Category: Charlotte Hornets Blog

Hornets Blog – Charlotte Hornets blog

Hornets sign Jason Maxiell

Hornets sign Jason Maxiell

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed free agent forward Jason Maxiell. The training camp roster now stands at 18.

The 6-7 Maxiell spent last season with the Orlando Magic, averaging 3.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 14.4 minutes in 34 games.  Originally selected with the 26th overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft by Detroit, Maxiell spent his first eight seasons with the Pistons, appearing in 523 career games (175 starts), with averages of 6.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 19.1 minutes.

Over his nine-year career, Maxiell has appeared in 557 games (188 starts), averaging 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.9 minutes, while shooting .501 (204-457) from the field.

Collegiately, he averaged 12.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 129 career games for Cincinnati. While with the Bearcats, he was named Second Team All-Conference USA twice (2004 and 2005), Conference USA All-Tournament (2004), Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year (2002) and Conference USA All-Freshman Team (2002). Maxiell played in 129 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in school history, and started the last 77 contests he played.

Charlotte Hornets release statement on Jeff Taylor arrest situation

The Charlotte Hornets released the following statement regarding Jeffery Taylor:

“We have informed Jeffery Taylor that effective immediately he will not be participating in any team-related activities while the NBA is investigating his conduct in this matter. As an organization, we understand and appreciate the seriousness of this matter, and will assist the NBA and law enforcement in any way we can until this comes to an acceptable resolution. We have spoken with Jeffery and his representatives and they fully understand our position.”

Hornets add Justin Cobbs, Dallas Lauderdale, Brian Qvale to training camp roster

hornets

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Justin Cobbs, forward Dallas Lauderdale and center Brian Qvale to its training camp roster.

The training camp roster now stands at 17.

A 6-3 guard, Cobbs was not selected in the 2014 NBA Draft. As a senior at California last season, he averaged 15.6 points, 5.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds. Over his three-year career at California, he appeared in 102 games averaging 14.4 points, 5.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 34.1 minutes. Prior to joining the Golden Bears, Cobbs played one season at the University of Minnesota.

A 6-8 forward, Lauderdale was not selected in the 2011 NBA Draft. He averaged 7.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.1 blocks last season with the Idaho Stampede in the NBA D-League. Lauderdale, who also played one season professionally in Poland, spent four seasons at Ohio State, averaging 4.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 138 games.

A 6-11 center, Qvale was not selected in the 2011 NBA Draft and has spent the last three years playing internationally in Turkey, Belgium and Germany. He was named 2010-11 Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Big Sky Conference after averaging 14.9 points on .626 shooting (189-302) and 8.8 rebounds as a senior at Montana. The school’s all-time leader in blocks, Qvale appeared in 117 career games for the Grizzlies, averaging 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 23.2 minutes.

Charlotte Hornets arena will receive upgrade

Here’s the Charlotte Observer with good news about the Hornets arena:

Charlotte City Council members on Monday approved spending $33.5 million over 10 years on improvements to Time Warner Cable Arena, money that the city said it was contractually obligated to spend.

The Charlotte Hornets will use the money to renovate restaurants and bathrooms, add lower bowl seating, improve lighting and replace the scoreboard, among other improvements.

The team and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority had originally asked for nearly $50 million in public money.

Some council members Monday lauded the city for spending less than was requested, while others said they felt they were giving the NBA team a free ride.

Hornets rookie Noah Vonleh out 6-8 weeks after surgery

Hornets rookie Noah Vonleh out 6-8 weeks after surgery

Charlotte Hornets forward Noah Vonleh underwent successful surgery today to repair a sports hernia suffered in a recent workout. The surgery was performed in Charlotte by Dr. B. Todd Henneford. Vonleh is expected to miss approximately 6-8 weeks.

The ninth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Vonleh was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Third Team All-Big Ten in 2013-14 at Indiana University after averaging 11.3 points, a Big Ten-high 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 26.5 minutes per game.

Hornets sign first-round draft pick P.J. Hairston

Hornets sign first-round draft pick P.J. Hairston

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed first-round draft pick P.J. Hairston. The Hornets acquired the rights to Hairston (26th overall pick) and guard Semaj Christon (55th overall pick), along with a 2019 second-round draft pick and cash considerations, from the Miami Heat in exchange for the rights to guard Shabazz Napier (24th overall pick).

The 6-6 Hairston became the first NBA D-League player to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. He was named to the D-League All-Rookie Second Team in 2013-14 as a member of the Texas Legends. Hairston averaged 21.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 32.3 minutes, while shooting .453 from the field (183-404), .358 from beyond the three-point line (73-204) and .870 from the free-throw line (127-146). A participant in the 2014 Boost Mobile NBA D-League Three-Point Contest during NBA All-Star Weekend, Hairston posted eight games of 29 points or more, including a pair of 40-point outings.

Hairston played two seasons at the University of North Carolina, averaging 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 71 career games from 2011-13. As a sophomore in 2012-13, he led the Tar Heels in scoring, averaging 14.6 points, and posted the second-best single-season three-point field goal total in school history (89). Hairston was also selected First Team All-ACC Tournament as a sophomore.

Michael Jordan takes the ice bucket challenge

Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting on yet another famous person who has dumped very cold water on their head for a good cause:

Michael Jordan takes the ice bucket challenge

Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan accepted the ALS ice bucket challenge, going the extra mile and donating money as well as taking an ice bath.

David Beckham, Ray Allen and Derek Jeter challenged Jordan to take the challenge, which has taken on a viral nature and has raised more than $31.5 million for ALS research from July 29 to Aug. 20.

Hornets want 2017 or 2018 NBA All-Star weeekend in Charlotte

Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting on the Hornets and their desire to host NBA All-Star Weekend:

The Charlotte Hornets officially announced their bid to host the NBA all-star game on Tuesday morning. They will bid for both the 2017 and ’18 all-star games, hoping to lure one of them to Charlotte.

Team and city officials both said that Time Warner Cable Arena will need various upgrades of close to $42 million whether or not its bid succeeds for an all-star game. These would include improvements to the scoreboard and the lighting system, but other specifics were not revealed. It was also not clear whether the Hornets would make a contribution to the arena upgrades or if it would be funded entirely by hospitality tax revenue.