Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
The Cavaliers and the Celtics completed arguably the biggest trade of the summer sending Kyrie Irving to Boston and Isaiah Thomas to Cleveland. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Charlotte Hornets officially signing Julyan Stone, Kemba Walker talks about the addition of Dwight Howard and if D-12 is exactly what the team needs.
Hornets officially sign Julyan Stone (NBA.com)
"Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed guard Julyan Stone. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed."
Charlotte finally got their guy. They were after Julyan for some time but Stone’s contract with his Italian club made it difficult for him to sign with the Hornets. Although the terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, it was previously reported that it would be a two-year deal worth the veteran minimum.
The 6’6 point guard is expected to make the team’s final 15-man regular season roster and be their third string option behind Kemba Walker and Michael Carter-Williams. Even though he hasn’t had loads of success in the NBA, Stone has the size and defensive ability that Steve Clifford values. Julyan is also an underrated playmaker.
Kemba talks about the addition of Howard (Twitter/ @SiriusXMNBA)
".@hornets @KembaWalker thinks the addition of @DwightHoward is “huge” for them #BuzzCity"
Walker gave Dwight high praise during his interview with Sirius XM NBA. He said that he was “super excited” when he first found out the Hornets got the eight-time all-star big man. Kemba also said that they will give Howard the ball offensively and that won’t be a problem. This comes after D-12 complained about being asked to only rebound and defend towards the end of the year for
This comes after D-12 complained about being asked to only rebound and defend towards the end of the year for Atlanta when his offensive touches and shots per game started to severely decrease. The all-star point guard highlighted the fact that Dwight’s new teammates would be there for him on a nightly basis which will probably be important for Howard after rumors of chemistry/locker room issues have followed him throughout his career.
Is Dwight exactly what Charlotte needs? (CharlotteObserver.com)
"The Hornets have a strong collection of veterans, and as they go perhaps Howard will. If he can be even close to the force he once was, the post-Bobcats’ Hornets can be the team for which we’ve been waiting."
Next: Hornets have to win on the road to be successful
Howard may be past his prime but his rebounding and defending expertise are exactly what the Hornets have been lacking in recent years. They finally have an interior presence who can dominate on both sides of the ball. If Dwight can average a double-double with over 2.0 blocks per game, that would be enough to help Charlotte get to the next level and potentially get past the first round of the playoffs.