Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ future, No surgery for Nicolas Batum
Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the latest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
The Charlotte Hornets fell to the Miami Heat in their third preseason game but on a brighter note, the team’s fifth uniform should be unveiled soon, according to Fred Whitfield via Reddit. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Hornets’ future, an update on Nicolas Batum‘s elbow injury and where Charlotte stands in the latest NBA power rankings.
Hornets’ future (RealGM.com)
"The Hornets exist at the limits of exactly how far effort and intelligence can take a team. If Dwight Howard is going to work out anywhere, he’ll work out in Charlotte. But to what end? There’s always an underlying sourness to labor that isn’t inspirational, to art that’s well-made but still boring."
Charlotte’s got a fairly strong roster that should be able to compete for a playoff spot in the East for the foreseeable future (next few years). After that, it’s unclear because the Hornets don’t have a lot of young talent outside of Malik Monk and maybe Dwayne Bacon if he pans out. Kemba Walker is their only clear all-star but he is approaching his prime with a roster that may not be able to support him.
I would argue that the team’s future largely relies on the potential and development of Monk. Frank Kaminsky doesn’t look like he will ever reach all-star levels and that goes for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Cody Zeller as well. Still, these are good complementary pieces who could be around for the next five-plus years with Malik and Kemba. Even though their future isn’t as bright as other teams in the league, Charlotte’s front office has been getting better and they’ve found a way to remain somewhat relevant over the past couple years while also fielding better squads.
Nic Batum won’t need surgery on injured elbow (CharlotteObserver.com)
"Charlotte Hornets guard Nic Batum got encouraging news from a Dallas specialist, indicating surgery isn’t necessary to heal from the torn ligament in his left elbow, a source said Tuesday morning."
When the elbow injury was first announced, it was feared that Nicolas would be forced to miss the entire season. Then it was reported that Batum and the team would elect to rest and rehab rather than surgery and that would take anywhere from eight to 12 weeks. After seeking a second opinion, it now officially that the 28-year old will not need surgery.
As for the recovery time, Nic will be out for a minimum of six to eight weeks. If he feels good after that, then France international could be back anywhere from late November to mid-December. The good news is that while the injury is serious, it won’t keep him out as long as originally projected.
Where Charlotte ranks in the NBA (USAToday.com)
"Charlotte’s ceiling is the sixth seed in the East while their floor is somewhere closer to the 10th. Can the Hornets take advantage of good coaching, a solid roster and a weak conference, or will they fall short for the second season in a row?"
Next: NBA scout compares Monk to Williams
The Hornets came in at No. 18 in this set of power rankings just behind the Philadelphia 76ers and just ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans. Seven Eastern Conference teams were ranked above Charlotte. This isn’t an unfair spot for the team to be in at this time of the year but cracking the top half of the league should be their goal to begin the season.