Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets stagnate in Week 23 power rankings, Dwight Howard calls out refs
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Willy Hernangomez scored a season-high 17 points against the Philadelphia 76ers with 15 of them coming in the second quarter alone. (VIDEO) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at where the Charlotte Hornets sit in the Week 23 NBA power rankings, Dwight Howard putting the blame on the officials and Kemba Walker being held captive.
Week 23 NBA power rankings (USAToday.com)
"Could injuries to Nicolas Batum and Michael Carter-Williams finally mean more playing time for Malik Monk? The rookie’s 23 minutes in Saturday’s loss to New York were his most since November."
Charlotte remained in the No. 21 spot of the power rankings for the third consecutive week. They went 1-2 this past week with losses to the New Orleans Pelicans and the New York Knicks while defeating the Atlanta Hawks. There is a chance that the Hornets could fall further in the rankings as they are only 2-8 in their last 10 games.
Although, with every other team below them in tank mode, the Queen City team may stay at No. 21 for some time. That is unless they start winning and overtake the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers who have a similar record. The Houston Rockets came in at No. 1 while the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors rounded out the unchanged top-three.
Dwight blames refs after loss to 76ers (Twitter/ @PomperOnSixers)
"#Hornets center Dwight Howard blamed loss to Sixers on officiating despite #Charlotte‘s 30-8 FT advantage: “I thought it was crap the whole night. I thought the referees did a good job of trying to keep players out of the game. I don’t think it was fair calls all night. …."
After a 108-94 loss to the Sixers, Howard had some interesting things to say about the officiating during the game. This isn’t the first time that the eight-time all-star has been critical of referees. It’s also worth noting that he’s picked up a league-high 15 technical fouls this season and is one away from a one-game suspension.
There’s a good chance that the league will punish Dwight for his comments about the officials. The NBA will likely fine him $15,000 after blaming the refs. Howard’s comments don’t make much sense either since Charlotte had a distinct free throw advantage over Philadelphia. Still, even if there were some missed calls, this could just be a result of the Hornets’ big man being frustrated with the team’s struggles.
Kemba held captive by circumstances and himself (RealGM.com)
"Kemba needs help, or he needs to get out of town. The latter is looking more likely these days. MJ and the Hornets seem to realize they’re at a dead end, and you don’t rebuild with a slightly-less-than-elite guard who is turning twenty-eight in May, entering the last year of his contract, and will justifiably demand a huge amount of money to stick with a mediocre franchise through next summer."
Looking at the circumstances objectively, the best moves for both Kemba and the Hornets is for them to trade the all-star point guard to a contender or a team with a bright future. Walker is arguably the best player in franchise history but poor drafting and free agent signing have put Charlotte in a tough spot. While keeping and competing with Kemba is the main goal, that is looking less and less likely.
Next: The Charlotte Hornets best-kept secret
Plus, giving him the max after next season may end up hurting them in the long run when they’re paying him $20+ million when he’s well into his 30’s. Might as well get as much out of him now while you can and initiate a rebuild. This article mentions the Phoenix Suns as a possible landing spot for Walker.