Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets targeting Gersson Rosas for GM, Nicolas Batum injury
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Dwayne Bacon scored a game-high 15 points on 6-10 shooting to go along with three assists and two steals in only 18 minutes versus the New York Knicks. (VIDEO) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at Gersson Rosas emerging as a serious general manager candidate for the Charlotte Hornets, Nicolas Batum‘s Achilles injury and the Greensboro Swarm’s blowout loss to the Long Island Nets.
Rosas emerges as a serious GM candidate (Twitter/ @TheSteinLine)
"Houston Rockets executive Gersson Rosas has emerged as an increasingly serious candidate in the Charlotte Hornets’ GM search alongside the widely perceived frontrunner Mitch Kupchak, league sources say"
It looks like Gersson Rosas is the leading candidate for the Hornets’ vacant general manager job. Former Los Angeles Lakers‘ GM Mitch Kupchak hasn’t even talked with Charlotte yet. (CharlotteObserver.com) Rosas has helped build a powerhouse in Houston as the Rockets currently have the best in the league.
Gersson is the EVP of Basketball Operations but was a candidate for the Brooklyn Nets’ GM position back in 2016 and was the Dallas Mavericks’ general manager in 2013 for a short period of time. If he is hired, Rosas will have a lot on his plate and will need to not only create cap space but also make a good draft selection and give the team a true direction going forward.
Batum could miss several games with Achilles injury (RealGM.com)
"Nicolas Batum has been diagnosed with chronic tendinitis in his left Achilles and could miss multiple games."
The good news is that the injury isn’t serious. Even if he has to miss a few games, that’s better than needing surgery and missing months. He’s already missed 14 games this season. Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that Batum’s “return will be based on how he responds to treatment.”
At this point in the season, Charlotte’s odds to make the playoffs are at less than 1% (FiveThirtyEight.com), I think that there’s a good chance that Nic could be held out for the rest of the year. With only 12 games left, there isn’t much of an incentive for the Hornets to rush Batum back. His season has been plagued by injuries and it may be best for him to rest up and get ready for the 2018-19 campaign.
Greensboro Swarm fall to the Long Island Nets (Gleague.NBA.com)
"The Long Island Nets (26-21) defeated the Greensboro Swarm (15-32) 126-93. For the Swarm, guard Terry Henderson tallied a team-high 19 points with seven rebounds, three assists and four steals in 36 minutes off the bench."
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With this loss, Greensboro has now dropped three straight and four of their last five games in total. Without Damien Wilkins and Marcus Paige, the Swarm were severely shorthanded and it didn’t help that Cat Barber only shot 1-12. Based on their current form, there’s a good chance that the Hornets’ G-League affiliate could lose their last three games of the season and end the campaign on a six-game losing streak.