Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ draft grades, Team now top three in East?

Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.

In their draft night trade with the New Orleans Pelicans in which the two sides exchanged second round picks, the Hornets received $1.8 million from the Pelicans. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at draft grades for the Charlotte Hornets, the possibility of the team catapulting themselves into the top three of the Eastern Conference and Michael Jordan motivating Dwight Howard.

Hornets’ draft grades (16WinsARing.com)

"What seemed like a pipe dream two months ago became a reality Thursday as the SEC Freshman of the Year and highest scoring freshman in Kentucky history fell to the Hornets."

Max Seng gave Charlotte an A+ grade for their selection of Malik Monk and a B+ grade for picking Dwayne Bacon in the second round. Considering how poorly the team has drafted over the last decade or so, it was great to see such a strong selection this year. This is arguably the Hornets’ best draft since they got Kemba Walker back in 2011.

While Monk is the big name, don’t overlook Dwayne Bacon. He could end up being a real contributor for the team. He will likely need some time to develop but it will be interesting to see how he plays during the summer league, training camp and preseason. Malik should get ample minutes his rookie year but don’t be surprised if Bacon breaks into the rotation this season as well.

Is Charlotte now a top-three team in the East? (TheInscriberMag.com)

"The Hornets just made one of their biggest trades in team’s history when they acquired the services of Dwight Howard earlier this week. What this does is put the Hornets in prime position to challenge the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference."

I don’t think the additions of Howard and Monk make the Hornets a top-three team in the East. With that being said, I do think the team made moves to significantly improve their roster. They should be good enough to easily get back into the postseason and challenge for a top top-five seed.

After finishing 11th in their conference last year, that would be a huge improvement. We will have to wait and see what happens in free agency but their ceiling is probably the second round. If they were able to somehow get past the first round for the first time since 2001-02, I think that would be seen as a successful season for Charlotte but it is unlikely that they will truly challenge the Cavs and Celtics.

MJ can motivate Howard (ClutchPoints.com)

"I’d just done a two-and-a-half-hour workout. After I was done talking to him, I wanted to jump back into the gym,” said Howard. “That’s how he motivated me. You’re talking about the greatest basketball player to ever play. For him to call you on the phone and say, ‘I believe in you.’"

Next: Malik Monk could be the steal of the draft

With Steve Clifford and Jordan both supporting Dwight, the eight-time all-star should be inspired to join the Hornets. Even though he is past his prime, Howard is a walking double-double and he could easily have a bounce back season for Charlotte. Clifford knows how to get the most out of the big man and MJ will be motivating him every step of the way.