THE NBA IS BACK!
The Charlotte Hornets start their season on Wednesday with a home game against the Milwaukee Bucks. This marks the official comeback of the “Hornets” to the Charlotte area, and the fanbase is ready to swarm Time Warner Cable arena. The preseason was not very kind to the Hornets this year, however. Charlotte managed just three wins in their eight games. Two of the eight games came against Atlantic Division foe Washington, and Charlotte was able to beat the Wizards both times. Hopefully these wins can instill some confidence in the Hornets players because they will be battling Washington for playoff seeding later in the season.
Several of the Hornets key players missed games during the preseason with nagging injuries. PG Kemba Walker missed two games with a left knee contusion and a sore left foot. Neither of those injuries seems to be serious, and the Hornets expect Walker to be at full strength for the regular season. Luckily for the Hornets, center Al Jefferson did not seem to have any issues with his foot that was injured during the playoff series against Miami last season. Although he averaged only 14 PPG, I expect Jefferson to boost his scoring once the regular season starts.
Gary Neal had a strong preseason.
Reserves Gary Neal and P.J. Hairston showed a lot of promise during the preseason. Both of these players are known for their shooting and should provide the Hornets with “instant offense” off the bench. Neal averaged 12.5 PPG and led the Hornets in scoring in four of the team’s eight preseason games. Rookie P.J. Hairston averaged 9.6 PPG and shot 42% from 3-point land. The Hornets are counting on both of these players to spread the floor, open up the inside game for Al Jefferson, and contribute to the bench productivity. As I mentioned in my season preview, the PF position is the weak link on the team. Neither Cody Zeller nor Marvin Williams established themselves as the starting PF. Zeller did have a solid 18 point game against the Atlanta Hawks, but he was inconsistent in the other games.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had a productive preseason, and the Hornets will be counting on him to improve his game this season. The third year SF averaged almost 11 PPG and showed off his new and improved jump shot (seen here)
Kidd-Gilchrist will be counted on to score more this season and defend the opposing team’s most dynamic player. He is still young and raw, but I believe that this is the year that Kidd-Gilchrist takes a leap forward and begins to live up to his #2 overall pick status.
Even though the Hornets struggled a bit during the preseason, I am not worried at all about the upcoming season. There will be some growing pains, as coach Steve Clifford tries to figure out different rotations and how to integrate many of the new additions. Lance Stephenson is only 23-years-old and will have to adjust to a new team and a new city. He, along with rookies Noah Vonleh and P.J. Hairston may struggle at first, but I believe that all three will be solid contributors to a Hornets team that will make the playoffs.
Now, I’ll add my NBA superlatives for the 2014-2015 season (for each, I’ll have an “obvious choice” and a “sleeper”).
Rookie of the Year:
Obvious: Jabari Parker (Milwaukee Bucks)
Sleeper: Elfrid Payton (Orlando Magic)
MVP:
Obvious: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Sleeper: Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
Coach of the Year:
Obvious: David Blatt (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Sleeper: Stan Van Gundy (Detriot Pistons)
Eastern Conference Finals:
Obvious: Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Sleeper: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Charlotte Hornets
Western Conference Finals:
Obvious: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Sleeper: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors
NBA Finals:
Obvious: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. San Antonio Spurs
Sleeper: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
NBA Champion:
Obvious: Cleveland Cavaliers
Sleeper: Golden State Warriors
Here’s to a great season!
This article Charlotte Hornets: Preseason recap and more appeared first on isportsweb by Zachary Chandler