Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
Here are three potential trades that the team could make before the trade deadline that might help them turn their season around. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at Stephen Silas potentially shortening the Charlotte Hornets‘ rotation, if Nicolas Batum has finally returned and Mangok Mathiang‘s journey to the NBA.
Stephen Silas to shorten rotation (Twitter/ @JustinThomasNBA)
"“We just have to keep fighting, I’m going to shorten my rotation. We need some wins,” Stephen Silas"
Silas has been using around nine to 10 players in his rotation but he plans to shorten it to probably about eight players. This most likely means that rookies, Malik Monk and Dwayne Bacon, will continue to sit on the bench and not see any playing time. It could also mean that Treveon Graham and/or Johnny O’Bryant will be benched.
It will be interesting to see if this strategy works for Charlotte and does result in more wins. Some of the best teams in the NBA use shorter rotations and looking at how much their bench has struggled, this could be a good move for the Hornets. Even though Michael Carter-Williams is shooting only 25.6% from the field, he somehow continues to get consistent minutes in the rotation.
Is Nicolas Batum finally back? (RotoBaller.com)
"Nicolas Batum scored a season-high 23 points in a loss to Portland on Saturday. Batum was 9-for-17 but seemed to find a temporary unconscious zone in the third quarter. In that frame, Batum went 7-for-10 and scored 18 points."
Nic Batum had quite the performance against his former team. He looked like his old self as he put up 23 points, five assists and four rebounds in a solid all-around game. For the first time this season, he looked aggressive and didn’t hesitate to be on the attack offensively. Although Charlotte lost, this was a positive for the team and the player going forward.
For the Hornets to turn their season around and get back to the playoffs, they will need Nicolas to be at his best. After more than two months since his elbow injury that he suffered in the preseason, Batum may finally be fully recovered and not feeling restricted by the injury like he has been so far this year. It will take a few more good games from the Frenchman but it looks like he may be back on the right track.
The Mangok Tree (NBA.com)
"“Nothing is going to be handed to you,” he says. “You just have to go out there and give it your all. The best thing you can do is pray, plant your seed and basically give it to God and hand it to him. Just keep up with your hard work and one of these days, your plant can turn into a huge mango tree.”"
Next: Hornets tried to trade for Jimmy Butler
Mangok Mathiang has had quite the journey to the NBA. After being born in Sudan which was plagued by a civil war, he moved to Egypt with his mom and sister. His path then took him to Sydney, Australia then to Carbondale, Illinois and onto Bradenton, Florida before enrolling at Louisville college where he made a name for himself to finally be signed by Charlotte. It’s been quite the life for the 25-year old but his strength led him to where he is today.