Charlotte Hornets Blog – Page 44 – NBA Blog

Bobcats trade Matt Carroll to Hornets for Hakim Warrick

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has acquired forward Hakim Warrick from the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for guard Matt Carroll.

“We are very excited to add a player of Hakim’s ability and overall NBA experience,” said Higgins. “His athleticism allows him to play multiple positions, which will make for a smooth transition into our current roster and style of play under Coach Mike Dunlap.”

Currently in his eighth NBA season, the 6-9 Warrick has career averages of 9.5 points and 4.1 rebounds, along with a career field goal percentage of .494 (1710-3464), in 499 games for the Grizzlies, Bucks, Bulls, Suns and Hornets. He saw action in one game this season for New Orleans, scoring four points in seven minutes played, after being acquired by the Hornets in July in a three-team trade that also involved the Suns and Timberwolves. Warrick, who was originally selected by the Grizzlies with the 19th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, has averaged double-figure scoring in three of his seven previous seasons.

Carroll was acquired by the Bobcats from Dallas with Erick Dampier and Eduardo Najera on July 13, 2010, in exchange for Tyson Chandler and Alexis Ajinca. In 459 career NBA games with Portland, San Antonio, Charlotte and Dallas, Carroll has averages of 6.6 points and 1.9 rebounds, while connecting on .384 from three-point line and .841 from the free-throw line. Carroll, who previously played for the Bobcats from 2005-09, ranks second on the team’s all-time three-point percentage (.384) and free-throw percentage lists (.841). He also ranks third in three-point field goals made (338) and games played (397). Carroll initially signed with the Bobcats as a free agent on Feb. 23, 2005 after being called up from the NBA D-League.

“Matt Carroll has been a consummate professional both on and off the court during his tenures in Charlotte and we would like to thank him for everything he added to our franchise,” said Higgins. “We wish him well in New Orleans.”

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Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson out 2-4 weeks

The Charlotte Bobcats announced today that guard Gerald Henderson could miss approximately 2-4 weeks after further examination on his left foot confirmed the mid-foot sprain he suffered November 3 at Dallas.

Through two games, Henderson is averaging 12.5 points, 3.0 steals, 2.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 28.0 minutes.

According to the Charlotte Obsever, “I drove down the middle of the lane and got fouled. I slipped, and my foot kind of dragged on the ground and turned a little weird,’’ Henderson described. “I got up and felt something was wrong. I just couldn’t put a whole bunch of pressure on it, so I knew something was wrong.’’ The Bobcats will be scrambling to fill all the things Henderson does. Along with being the starting shooting guard he’s been the backup small forward this season. He’s third on the Bobcats in scoring at 12.5 points per game and sixth in the NBA in steals at three per game.”

Michael Jordan says he remains committed to Bobcats

THIS IS GOOD NEWS, CONSIDERING HE OWNS THE TEAM

Bobcats owner Michael Jordan says he’s “in it for the long haul” when it comes to seeing his struggling franchise transformed into a consistent winner.

He knows it won’t be a quick, easy process after Charlotte “hit rock bottom” last season. But the always-competitive Jordan says the franchise needs to start turning things around.

He said Thursday the Bobcats are not a playoff team now, “but we need to get the ball rolling in the right direction.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Bobcats waive Josh Owens and DaJuan Summers

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has waived forwards Josh Owens and DaJuan Summers. The Bobcats roster currently stands at 14 players.

Summers played in six preseason games, averaging 2.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 7.5 minutes. Owens did not see any game action in the preseason.

Bobcats Sports & Entertainment owns the Charlotte Bobcats and operates Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena.

Charlotte Bobcats exercise options on Bismack Biyombo and Kemba Walker

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has exercised the third-year options on forward Bismack Biyombo and guard Kemba Walker.

Biyombo was the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and his rights were acquired by the Bobcats from Sacramento in a three-team trade that also included Milwaukee. Biyombo appeared in 63 games with 41 starts as a rookie, averaging 5.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 23.1 minutes. He also led the team in rebounds and blocks last season. In seven preseason games this season, Biyombo has averaged 3.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.

Walker was selected by the Bobcats with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He appeared in 66 games as a rookie, averaging 12.2 points, 4.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 27.2 minutes. He also recorded the third triple-double in Bobcats history with 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds on Jan. 28, 2012 against Washington. In six preseason games this season, Walker has averaged 14.0 points, 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals.

Knee bruise limits Byron Mullens in Bobcats practice

Charlotte Bobcats power forward Byron Mullens was held out of contact drills at practice Monday due to continued swelling in his right knee.

Mullens sat out Saturday’s preseason loss to the Detroit Pistons with the same injury. It happened in practice Friday, in a collision with teammate Bismack Biyombo.

“Biz hurt me – he’s taking people out,’’ Mullens joked after practice. “It was a knee-to-knee thing (causing) a little bone bruise. Got a little swelling going on.’’

— Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Blog)

Bobcats hope to avoid setting NBA losing streak record

Everyone who played in Charlotte last season is now part of history. They played on the worst team, record-wise, ever in the NBA. Now, unless they win one of their first four regular-season games, they’ll set the record for the longest losing streak this league has seen.

[Gerald] Henderson seemed to take that hardest among Bobcats last season. It’s counter to his nature.

“I’m not a loser. All my life I’ve been on winning teams,” Henderson reflected recently. “When you pretty much lose every game, and you’re trying hard, that’s a tough thing to take. That record, that’s not something I wanted any part of. We’re doing everything we can not to let that happen again.”

Following a 7-59 season there’s been abundant change: The Bobcats have a new coaching staff and five new players who figure to be in the rotation. The holdovers from last season see this as a fresh start.

Still, they’re on a 23-game losing streak, and that didn’t stop with last season. If they fail to win one of their first four regular-season games they’ll break the Cleveland Cavaliers’ record, set the season after LeBron James bolted out of Ohio.

— Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer

Bobcats waive Jeff Adrien and Paris Horne

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has waived forward Jeff Adrien and guard Paris Horne.

The Bobcats roster now stands at 16 players.

NBA preseason began on Friday. The first Bobcats preseason game is Sunday afternoon against the Washington Wizards.

Bobcats add Jeff Adrien, Paris Horne, Josh Owens, DaJuan Summers to training camp

The Charlotte Bobcats have signed free agents Jeff Adrien, Paris Horne, Josh Owens and DaJuan Summers to their training camp roster.

A 6-7 forward, Adrien has appeared in 31 career NBA games over two seasons for the Warriors and Rockets, averaging 2.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game. He played in eight games with the Rockets last season, averaging 2.6 points and 2.8 rebounds.

A 6-3 guard, Horne appeared in three games with the Bobcats Summer League team in Las Vegas, averaging 5.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 20.3 minutes. He spent the 2011-12 season with BG Gottingen in Germany, where he averaged 10.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 31.1 minutes in 40 games played.

A 6-8 forward, Owens appeared in four games with the Bobcats Summer League team in Las Vegas, averaging 5.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.8 minutes. Last season as a senior at Stanford, he was named Second Team All-Pac-12 after averaging 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds, while ranking third in the conference in field goal percentage (.571).

A 6-8 forward, Summers has appeared in 81 career NBA games over three seasons for the Pistons and Hornets, averaging 3.4 points and 1.0 rebound in 10.0 minutes per game. The 35th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, he played in 15 games for the Hornets last season, averaging 4.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in 13.9 minutes.

The Bobcats training camp roster stands at 18 players.

Bobcats working out Josh Howard

Former Wake Forest forward Josh Howard is doing some workouts with the Charlotte Bobcats this week, president of basketball operations Rod Higgins confirmed.

The Bobcats’ interest in Howard is still exploratory, as they consider ways to fill out their roster. The Bobcats would like to have another power forward, and have previously considered Antawn Jamison, Kris Humphries, and Carl Landry, who all signed elsewhere. Howard, 6-7, has played both power and small forward.

— Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer