Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ potential lineup changes, Retired numbers
Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
Tracy McGrady, Bill Self and Rebecca Lobo, among others, were inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the possibility of moving Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to the bench, the Charlotte Hornets‘ retired numbers and Kemba Walker being a top-25 player in the league.
MKG to the bench? (HoopsHabit.com)
"It may be true what Clifford said, that even without MKG producing at a high level offensively, the Hornets, as a whole, are fine. However, getting by without your starting small forward being a productive shooter may help the Hornets snag a playoff berth. But seeing a second round of postseason action is not in the cards for the Hornets."
There are strong arguments both for and against Kidd-Gilchrist being the starting small forward for the Hornets. His lack of outside shooting makes him an offensive liability but he is probably Charlotte’s best individual defender. Even if the offense would slightly benefit from him being relegated to the bench, the defense would take a hit and Coach Clifford values that above all.
Steve Clifford essentially put an end to the speculation when he threw his full support behind MKG as a starter. (NBA.com) With that being said, I think the Hornets will need to make an improvement at small forward at some point. They will need a two-way wing player in order to truly compete.
Hornets’ retired numbers (ESPN.com)
"There are four additional teams who’ve hung only a single jersey — a group the Grizzlies will join when they officially put Randolph in the rafters. The Charlotte Hornets (Bobby Phills) and Minnesota Timberwolves (Malik Sealy) have jerseys hanging to honor players who died during their playing careers."
It’s a bit surprising that Charlotte only has one retired number after 27 seasons in the NBA. Muggsy Bogues, Dell Curry and Gerald Wallace are a few names that come to mind when thinking of players who would potentially be worthy of having their jersey retired for the franchise. Still, there is no indication that any of these players will receive this honor anytime soon.
Looking ahead, if Kemba Walker stays with the Hornets and continues his career trajectory, his #15 will most likely be hanging up in the rafters one day. For now, the only number up there is Phills’ #13. It will be interesting to see if any other names/numbers will join Charlotte’s elite group.
Is Kemba a top-25 player in the NBA? (SLCDunk.com)
"These are the players who are established stars. They might not be selected to the all-star popularity contest year in and year out, but they bring star-level production to their respective teams. A player often overlooked in national media is Kemba Walker. I believe him to be firmly in this tier. With the right help he could be a solid piece on a contender."
Next: Malik Monk's ankle injury is still affecting him
This article ranks Walker as the 23rd best player in the league just ahead of Kyle Lowry and Gordon Hayward. Looking at some names above Kemba, I would argue that he’s better than Mike Conley (20), LaMarcus Aldridge (19) and maybe Damian Lillard (18). Still, it’s good to see the Hornets’ all-star point guard getting some recognition as a top player.