Charlotte Hornets Blog – Page 31 – NBA Blog

Hornets sign Gordon Hayward to offer sheet (Jazz can choose to match)

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has extended an offer sheet to restricted free-agent forward Gordon Hayward. According to multiple reports, the deal is for $63 million over four years — a larger offer than anyone expected Hayward to get. In accordance with the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, Hayward’s current team, the Utah Jazz, will have three days to match the offer.

The 6-8 Hayward saw action in 77 games for the Jazz last year, averaging career highs of 16.2 points, 5.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 36.4 minutes. He led the team in scoring and minutes played, ranked second in assists and was tied for third in rebounds. In his fourth NBA season, Hayward posted career highs in nearly every statistical category, including games played (77), minutes (2800), points (1248), field goals (426), field goal attempts (1032), free throws (311), free throw attempts (381), total rebounds (391), offensive rebounds (62), defensive rebounds (329), assists (400) and steals (110).

Hayward scored in double figures 63 times, grabbed double-figure rebounds in seven games and handed out double-figure assists on six occasions, tallying nine double-doubles. He also recorded single-game career highs of 37 points (Jan. 7 vs. Oklahoma City), 13 rebounds (Dec. 13 at Denver) and 12 assists (Nov. 25 vs. Chicago) during the 2013-14 season.

The ninth overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Hayward has played in 287 games during his four-year career, all with the Jazz. He has career averages of 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 28.4 minutes, with shooting percentages of .436 from the field (1171-2684), .365 from beyond the three-point line (277-759) and .813 from the free-throw line (816-1004). He has scored in double figures 174 times, including 45 games of 20 points or more and four games of 30 points or more.

Cody Zeller hopes Hornets do land Gordon Hayward

Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting on the Hornets. That’s right, the Hornets. There aren’t Bobcats around anymore. Not in NBA basketball, at least. Get used to it. The Hornets. Charlotte Hornets. Anyway, here:

Would free-agent forward-guard Gordon Hayward be a good fit with the Charlotte Hornets?

No, Hornets forward Cody Zeller replied Wednesday; Hayward would be a “perfect” fit.

“I love his game. He plays really fundamental basketball, creates a lot for his teammates,” Zeller said following summer-league practice.

“(Passing is) one of his talents. And he shoots really well and he’s big for a guard. I think he’d be perfect for us.”

Hayward, 6-foot-8, who played his first four seasons with the Utah Jazz, has agreed to sign a four-year, $63 million offer sheet with the Hornets once the NBA’s moratorium on signings ends Thursday. The Observer reported the Hornets’ agreement with Hayward early Wednesday morning.

Jarred Shaw added to Hornets summer league roster

Here’s the Deseret News reporting on the Jazz summer league squad:

Former Utah State men’s basketball player Jarred Shaw will be a member of the Charlotte Hornets NBA Summer League roster.

The NBA Summer League will be held July 11-21 in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Thomas and Mack Center and COX Pavilion on the UNLV campus. Each team will play no fewer than five games, including three preliminary games before beginning the seeded tournament on July 16.

Heat, Hornets swap Shabazz Napier, PJ Hairston in draft-day trade

The Miami Heat announced today that they have acquired the draft rights to guard Shabazz Napier (24th overall) from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the draft rights to P.J. Hairston (26th overall) and Semaj Christon (55th overall), a 2019 second-round draft choice and cash considerations.

“Shabazz Napier is a winner, he’s a two-time NCAA champion and he’s one of the elite players in college basketball,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “We feel very fortunate we were able to acquire him and we feel like he fits in extremely well. He has a high motor, high basketball IQ, is a great shooter and has great character.”

Napier, a two-time NCAA champion, appeared in a school-record 143 career games (98 starts) for the Huskies and averaged 13.7 points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.76 steals and 32.3 minutes while shooting 41.1 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 81.3 percent from the foul line. He totaled 1,959 points while dishing out 646 assists, becoming the only player in school history to total at least 1,500 points and 500 assists.

During his senior season, Napier helped lead UConn to the 2014 NCAA Championship after appearing in 40 games (all starts) and averaging 18.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.83 steals and 35.1 minutes while shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 40.5 percent from three-point range and 87 percent from the foul line. He was named the 2014 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and earned the 2014 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award. Additionally, he was a unanimous All-Conference First Team selection and named to the AP All-American First Team. He led his team in points (720), rebounds (196), assists (195), steals (73), field goals made (213), three-point field goals made (87) and free throws made (207) while capping his senior season averaging 21.2 points during the NCAA tournament, earning the Final Four and East Regional Most Outstanding Player honors.

Charlotte Hornets hire Steve Hetzel as assistant coach

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has added Steve Hetzel as an assistant coach on the staff of Head Coach Steve Clifford.

Hetzel joins the Hornets after spending last season as head coach of the Canton Charge in the NBA D-League. Under Hetzel’s leadership, the Charge posted a 28-22 record, finishing second in the East Division and earning the seventh seed in the D-League playoffs.

Before moving to Canton, Hetzel spent four seasons with the Detroit Pistons as player development coach, where he was responsible for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of individual players and assisting with their growth throughout the season. Prior to joining the Pistons, Hetzel served as video coordinator for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2006-09. He got his start in the NBA as assistant video coordinator with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005-06.

Insight on why Rod Higgins left the Hornets

Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting on the Hornets (the former Bobcats):

Owner Michael Jordan’s decision to give more power to general manager Rich Cho led to Rod Higgins leaving the Charlotte Hornets.

The Hornets abruptly announced Higgins’ departure as president of basketball operations just past midnight Friday, two weeks before the June 26 draft.

In an exclusive interview with the Charlotte Observer, Jordan said Friday that he recently offered Higgins a new contract and that they had agreed on financial terms. Then, about a week ago, Jordan told Higgins he wanted to rearrange some job responsibilities to better fit Higgins’ and Cho’s skill sets.

“Rod’s strong points are working with the coaches and the trainers, traveling with the team,” Jordan said. “He was my buffer zone with the coaches. I didn’t want to overwhelm them with ideas, so I’d work with Rod on that.”

Jordan said he wants Cho, with a background as an attorney, dealing more with budgets and managing the salary cap.

Rod Higgins steps down as Hornets president of basketball operations

The Charlotte Hornets today announced that Rod Higgins has stepped down as the team’s President of Basketball Operations, effective immediately.

“I would like to thank Rod for his seven years of dedication to this organization,” said Charlotte Hornets Chairman Michael Jordan. “Rod has been a consummate professional throughout his time with the team. Thanks to his hard work and commitment, we have an improved roster and we are poised for success in the future. Rod was of great help to me as I navigated my first four years as majority owner of this franchise. I wish him all the best.”

Rich Cho will remain in his capacity as General Manager and assume responsibility for the team’s basketball operations. He will report to Jordan and Vice Chairman Curtis Polk.

Charlotte Hornets to play 2014 preseason game in Greenville, South Carolina

Hornets Sports & Entertainment President & COO Fred Whitfield today announced that the Charlotte Hornets will play a regional home contest in Greenville, SC, for the first time as part of the team’s 2014 preseason schedule. The Hornets will take on the Washington Wizards on Friday, October 10, at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The game will tip off at 7:00 p.m.

“As we transition to the Charlotte Hornets, we continue to look for opportunities to bring NBA basketball to cities across the Carolinas,” said Whitfield. “We are pleased to be playing in Greenville for the first time and are excited to showcase our games to new locations throughout the region.”

Rashad McCants says he barely studied at UNC and took bogus classes

Here’s ESPN.com with a fun report about Rashad McCants and life as a “student-athlete” basketball star at UNC:

Rashad McCants, the second-leading scorer on the North Carolina basketball team that won the 2004-05 national title, told ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” that tutors wrote his term papers, he rarely went to class for about half his time at UNC, and he remained able to play largely because he took bogus classes designed to keep athletes academically eligible.

McCants told “Outside the Lines” that he could have been academically ineligible to play during the championship season had he not been provided the assistance. Further, he said head basketball coach Roy Williams knew about the “paper-class” system at UNC. The so-called paper classes didn’t require students to go to class; rather, students were required to submit only one term paper to receive a grade.

McCants also told “Outside the Lines” that he even made the Dean’s List in Spring 2005 despite not attending any of his four classes for which he received straight-A grades. He said advisers and tutors who worked with the basketball program steered him to take the paper classes within the African-American Studies program.

McCants’ allegations mirror and amplify many of those first made public in 2011, when the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer began to report about widespread academic fraud at UNC. The scandal has centered on the African-American Studies classes that many athletes took in order to remain eligible. The newspaper reported in December 2012 that basketball players on the national championship team accounted for 15 enrollments in the classes. A UNC internal investigation found that 54 classes in the department of African and Afro-American Studies were either “aberrant” or “irregularly” taught from summer 2007 to summer 2011. That investigation only went back to 2007, according to the school’s review, because the two senior associate deans who conducted the probe were told by Karen Gil, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, to focus on that time frame.

Gerald Henderson undergoes wrist surgery

Charlotte Hornets guard Gerald Henderson underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right wrist to remove scar tissue. The surgery was performed at the Duke University Medical Center by Dr. David Ruch. Henderson’s wrist will be immobilized for approximately two weeks before he begins the rehabilitation process.

Henderson averaged 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 32.0 minutes per game in 77 contests (all starts) for Charlotte last season. The No. 12 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Henderson has played in 311 career games for Charlotte.