Five players the Greensboro Swarm should consider signing

Yogi Ferrell

Ferrell, the former Indiana Hoosier point guard, was recently waived by the Brooklyn Nets on October 21 after he making three appearances in preseason. Ferrell was cut due to the experienced NBA players above him at the point guard position, Jeremy Lin and Greivis Vasquez.

The first trait that Ferrell can bring to the Swarm is his high basketball IQ. This allows him to play extended minutes while limiting his total fouls. In his four seasons at Indiana, Ferrell averaged 2.1 fouls per game, and never recorded higher than 60 fouls in one season. To put that into perspective, only eight Hornets who played in double-digit games averaged fewer than Ferrell’s 2.1 fouls per game.

The second thing Ferrell brings is positive assist-to-turnover ratio; Ferrell averaged a two to one assist ratio during his career at Indiana. Only Nicolas Batum and Kemba Walker averaged a higher assist-to-turnover ratio last season for the Hornets.

Finally, Ferrell’s ability to fill the stat sheet makes him an intriguing prospect. Per 40 minutes, he averaged 17.7 points. Only three players — Kemba Walker, Al Jefferson, and Troy Daniels — averaged a higher points per 36 minutes; Walker (21.1), Jefferson (18.5), and Daniels (18.3).

College Stats: 137 GP, 14.5ppg 3.2rpg 4.6apg 43.2 FG% 39.9 3PT% 83.0 FT%

Keith Hornsby

Hornsby, the former LSU Tiger shooting guard, was recently waived by the Dallas Mavericks on October 22 because they “already boast a fairly deep backcourt.”

Though his NBA numbers in the preseason were underwhelming — he only averaged 3.2 points per game and 1.4 rebounds per game on 28 percent overall shooting — there are still many good things that Hornsby can bring to the Swarm.

Hornsby’s ability to hit 3-pointers would be tremendously helpful to the Swarm; he made 41.5 percent of his three pointers during his senior season. To put that into perspective, only Troy Daniels made a higher percentage of his 3-pointers for the Hornets last season.

His offensive rating per 100 possessions, as you might expect, was also quite good. During his senior season Hornsby finished with a 121.9 offensive rating, a rating that would rank higher than all but one player who suited up for Hornets last season — and that player was Jorge Gutierrez.

College Stats: 117 GP, 11.0ppg 3.3rpg 1.8apg 43.9 FG% 39.0 3PT% 82.9 FT%

Vince Hunter

Hunter, the former Memphis Grizzles forward, was waived on October 20. Hunter already has experience playing the NBA D-League and that could be important for the year-one Greensboro Swarm organization.

Last year, Hunter averaged 21.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 1.4 assists in 31.9 minutes per game for the Reno Bighorns. He also shot 58.9 percent from the floor and 65.9 percent from the free throw line.

Hunter’s player efficiency rating with the Bighorns is what I believe separates Hunter from other available players. Hunter had a 25.7 rating which was good for second best in the NBA D-League last season.

Hunter has experience playing in the NBA Summer League as well, making stops with the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzles, and Los Angeles Clippers.

While a member of 76ers summer league squad in 2015, Hunter averaged 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game. He shot 55.6 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from the free throw line.

The following summer, Hunter earned a spot on the Grizzles and Clippers summer league teams. He averaged 8.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game.

Hunter also possess a 6-11 wingspan, a 37.5 inch vertical jump, and 3.26 second time for a three quarter sprint (2015 NBA Draft Combine results).

Jaleel Cousins

The younger brother of Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, Jaleel Cousins was waived on Saturday October 22.

Cousins, prior to earning a preseason roster spot with the Mavericks, spent the summer with the Orlando Magic summer league team. In Cousins’s five appearances with the Magic, he averaged 5.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 60 percent from the free throw line.

Before coming to the NBA, Cousins played two collegiate seasons for the University of South Florida under head coach Orlando Antigua.

Cousins made 65 career appearances playing 18.3 minutes per game for the Bulls while recording averages of 5.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks and shooting 45.8 percent from the floor and 53.6 percent from the free throw line.

Cousins has skill on the defensive end of the floor as his defensive rating during his sophomore season at USF was 100.9 per 100 possessions. That is only 1.1 points lower than Cody Zeller’s and Al Jefferson’s 102.0 defensive rating last season with the Hornets.

Jordan Farmar

The Kings trimmed their roster down to 15 on October 24, and one of the players waived was none other than Jordan Farmar.

Farmar was added in the offseason as insurance in the backcourt, according to ABC10.com’s Sean Cunningham.

Farmar should be a player the Greensboro Swarm consider signing because of his veteran leadership and NBA experience.

Farmar, the 26th overall pick by the Lakers in the 2006 NBA Draft, has played nine seasons in the NBA with the Lakers, Nets, Clippers, and Grizzles. During his nine seasons in the league, Farmar has made 502 appearances with a career averages of 7.7 points, 2.9 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 42.3 percent from the floor, 37.4 percent on 3-pointers, and 73.9 percent from the free throw line.

Farmar also won two NBA Championships during his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

Farmar would bring additional veteran leadership on and off the court to the Swarm alongside with recently added veteran Damien Wilkins, according to Chris Reichert’s report.

Outlook

Personally, I would like to see all five players get a contract with the Greensboro Swarm. Each brings a different set of traits and skills that the Swarm could benefit from and would be a stepping stone for the years to come.

What are your thoughts on these five players? Share your opinion in the comment section below.