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Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ potential death lineup, Looking ahead to 2018

By Jerry Stephens

CHARLOTTE, NC - JUNE 23: Rich Cho, General Manager of the Charlotte Hornets, introduces Dwayne Bacon and Malik Monk to the media at a press conference in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 23, 2017 at the Spectrum Center. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - JUNE 23: Rich Cho, General Manager of the Charlotte Hornets, introduces Dwayne Bacon and Malik Monk to the media at a press conference in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 23, 2017 at the Spectrum Center. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.

Dwight Howard is already making an impact in the Queen City and helping out the community. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Hornets’ potential death lineup, NBA teams limited cap space heading into 2018 and when single game tickets for Charlotte.

Hornets’ potential death lineup (BleacherReport.com)

"Kemba Walker/Malik Monk/Nicolas Batum/Michael Kidd-Gilchrist/Marvin Williams. Jeremy Lamb can be subbed in for Malik Monk if push comes to shove. He is taller and longer and permits the Charlotte Hornets to switch almost everything once they single out a cover for Kemba Walker."

While I don’t think Steve Clifford will ever play this lineup, I hope that we do get to see at least a small glimpse at some point. The Hornets have needed to experiment with MKG at the four spot for years now. Unfortunately, Coach Clifford has mostly avoided experimenting over the past few seasons and this year probably won’t be much different.

This lineup would allow Charlotte to space the floor and puts their most potent offensive weapons all on the floor at the same time. Cody Zeller could even be used in place of Marvin Williams because of his versatility. This small ball lineup could do some serious damage in short stretches if used correctly.

Charlotte’s cap space for free agency in 2018 (HoopsHype.com)

"But there are other front offices who may pursue massive contract shedding if they hope to make moves.The teams in the next tier of cap space are the Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans."

Even before trading for Dwight Howard’s massive $23-plus million contract, the Hornets were never expected to have very much wiggle room when it came to cap space in 2018. Next offseason will probably go a lot like this past summer did for Rich Cho and company. The only addition they can make will be through trade or by taking small risks on players coming off of down seasons like with MCW.

The only way the Hornets will be able to create significant cap space is to move all of their big deals like Howard, Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams, which I don’t see happening. With Kemba Walker’s extension looming, Charlotte’s current and future cap space is invested in their current core. That may not be such a bad thing but the front office’s willingness to keep this group together hinges on the team’s success in 2017-18

Single game tickets go on sale Monday, September 18th (NBA.com)

"The Charlotte Hornets announced today that single-game tickets for the 2017-18 season will go on sale on to the general public Monday, Sept. 18, at 10 a.m. Single-game tickets for all 41 regular-season home games will be available at the Spectrum Center Box Office, online at hornets.com or ticketmaster.com, on the Hornets Mobile App, or via phone at 1-800-4NBA-TIX."

Next: Monk's skillset is a mix between the Splash Bros

If you’re not a season ticket holder, September 18th will be your first chance to get tickets to a Hornets’ home game for this season. Games against the Warriors and Cavaliers will likely go fast so make sure to get those first. Charlotte will have 20-weekend games this year which should mean that there will be more sellouts.

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