Category: Charlotte Hornets Blog

The Hornets on Sunday exercised their third-year option on forward/center Frank Kaminsky.

“We are excited to keep Frank Kaminsky as a part of our team’s core,” said Hornets General Manager Rich Cho. “We have been very pleased with Frank’s development both offensively and defensively. We look forward to what he will continue to contribute to our organization while evolving into an even better player.”

The 23-year-old Kaminsky (7-0, 242, Wisconsin) enters his second NBA season after appearing in 81 games (three starts) as a rookie in 2015-16, averaging 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 17.3 minutes per game. He scored in double-digits 23 times including two games of 20-or-more scored and nine games of 15-plus points. Kaminsky was selected by the Hornets ninth overall in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft.

The Charlotte Hornets have waived forward Perry Ellis, guard Rasheed Sulaimon and center Mike Tobey.
Ellis (6-8, 225, Kansas) signed with the Hornets on Sept. 23 after going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft. Ellis appeared in one preseason game and totaled four minutes of playing time.

Sulaimon (6-4, 190, Maryland) signed with the Hornets on Sept. 7 and played in four preseason contests. He averaged 1.5 points and 1.3 assists in 8.6 minutes per game.

Tobey (7-0, 260, Virginia) originally signed with the Hornets on July 25, 2016 after going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft. The former Virginia Cavalier appeared in two games for the Hornets in the preseason and averaged 6.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game. Tobey appeared in five games for the Hornets in the 2016 Orlando Pro Summer League averaging 10.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 20.8 minutes per game.

The team’s roster stands at 15

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has waived guard Andrew Andrews.

Andrews (6-2, 200, Washington) signed with the Hornets on Sept. 7 and appeared in three games, averaging 4.0 points on .429 percent from the field, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 10.4 minutes per contest.

The team’s roster now stands at 18.

Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today the team’s 2016 training camp roster and signing of Perry Ellis.

Ellis, a 2016 Consensus All-America Second Team member and two-time All-Big 12 First Team (2016, 2015) standout, appeared in 38 games for Kansas during his senior campaign, averaging 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 30.3 minutes per game. For his four-year career, the Wichita, Kan., native appeared in 144 total games, averaging 12.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game, leaving Kansas as the eighth all-time leading scorer (1,798).

The training camp roster now stands at 19.

The Hornets unveiled their new main arena scoreboard, four corner-hung auxiliary boards and double-ring LED ribbon boards.

The new center-hung scoreboard, which is one of the biggest in the NBA, consists entirely of high definition electronic LED panels, with the screen forming the entire face of the scoreboard. The two sideline boards are the tallest in the NBA at 25.2’ high x 42.8’ wide, while the two baseline boards are 18’ high x 31.3’ wide. In terms of square footage, the sideline boards are 180% larger and the baseline boards are 50% larger than the screens on the previous scoreboard, providing Hornets fans with an enhanced game experience. The panels on the previous center-hung scoreboard each measured 16’ high x 24’ wide.

Additionally, the new scoreboard has two underbelly screens measuring 9.8’ high x 16.5’ wide to provide a better view for those fans sitting in courtside and lower-level club seats. The underbelly screens are the largest in the NBA.

The new 1080p high-definition video displays boast a 70% increase in resolution from the former scoreboard, making the new scoreboard one of the highest-quality displays in the NBA.

The Hornets today signed guards Andrew Andrews and Rasheed Sulaimon. The Hornets roster now stands at 18 players.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume these are non-guaranteed contracts that merely bring these two players to training camp, which opens in a few weeks.

As a senior at the University of Washington last season, the 6-2 Andrews averaged career highs of 20.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 33.8 minutes per game. During his final collegiate campaign, he ranked first in the Pac-12 in scoring per contest and fourth in assists per game, earning 2015-16 All-Pac-12 First Team honors. The Portland, Ore., native appeared in 128 career games during his four-year career, owning averages of 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals in 30.7 minutes per game. He left Washington as the school’s all-time leader in free throws made (578) and ranked third all-time in points (1,812).

The 6-4 Sulaimon finished his collegiate career at Maryland in 2015-16, appearing in 36 games with averages of 11.3 points on .425 shooting from three-point range, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 32.9 minutes per game, garnering a 2015-16 All-Big Ten honorable mention. Prior to his senior season, the Houston native spent three years at Duke (2012-15), playing in 90 total games with averages of 10.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 25.6 minutes per contest. He was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team following the 2012-13 season.

Andrews will wear No. 1 and Sulaimon will wear No. 6 for Charlotte.

The Hornets have signed guard/forward Treveon Graham.

“We were impressed by Treveon’s play last season in the D-League and followed him closely during his four-year career at VCU,” said Hornets General Manager Rich Cho. “We are excited to add someone with Treveon’s ability on both sides of the ball to our training camp roster.”

The Hornets have Nic Batum at shooting guard, Marco Belinelli as a backup, and the often-injured Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at small forward.

The 6-5 Graham appeared in 46 games (20 starts) for the Idaho Stampede in the NBA D-League last season, averaging 15.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 30.4 minutes per contest. He recorded four double-doubles and tallied 11 games with 20-plus points, including four games with 30-or-more. Graham most recently competed with the Utah Jazz at the 2016 Samsung NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and with the Orlando Magic at the 2016 Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League, earning 2016 All-Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League honors.

The Washington, D.C. native spent four seasons at Virginia Commonwealth (2011-15), where he posted career averages of 13.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 25.4 minutes per game. Graham earned consecutive All-Atlantic 10 First Team accolades in 2014-15 and 2013-14, while also being named the 2015 Atlantic 10 Tournament MVP. He was also selected to the 2013 All-Atlantic 10 Second Team as a sophomore. He left VCU ranked fifth all-time in scoring with 1,667 career points.

NBA legend and Hornets majority owner Michael Jordan is trying to do some good. Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting:

Charlotte Hornets majority owner Michael Jordan is once again in the news for giving away money, this time in response to the racial unrest between African-Americans and the law enforcement community.

In a lengthy letter published Monday on the The Undefeated website, Jordan said he is giving $1 million each to two organizations that he says are working to build trust between blacks and law enforcement: the Institute for Community-Police Relations, launched in May by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Noel Gillespie has been named head coach of the Greensboro Swarm, the Charlotte Hornets’ new NBA Development League affiliate. Gillespie brings more than 14 years of NBA experience to Greensboro, including the last six as a full-time assistant coach.

“We are very excited to have Noel Gillespie as the head coach of our new D-League team,” said Hornets General Manager Rich Cho. “His impressive background in player development and his significant experience make him an ideal fit for this role. We are confident that he will be a great leader for the Swarm and will work well with Coach Clifford and the Hornets coaching staff in recognizing and growing potential talent within our system.”

Gillespie joins the Swarm from the Denver Nuggets, where he has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach. Prior to his time in Denver, he spent 10 seasons with the Phoenix Suns. Gillespie started with the Suns in 2003-04, spending one season as assistant video coordinator and four seasons as video coordinator before becoming the team’s advance scout in 2008-09. He was promoted to assistant coach and advance scout in 2009-10, spending one season in the role before being named a full-time assistant coach starting with the 2010-11 season. In 2007, while with the Suns, he was an assistant coach for the Western Conference All-Star Team and the sophomore team at the Rookie Challenge during All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas.

Gillespie is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He got his start in the NBA as a video assistant with the Indiana Pacers in 2001-02 and served as a graduate assistant coach at Florida State University in 2002-03 before joining the Suns.

“I’m honored and excited to become a part of this organization and coach in Greensboro, a city that shares my passion for the sport of basketball,” said Gillespie. “To coach players and create an environment that allows them to reach their full potential is a great opportunity that I am very enthusiastic about.”