Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets buy-low trade idea, Nic Batum calls Jeremy Lamb a secret weapon
Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the latest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Cavs’ PG and former MVP Derrick Rose is contemplating retirement as he is growing frustrated with being injured. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at who the Charlotte Hornets should buy-low on in the trade market, Nicolas Batum calling Jeremy Lamb the team’s “secret weapon” and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist buying Thanksgiving food for families.
The Orlando Magic are shopping Mario Hezonja (ESPN.com)
"Orlando shopped Hezonja everywhere before the Halloween deadline to decide on his $5.2 million option for next season. Someone should buy low on Hezonja, begin again from scratch, and see if they can mold him into an NBA player. He’s 6-8 with some hops, and he can shoot. That’s an interesting foundation."
Hezonja, who was the fifth overall pick in 2015, is averaging a career-low 3.5 points per game this season. The Magic have essentially given up on the 22-year old after declining his option and only giving him 10.5 minutes this year. It looks like Orlando’s willing to cut ties with Mario and Charlotte could probably get the once-promising wing player for nothing more than a second round pick and salary filler.
Even though he’s struggled during his first couple years in the league, there’s enough untapped potential there to take a chance on Hezonja. It would be a low-risk, potentially high reward move for the Hornets. Even though they are already fairly deep at the wing position, they could solidify their depth and maybe turn around the Croatian’s NBA career.
Batum calls Lamb the Hornets “secret weapon” (CharlotteObserver.com)
"“He changed,” Walker said. “Starting off, it was about his mindset. The way we work, the way we go about things here: The culture has changed him. He wasn’t like that when he first got here.”"
It can not be overstated how important Lamb’s production has been for the team so far this season. He ranks fifth among all shooting guards in the NBA in PER. It seems like everyone inside the organization is not surprised with his breakout year as they have seen the work he’s put in to get better. Marvin Williams, MKG and Kemba Walker have instilled a culture of hard work in Charlotte and that message rubbed off onto Jeremy.
Rick Bonnell says that Nic Batum called Jeremy the Hornets “secret weapon” for this season and I’d have to agree with the Frenchman. Lamb has been one of Charlotte’s most consistent players this year and can be a spark plug off of the bench when Nicolas is healthy. If he keeps this up, Lamb won’t be a secret for much longer as the rest of the league will start to take notice.
MKG pays for Thanksgiving food for Charlotte families (WSOCtv.com)
"The average Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people costs $50 this year, but for some Charlotte families, it didn’t cost them a penny. Charlotte Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist decided to stop by a local Food Lion last week and surprised families by paying for their Thanksgiving groceries."
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This is just an awesome story. MKG bought Thanksgiving dinner for a number of local families and said that he’s doing it from the bottom of his heart and wants to see happy families for the holidays. I applaud Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for making a positive change in his community and using his position for good to help others in need.