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Buzz City Beat: One trade the Charlotte Hornets should consider, Steve Clifford praises Kyrie Irving

ByJerry Stephens|
DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 18: Steve Clifford of the Charlotte Hornets draws up plays before the game against the Detroit Pistons on October 18, 2017 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 18: Steve Clifford of the Charlotte Hornets draws up plays before the game against the Detroit Pistons on October 18, 2017 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the latest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.

Treveon Graham is out for the Hornets’ game against the Boston Celtics with a thigh contusion. (Rick Bonnell) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at one trade the Charlotte Hornets should consider making, Steve Clifford praising Kyrie Irving and grading the team’s two rookies.

One trade the Hornets should consider (BleacherReport.com)

"Charlotte Hornets Receive: PG Raul NetoUtah Jazz Receive: Johnny O’Bryant III"

This trade seems fair on the surface level but does it really make sense for either team? Charlotte already has three point guards on their roster, not including two-way player Marcus Paige and JOB plays an important emergency big man role that wouldn’t be easily replaced. I just can’t see how Raul fits with this Hornets’ team.

The real question is if Neto really that much of an upgrade over Michael Carter-Williams or even Julyan Stone? I personally don’t think so. If Charlotte wants to make a trade to get a backup point guard, then they shouldn’t waste their time looking for a fringe player. They should trade a protected first round pick and go after someone who could immediately slide into their rotation and make a positive impact, not another question mark.

Steve Clifford praises Kyrie Irving (Twitter/ @BillHerenda)

"“It’s the best I’ve ever seen him play . . . defensive effort is far greater than I’ve ever seen before . . . he looks like he’s playing frankly like he’s on a mission” – Steve Clifford on Kyrie Irving"

So far this season, it looks like Kyrie made the right decision to leave Cleveland. He’s playing some of the best basketball of his career and has led Boston on a 10-game win streak that has them atop the Eastern Conference early in the season. Despite losing Gordan Hayward in the first game of the campaign, they are still succeeding and it’s thanks in large part to Irving.

Hornets’ head coach, Steve Clifford, has taken notice of the all-star point guard’s stellar play. It’s unclear how long Kyrie and the Celtics can keep this level of play up but there are no signs of them slowing down anytime soon. It will be an interesting matchup between Irving and Kemba Walker.

Grading Charlotte’s rookies (HashtagBasketball.com)

"The injuries have led to head coach Steve Clifford to try new lineups, rotations and place more trust in his rookies Malik Monk and Dwayne Bacon. Each has shown flashes of talent and productivity, while each has struggled with rookie mistakes."

Next: Dwayne Bacon is an ideal rookie

Monk and Bacon have both played important roles for Charltote early in the 2017-18 season. Malik’s offense has been up and down but it’s clear that he’s best as a spot up shooter while his defense has been about average which is better than expected considering that was one of his major downfalls coming out of college. As for Dwyane, the second round pick has done a great job of knocking down open three’s while also filling in admirably for MKG on the defense end where he looks committed.

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