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Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets Need Better Defense, Look Ahead to Free Agency

By Jerry Stephens

Mar 8, 2017; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters (11) is pressured by Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams (2) under the basket during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2017; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters (11) is pressured by Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams (2) under the basket during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Welcome to Buzz City Beat, Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the latest and best news and stories about the Charlotte Hornets.

The Charlotte Hornets‘ two-game win streak was snapped as they fell to the Miami Heat away from home. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look ahead to free agency, the team’s need for better defense and updated playoff odds.

Looking Ahead to Free Agency (BleacherReport.com)

"Stock the docket with enough reasonably priced agreements, and your cap space is gone. That’s the position in which the Hornets find themselves. They have more than $102 million in guaranteed money on the books for next season before accounting for draft picks."

Bleacher Report ranks Darren Collison, Justin Holiday and Joe Ingles as the top three targets in free agency this upcoming summer for the Hornets. While it’s clear that Charlotte needs to get better by adding more talent, the team’s in a tough spot financially so that may be hard to do. They can get a cheap contributor through the draft but it is almost impossible (without a trade) for them to sign a quality free agent.

This will be an interesting offseason for the Hornets as their direction is a bit unclear. They have a lot of money already on the books invested in veteran players so they may attempt to get younger through trades or they could just try to re-load for a playoff run. Their cap space situation will definitely limit their options.

Hornets Need Better Defense (CharlotteObserver.com)

"Time will soon run out on the Charlotte Hornets if they don’t start heeding coach Steve Clifford’s warning about the importance of a consistent defensive effort. Clifford means what he says. If the Hornets don’t commit to playing tough defense during each possession of each quarter of each game, they’re not going to make the NBA playoffs."

Good defense has always been the key for Charlotte. in games where they hold their opponents under 100 points, the Hornets have a 17-2 compared to only 11-34 when allowing over 100 this season. The problem with their defense is that it just hasn’t been as good as is usually has been under Steve Clifford for the past few seasons. If they can somehow turn things around defensively over the final month of the season, the Hornets have a chance to turn things around and make a late playoff push to end the year.

Updated Playoff Odds for Charlotte (ESPN.com)

"Each day, the season is simulated 10,000 times, according to BPI and the remaining schedule for each team."

Next: Hornets to Sign Weber to Second 10-Day Deal

The Charlotte Hornets are in the worst possible spot in the East right now. They only have a 19% chance to make the postseason which is the lowest mark among teams still in the hunt. On the flip side, they only have a 2.5% chance to get a top-three pick which is the lowest among teams not in the hunt. NBA mediocrity at it’s finest.

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