Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the latest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
SLAM Magazine predicts that Dwayne Bacon will be the NBA rookie most likely to “be a second-round steal” while Malik Monk is most likely to “steal your girl.” In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Charlotte Hornets‘ biggest mistake this past decade, the Greensboro Swarm’s 2017-18 uniforms being leaked and Marcus Paige relishing his opportunity with the team.
Hornets’ biggest mistake this past decade (BleacherReport.com)
"Then Charlotte traded him [Tyson Chandler] and Alexis Ajinca to the Dallas Mavericks for Matt Carroll, Erick Dampier, Eduardo Najera and some cash. In retrospect, that was…a bad idea."
After leaving Charlotte, Tyson Chandler’s career really took off. He became an NBA Champion with the Mavs as he played an integral part of Dallas’ team that beat the “Heatles.” He was also an all-star during the 2012-13 season with the Knicks. It’s safe to say that the then-Bobcats made the wrong decision to trade him in order to get a couple bench players.
Even though Charlotte’s made plenty of questionable decisions through the draft and free agency in the past, they are starting to turn things around. Since 2008, they haven’t made any egregious draft selections outside of Frank Kaminsky or Noah Vonleh, depending on who you ask. They also haven’t drastically overpaid any free agents.
Greensboro Swarm uniforms revealed (Twitter/ @ConradBurry)
"Here’s the SB Lakers and Greensboro Swarm G League uniforms for next season…more to come. Stay tuned."
After having one primarily white uniform and one primarily black uniform last year, the Swarm will have a bit of a different look in the 2017-18 season. Looking at the leaks, they will have a gray jersey with teal letting and purple numbering which will be their “Association” uniform. As for their “Icon” uniform, it will be black with white lettering, teal numbering and a purple collar trim.
The “Iscon” edition looks a bit like the Hornets’ “Buzz City” jerseys. Like most G-League teams, Greensboro’s colorway will resemble that of their NBA affiliate. There isn’t much that stands out about the new uniforms but I would argue that the Swarm have some of the best in the G-League.
Marcus Paige relishing opportunity with Charlotte (Scout.com)
"Paige has gotten a chance to learn behind Hornets star Kemba Walker and is already getting noticed. “He’s a great player,” Kemba Walker said of Paige. “He’s really intelligent and a great point guard. He learns things really fast. In the film sessions, he’s a guy who picks up things really fast. I think he’ll be a good player.”"
Next: Dwight Howard compares Malik Monk to Steve Francis
The former UNC Tarheel had the opportunity to learn from Kemba Walker during the preseason and get some minutes with the first team players as he averaged 2.7 PPG in three exhibition appearances. It will be interesting to see how Paige plays and is used in his first season with Charlotte. As one of the Hornets’ first two-way players, Marcus is in a position to make a name for himself in both the G-League and the NBA if an injury occurs to any of the team’s point guards this year.