Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets pick Kentucky guard in mock, Steve Clifford on TV
Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
The NBA and NBPA are focusing on lowering the minimum age requirements to get into the league, essentially eliminating the one-and-done rule. (ESPN.com) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at who the Charlotte Hornets select in the latest mock draft, Steve Clifford on SportsCenter and Kemba Walker being nominated for another award.
Hornets pick Kentucky guard in mock (CBSsports.com)
"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Kentucky | Fr | PG – It sure sounds like Mitch Kupchak is taking a stick of dynamite to an organization that’s been mired in mediocrity for years. As such, I don’t know what sort of chance there will be for Kemba Walker to stick around. So why not get a head start on a potential point guard of the future?"
The 19-year old point guard has great size at 6’6 coupled with good athleticism and shooting. Shai averaged 14.4 points per game, 5.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals during his freshman season under coach John Calipari. He also shot 48.5% from the field, 40.4% from three and 82.2% from the free throw line.
Gilgeous-Alexander looks like a promising prospect but would Charlotte be willing to take another chance on a freshman guard out of Kentucky for the second consecutive season? If the Hornets plan on trading Kemba, then SGA should be their selection. Although, if they keep Walker, then the choice should be between Miles Bridges or Kevin Knox.
Steve Clifford on SportsCenter (Twitter/ @HornetsGifs)
Steve Clifford broke down the Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers series as well as the Oklahoma City Thunder vs Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves playoff matchups. He took a close look at each team’s defensive schemes and what they were doing to stop key players.
This is a great role for Clifford who is able to offer his defensive insight to the average fan watching on television. I think he would be a great in-game color commentator as he could provide his expert analysis much like Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Hubie Brown, P.J. Carlesimo and Doug Collins currently do for ESPN.
Kemba among 10 finalists for Community Assist Award (NBA.com)
"The 10 nominees include the offseason winner, six monthly winners and three additional players selected by the NBA for their exceptional community work. The NBA Cares Community Assist Award recognizes an NBA player each month who best reflects the passion that the league and its players share for giving back to their communities."
The other nine nominees include DeMarcus Cousins, J.J. Barea, Ricky Rubio, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, C.J. McCollum, Dwyane Wade, Mike Conley and Jabari Parker. Kemba was selection because of his exceptional community work. The winner will receive a $25,000 donation to the charity of their choice.
Next: Kupchak scouts Luka Doncic in Greece
Isaiah Thomas won the award last season while John Wall won it in 2015-16 and Russell Westbrook won the inaugural award in 2014-15. Fans can vote for the award on social media by using the #NBACommunityAssist hashtag along with the player’s name (#KembaWalker). Walker won the NBA’s Sportsmanship Award last year.