Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the latest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
Willy Hernangomez made his debut for the Queen City team in their win over the Brooklyn Nets as he grabbed two rebounds and blocked one shot in about a minute on the court in garbage time. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Charlotte Hornets‘ remaining schedule, the tough decisions that will have to be made this summer and Dwight Howard staying healthy.
Charlotte’s favorable schedule (Twitter/ @bball_ref)
"5 toughest remaining schedules: 1. Spurs 2. Suns 3. Wizards 4. Hawks 5. Pacers. 5 easiest remaining schedules: 1. Sixers 2. Warriors 3. Hornets 4. Heat 5. Grizzlies"
The Hornets have the third weakest schedule post-All-Star Break. Only 12 of their remaining 24 games come against teams who are currently in the playoffs. For Charlotte to sneak into the postseason, they will need all the help that they can get and a favorable schedule is just the start as they will have to not only beat bad teams but also pick up a few wins over playoff-bound sides.
They will likely have to win around 18-20+ games in order to even have a good chance at making the playoffs this season and even then, they could very well come up short. The Hornets are in a bad spot but even though a postseason berth looks improbable, it isn’t impossible. Charlotte will need to catch the Pistons and the Heat just to get into the eighth seed.
Hornets’ tough offseason decisions (BleacherReport.com)
"Will whomever Charlotte puts in charge next be content to run it back with a projected payroll north of $117 million next year? Will he foolishly hope the same roster can somehow improve on this season’s likely lottery finish? Or will a new, more forward-looking approach take hold?"
Charlotte will have a number of tough decisions this summer. Will they package Kemba Walker in a larger trade in order to create space? Will Dwight Howard, Cody Zeller, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marvin Williams or Nicolas Batum be traded? Or will they have trouble making deals and be stuck with largely the same roster?
It will be interesting to see what happens but whoever Michael Jordan hires to be the next GM, will have a lot on his plate. A full rebuild would most likely require Kemba and/or their 2018 first-round pick to be moved. If they want to keep this core together, the main objective would be to improve the bench, mainly at backup point guard. Plus, Maybe Malik Monk, Dwayne Bacon and Willy Hernangomez will take the next step forward in their careers and be ready to contribute on a larger scale.
Dwight Howard is at the top of his game (TheCharlottePost.com)
"“I’m a big believer that if you don’t take of your wheels, which are your feet, your knees and your legs, then anything can happen,” Howard said. “I always try to take care of my body—night in and night out. I spend a lot of time on the treatment table, getting a lot of work in, but also just conditioning and stuff like that.”"
Next: Rumor: Hornets, Knicks discussed Malik Monk trade
For the first time in a long time, Dwight is healthy and has been for the entire season. Howard is putting up his best numbers since his last all-star season with Houston in 2013-14. Even though he is 32 years old, the big man still has a bounce in his step and has proven that he can still be an effective player in the NBA. Credit to D12 for keeping his body right and finally recovering from major knee and back surgeries.