The Hornets will soon be charged with the task of working Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Nicolas Batum back into their lineup, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes. The former will return to action after a three-game absence tonight.
Batum, sidelined since October with a left elbow injury, could return to the court as early as next Wednesday. Both will be welcome additions to a Hornets lineup that has moseyed out to a 5-6 start this season.
With Batum and Kidd-Gilchrist back in the lineup, head coach Steve Clifford will need to figure out what to do with the likes of Jeremy Lamb, Malik Monk and Dwayne Bacon, all of whom have stepped up with recent opportunities.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The NBA fined Hornets big man Dwight Howard $25K for making an obscene gesture at a fan last weekend, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets.
- The Heat could consider bringing Luol Deng back if he ends up getting bought out by the Lakers but, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes, that would only add to the team’s logjam at the four. At the right price, however, the veteran that already knows Miami’s system could be worth a look.
- Point guard Dennis Schroder tried to sell head coach Mike Budenholzer on the idea of bringing Daniel Theis to the Hawks but the German free agent eventually signed on with the Celtics, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe writes.
We already got Johnson and Winslow at SF, I’d prefer Monroe instead, a legitimate PF.
+1 for use of “moseyed”