Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
Malik Monk almost pulled off one of the most exciting plays in basketball by throwing a self alley-oop off of the backboard in a halfcourt set but Aaron Gordon didn’t let the rookie complete the highlight. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we preview the Charlotte Hornets matchup versus the Memphis Grizzlies while also looking at Frank Vogel praising Kemba Walker and Dwayne Bacon outperforming his draft spot so far this season.
Preview: Hornets @ Memphis Grizzlies (Sports.Yahoo.com)
"Two teams that employ powerful big-man/little-man tandems duel Monday night when the Charlotte Hornets visit the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis off to a 5-1 start that includes a total of three wins over the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors."
At 5-1, Memphis sit atop the Western Conference as they have the best record in the NBA. The Hornets are looking to move about .500 for the first time this season with a win. The key matchup in this one will be Kemba Walker and Dwight Howard vs Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.
This is arguably Charlotte’s toughest test so far this season. The Grizzlies have already beaten the Rockets twice while the Hornets fell to Houston. Memphis is 4-0 at home so it won’t be easy for Steve Clifford’s side to steal a game on the road. For Charlotte, this is the second night of a back to back and they are in the midst of a stretch where they are playing seven games in 13 days.
Frank Vogel praises Kemba Walker (Twitter/ @JoshuaBRobbins)
"Where did the Magic break down defensively tonight? Frank Vogel: “Kemba Walker and Kemba Walker-related problems. He’s a terrific player.”"
Orlando had no answer for Kemba. The all-star point guard almost recorded the third triple-double of his career and first of the season as he put up 35 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. The Magic’s head coach admitted his team’s downfall came at the hands of Walker and praised the 27-year old by calling him a “terrific player.”
He continues to do numbers against Orlando. The Bronx native has averaged 20.2 PPG and 6.6 APG against the Magic throughout his career. ESPN writer, Zach Lowe, also praised Kemba and said that Walker is “maybe the most underrated guy in terms of sheer watchability.”
Dwayne Bacon is outperforming draft spot (BleacherReport.com)
"He’s averaged a three-point make per game, letting the offense come to him and taking the good shots that find him. He’s also found other ways to contribute by moving the ball and crashing the glass. Bacon managed 11 rebounds in just 19 minutes last Friday in a win over the Atlanta Hawks."
Next: Has Superman Dwight Howard returned?
Although it took MKG being out for Bacon to get big minutes, he earned those starts and his playing time with his production on the court. Even though MKG has returned, Dwayne continues to see consistent play off the bench. The Hornets’ second-round pick has been a pleasant surprise so far this season and has arguably had more of a positive impact than lottery pick Malik Monk. If he continues this play, the FSU product could end up being one of the steals of the draft.