- The medical issue that Hornets coach Steve Clifford struggled with for over a month can be attributed to a combination of stress on the sidelines as an NBA coach and sleep deprivation, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN writes. The feature delves into the head coach’s decision and why he’s confident a similar setback won’t happen again.
The Hornets will welcome head coach Steve Clifford back to the bench next week, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes. The coach has been out of action with an undisclosed medical condition since early December.
Per Bonnell, The Observer has learned that Clifford has struggled with severe headaches since prior to the season and has been seeking to establish the best course of preventative treatment going forward with doctors.
When Clifford left his post, the Hornets were 8-13. Under the tutelage of associate head coach Stephen Silas, the squad went 7-11.
Clifford is expected to return for practice with the Hornets next Tuesday and make his first return to the sidelines on Wednesday night.
There’s more out of Charlotte tonight:
- There’s no clear indication that Hornets general manager Rich Cho is on the hot seat because it’s hard to tell how team owner Michael Jordan regards his performance thus far, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes in a question-and-answer with fans. Cho has made some solid moves, such as trading for Dwight Howard, but also some head-scratchers, like trading for Miles Plumlee.
- Hornets swingman Jeremy Lamb has taken advantage of the opportunities he’s been given to showcase his skills in Charlotte, David Yapkowitz of Basketball Insiders writes. The sixth-year veteran thrived in place of Nicolas Batum and has made a case for himself as Sixth Man of the Year. In 26.4 minutes per game so far this season, Lamb has averaged a career high of 14.4 points per game.
- Last week we gauged what readers thought about the idea of the Hornets trading Kemba Walker. Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer has plenty of reasons why he thinks that would be a mistake.
- Poor shooting and a lack of roster depth have brought down a Hornets team that looked promising two seasons ago, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation. GM Rich Cho has a spotty draft record and made a costly error in 2016 when he traded the No. 22 pick to Sacramento for Marco Belinelli, who didn’t contribute much before being shipped to the Hawks a year later. With the Hornets capped out at least through the end of next season, Ziller sees little hope for a quick turnaround in Charlotte.
- The Hornets have assigned Dwayne Bacon to the G League for the third time this season, the team announced today in a press release. Bacon has played two games for the Greensboro Swarm so far this season, averaging an eye-popping 38.5 PPG.
The Hornets are committed to a core that hasn’t been able to get the franchise over the hump and likely won’t be able to do so as key components of the rotation age out of their primes.
Much of the organization’s most recent woes can be attributed to injuries and health-related struggles but week-by-week that plucky, purple-shirt-guy-inspired squad that pushed the Heat to seven games in the first-round of the 2016 postseason seems like a distant memory.
Making matters worse for Hornets fans is that there isn’t exactly help in sight. The club projects to break camp close to $20MM over the salary cap and the contracts set to come off their books don’t represent much relief.
Michael Carter-Williams, PG, 26 (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $2.7MM deal in 2017
Desperate for a reliable backup point guard, the Hornets tried their luck on a former Rookie of the Year. Still just 26 years old, Carter-Williams was an intriguing option to be had for the minimum but bringing him back after a (thus far) career-worst shooting year is a different story. In theory Carter-Williams can fill the stat sheet if given an opportunity, but it’s hard to imagine he’s moved the needle enough at this point in the season to convince the front office to bring him back.
Johnny O’Bryant, PF, 24 (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $1.7MM deal in 2017
The Hornets, in need of healthy bodies to round out their rotation, have plugged O’Bryant into a bigger role of late and the forward has done a respectable job of producing in the time that he’s been given. If Charlotte continues to struggle in 2018, expect the organization to feature their younger players more often. That’s a perfect recipe for O’Bryant to make his case as one of the few in-house growth opportunities the franchise has available.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Here are the G-League moves from around the NBA today:
- The Hornets recalled Dwayne Bacon from the organization’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, the team announced in a press release. In 28 games for Charlotte, Bacon has averaged 3.6 PPG and 3.1 RPG. He was acquired along with cash considerations from the Pelicans for draft rights to Frank Jackson during the 2017 NBA Draft.
- The Hornets also recalled guard Julyan Stone from the Greensboro Swarm. per the press release. Stone has appeared in four contests for the Hornets, posting totals of 1.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG and 1.8 APG.
- Hornets guard Dwayne Bacon will have a short stay in the G League, relays Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. The rookie out of Florida State made an impression Thursday with 45 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Swarm. “Barring injury to a Hornets player [Friday against Golden State], the plan is to have Bacon play in Greensboro tonight [i.e. Thursday] against Wisconsin, and then on Saturday in Iowa,” GM Rich Cho wrote in a text message. “We would then recall him after the game on Saturday and have him join [the Hornets] in LA.”
Here are the noteworthy G-League transactions around the NBA today:
- The Hornets assigned rookie Dwayne Bacon to the organization’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, the team announced in a press release. In 28 games for Charlotte, Bacon has averaged 3.6 PPG and 3.1 RPG. He was acquired along with cash considerations from the Pelicans for draft rights to Frank Jackson during the 2017 NBA Draft.
- The Thunder assigned guard Terrance Ferguson to the organization’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. OKC’s first-round pick from this year’s NBA Draft has appeared in 21 games this season and averaged 1.3 PPG in 6.7 minutes per game.
- The Suns have assigned Davon Reed to the organization’s G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, the team announced in a press release. Danuel House was also assigned to the G League affiliate, tweets Scott Bordow of Arizona Republic. Reed was the 32nd overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and is nearing an on-court return after undergoing a meniscus repair in his left knee in August. House has appeared in seven games for Phoenix and averaged 4.4 PPG.
- The Grizzlies assigned forward Ivan Rabb to their affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, the team announced in a press release. The early second-round pick has appeared in 15 games for the Hustle, averaging 15.8 PPG and 9.9 RPG.
Here are the notable G-League transactions around the NBA today:
- The Hornets have recalled Malik Monk from the Greensboro Swarm, according to the team’s Twitter feed. The 2017 No. 11 overall pick appeared in one G League game and he scored 25 points.
- The Spurs have assigned Derrick White to the Austin Spurs, according to the team’s website. White has played in six games to date with the G League club and he’s averaging 11.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 22.3 minutes per game.
- The Wolves have assigned Justin Patton to the G League, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Patton has already appeared in six games for the Iowa Wolves, scoring 9.5 points per contest.
Here are the notable G-League transactions around the NBA today:
- The Hornets recalled rookie Dwayne Bacon from the organization’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, the team announced in a press release. In 28 games for Charlotte, Bacon has averaged 3.6 PPG and 3.1 RPG. He was acquired along with cash considerations from the Pelicans for draft rights to Frank Jackson during the 2017 NBA Draft.
- In a separate move, the Hornets assigned guard Julyan Stone to the Greensboro Swarm on Tuesday, according to a press release. Stone has appeared in four contests for the Hornets, posting totals of 1.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG and 1.8 APG. This marks Stone’s third assignment to the G League.
- The Spurs announced in a press release that guard Derrick White has been recalled from the team’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. White has appeared in seven games for San Antonio, averaging 1.3 PPG and 1.3 RPG.
- The Trail Blazers assigned guard C.J. Wilcox to the Santa Cruz Warriors, per a press release. After appearing in 20+ games in each of the past three seasons for the Magic and Clippers, Wilcox has yet to see NBA action in 2017/18 due to arthroscopic knee surgery. Wilcox signed a two-way deal with Portland in August.