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 Boston Celtics knocked off the Washington Wizards with an 115-105 victory in Game 7 of their second-round series. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Charlotte Hornets‘ best and worst lottery picks, Malik Monk being the perfect fit with the team and Brian Roberts liked being back in the Queen City.
Charlotte’s best and worst lottery picks (ESPN.com)
"Mourning was the first great player in Hornets history, the first rookie to average 20 points and 10 rebounds since David Robinson. However, he spent just three seasons in Charlotte. Walker is coming off his first All-Star appearance and has had a longer impact on the team (the second version of the Hornets)."
Zo might be one of Charlotte’s best selections but I would have to go with Kemba Walker as their greatest lottery pick ever. If he continues his career with the team for a while, he will cement his legacy by holding almost every major record for the Hornets. While Mourning was better for a short period of time, Kemba seems committed to making the Queen City team great again rather than wanting to leave.
As for the worst lottery pick in franchise history, Adam Morrison was the easy choice. While Charlotte has struggled through the draft over the past decade or so, Morrison was the worst of the worst. He only averaged 7.5 points per game over the course of his career despite being the third overall pick in 2006.
Malik Monk would fit perfectly with the Hornets (SportsIllustrated.com)
"Monk is exactly the type of player that the Hornets need. He can space the floor with his smooth stroke from distance. Monk could be able to create his own shot off the dribble and for others with the ball in his hand. Charlotte could get back into the NBA Playoffs in 2018 if he has a great rookie season."
The Hornets have needed a scoring shooting guard for some time now. They’ve passed on Devin Booker, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bradley Beal in recent years. If Monk is on the board when pick, they can’t afford to pass up the opportunity to draft him. Malik could be a valuable scorer off of the bench or he could slot into the starting lineup next to Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum.
It is unlikely he will be available when Charlotte selects at 11 so they will either have to trade up or hope they win the lottery so that they could draft him in the top three or trade down. It won’t be easy to get a player of his caliber but Michael Jordan and Rich Cho should do take a risk by maybe trading up to get him. In terms of fit, Monk is the perfect player in the 2017 draft class for the Hornets.
Brian Roberts enjoyed being back in the Queen City (NBA.com)
"“It was cool [being back in Charlotte]. This is a great city. I’ve enjoyed my time here for sure. It’s something I don’t take lightly. I really like the city and organization. It was definitely good to be back.”"
Next: Potential second round draft prospects
Statistically speaking, Roberts had the worst year of his career this past season. This was Brian’s second stint with the Hornets after spending one and a half years with the team from 2014-16. It’s clear that he loves living in Charlotte but this was probably his last season with the team.