Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets dark horse candidates for NBA Awards, Dwight Howard’s case for the Hall of Fame
Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the latest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
After Gordon Hayward‘s gruesome injury in the Celtics’ opener against the Cavs, the Eastern Conference has become even more wide open this season. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Charlotte Hornets‘ dark horse candidates for NBA Awards, Dwight Howard‘s case for making the Hall of Fame and Nicolas Batum‘s return to practice.
Is Steve Clifford a dark horse for Coach of the Year? (BleacherReport.com)
"A stingy defense puts the Hornets in play for 46 to 49 victories, with the outside possibility of cracking 50, in the Eastern Conference. Scrap and claw into that range, and Clifford has everything he needs to steal some Coach of the Year love—including a Dwight Howard reboot."
During his first year with Charlotte, Clifford finished fourth in Coach of the Year voting behind Gregg Popovich, Jeff Hornacek and Tom Thibodeau. Despite leading his team to a surprising 48-wins in 2015-16, Steve again finished fourth behind Steve Kerr, Terry Stotts and Gregg Popovich. If the Hornets can reach 50 wins or at least get close, and they are top-10 in offense and defense, a strong case could be made for Clifford.
Depending on how much time Nicolas Batum misses, Malik Monk could be a candidate for not only Rookie of the Year but maybe for the Sixth Man Award as well. There’s also been a case made for Cody Zeller to be in the running for Sixth Man of the Year this season. (FanRagSports.com) Outside of Monk and Zeller, don’t expect any other Hornets’ player to be in the running for an award.
The Dwight Howard-Hall of Fame debate (UPROXX.com)
"So, what do we make of Dwight Howard as a Hall of Famer? Once, he was known as a surefire bet to get in (especially given the amount of players inducted into the Hall of Fame) but as of late, many are writing him off because of his lack of consistency throughout his career. We decided to answer this question with the help of many NBA players, analysts, media members, and influencers."
Out of the 16 people asked, only three voted against Dwight being in the Hall of Fame. Rex Chapman, Shea Serrano and Clinton Yates were the ones that said no. Current NBA player, Evan Turner, and teammate, Frank Kaminsky, tweeted their support of Howard already having enough to get into the HoF if he retired today.
While the big man may rub some people the wrong way, he is clearly a first ballot Hall of Famer. His stats and individual awards are enough. He doesn’t need a ring to justify his greatness. Even if some think Dwight underperformed and never reached his true potential because of injuries or lack of competitiveness, that isn’t enough to keep him out.
Nicolas Batum is back at practice (Twitter/ @Hornets)
Next: Why MKG's absence could be a blessing in disguise
Less than three weeks since tearing a ligament in his elbow, Nic is already back on the practice court. He isn’t close to being ready for full contact but he is getting some shots up. This is a very promising sign for the Charlotte Hornets who are hoping that Batum can return to full strength without surgery this season.