Report: Hornets to not extend Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Taylor
The Bismack Biyombo era in Charlotte appears to be over. According to reports by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, the Charlotte Hornets will not extend a qualifying offer to Biyombo that be valued at about four million dollars for next year. The Hornets also do not plan to extend a qualifying offer to forward Jeff Taylor.
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Biyombo was drafted as a project three picks ahead of Kemba Walker. The athletic African had great measurable, but not enough experience playing basketball. He was raw and not particularly skilled. Four years later his game has some of the same weaknesses that it had we came into the League. He still does not have a shooting touch to speak of.
To Biyombo’s credit, he has worked on his strengths. He was probably the best low post defender on the Hornets last year. He also was relentless on the boards when he was on the floor. There was a spurt of good play when Al Jefferson was hurt where Biyombo managed double-doubles. He also is only 22. He can still develop into a Ben Wallace type defender, but it will be on someone else’s roster.
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Biyombo got hit by two problems this off season. One was that he would be due 4 million next year. He is probably not currently worth that. The other problem was the acquisition of two big men (Spencer Hawes, Frank Kaminsky) who were brought in to play next to Big Al. That means there are five big men sitting on the depth chart on top of Biyombo. The Hornets were looking for any cap maneuvering room to do a final signing or two.
That need for cap room may also be why they did not extend a qualifying offer to Taylor either. Just as Hawes and Kaminsky have affected the status of Biyombo, so Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lamb have influenced the team need for Jeff Taylor. It did not help that Taylor was found guilty for domestic violence before last season, causing him to miss the early part of the year.