Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
The Cavaliers and Celtics finally completed their trade involving Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas as Boston threw in a 2020 second round pick to wrap up the deal. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Charlotte Hornets‘ greatest moment of the 21st century, Vegas’ over/under odds for the team and Dwight Howard‘s new PEAK signature shoe.
Hornets’ greatest moment of the 21st century (LastWordOnProBasketball.com)
"The Moment: On May 21, 2013, the team’s majority owner, Michael Jordan, made it official at a press conference: the Charlotte Hornets were returning to the NBA."
considering that the original franchise left in 2002, Charlotte doesn’t have a lot of moments worth celebrating in the 21st century. Although, they do have plenty of forgettable ones like the 7-win season in 2011-12. Thankfully, ever since the name change from the Bobcats to the Hornets, thing have started to look up for the Queen City team.
The changing of the team’s name was a bit of a turning point for the franchise. Since the announcement, they’ve had two playoff appearances. While it doesn’t seem like much, it doubles the one that Charlotte achieved from the nine seasons of being the Bobcats (2004-2013).
Charlotte’s Vegas Over/Under odds for the 2017-18 season (BleacherReport.com)
"Vegas Over/Under: 42.5. Fromal’s Record Projection: 42-40. Expecting six additional victories is reasonable as the team grows and fits in the new additions. Seven is pushing it."
43 wins aren’t out of the realm of possibility for the Hornets this season and it is attainable if they stay healthy. A seven game win increase from last year is doable considering how much better the team got this summer in the weakened Eastern Conference. In 2015-16, the team managed to win 15 more games than they did the season before.
Still, finishing 42-40 with a six game win increase isn’t bad either. While it would be the under, it would still likely result in a playoff appearance for the team. The Hornets could fall on either side but expect them to be over .500 and close to the Vegas’ oddsmakers prediction.
Dwight Howard’s 3D printed basketball shoes (3ders.org)
"Chinese sportswear brand PEAK has unveiled what could be the first ever pair of 3D printed basketball sneakers. The 3D printed sports shoes were presented just days ago at the 2017 PEAK China Tour and Dwight Howard III Press Conference."
Next: Charlotte's most potent duos
Even if you’re not a fan of PEAK or Dwight Howard’s shoes, it’s pretty impressive that they were able to 3D print pieces of a basketball shoe. The DH3’s don’t look half bad either. It will be interesting to see if the Hornets’ new big man will wear them during the season.