Matching up against the best team so far of the 2024-25 season, and on the road at that, meant the Charlotte Hornets barely stood a chance at snapping their longest losing streak of the campaign. The Cleveland Cavaliers made sure to extend their misery on Sunday, although avoiding losing by more than 10 points was perhaps a silver lining for the Hornets.
LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller scored 24 apiece, and they didn't get that much offensive help from anyone else except Nick Smith Jr., who put up 18 points off the bench.
One of the stories of the contest, though, was the Cavs' front line dominating their counterparts. Mark Williams and Nick Richards looked out of their league, with the latter being surprisingly benched in the second half.
Taj Gibson was dusted off after a long stretch of DNPs
Another shocking development on Monday was Taj Gibson playing the same number of minutes as Richards. The veteran hadn't suited up in the previous eight games and probably didn't expect to get the call with both of the Hornets' rotation pieces at center available. However, he saw action in the first half and was again subbed in after intermission.
Gibson didn't attempt a single field goal but did sink a free throw and blocked one shot.
Coach Charles Lee entrusting Charlotte's oldest player with more than a handful of minutes likely suggested that he didn't trust Richards enough to keep up with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Of course, some fans may have conjectured that Lee didn't want to tank the 27-year-old pivot's trade value, as the Hornets might be looking to bring in at least two second-round picks for him. With the way he has played recently, the franchise would be lucky if other squads show genuine interest in acquiring him.
At this rate, it would be better for Charlotte to move on from Richards. He certainly deserves commendation for performing relatively well when Williams was down with an injury. However, he has become something of a liability for his team, and his weaknesses, including his butter fingers and often being a cone on defense, have been harmful to the Hornets.
Shipping Richards away would likely require Charlotte to keep playing Gibson. However, the front office should probably just upgrade Moussa Diabate's two-way contract to a standard deal and allow the young Frenchman to develop into the center that the Hornets possibly hoped Richards would turn into.
With the trade deadline a month away, it would be confounding if the Hornets decide that Richards is worth holding onto.