Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ summer grade, Steve Clifford poised to breakout?
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Kemba Walker will play and start in the NBA’s Africa game which will be in South Africa. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Charlotte Hornets‘ summer grade, Steve Clifford being poised for a breakout season and if Isaiah Canaan is still an option for the team to sign.
Hornets’ summer grade (USAToday.com)
"Coach Steve Clifford is focused on defense, and with changes in the East, the Hornets believe they can get back into the playoffs by playing better on that end of the floor."
USA Today gave Charlotte a “C” grade for their moves this offseason. We’ve seen the team get anywhere from an “A” grade to a “D” and it mostly depends on how experts feel about Dwight Howard. To me, this summer was a clear win for the Hornets. They upgraded every position of need and got rid of Miles Plumlee‘s massive contract.
Malik Monk (arguably a top-8 player in the draft) fell to them at No. 11. Dwayne Bacon shows promise as a second round steal, MCW was signed to a team friendly contract and the trade for Howard was a low-risk, high reward move. A “C” grade just seems too low for me as the team had little cap space to spend and made the best of a somewhat bad situation.
Is Steve Clifford poised to breakout this season? (BasketballInsiders.com)
"On the other side of things, the scoring should come naturally after getting stops and wearing down the opposition. Toughness will be a huge factor in the ball club’s quest for the playoffs, and if Clifford gets that out of his guys, they’ll reach their goal."
Clifford is already respected as one of the top defensive head coaches in the NBA today. The Hornets will most likely be strong on that end of the floor once again but if they can manage to up their offensive output, it could push Steve and the team to new heights. Charlotte’s head coach has done a great job of getting the most out of players and he will now look to revitalize Dwight Howard’s career as the two reunite.
The next step in coach Clifford’s career is to put together a team that’s strong and consistent on both ends of the court. Steve isn’t necessarily seen as a top coach in the league but he can change that by making some noise with Charlotte and getting to the playoffs in consecutive seasons in the years to come.
Is Isaiah Canaan still an option for Charlotte? (WPSDlocal6.com)
"So far this summer, Canaan has had interest from several teams including the Los Angeles Lakers, and recently worked out for the Charlotte Hornets. “We kind of got it down to about four or five teams now,” Canaan said."
Next: Rumor: Hornets offer Julyan Stone a two-year deal
Canaan is still a free agent which means he is still an option for the Hornets to sign this offseason. Although, it may not be that way for long as multiple teams are interested and the point guard has a number of workouts lined up. If Charlotte wants Isaiah to be their third string point guard next year, they better sign him before another team does.