Inside information and observations about the Hornets and the NBA
Inside information and observations about the Hornets and the NBA
Rick Bonnell: 704-358-5129, rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com, @rick_bonnell
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Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin found it odd Sunday that an Oscars show with a heavy emphasis on diversity would include a skit that he and others felt stereotyped Asians.
\n\nSeriously though, when is this going to change?!? Tired of it being "cool" and "ok" to bash Asians smh #Oscars https://t.co/1nBvAd3V0q
— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) February 29, 2016
Lin, who is of Chinese descent, commented on Twitter about this, linking to a Washington Post commentary on the same subject. Tuesday after Hornets shootaround, Lin offered some context on why he felt it important to address the issue.
Lin said he has no beef with comedian Chris Rock, who hosted the Oscars, but thinks it’s overdue to apply the same standards of respect to all ethnicities.
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Coaching, like most any management job, is to a great degree about playing give-and-take.
There is seldom such a thing as the perfect employee. So you figure out how to blend various people’s strengths and weaknesses into a group that is functional to their task.
Right now, that is a work-in-progress for the Charlotte Hornets.
This group is more talented, potentially far more, offensively than either of the previous two seasons Clifford has coached in Charlotte. But it is also lacking in an area that Clifford has declared his non-negotiable as an NBA coach: Transition defense.
“We don’t get back,” Clifford said before Wednesday’s season-opening 104-94 loss to the Miami Heat.
“In Detroit and against Indiana (in the preseason) we were terrible. The first half of the Detroit game, that was related to turnovers, but that has not been the whole issue.
“You’d think our challenges (defensively) would be in the half-court with basketball protection and containing the ball, and we’ve been very good at that. What we haven’t done is set our defense. If we’re not going to do that, we just won’t be good enough.”
As if on cue, the Heat outscored the Hornets in fast-break points 15 to eight Wednesday.
That the Hornets would look flawed defensively early on was predictable. You can’t make over half the roster, mostly adding offense-centric players, and not experience a learning curve. But these players will find it’s either get back on defense or sit, because that is the core of what made the Hornets so good defensively the past two seasons.
That’s the downside of the roster makeover. But it’s a correctable flaw, and the payback is potentially high. The preseason suggested this team will be better along the 3-point line and in ball movement. The plodding pace of previous seasons has sped up. To a great extent that’s about the Hornets now having three trustworthy ball-handlers – Kemba Walker, Nic Batum and Jeremy Lin – who will often play as a unit.
When Clifford first came to the Hornets he inherited a team that ran well but was sloppy with the ball. So he initially gave orders that only Walker was allowed to bring up the ball. Eventually he loosened that restriction, letting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist advance the ball.
Now Walker, Batum and Lin each has the green light to start the offense.
“When I first got there, Charlotte’s pace was top-8 in the league. As I started watching them, that’s also why they were (worst) in turnovers. Everybody was allowed (to bring up the ball), then you watch film and say, ‘My goodness, that’s why the offense was so poor!’ ” Clifford recalled.
“Offense, to me, is guys playing to their strengths. If you’re not a ball-handler/decision-maker, it doesn’t matter how old you are, it doesn’t make sense to have them run the ball up and turn it over just so we’re saying we’re fast-breaking more.”
Translation: Replace Lance Stephenson and Gerald Henderson with Batum and Lin and you become a more diverse offense.
Lin (17 points Wednesday) has been a very pleasant surprise. Clifford thinks he’s just starting to scratch all that he can be.
“I think he can be a total player. I think he’s viewed as an offensive pick-and-roll/transition player and I think he can be a lot more than that,” Clifford said. “His defense has improved a lot. He’s very bright, he’s physical and he learns quickly. He played at a very high level in the preseason.”
Rick Bonnell: 704-358-5129, rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com, @rick_bonnell
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If a team is going to spend a week across the world together, then it’s a must to have a team photo to commemorate the trip.
And if a team photo is in order then, by all means, make it 58 stories above Shanghai’s downtown.
There’s a restaurant on the 58th floor of the Shanghai Ritz Carlton with a terrific observation deck. So the players and coaches assembled there at 11 a.m. Tuesday for some formal (and not so formal) picture-taking.
Most of the players got there early enough to check out the scenery and pose for various individual and group selfies. Then they were posed – guards sitting, big men in the back – for the formal picture. First it was just the players, then it was players and coaches.
Then it was 18 players, various coaches, staff and media all trying to get down stairs in an elevator only slightly larger than, say, a voting booth.
It all worked out eventually and the buses rolled off to practice at Mercedes-Benz Arena (which, by the way, is by far the nicest non-NBA arena I’ve ever seen).
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A month ago I started emailing friends who’d been to China, looking for advice on Shenzhen and Shanghai. Constantly heard the same thing:
“You will love Shanghai’s waterfront.”
I love Shanghai’s waterfront.
This was the Hornets’ first full day in Shanghai. After dark we bused over to a reception the NBA hosted at the House of Roosevelt. We’d been told the eighth-floor deck was the best view in Shanghai.
It did not disappoint.
I’m not big on snapping a lot of pictures. Selfies sure aren’t me. But I was so charmed by the beauty at night reflected off the water, I kept hitting that shutter again and again.
","kicker":"","text_alignment":"Left","href":"/web/v1/content/38818845","allow_ads":true,"allow_stn_player":true,"byline":"","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"38818827","url":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/13y8wm/picture38818827","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"IMG_0070","publication":"charlotteobserver","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/8211","modified_date":1444670181,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1444668098,"thumbnail":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/13y8wm/picture38818827/alternates/FREE_1140/IMG_0070","href":"/web/v1/content/38818827","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["8211"],"credit":"\nrbonnell@charlotteobserver.com\n","dateline":"","caption":"The Shanghai waterfront didn’t disappoint.","photographer":"\nRick Bonnell\n","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Charlotte","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/13y8wm/picture38818827/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/IMG_0070"},{"id":"38324775","url":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/article38324775.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Colorful parasols are a hit in sunny Shenzhan","publication":"charlotteobserver","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/8211","home_section":{"name":"Charlotte Hornets","url":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/"},"modified_date":1444683909,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_description":"Parasols.","published_date":1444402894,"leadtext":[{"text":"Fashionable umbrellas protect Chinese women from sun, not rain"},{"text":"Humid, sticky conditions here remind me of New Orleans"}],"access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["8211","37821"],"credit":"","dateline":"SHENZHEN, China","summary":"Parasols.","content":"
Parasols.
I thought those were two or more generations ago until I went out for a walk Friday morning before Charlotte Hornets practice. Apparently they’re a big thing among fashionable young ladies in China.
A parasol is a lightweight umbrella used by women to protect themselves from the sun, not the rain. In Shenzhen it seems every other female office worker has one. Predominantly pink, but in more colors than Al Jefferson has post moves.
I thought parasols died a quiet death with my grandparents’ generation, but I can see why they’re a hit here in Shenzhen, which has a subtropical climate.
Friday wasn’t particularly hot with highs in the mid-80s Fahrenheit. But the sun was bearing down at noon and the humidity made the conditions sticky. (Reminded me and some others in the Hornets traveling party of New Orleans weather.)
So when the office towers emptied out for lunch at noon I was baffled for a minute by all the women unfolding umbrellas. Figured there must be a sudden cloud burst in the offing, except there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
That was the point. No sunburns here.
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Greetings from mainland China. A 20-hour airplane journey ended about 8 a.m. (EDT) in perhaps the shortest trip through customs I could imagine.
China loves the NBA, particularly when Asian-American Jeremy Lin is part of the traveling party. The Charlotte Hornets brought more than 100 personnel with them on the charter flight, and it took next to no time to clear customs.
They looked at our passports, saw we were with the NBA and nodded us on with a smile. No questions, no searches, but a whole lot of phone cameras.
Needless to say, Hornets guard Lin – whose parents immigrated to the United States from Taiwan and whose grandparents grew up in the mainland – was the star of the show. Jeremy was gracious as various customs workers and regular folk tugged at his elbow for one more selfie about 30 times. He’s used to this, having visited China many times for promotional tours.
This will be the first time Lin has played professionally in China when the Hornets play exhibitions in Shenzhen and Shanghai against the Los Angeles Clippers.
It’s almost 11 p.m. Thursday night locally as I write this. The Hornets will practice tomorrow, but Friday will be a relatively quiet appearance schedule as the teams and other staff catch up through jet lag.
Couple of quick observations of my first few hours in China:
▪ Shenzhen is such a modern, clean city with great infrastructure (perfectly paved highways, no signs of trash anywhere I saw). I was surprised that almost all the highway signs had English subtitles below the Chinese characters.
▪ I’d been warned to be wary as a pedestrian of the aggressive drivers. Our bus driver was one. We never felt in danger, but the man was constantly weaving from lane to lane. Some of us chuckled when he did a U-turn in a busy intersection. He pulled off the move, but that wasn’t something you’d see in Charlotte.
Rick Bonnell: 704-358-5129, rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com, @rick_bonnell
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Greetings from Anchorage, Alaska, where the Charlotte Hornets’ charter flight touched down to refuel en route to China.
The players got quite a surprise at Charlotte’s private aviation terminal. Small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, hours removed from season-ending shoulder surgery, showed up to send off his teammates.
I’m told MKG even lobbied to go on the China trip for the two exhibitions against the Clippers, but the team didn’t think that wise right after major surgery. MKG probably is out six months.
This is my first time in Alaska. Kind of wet and gray with spectacular snowcap mountains in the distance. We’re slightly less than halfway to Shenzhen.
The NBA’s charter is a Delta 747. Lots of room; most of us in coach had a row to ourselves.
We’re scheduled to land about 7 a.m. EDT.
","kicker":"","text_alignment":"Left","href":"/web/v1/content/38133222","allow_ads":true,"allow_stn_player":true,"byline":"","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"38140056","url":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/vptqt1/picture38140056","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"hornetschinaphoto","publication":"charlotteobserver","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/8211","modified_date":1444270290,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1444261901,"thumbnail":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/vptqt1/picture38140056/alternates/FREE_1140/hornetschinaphoto","href":"/web/v1/content/38140056","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["8211"],"credit":"","dateline":"","caption":"Charlotte Hornets Kemba Walker (left) and Troy Daniels play a video game during the team’s stopover in Anchorage, Alaska.","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Charlotte","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/vptqt1/picture38140056/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/hornetschinaphoto"},{"id":"35617557","url":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/article35617557.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Charlotte Hornets to get color-coordinated socks","publication":"charlotteobserver","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/8211","home_section":{"name":"Charlotte Hornets","url":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/"},"modified_date":1442539536,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_description":"All 30 NBA teams will have the option of custom socks this season that will match each team’s uniform colors.","published_date":1442524689,"leadtext":[{"text":"Company producing custom socks for all 30 NBA teams"},{"text":"Hornets will have teal version and purple version"},{"text":"NBA fans can purchase the socks in October "}],"thumbnail":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/6x2p6o/picture35617551/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/NBA_IG_POSTS_HORNETS_F%20(1)","keywords":"Charlotte, Hornets, socks","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["8211","37821","8262","8175"],"credit":"","dateline":"","summary":"All 30 NBA teams will have the option of custom socks this season that will match each team’s uniform colors.","content":"
All 30 NBA teams will have the option of custom socks this season that will match each team’s uniform colors.
Stance became the NBA’s sock provider in April. As part of that change, the company is producing these custom socks, along with the standard white and black versions teams have used the past few seasons.
The two Charlotte Hornets versions for the upcoming season will be a black-and-purple dominant scheme with teal stripes and a teal-and-gray dominant scheme with purple, black and white stripes.
Stance will start selling these socks to NBA fans starting in October.
Bonnell: 704-358-5129: @rick_bonnell
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"35617551","url":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/6x2p6o/picture35617551","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"NBA_IG_POSTS_HORNETS_F (1)","publication":"charlotteobserver","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/8211","modified_date":1442539536,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1442524688,"thumbnail":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/6x2p6o/picture35617551/alternates/FREE_1140/NBA_IG_POSTS_HORNETS_F%20(1)","href":"/web/v1/content/35617551","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["8211"],"credit":"","dateline":"","caption":"The Charlotte Hornets’ socks will include black-and-purple dominant scheme with teal stripes, and a teal-and-gray dominant scheme with purple, black and white stripes.","photographer":"\nNBA\n","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Charlotte","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/6x2p6o/picture35617551/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/NBA_IG_POSTS_HORNETS_F%20(1)"},{"id":"32638839","url":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/article32638839.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Knicks, Bulls in Charlotte for NBA exhibitions","publication":"charlotteobserver","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/8211","home_section":{"name":"Charlotte Hornets","url":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/"},"modified_date":1440792076,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_description":"The Charlotte Hornets will play exhibitions against the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls at Time Warner Cable Arena as part of an eight-game preseason schedule.","published_date":1440782960,"leadtext":[{"text":"Hornets’ preseason schedule includes trip to China"},{"text":"Two of eight exhibitions at Time Warner Cable Arena"},{"text":"No exhibitions elsewhere in the Carolinas "}],"thumbnail":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/nh53f3/picture32658939/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/HORNETS_BULLS_09","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["8211","37821","8262","8175"],"credit":"","dateline":"","summary":"The Charlotte Hornets will play exhibitions against the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls at Time Warner Cable Arena as part of an eight-game preseason schedule.","content":"
The Charlotte Hornets will play exhibitions against the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls at Time Warner Cable Arena as part of an eight-game preseason schedule.
The Knicks come to Charlotte on Oct. 17 and the Bulls on Oct. 19. Prior to that the Hornets will go to China for two previously-announced exhibitions against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Hornets will also play road exhibitions against the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. The Hornets open training camp at the arena Sept. 26.
Unlike previous preseasons, the Hornets will not play an exhibition elsewhere in the Carolinas.
Oct. 3: at Orlando, 7 p.m. at Amway Center
Oct. 4: at Miami, 6 p.m. at American Airlines Arena
Oct. 11: vs. Clippers, 1:30 a.m. at Shenzhen Universiade Center
Oct. 14: vs. Clippers, 8 a.m. at Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai)
Oct. 17: vs. New York Knicks, 7 p.m. at Time Warner Cable Arena
Oct. 19: vs. Chicago Bulls, 7 p.m. at Time Warner Cable Arena
Oct. 21: at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m. at the Palace of Auburn Hills
Oct. 22: vs Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
Bonnell: 704-358-5129; @rick_bonnell
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"32658939","url":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/nh53f3/picture32658939","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"HORNETS_BULLS_09","publication":"charlotteobserver","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/8211","modified_date":1440792091,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1440792091,"thumbnail":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/nh53f3/picture32658939/alternates/FREE_1140/HORNETS_BULLS_09","href":"/web/v1/content/32658939","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["8211"],"credit":"\njsiner@charlotteobserver.com\n","dateline":"","caption":"Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) drives to the basket as Chicago Bulls center/forward Joakim Noah (13) defends during a March 13 game at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. The Bulls visit Charlotte for a preseason game on Oct. 19.","photographer":"\nJeff Siner\n","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Charlotte","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/nh53f3/picture32658939/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/HORNETS_BULLS_09"},{"id":"32460798","url":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/article32460798.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Charlotte Hornets lock in Kidd-Gilchrist with $52 million extension","publication":"charlotteobserver","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/8211","home_section":{"name":"Charlotte Hornets","url":"https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/"},"modified_date":1440633673,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_description":"Charlotte Hornets small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist might have made some more off his second NBA contract by waiting until he reached restricted free-agency next July.","published_date":1440620721,"leadtext":[{"text":"MKG says ‘Why wait?’ to re-up with the Charlotte Hornets"},{"text":"Final season of new four-year extension is a player option"},{"text":"Clifford: MKG should aim for first-team NBA all-defense this season"}],"thumbnail":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/5502557045001/1d716873-7497-4418-aa74-cd386f2c6e88/d0a54a9f-75f5-400e-897e-d3e6f5bc9f28/160x90/match/image.jpg","keywords":"Hornets, Charlotte, NBA, MKG, Kidd-Gilchrist, Michael, Jordan, Clifford, Cho, Kemba Walker","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["8211","37821","8175"],"credit":"","dateline":"","summary":"Charlotte Hornets small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist might have made some more off his second NBA contract by waiting until he reached restricted free-agency next July.","content":"
Charlotte Hornets small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist might have made some more off his second NBA contract by waiting until he reached restricted free-agency next July.
Instead he chose the security of a four-year, $52 million extension in a place and with a franchise that have become his home.
“Why wait?” Kidd-Gilchrist said at a Wednesday news conference to formally announce the signing. “I’m learning from the best. I don’t do this for the money.”
Perhaps not, but his second NBA contract will make the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft fabulously wealthy. Also Kidd-Gilchrist has some upside protection in the contract’s terms. A source familiar with the deal said Kidd-Gilchrist has a player option for the final season, so if his improvement coincides with the anticipated spike in the salary cap, he could become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019.
Kidd-Gilchrist would still be 25 – young by NBA standards – at that juncture.
Wednesday was a highly emotional day for Kidd-Gilchrist and his family. His mother frequently dabbed away tears during the news conference. He thanked numerous people including team owner Michael Jordan, the coaching staff and his family and agents.
“I’m learning from the best: MJ, Coach (Steve Clifford), Patrick Ewing, Mark Price,” Kidd-Gilchrist said.
Price, now coaching the Charlotte 49ers, was the Hornets assistant who worked diligently two summers ago to fix Kidd-Gilchrist’s jump shot. Price and Kidd-Gilchrist became so close through that experience that Kidd-Gilchrist skipped a team flight last season, flying to Washington later in the day at his own expense, to attend Price’s introductory news conference at UNC Charlotte.
Price returned that respect Wednesday, attending Kidd-Gilchrist’s news conference.
While Kidd-Gilchrist is still developing offensively (he averaged 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds last season), he’s among the NBA’s top wing defenders. He told the Observer last season he aspires to be the best defender in NBA history, and didn’t back off that goal Wednesday.
“Aim for the stars; you’ll probably land on the moon. I have confidence in myself,” Kidd-Gilchrist said.
So does Clifford. In discussing Kidd-Gilchrist’s potential Clifford said Wednesday he should be first-team all-defense next season.
For the second straight off-season Hornets general manager Rich Cho signed a core player to an extension before that player ever reached free-agency. Last summer it was point guard Kemba Walker, who received a four-season, $48 million extension.
“It’s really important to have continuity. These are two guys we really want to build around,” Cho said. “MKG embodies everything we want in a Hornet.
“We both wanted the same thing – for MKG to be here,” Cho said of the negotiations. “We wanted to get this done early, to lock him up.”
Added Leon Rose, one of Kidd-Gilchrist’s agents, “Really it all begins with Michael. Those were his wishes, to be here if a deal could be struck that he was comfortable with. So both sides were trying to do it.”
Bonnell: 704-358-5129; @rick_bonnell
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Welcome to the NBA’s new normal.
Monday night the Charlotte Hornets came to terms with small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on a four-season, $52 million contract extension that takes him off next summer’s free-agent market.
There is nothing cheap about guaranteeing a good-but-not great player $13 million a season. But that reflects the sudden spike in national television revenue the NBA is about to experience.
This coming season each team’s salary cap will be roughly $70 million, with some teams paying far beyond that using various cap exceptions. The projected cap for the 2016-17 season will be nearly $90 million, thanks primarily to new national television deals signed with Disney (ABC/ESPN) and Turner Broadcasting. The cap for 2017-18 could hit about $100 million per team.
Plenty happened the past three months in anticipation of that revenue spike. Enes Kanter, a player the Utah Jazz traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder to make room for center Rudy Gobert, received a stunning $70 million offer sheet from the Portland Trail Blazers. The Thunder matched.
That was no isolated example. Small forward DeMarre Carroll, arguably the fourth-best player on the Atlanta Hawks’ roster, got $60 million guaranteed over four seasons from the Toronto Raptors. Danny Green, a player who initially struggled to stick with the San Antonio Spurs, got a four-year, $45 million extension.
Teams are aggressively re-signing their draft picks. Anthony Davis became the NBA’s highest-paid player when the New Orleans Pelicans extended him for $145 million over five seasons. Portland point guard Damian Lillard received $120 million over five seasons.
This is the second consecutive offseason in which the Hornets pre-emptively signed a player approaching restricted free agency. Last October the Hornets gave point guard Kemba Walker a four-year, $48 million extension.
The message is clear: Protect core assets before they hit the open market because retaining them later will only be more costly.
That’s not how this franchise functioned previously. They made Emeka Okafor, first pick in franchise history, wait until he was a restricted free agent. Same with Gerald Wallace through Gerald Henderson.
But Vice Chairman Curtis Polk indicated a change in strategy during an April interview with the Observer, saying “MKG has shown incredible growth as far as making himself more rounded. At some point we have to make a decision on making a commitment to him off his rookie deal next year.
“Because of the TV deal,” Polk added, “your long-range planning is going to have a lot more competitors than it once did.”
The case for and against this decision:
After a 7-59 season, the worst in NBA history, the Hornets didn’t get rewarded with the top pick, which would have been Kentucky star Davis. Wildcats teammate MKG became the consolation prize at No. 2 in the 2012 draft.
He’s flawed offensively, but he’s among the NBA’s top individual and help defenders, according to Hornets coach Steve Clifford. At 7.6 boards per game, he’s elite among small-forward rebounders.
He isn’t easily satisfied. In an interview last season with the Observer, Kidd-Gilchrist said he aspires to be the greatest defender in NBA history.
“I want to say ever. Not just in the league (now),” Kidd-Gilchrist said. “The best defender this league has seen.”
It’s hard to quantify what Kidd-Gilchrist’s defense does, but here is a statistic that always makes coaches and players take notice:
The last two regular seasons the Bobcats/Hornets were 12-32 when Kidd-Gilchrist didn’t play. They were 70-50 when he did.
Kidd-Gilchrist has called himself the Hornets’ “middle linebacker,” which is accurate. The problem with that is basketball isn’t a two-unit sport where he can play just defense.
He entered the NBA with such a technically flawed jump shot that former Hornets assistant coach Mark Price said, “He needed all-out, full-blow reconstructive surgery.”
Price, now coaching the Charlotte 49ers, and Kidd-Gilchrist worked hard two summers ago on that shot. Kidd-Gilchrist reached a point where he was somewhat reliable from 18 feet and in, although he never attempted a 3-pointer last season, a rarity among NBA small forwards.
His inability to make 3s impedes one of his major strengths – good enough ball-handling to get to the rim on a regular basis. So his scoring average – 10.9 points per game last season – drops him below many peers at his position.
The Hornets paid a premium to retain what they consider a core asset: $13 million per season might seem a bit pricey now. It could prove to be a bargain in this coming age of NBA funny money.
Bonnell: 704-358-5129; @rick_bonnell
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Gerald Henderson figured something big was up as he awoke from a late-afternoon nap June 24. His phone was suddenly packed with new text messages and emails.
He figured the first one to read was from his agent. The message was brief and pointed: “You’re being moved. Call me.”
This was no shock. In his six seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets, Henderson came to recognize trades are this franchise’s most common move. Since the expansion franchise’s inception the summer of 2004, this front office has made 38 deals.
So when Henderson was informed he and forward Noah Vonleh would be sent to the Portland Trail Blazers in return for Nic Batum, he took it in stride.
“I’d say not much of a surprise,” said Henderson, who was the Hornets’ longest-tenured player before the trade. “I’d seen a whole lot of teammates traded. I guess the only surprise was me opting in (to a final $6 million season on his contract) and then it happened so soon.
“It was not so much about being traded as where I was going. This is a contract year. I wanted to be at a place with opportunity, a good organization and potentially a chance to win. I got all those things in Portland.”
Four seasons earlier Henderson’s then-mentor, Gerald Wallace, was also traded to the Trail Blazers. The last thing Wallace did before departing was tell Stephen Jackson to watch out for Henderson.
Now Henderson is similarly leaving behind deep ties. Point guard Kemba Walker is one of his best friends, and he’s also close with small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Team owner Michael Jordan has acted as another mentor. He became tight with strength-and-conditioning coach Matt Friia and head athletic trainer Steve Stricker, who kept him strong and fit over 82-game seasons.
Also he’d developed a respect for Hornets coach Steve Clifford that transcended whether he was a starter or a reserve in the previous two seasons.
“Cliff is my kind of coach,” Henderson said. “He’s all about the work. He puts so much into the job. You could tell during the season when he hadn’t slept.
“Cliff is an intense cat. He’d tell you when you were playing well and he’d tell you when you weren’t. But you always knew where you stood. He’s transparent.”
Henderson might no longer be a Hornet, but he intends to remain a Charlottean. Six years in, it feels like home, just down the road from where he played college ball at Duke. To that end, he’ll have his second annual charity golf tournament Monday at Trump National in Mooresville.
The tournament will again benefit “A Child’s Place,” which serves homeless children in the Charlotte area. Henderson grew up in the Philadelphia area in a wealthy family after his father played 13 NBA seasons. He says the options he had make him conscious of the struggle other kids have financially reaching their potential.
“All kids have talent, whether it’s academic or the arts or sports,” Henderson said. “It’s just unfair not to be able to maximize that talent.”
Now it’s Henderson’s challenge to maximize his talent in Portland. The advantage he’s always had in Charlotte is familiarity; he might have played for four head coaches, but he was always headed to the same facility, a 10-to-15 minute drive away.
He’s curious and invigorated regarding the unknown. The Trail Blazers tore up their roster once it became apparent star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge wasn’t re-signing there. Portland gave point guard Damian Lillard a five-year, $120 million contract extension and the other four starters from last season have scattered around the NBA.
Henderson appears penciled in as the new starting shooting guard.
“Trades are part of this business,” Henderson concluded. “You can’t think about the what-ifs, what this team could have been. You just start over.”
Bonnell: 704-358-5129; @rick_bonnell
The second-annual Gerald Henderson charity golf tournament starts Monday at 10 a.m. at Trump National with a shotgun start. Twenty-three celebrities and 130 participants played in the initial event. Last summer the tournament raised over $70,000 for “A Child’s Place,” which aids homeless youths in the Charlotte area. Donations will be accepted at www.childrenfamily.org/donate
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