Swarm and Sting
Fansided

Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets helped Dwight Howard, One free agent to avoid

By Jerry Stephens

CHARLOTTE, NC - APRIL 8: Dwight Howard #12 of the Charlotte Hornets handles the ball against the Indiana Pacers on April 8, 2018 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - APRIL 8: Dwight Howard #12 of the Charlotte Hornets handles the ball against the Indiana Pacers on April 8, 2018 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.

Charlotte Hornets‘ assistant Stephen Silas missed out on the Atlanta Hawks‘ head coaching position as the ATL-based team decided to sign Philadelphia 76ers‘ assistant Lloyd Pierce. (ESPN.com) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at how Charlotte helped Dwight Howard rediscover his passion, one free agent for the Hornets to avoid and if DeMarcus Cousins would sign with the Queen City team.

Charlotte helped Howard rediscover his passion for basketball (AJC.com)

"“I think the years I had before Charlotte really just kind of woke up the inner Dwight, I would say,” Howard said. “And I’m like, man, I’m really excited about next season to go out there and dominate.”"

Dwight said that he lost a bit of his passion for the sport at the end of his time with the Orlando Magic and during his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s been pretty evident that Howard hasn’t been enjoyed his stays with LA, Houston and Atlanta. Luckily, he found some of his passion this past season with the Hornets.

I think a big part of Dwight rediscovering his passion for basketball was Steve Clifford who has been able to bring the best out of the eight-time all-star with both Orlando and Charlotte. We’ll see if Howard’s level of play will continue under new HC James Borrego or if he is traded to another team. The 32-year old is out to prove that he still has something left in the tank.

One free agent for the Hornets to avoid (BleacherReport.com)

"Charlotte Hornets: Seth Curry – He can knock down threes and run some pick-and-roll, and second-unit playmaking was their Achilles’ heel for most of 2017-18. Chasing an almost-28-year-old backup would suggest they’re hoping the same product yields a different return."

There are a number of reasons why Charlotte should not sign Seth. For one, he is coming off of a major injury and surgery (stress fracture in lower left leg). Not to mention that he isn’t a true PG meaning he could create a logjam at the two guard spot and take up cap space that could be used to sign a quality backup to Kemba Walker.

Still, I actually think that Curry could be a great low-risk, high-reward option for the Hornets. Before the injury that kept him out all of last season, he averaged 12.8 points per game, 2.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 48.1% from the field and 42.5% from three in 2016-17. He’s the type of shooter that Charlotte’s been missing off of the bench.

Could Boogie come to the Queen City? (TheSportster.com)

"So this is a franchise that hasn’t developed its own superstar in years. On top of that, they are a mess when it comes to the salary cap. If Charlotte has any hope at all of landing DeMarcus Cousins it is that the Southeast Division is historically weak and it may be the best shot for him to be in the playoffs every year."

First and foremost, Charlotte’s not going to land DeMarcus Cousins. Period. He is a max-level player and the Hornets have nowhere near enough cap space to sign him. Even if they did move some of the major contracts on their roster, they would still have to convince Boogie to sign with a team that’s missed the playoffs in the weaker Eastern Conference for the last two seasons.

Next: 4 second-round prospects to look at

If the Hornets wanted to make a run at Cousins, they would first need to trade Dwight Howard and then probably move Cody Zeller, Marvin Williams, Nicolas Batum or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as well. It’s an interesting idea but something that is better suited for NBA 2K than real life.

Home/Hornets News