Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the latest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
Treveon Graham continues to remain out for the Charlotte Hornets with back spasms. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at where Charlotte sits in the Week 9 NBA power rankings, how Malik Monk has played so far and a trade idea between the Hornets and the Cavs.
Hornets remain idle in Week 9 power rankings (USAToday.com)
"Orlando Dwight Howard? Is that you? The veteran big man has been reminiscent of his old self lately, averaging 19.8 points, 14.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in his past six games."
Charlotte came in at No. 23 this week which is the same ranking that they had in Week 8. They went 1-3 for the second consecutive week. After picking up a big win over the Thunder in OKC, the Hornets dropped three straight games to the Houston Rockets, the Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Queen City team ranked just ahead of the Orlando Magic and just behind the Los Angeles Lakers. With a tough schedule coming up to close out the calendar year, Charlotte could fall even further in the power rankings. It will take a small win streak for them to climb back into the top-20.
Grading Malik Monk’s rookie season so far (BleacherReport.com)
"Struggling at both ends, Malik Monk has fallen out of the Charlotte Hornets rotation. There haven’t been many positives to take away through two months. He has made 1.2 threes per game, a tribute to his shot-making and range. He’s been effective catching and shooting at a 41.3 percent clip."
B/R gave the Hornets’ rookie a “D” grade which I think is a bit unfair considering his limited playing time. Even though Monk has been benched by both Steve Clifford and Stephen Silas, he has shown some promise in the early stages of his career. He’s had five games with double-figure scoring and two games of 20+ points. He also dropped 18 points in one quarter versus the Bucks. Consistency has been a problem for Malik like it is for most rookies.
Although he’s struggled on the defensive end, Monk still has the ability to be a dynamic and explosive scorer at the NBA level. In the right situation, he could probably average around 12-15 points per game. Unfortunately for Malik, the Hornets aren’t the right situation for him at the moment as they are looking to slow games down and focus on their defense.
Trade idea: Charlotte sends Kemba to Cleveland (BleacherReport.com)
"Charlotte Hornets Receive: C Channing Frye, SF/PF Cedi Osman, PG/SG Iman Shumpert, 2018 first-round pick (via Brooklyn) Cleveland Cavaliers: SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, PG Kemba Walker"
Next: Rumor: Hornets could look to trade Batum or MKG
Although this trade may seem one-sided on the surface, that Nets’ pick could help Charlotte start their rebuild off on the right foot. They could get a top-5 pick in the 2018 Draft and select a superstar to lead their team for years to come. The only problem is that they already have a star in Kemba and Cleveland has said that they want to hang onto the pick as insurance in case LeBron leaves. Still, if push comes to shove, this isn’t a bad deal for either side.