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Greetings! If you're in North Carolina then you're likely snowed in, unless of course you're like me, in coastal NC, getting all of the cold weather and none of the snow. Snowed in or not, you're likely feeling pretty good after the Charlotte Hornets' win on Wednesday over the Chicago Bulls. I'm going to keep the positive vibes going, and direct you towards what the internet is saying about the Hornets.
First up, Brett Jensen of Fox Sports South wrote about new Charlotte Hornet Mo Williams, who he says could be an an "X Factor" for the Hornets playoff push. Jensen highlights Williams' desire to come to Charlotte upon hearing of the Hornets interest, and how Al Jefferson called him up when the rumors first came out. What's interesting is how the Timberwolves agreed to a deal as a token of good faith for Williams. As Jefferson explained:
"Give credit to Minnesota," Jefferson said. "They knew they wasn't going to the playoffs and a great player like Mo deserved to have a chance to make and play in the playoffs. They really did him and us a great favor. I respect them for that."
Williams has taken full advantage of the trade, averaging 21 points a game, with a field goal percentage of 46.2 percent in the three games he's played in. The team is only 1-2 since his arrival, but if he can keep scoring the ball effectively once the team is at full strength, Williams could be crucial scoring off the bench.
Next, we turn to Scott Rafferty who wrote on how important Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is for the Hornets over at Upside Motor. As Rafferty pointed out, the Hornets are 3-13 without MKG, and 19-19 with him this season. While that might not seem like that big a difference, consider this:
While the Hornets are only a .500 squad when he is healthy, it’s the difference between them creeping into the playoffs and being the third worst team in the Eastern Conference. In other words: They’re somewhere between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks when Kidd-Gilchrist plays and are in the same vein as the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic when he doesn’t.
Hornets fans are highly aware of how much of the team's success is dependent on whether MKG plays, but its a bit fascinating how one player can make the difference between the team playing like a playoff team or as a bottom of the league lottery team. While Walker and Jefferson are often perceived as the team's most important players, it isn't a stretch to say that MKG is possibly more important than both of them.
Speaking of Walker, Rick Bonnell was given a time table by Steve Clifford as to when Walker might return:
Clifford is targeting West Coast trip that starts Mar. 16 as best-case scenario to get back Kemba Walker.
— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) February 18, 2015
This is an older tweet, but at this point we are just under three weeks until Walker could come back. We are getting closer people.
Finally, Bismack Biyombo continued to show why he is one of the best people on the planet. While in Chicago, Biyombo went out of his way to help a homeless man, buying him clothes, and taking him to dinner:
There's really nothing more that can be said. Biz is the best.
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