Swarm and Sting
Fansided

Buzz City Beat: Regrading Charlotte Hornets’ Contract With Batum , Nic’s Season in Review

By Jerry Stephens

February 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Nicolas Batum (5) controls the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram (14) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
February 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Nicolas Batum (5) controls the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram (14) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the latest and greatest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.

The NBA playoffs are in full swing and first round series are starting to take shape. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look back at the $120 million deal the Charlotte Hornets gave Nicolas Batum, his season in review and Frank Kaminsky breaking down Game 3 between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Regrading Batum’s Contract (BleacherReport.com)

"If in the coming years you wonder why the Hornets can’t get off the mediocrity treadmill, just remember they lavished $120 million on Batum—a fine two-way player who’d warrant rotation minutes on any team. Note: You don’t pay $120 million for anyone best described as “fine.”"

Bleacher Report gave the five-year, $120 million contract that the Hornets gave Nicolas a D grade. That grade is warranted though because Batum is being paid like a star player but his stats didn’t compare to other stars around the league. The 28-year old has proven to be a solid contributor but he has not taken the next step towards becoming a true number two.

Did Charlotte mess up by giving Nic such a massive deal? Maybe they did overpay him but the final result still remains to be seen. If Charlotte can make the playoffs in each of the next four years of his deal, then that should be seen as a win. The fact is, if the Hornets didn’t give him $120 million last summer, another team was.

Nic’s Season in Review (NBA.com)

"Additionally, Batum is the fourth different player since the 1977-78 campaign (and first since 2005-06) to total at least 1,000 points, 450 rebounds, 450 assists and fewer than 200 turnovers in a single NBA season (Boris Diaw, Jason Kidd and Fat Lever)."

Even with his struggles, Batum still managed to put up some great stats. He was also one of only three players (Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler) to average 15+ PPG, 6+ RPG, 5+ APG and under three turnovers per game this past season. Despite those numbers, Nic left everyone wanting more.

The France international knows he needs to improve his scoring going forward and he is committing this summer in order to do that. All things considered, Batum had a good year. Let’s see if he can take the next step and have a great year next season.

Kaminsky Breaks Down Rockets vs Thunder Game 3 (ESPN.com)

"Frank Kaminsky III breaks down the final second of Oklahoma City’s win over Houston with James Harden missing a 3-pointer."

Next: Has Roberts Played His Last Game With Charlotte?

James Harden missed the potential game-winner at the buzzer as Houston lost 115-113 to OKC. Frank broke down the final moments of the game and he also said that there is a lot of chatter from Charlotte’s locker room about who the MVP should be this season. Too bad he danced around the question and didn’t give us his answer.

Home/Hornets News