Charlotte Hornets Start Season with Bucks

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reports that the Charlotte Hornets will kick off the 2104 NBA Season at home against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Jabari Parker (Duke) tips his cap to the crowd while standing with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number two overall pick to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Bucks went 15-67 last year which was good enough to secure them the number 2 pick in the draft this year. That pick became Chicago native and former Duke star Jabari Parker, who will be the focal point for the team into the future.

The Bucks had a busy off season. They drafted Parker and claimed former North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall off of waivers from the Lakers. After Jason Kidd failed to get more authority with the Brooklyn Nets, the Bucks hired him to be their new coach. This happened almost before incumbent coach Larry Drew was shown the door.

The Bucks provide a nice opener for the Hornets because there are so many things they will have to fix. Defense was a problem for Milwaukee last season despite the long arms of forward John Henson and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Larry Sanders should also be healthy by then.

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For the Hornets it will be the first real game for a fleshed out roster that probably needs time to gel. Lance Stephenson, Marvin Williams, and Brian Roberts will all be playing their first games as Hornets. PJ Hairston and Noah Vonleh will be playing their first NBA games period. Hopefully this will be a Hornets win on the way to an improvement on the 43-39 season last year.

It feels so strange to say it, but the Hive will be Alive on October 29 at Time Warner Cable Arena.

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