Hornets Extra: Hornets finally get the man they wanted in Stephenson

While you were sleeping last night, many of you had the same thing I had dreamed about over the last few weeks, and that dream was of course, the opportunity of seeing Lance Stephenson in a Charlotte Hornets uniform.  Then by the time everyone in "Buzz City" woke up this morning, our dream, and wish, finally came true, as the team and Stephenson came to terms on a three-year deal.

To us, it was kinda like watching a cloud of teal smoke coming from the chimney of "The Hive", Time Warner Cable Arena, when we all knew the signing was going to happen in the first place, after we missed out on a chance to bring Gordon Hayward to Charlotte, that was until the Utah Jazz matched our offer and thus keeping him in a Jazz uniform, but that didn't stop us from signing Marvin Williams and also signing Brian Roberts, who interestingly enough, played with the Hornets(now Pelicans) in New Orleans, and is back with the Hornets this time around here in Charlotte, last week.

A lot of us see this signing of Stephenson, who spent the last four seasons with the Indiana Pacers, is a another example of proving why Hornets owner Michael Jordan, general manager Rich Cho and head coach Steve Clifford are working on building a formula for success with the Charlotte Hornets, and some could possibly compare it to what John Schuerholz and Bobby Cox did during the Braves domination of the National League during the 1990's, and yes, Billy "Moneyball" Beane and what he's done with the Oakland Athletics over the last few years, not to mention yes, Jerry Jones and his Cowboys dynasty in the early 1990's, but I won't get into that detail anytime soon.

As a fan of this franchise, dating back to the original Hornets run from 1988-2002, and the 10 seasons of the Bobcats from 2004-14 and now beginning my second stint as a Hornets fan again, this signing is something we all hoped that would solidify the Charlotte Hornets position as possibly, an elite team in the Eastern Conference, joining the ranks of Cleveland, now that LeBron James is back home again, New York with Carmelo Anthony, and Miami, with the "Big Two" of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.  Now, when you take a closer look at the Hornets, with Stephenson joining Kemba Walker, Al Jefferson, Cody Zeller, Noah Vonleh, and P.J. Hairston, they may potentially be the talk of the NBA once the 2014-15 season starts, and some of the experts could predict that Charlotte may be a top-4, or maybe top-5 team in the Eastern Conference with Stephenson now in the fold, and this signing was indeed what we truly wanted from this organization because after all, it was us, the fans of Charlotte NBA basketball, that wanted the Hornets name back home in the first place, and with the signing of Stephenson, this may take the Hornets one step further in their plan to be a contender, not a pretender, in a competitive Eastern Conference here in the NBA, and that would make us "Born Ready" to see what will happen next for this Hornets squad in the months to come.

Hornets Summer League Extra: Hornets vs. Warriors

After 12 long years, the "Men in Teal" are back on the floor for their first game since 2002, as the Charlotte Hornets officially make their unofficial return to game action, as they take on the Golden State Warriors in the Samsung NBA Summer League opener tonight in Las Vegas.

The starters for the Hornets in their Summer League opener are as follows:

PG: Mickey McConnell

SG: P.J. Hairston

SF: Justin Brownlee

PF: Noah Vonleh

C: Jordan Bachynski

Cody Zeller won't be in the lineup for the Hornets in their Summer League opener tonight, due to his brother Tyler Zeller getting married this weekend, according to Patrick Ewing, but he is expected to join the team on Sunday.

The game tonight is not televised, but it will be show on Tape Delay on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. on NBATV.

Hornets Extra: Hornets set their 2014 Summer League roster

Yesterday afternoon, the Charlotte Hornets officially set its roster for the 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada, and among the players that will be on the roster, 2014 first-round draft picks Noah Vonleh and P.J. Hairston will be on the roster along with Cody Zeller, as they will represent the Hornets in Las Vegas, with Hornets associate head coach Patrick Ewing serving as the coach for Charlotte's summer league squad.

The squad will converge for a four-day mini camp starting next Monday and lasting through July 10th at Time Warner Cable Arena, before taking off for Las Vegas and their first game on July 11th against the Golden State Warriors at 5:30 p.m., marking the Charlotte Hornets return to the court for the first time in 12 years.  Charlotte will also take on Sacramento on July 13th at 3:00 p.m., before facing the New York Knicks on July 14th at 1:00 p.m. eastern.  

The Hornets 2014 Summer League roster is listed as follows:

CHARLOTTE HORNETS 2014 SUMMER LEAGUE ROSTER

Jordan Bachynski(Center, Arizona State)

James Bell(Guard, Villanova)

DeMon Brooks(Guard, Davidson)

Justin Brownlee(Forward, St. John's; spent last season with Erie in NBA D-League)

Josh Davis(Forward, San Diego State)

Jerome Dyson(Connecticut)

P.J. Hairston(Guard, North Carolina; spent last season with Texas Legends of the NBA D-League)

Justin Jackson(Forward, Cincinnati)

Mickey McConnell(Guard, St. Mary's; spent last season with Texas in NBA D-League)

Roberto Nelson(Guard, Oregon State)

Jarred Shaw(Center, Utah State)

Jamie Skeen(Forward, Virginia Commonwealth; spent last season with Super Basket Montegranaro in Italy)

Noah Vonleh(Forward, Indiana)

Cody Zeller(Forward/Center, Indiana; spent last season with Hornets)

CHARLOTTE HORNETS 2014 SAMSUNG SUMMER LEAGUE SCHEDULE

July 11th: Golden State Warriors(8:30 p.m., Thomas and Mack Center)

July 13th: Sacramento Kings(6:00 p.m., COX Pavilion)

July 14th: New York Knicks(4:00 p.m., Cox Pavilion)

July 16th-21st: To be determined