C. State basketball standouts Cat Barber and Ralston Turner, who have found themselves on the NBA Development League’s Greensboro Swarm."
Next: Hornets Show Signs of Playoff Life
Much like Briante Weber and Treveon Graham, who played together at VCU, on the Hornets, Barber and Turner have gotten a chance to reconnect on the Greensboro Swarm this season. While few players get to play with their college teammates in the pros, it does make it easier to make the transition for those who do. Another wrinkle to this story is that these two former NC State guards are now playing in the same state where they went to college. Cat and Ralston have also benefitted statistically since Barber joined the team via trade.