Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets buy or sell at the trade deadline, Benching Nic Batum?
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Over 100,000 people watched LaMelo Ball and LiAngelo Ball make their professional debuts in Lithuania at the BBB Challenge on Facebook. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at if the Charlotte Hornets should buy or sell at the trade deadline this year, potentially benching Nicolas Batum and recapping the first half of the season.
Should Charlotte buy or sell at the trade deadline? (BleacherReport.com)
"Hard sell. Hard sell. If the Hornets don’t move Walker, they’ll lose major leverage next season, when teams will be less inclined to trade for a player they think they might be able to sign in free agency. Charlotte should pull the trigger while it can."
This article suggests that the Hornets should sell/blow up their team and start the rebuild sooner rather than later. If they were to sell this season, Charlotte would be able to maximize their return on players like Kemba Walker and they would also be able to tank for the chance at a better draft pick.
I, for one, think they should (and will) be buyers at the trade deadline. Rich Cho is fighting for his future this season and if the team misses the playoffs, he most likely won’t be the GM for the Hornets next year. Charlotte’s been buyers at the trade deadline for each of the past five seasons with moves being made for Josh McRoberts (2012-13), Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour (2013-14), Mo Williams and Troy Daniels (2014-15), Courtney Lee (2015-16) and Miles Plumlee (2016-17). With their track record, expect a move to help their playoff chances before the February 8th trade deadline.
Charlotte’s been buyers at the trade deadline for each of the past five seasons with moves being made for Josh McRoberts (2012-13), Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour (2013-14), Mo Williams and Troy Daniels (2014-15), Courtney Lee (2015-16) and Miles Plumlee (2016-17). With their track record, expect a move to help their playoff chances before the February 8th trade deadline.
Should the Hornets bench Nic Batum? (HashtagBasketball.com)
"According to NBA.com/stats, putting him in the starting lineup next to his former UConn teammate instantly makes that unit far more dangerous than it is with Batum in his place. And, according to Synergy Sports, Lamb has been a far more effective defender than Batum."
Looking at the numbers so far this season, Jeremy Lamb is vastly outperforming Nicolas Batum. When Batum and Lamb play with Kemba Walker/MKG/Marvin Williams/Dwight Howard, their numbers with that lineup are much different. Jeremy boasts a 114.3 offensive rating and a 102.2 defensive rating with that group compared to Nic who has a 105.4 OFF RTG and a 103.1 DEF RTG.
By those stats, it’s pretty clear that the starting five plays much better with Lamb than they do with Batum. Quinn Pilkey also took a closer look at Jeremy’s defensive numbers and his advanced stats are close to that of Marcus Smart who is considered one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA. It would be tough to bench the second-highest paid player on the team who is making $20+ million a year but that may be the best option for the Charlotte Hornets at this point.
Recapping the first half of the 2017-18 season (FanRagSports.com)
"The Hornets were supposed to have a bounce-back season; instead, they’ve been downright depressing. Kemba Walker has been great, and Dwight Howard has looked resurgent, but it just hasn’t been enough. The future seems bleak for Charlotte."
Next: How does Charlotte's All-Time NBA 2K18 team stack up?
Nekias Duncan hit the nail right on the head with this one. Charlotte’s been the biggest disappointment in the NBA so far this season. Injuries have plagued the team but they’ve lost a number of winnable games and haven’t looked strong on the road or at home. Even if the Hornets do turn things around in the second half of the year, the future still isn’t very bright. Still, I think making the playoffs would solve, or at least mask, their problems for a short period of time.