Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets best potential trade, JVG thinks Malik Monk can be a masterful scorer
Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
Steve Clifford’s side has failed to shoot over 30% in any single preseason game so far this year and is only 25.8% (22-85) in total. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the best potential trade for the Charlotte Hornets, how highly Jeff Van Gundy thinks of Malik Monk and goals for Kemba Walker this season.
Hornets’ best potential trade (ESPN.com)
"Dennis Schroder, 2018 first-round pick from ATL for Kemba Walker. Can you win a title with Walker as your best player? Michael Jordan decides the answer is no, selling high on the point guard and moving him to Atlanta for Schroder and the Hawks’ pick. (Trade includes salary filler from Charlotte.)"
I can’t see Charlotte or MJ wanting to make this move. Kemba Walker is their star and every indication points to him staying with the Hornets once his contract is up after the 2018-19 season. With that being said, this isn’t that bad of a trade for both sides. It gives Atlanta a proven all-star while Charlotte gets a younger point guard with decent potential and a first round pick that will probably be in or near the top-five.
Still, I don’t see either side making this move based on their current situations. If anything, the Hornets should trade for an upgrade at either forward spot by replacing MKG or Marvin Williams. The article also ranks Charlotte at No. 14 and gives them a 28.1% chance to beat the Golden State Warriors.
Jeff Van Gundy shares thoughts on Malik Monk (CharlotteObserver.com)
"JVG: “I think he can play some point guard. He can be a masterful scorer. Coming off the bench, he’s going to be dynamic. What it’s going to take for him to be more is committing himself to things like defense.”"
The former NBA head coach turned analyst had high praise for the Hornets’ first-round pick. While he thinks Monk still has room to improve on the defensive end, Malik being a “dynamic” and “masterful scorer” is exactly what Charlotte’s hoping he can be for them. Monk playing point guard has been a topic of discussion this preseason but it remains to be seen if Steve Clifford will use him in that role once the regular season begins.
Van Gundy sees the Dwight Howard experiment as a “calculated risk” and thinks this is his “last best chance” to resurrect his career. JVG also thinks the Hornets are on the same level as the Milwaukee Bucks in the East which is behind the likes of the Celtics, Cavs, Wizards and Raptors.
Goals for Kemba Walker in 2017-18 (Inquisitr.com)
"Average 25 Points Per Game, Improve as a Playmaker, Average Seven Assists, Continue Shooting Close to 40 Percent from Three and Take His Defense to the Next Level."
Next: The case for starting Malik Monk over Lamb
After averaging 23.2 points per game last season, there’s a good chance that Kemba can up that to 25 as he’s averaged nearly three more PPG in each of the last two years. As for Walker’s assist numbers, it’s unlikely that he reaches seven per game as the closest he ever came to that was in 2013-14 (6.1 APG). Despite that, I do think he will shoot over 40% from deep and his defense will stay about the same.