Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at who will be representing the Charlotte Hornets at the NBA Draft Lottery this year, Dwight Howard saying that Russell Westbrook should’ve sacrificed more for the Oklahoma City Thunder to succeed and why James Borrego can bring player development to the Queen City.
Kupchak and Peterson to represent Charlotte at Draft Lottery (Twitter/ @Rick_Bonnell)
"Mitch Kupchak and Buzz Peterson will rep the @hornets at the draft lottery May 15 in Chicago (which is now in same city as Combine later next week)."
Former GM Rich Cho represented the Hornets at the NBA Draft Lottery drawing last year and in 2012. Team President and Vice Chairman Fred Whitfield was the 2013 Draft Lottery drawing while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was the last play representative in 2015. It’s interesting that Charlotte will have two reps this year.
I think it’s a good move to have the new general manager represent the team during the event. Maybe Kupchak will be able to give the Hornets some luck during the drawing that they haven’t had in the past. The draft lottery drawing will be on May 15th on ESPN and Charlotte has a 2.9% chance of landing a top-three pick and a 0.8% chance of getting the first overall selection.
Dwight Howard calls out Russell Westbrook (TheScore.com)
"“Russ, he should just facilitate, get everybody involved early in the game, and just let those guys play. At this point in his career, he’s done everything as far as the individual. He has all the accolades. But now, it should just be about making everyone around him better.”"
Howard said that Westbrook should sacrifice touches so that Paul George could score 20-30 points in the first three quarters and Carmelo Anthony could close out the game in the fourth. The thing is, Melo didn’t play all that well for OKC this past season and only shot 28.9% in clutch situations. Plus, Paul George only scored 5 points and shot 2-16 in the Thunder’s final game of the playoffs vs the Utah Jazz.
While what Howard said may be true, I don’t think he is the best player to speak on this matter as he isn’t a player who is willing to give up offensive touches and even complained when he didn’t get the desired role he wanted in Atlanta. Still, it would probably benefit Oklahoma City if Russell didn’t shoot as much as he did or dominate the ball as much as he does. With that being said, Charlotte may be better off if Dwight had fewer post-up possessions per game.
James Borrego can bring player development (TheRinger.com)
"Borrego’s only experience at the helm was as interim head coach for 30 games during Orlando’s 2014-15 season. But he was a top Pop assistant and comes from the NBA’s strongest coaching tree. Those are the sorts of roots Charlotte is desperate for."
Borrego comes from the Gregg Popovich coaching tree. Pop is best known for his ability to not only develop prospects but to also get the best out of players. Steve Clifford and Charlotte struggled with player development over the past few years. The Hornets are hoping that James can help the team replicate what Popovich has done in San Antonio.
Next: What the Borrego hiring can tell us about the Hornets' future
Expect for young players like Malik Monk, Dwayne Bacon and Willy Hernangomez to get plenty of minutes going forward. Charlotte’s draft picks this year should also receive ample playing time as well. Borrego will usher in a new era for the Hornets as they look to focus more on player development than they have in the past which should only benefit the team. Even if they can’t be the Spurs 2.0, there is definitely room for improvement in their player development department.