Charlotte Hornets questions: Was moving on from Kemba painful, but necessary?
Now that Kemba Walker has returned to Charlotte as a Boston Celtic, and got the proper tribute Thursday, a question lingers:
Was his departure from the Charlotte Hornets painful but necessary?
I don’t think so, but I understand why I got that question for this week’s mailbag. Years of miscalculations, in draft picks and signings, contributed to the predicament the Hornets faced when All-NBA point guard Walker hit free agency in July. They have themselves to blame for that. But there is also some truth in the perception they were overdue to pick a direction, and Walker leaving made that unavoidable.
Your Hornets questions:
Do you think parting ways with Walker had to happen for the Hornets to get out of their financial bind?
I don’t think it had to happen. They had plenty of time to prepare for him being worthy of a five-year, maximum contract. Their offer was about $30 million less than the regular max deal (about $190 million) and $60 million less than the Supermax for which Walker qualified. So this was about more than salary-cap rules. It was about their assessment of Walker and owner Michael Jordan being intent on not paying luxury tax this season.
Keep in mind that $45 million falls off the Hornets’ payroll after this season when the contracts of Bismack Biyombo, Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist expire. Also keep in mind they lost the all-time leading scorer, in his prime, for nothing (I don’t view the sign-and-trade to acquire Terry Rozier as compensation for losing Walker).
However, a positive can come from Walker’s departure in that it gave the franchise no choice but to embrace a rebuild. Last season felt like they were kind of chasing the playoffs and kind of exploring young guys. At least now there is clarity of direction.
I heard some radio announcer lump Cody Zeller into Hornets contracts that are bad and need to expire. Do you agree?
Absolutely not. Zeller might be the so-called “old guy” among the starters, but if he avoids the injuries that so limited his participation the past two seasons, there is no reason he can’t be a starter on the next Charlotte playoff team.
Zeller making $14.5 million this season and $15.5 million next season is reasonable. What Zeller does isn’t flashy, but I’d argue that right now he’d be the hardest player on this roster to replace.
What are your thoughts on Dwayne Bacon’s early struggles? How should coach James Borrego put him in positions offensively to be comfortable and consistent?
I overestimated Bacon’s immediate impact as a starter this season. His early-season shooting percentages (34 percent from the field and 26 percent from 3) have been rough.
Bacon has the powerful build and explosiveness to constantly get to the rim. But he must be better at finishing and earning trips to the foul line to be efficient offensively. He is sixth among Hornets in free-throw attempts at 2.2 per game; that makes no sense when he averages the most 2-point attempts (8 per game).
The coaches spent each of the past two summers working on Bacon finishing at the rim; ultimately, this is about him implementing what is being emphasized.
What would be your grade so far this season for Borrego?
A B to B-plus. He has managed this pivot to rebuild mode well, with transparency and decisiveness.
I thought putting second-round rookie Cody Martin into the game against the Golden State Warriors in clutch time was gutsy. He gambled that Martin’s defensive instincts would be valuable enough to overcome his lack of NBA experience. And it worked.
What Hornets contracts would other teams most want to acquire in trade?
The ones that stick out are Bacon making $1.6 million as a starter, and leading scorer Devonte Graham making $1.4 million this season and $1.7 million next season. Obviously, those are deals for young players that general manager Mitch Kupchak would be least receptive to trading in a rebuild.
I’m curious if Kupchak should try to get back a second-round pick for little-used center Willy Hernangomez. At about $1.7 million this season, the last on his contract, I’d guess that Hernangomez is able to traded.
Should the Hornets trade for a third point guard? Would that make it easier to play Graham and Terry Rozier together more?
Your question is valid in that ideally balanced NBA rosters have three point guards (or at least three players with some point-guard skills). However, in this situation where long-term development is more important than winning individual games, I wouldn’t prioritize a third point guard. Also, when Nic Batum returns from a fractured finger, he can help with the ball-movement/organization.
I don’t think that adding a third point guard at the end of the bench would cause Borrego to play Graham and Rozier together more than he already does.
Have your expectations changed due to the Hornets’ start (winning four of the first 10 games)? How many games do you think they will win?
No, because I never believed this season would be cataclysmic in record, as some others did. I thought they’d be one of the NBA’s bad teams, but no worse than several others.
I thought over the summer they’d win somewhere between 22 and 28 games. I still think that.
This story was originally published November 11, 2019 at 9:47 AM.
