Reaction To Charlotte Hornets’ Draft And Trades
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin) gets a hug from friends and family after being selected as the number nine overall pick to the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
I will admit that when the clock was ticking on the Hornets with Justise Winslow still there I was feeling giddy about the possibility of the Charlotte Hornets being able to select him. Shock was my only reaction when the Hornets passed on Winslows to draft Kaminsky. I was high on Kaminsky (take a look at my pre draft article on him) but I was not high on him if Winslow was still there.
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I have since calmed down a little bit and realized that Kaminsky is going to fit exactly what the Hornets need with his pick and roll/pop game. Kaminsky is the perfect fit for the Hornets but selecting him could spell the end for Cody Zeller.
Saturday, July 4th, 2015 at 3:00 PM EST will be our first look, hopefully, at Kaminsky in action for the Hornets as they play in the Orlando Summer League games. It is funny that the Hornets made all these trades before the draft as if they knew Kaminsky would be there and that they were taking him.
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I see a mix between Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki in Kaminsky’s game and I feel as if at some point in his career he will be an all-star for the Hornets. If I am wrong so be it I just have a feeling that him and Kemba Walker are going to make a lot of teams sweat. Kemba will finally have a guy who can pick and roll or pick and pop all the way to the three point line. In the summer league I expect Kaminsky to show exactly why he was picked. The Hornets are done with project picks for now and want more polished picks and that is why they passed on Winslow.
Now on to the topic of the trades the Hornets have done recently. Spencer Hawes was added to the roster in the Lance Stephenson trade and should serve as a back up to Big Al. Hawes will allow the team to change it up with more scoring off the bench which was a huge weakness last season.
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Trading for Hawes almost assures that the Hornets will not resign Bismack Biyombo. The trade for Hawes was not the only trade that Rich “Trade Happy” Cho (a nickname I will give him for now) completed this offseason. Right before the draft Cho acquired Nicolas Batum for Noah Vonleh and Gerald Henderson (Hendo). Cho also acquired Jeremy Lamb for the expiring contract of Luke Ridnour (Yes we traded for Ridnour using Matt Barnes’ contract).
Batum is a good fit beside Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for the time being. He can hit the three ball although he is not a lights out shooter and he can play very good defense. I wonder though about giving up Batum for Vonleh and if that will come back to haunt us because of how quick we gave up on Vonleh. Batum also could turn out to be a one year rental because he is on the last year of his contract. Either way Batum will help make a push to put us back in the playoffs next season and I will look forward to watching him play with us.
Lamb is a intriguing player as far as fitting a need is concerned. Lamb can shoot average from the three point line but he also can handle the ball some. I could see Lamb becoming the back up point guard and running the second unit if we do not resign Mo Williams. He has yet to reach his potential and could become a reliable back up PG with size to be a change up to Kemba. I like all the moves the Hornets did even though I have my worries about Batum in the long run staying with us. I think with the roster the Hornets have now they could compete for the playoffs next season. Go Hornets!