Hornets Extra: Hornets to play preseason game in Greenville; Summer League schedule released

Hornets to play preseason game in Greenville on October 10th

Yesterday afternoon, the Charlotte Hornets announced that the team will play a preseason home game against the Washington Wizards on October 10th at 7:00 p.m. in Greenville, South Carolina at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena(formerly the Bi-Lo Center). This marks the first time that the team has played in Greenville since the franchise's founding in 2004 as the then-Charlotte Bobcats, while the original Hornets franchise played 2 preseason games in Greenville in 1999 and 2000 at the then-Bi-Lo Center.

Tickets will go on sale for the preseason game in Greenville tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena and Time Warner Cable Arena box offices, online at ticketmaster.com, or by calling 704-HORNETS(467-6387). 

Hornets Summer League schedule released

The NBA officially released its 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League schedule today, and the Hornets will open up their summer league schedule on July 11th at 8:30 p.m. against the Golden State Warriors, as the Charlotte Hornets will hit the floor for the first time since 2002.  The Hornets will also be taking on the Sacramento Kings on July 13th at 6:00 p.m. and the following night, they will square off against the New York Knicks on July 14th(4:00 p.m.)  The games on July 13th and 14th will be aired on NBA TV.

The 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League will have a tournament-style format again this year, with each team playing three-games apiece from July 11-15th, before they are seeded in the tournament round, beginning on July 16th and running up to the championship game on July 21st, with games taking place at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas

The schedule is listed as follows(all times are EDT):

• July 11th: Charlotte vs. Golden State Warriors(8:30 p.m.)
• July 13th: Charlotte vs. Sacramento Kings(6:00 p.m., NBA TV)
• July 14th: Charlotte vs. New York Knicks(4:00 p.m., NBA TV)
• July 16-21st: To be determined

Hornets Extra: Jefferson named to All-NBA third team; Hugo makes his triumphant return tomorrow

Earlier today, the NBA announced its 2013-14 All-NBA team, and among the recipients for the honor, Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson was on the list, making the All-NBA third team.  Jefferson received a total of 191 points, including four first-place votes by the media that covers the NBA on a daily basis.  The honor is the first for Jefferson, who averaged 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds for the then-Bobcats this past season, helping them to a 43-38 mark this season and to the playoffs.  He finished the season being ranked eighth in the NBA in rebounding, 11th in scoring, 23rd in field goal percentage(.509), 29th in blocks(1.1), and was tied for 30th in minutes played with 35.0

Jefferson recorded 29 games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, which is the second-best single-season total in the history of Charlotte NBA basketball since Larry Johnson recorded 32 games in the 1992-93 season for the original Charlotte Hornets franchise, with a career-best seven consecutive games from April 2nd-14th, tying "Grandmama" for the longest streak in Charlotte NBA history.

He becomes only the fifth player to be named to the All-NBA team in franchise history(dating back to the original Hornets first season in 1988-89), joining Larry Johnson(1992-93, All-NBA second team), Glen Rice(1996-97 All-NBA second team and 1997-98 All-NBA Third team), Anthony Mason(1996-97 Third Team), and Eddie Jones(1999-2000 Third Team).  Jefferson was thrilled to receive the honor, and when he came here, he wanted to turn the franchise into a contender this past season, and he delivered on his promise. "When I signed here, I had a feeling that we had a chance to do something special - and we did." Jefferson quoted.  "Looking back, we've come a long way."

Hugo the Hornet makes his long awaited return to Charlotte tomorrow

After 12 years, one of the most popular and beloved mascots in all of sports, and in NBA history, will finally make his long awaited return back home starting bright and early tomorrow morning.  Hugo the Hornet will officially be reborn at 7:30 a.m. atop the roof Time Warner Cable Arena, a.k.a. "The Hive", to begin a busy day of appearances to mark his return to "Buzz City", and to greet Hornets fans throughout the city as a way to welcome him back home to Charlotte. His appearances will include the following:

• 7:30 a.m. - On top of the Time Warner Cable Arena roof
• 9:00 a.m. - Lynx Blue Line(from Bland Street to Carson Boulevard)
• 9:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m. - Lowe's at 217 Iverson Way in South End
• 10:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m. - Charlotte Fire Department station 1(221 North Myers Street)
• 12:15 p.m.-12:45 p.m. - Hornets Social Tweet-up(The corner of Trade and Tryon Streets in Center City)
• 1:45 p.m.-2:00 p.m. - CMPD Eastway Division(3505 Central Avenue)
• 2:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m. - Rama Road Elementary(1035 Rama Road)
• 3:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital(200 Hawthorne Lane)
• 6:30 p.m. - Hornets Open House at Time Warner Cable Arena

Hornets Extra: Hornets one of 24 teams to take part in Samsung NBA Summer League

Earlier today, the NBA announced its 24 teams that will take part in the 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League from July 11-21 and among them, the Charlotte Hornets will be part of the activities, as the Hornets will return to action for the first time in 12 years.

Joining them are these teams:

• Houston Rockets
• Atlanta Hawks
• Golden State Warriors
• Miami Heat
• Philadelphia 76ers
• San Antonio Spurs
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Denver Nuggets
• Phoenix Suns
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• NBA D-League Select
• Portland Trailblazers
• Toronto Raptors
• Dallas Mavericks
• Sacramento Kings
• New York Knicks
• Washington Wizards
• Chicago Bulls
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• L.A. Lakers
• L.A. Clippers
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Utah Jazz

The games will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Thomas and Mack Center and COX Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, in a tournament-style format, beginning with preliminary action July 11-15, with the tournament rounds running up to the championship game on July 21st, to determine the 2014 NBA Summer League champion.  The games will be televised on NBA TV, with a full schedule of games to be determined later on.

Hornets Extra: Yesterday was a great day to be a Charlotte Hornets fan

Hello everyone! Welcome to this, the first installment of "Hornets Extra", a fan blog talking about the Charlotte Hornets!  In this blog, I will post my thoughts and opinions on the Hornets from a fan's point of view, and along the way, I'll discuss some of the stories and issues around the NBA.  For the first post, let's talk about what was indeed a huge day for everyone here in Charlotte yesterday.

It all began with the official announcement that we've been all waiting for, as the Charlotte Bobcats officially changed it's name back to the Charlotte Hornets, and we was all excited to finally see the name return home to where it originally began, because if you were a basketball fan growing up here in Charlotte, North Carolina during the late 1980's and into the mid-1990's, then you know that the Hornets were a household name during their glory days which saw a run of 364 consecutive sellouts at the old Charlotte Coliseum off of Tyvola Road, leading the league in attendance for eight out of 10 seasons, and players we grew up to admire so much, such as Muggsy Bogues, Dell Curry, Rex Chapman, Kelly Tripucka J.R. Reid, Kurt Rambis, Baron Davis, David Wesley, P.J. Brown, and Jamal Mashburn, and yes, we absolutely admire a little purple and teal bee named "Hugo".

In the end, the love affair between Charlotte and the Hornets turned for the worse, and in 2002, the franchise moved to New Orleans, taking the name with them, and that left us a bad taste in our mouths when that happened.

Yesterday, Charlotte Hornets President and COO Fred Whitfield was absolutely thrilled to finally see our city get what it rightfully deserved, bringing back the Hornets name to Charlotte and the Carolinas.  "As a former original Hornets season ticket holder myself, I'm especially excited to usher the Hornets name to Charlotte. Our fans were the driving force behind the name returning, and it couldn't have happened without the commitment and the open-mindedness of our owner." Whitfield said.

The name dates back to the Revolutionary War, and the Battle of the Hornet's Nest that happened in October of 1780, and when General Cornwallis left Charlotte, he called the area a "Veritable hornet's nest of rebellion.", and the name was also used for Charlotte's minor-league baseball franchises in some shape or form from 1901-73, and a short-lived World Football League franchise from 1974-75.

Also, another exciting announcement took place during yesterday's press conference, as the Hornets, in partnership with the NBA and the New Orleans Pelicans, would regain all the records and history of Charlotte NBA basketball.  This means that the Hornets will have exclusive access to not only the records from the Bobcats era(2004-2014), but records from the original Charlotte Hornets era(1988-2002). The New Orleans franchise, now known as the Pelicans, will retain all records from the team's first season, which began in 2002. 

In addition, the team announced several different events over the next several months to get the fans excited about the return of the Hornets to Charlotte, which includes the following:

• June 5th: The return of one of the most popular mascots in NBA history, Hugo the Hornet
• June 9th: The entire Hornets organization will take part in a "Swarm to Serve" Community Day of Service at Hornets Nest Elementary School with Fox Sports Carolinas/SportSouth.
• June 19th: The Hornets new uniforms will be officially revealed for the first time.
• June 26th: On the night of the NBA Draft, the new court design will be revealed at "The Hive".
• July 11-21: For the first time in 12 years, the Charlotte Hornets will return to action in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• October 2014: "BuzzFest", a multi-day festival, will take place to coincide with the start of the 2014-15 NBA season and to celebrate the Hornets return to Charlotte.

Then last night, the Hornets landed the number 9 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, which was won by the Cleveland Cavaliers again, and what happened was that Charlotte acquired the pick from Detroit in the Ben Gordon trade a few years back.  The full list of the selections from last night's Draft Lottery are as follows:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

2. Milwaukee Bucks

3. Philadelphia 76ers

4. Orlando Magic

5. Utah Jazz

6. Boston Celtics

7. L.A. Lakers

8. Sacramento Kings

9. CHARLOTTE HORNETS(from Detroit)

10. Philadelphia 76ers(from New Orleans)

11. Denver Nuggets

12. Orlando Magic(from New York via Denver)

13. Minnesota Timberwolves

14. Phoenix Suns

Long story short, yesterday was a great day to be a Charlotte Hornets fan, you finally got the name back, got all the records back, and the number 9 overall pick in June's NBA Draft, and as Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran said in the song, "Everything Has Changed", and it has indeed changed right here in Charlotte as we are now officially the Hornets, again.

And there you have it, our first of many posts about the Charlotte Hornets here on "Hornets Extra", and I hope that you can check it out for yourself and we begin this new chapter in our franchise's history as the Hornets.

A Farewell to BobcatZone

If Shakespeare said "The play's the thing", then certainly to a fan blogger, the game's the thing.

When I first launched BobcatZone back in September of 2008 giving you my thoughts and daily shenanigans about the Charlotte Bobcats from a fan's perspective through good times and bad times, and also delving into some topics around the NBA as well, and with the Bobcats era now officially closed after last night's elimination by the Miami Heat, it's time to bid this blog "Adieu."  It was a great ride for me to blog about my Bobcats for a short while here on this page, and i'm truly going to miss talking about the Bobcats here on this blog, and officially beginning a new chapter blogging about the Charlotte Hornets later this summer.

I did over 800 posts during this run, giving you my usual pre-game and post-game stories through "Bobcats Extra", and offering my thoughts on how I feel about what going on in the NBA in general, and that is something that I plan on continuing to blog about during the off-season when we make this transition to the Hornets, where together, we'll embrace new horizons, create new memories, and hopefully, together, enjoy a glorious new era in Charlotte basketball history as we begin our new journey as the Hornets In closing, I leave you all with this: stay well, stay safe, enjoy the off-season, enjoy this organization's new beginning as the Charlotte Hornets, and as the old saying in broadcasting, or blogging would go, "Check Your Local Listings!"

Special Comment: Why did we get outplayed by Miami and the reason behind us getting swept

And now at the request of Jake Cook, another "Special Comment" about why the Charlotte Bobcats got out hustled, and outplayed by the Miami Heat and the shocking revelation behind this sweep. Tonight marked the final straw for the Charlotte Bobcats as they lost their final game ever as the Bobcats thanks to the Miami Heat sweeping us in 4 straight games, and it was very disappointing and very sad for me to see this happen in the first place because we knew that we didn't have a chance on god's green earth to take down the self-proclaimed "Evil Empire" of the NBA.

Evil Empire is indeed what the Miami Heat are, they are the most overrated franchise in all of sports along with the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, heck, for god measure, you can throw in the Alabama Crimson Tide in college football for crying out loud, and we did indeed suffer defeat from the "Legion of Doom", consisting of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, and I wish them all the best down the road in their quest for another NBA title, but if there was one reason why our Charlotte Bobcats got outplayed by the Heat it was this: THEY WERE A VERY EXPERIENCED TEAM AND WE WERE NOT! WE DID NOT HAVE A SINGLE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE DOWN THE HEAT IN EACH OF THOSE FOUR GAMES BECAUSE THEY CAME IN AND TOTALLY SENT A MESSAGE SAYING "WE'RE THE MIAMI HEAT AND WE'RE GONNA BEAT THE YOU-KNOW-WHAT OUTTA YOU!" Beating the you-know-what outta you? If there's one reason why the Miami Heat wanted to sweep the Bobcats out of the playoffs, it was not only their obnoxious fan base, it was something that they had in the wings: THE REFEREES WANTED THE HEAT TO WIN BECAUSE RUMOR HAS IT THAT MICKY ARISON, THE GEORGE STEINBRENNER OF THE NBA, SECRETLY HIRED THE, TO HELP THE HEAT WIN THOSE GAMES AND DENYING US ANY OPPORTUNITY TO BEAT THE HEAT AND IN RETURN, PAYING THEM IN A SECRET BOUNTY THAT HIS RIGHT HAND MAN, PAT RILEY SET UP UPON THE SEEDINGS OF THE MATCH-UPS, JUST LIKE SEAN PAYTON DID A FEW YEARS BACK IN THE BOUNTYGATE SCANDAL OF 2012 FOR THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS! WHY DID YOU DO THIS, MR. ARISON? YOU WANTED TO DO THIS TO PROVE A POINT THAT THE BOBCATS COULDN'T FIND NOT ONE WAY TO STOP THE "LEGION OF DOOM"? WELL I GOT SOME NEWS FOR YOU, MR. ARISON: WHAT YOU DID WAS VERY UNPROFESSIONAL AND UNSPORTSMANLIKE BECAUSE YOU SIR, HAVE NO BUSINESS OF RUNNING A BOUNTY RING TO TURN YOUR ORGANIZATION INTO THE MOST OVERRATED FRANCHISE IN ALL OF SPORTS!

ANOTHER REASON WHY WE GOT SWEPT IS THOSE ARROGANT HEAT, OR AS I WOUKD CALL EM, MIAMI "YANKEES" FANS THAT TURNED OUR ARENA, TIME WARNER CABLE ARENA INTO "AMERICANAIRLINES ARENA NORTH" FOR THESE FINAL 2 GAMES, AND AFTER EACH GAME, YOU ALWAYS BREAK OUT YOUR OWN VERSION OF THE "RAMMER JAMMER, YELLOW HAMMER" CHANT YOU ALLEGEDLY STOLE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, AND ALL I HAVE TO SAY TO YOU, HEAT FANS IS THIS: YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A FANBASE THAT'S SO ARROGANT AND OBNOXIOUS THAT'S KNOWN FOR TURNING EACH ANC EVERY SINGLE ARENA IN THIS NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION INTO "AMERICANAIRLINES ARENA WORLDWIDE", AND IN MY OPINION, YOUR FANBASE IS THE MOST OVERRATED FANBASE IN SPORTS ALONG WITH THE YANKEES, COWBOYS, DUKE BLUE DEVILS, AND THE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE COMBINED!

The ttruth hurts, Miami Heat, and those are the reasons why we got out played and out hustled by Miami, and in closing, there is a certain lesson to remember: Sports is not all about winning or losing, it's all about PLAYING. TO. WIN. THE. GAME. AND DID THE MIAMI HEAT DO THAT? IN MY OPINION THE REFS HELPED YOU WIN AND YOUR FANBASE TOO OVER OUR ARENA WERE THE TWO THINGS THAT MADE ME SICK TO MY STOMACH!  GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK!

Special Comment: It was about time those sorry Philadelphia 76ers won a game

And now at the request of Jake "The Boss" Cook, another "Special Comment" about why it was about time the Philadelphia 76ers won a game, and why are they destined to get the top pick in the NBA Draft later this summer.

Last night in Philadelphia, the biggest disappointment in the NBA this season, the Philadelphia 76ers, finally won a game that should have cared less about, a 123-98 blowout win over the Detroit Pistons, and that win snapped a long, disastrous, yet humiliating 26-game losing streak. A 26-game losing streak? TO ME, THAT IS THE BIGGEST PIECE OF B.S. I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE AS A NBA FAN!  YOU ARROGANT BUMS WASTED THE LAST 2 AND 1/2 MONTHS NOT GIVING A HOOT ABOUT WINNING, YOU ONLY CARED ABOUT LOSING OUT TO GET THAT COVETED TOP PICK IN THE NBA DRAFT LATER THIS SUMMER, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! UN THE LAST THREE YEARS I HAVE DONE THESE SERIES OF "SPECIAL COMMENTS", WHICH WAS MODELED AFTER WHAT MY IDOL, KEITH OLBERMANN DID DURING HIS DAYS AT MSNBC AND THE NOW-DEFUNCT CURRENT TV, EACH ONE OF THEM HAS CENTERED AROUND ONE THING: GETTING PEOPLE TO FACE THE TRUTH, AND AS FOR YOU, PHILADELPHIA 76ERS, THE TRUTH I'M ADDRESSING TO YOU TODAY IS GOING TO HURT! IT'S TRUE, IT'S TRUE!

I checked the standings in the Eastern Conference not too long ago, and you guys are 16-57. 16-57? NO WONDER YOU GUYS ARE ONE OF THE TWO DISAPPOINTING TEAMS I HAVE EVER SEEN IN THE NBA, ALONG WITH THE ORLANDO MAGIC, MILWAUKEE BUCKS, HECK, YOU CAN ALSO THROW IN THE UTAH JAZZ AND LOS ANGELES LAKERS INTO THE LIST OF TEAMS THAT ARE VYING FOR THE DRAFT IN THE FIRST PLACE!

WHO IS RUNNING THIS MESS UP IN PHILADELPHIA? HECK, YOU GUYS MAY HAVE GONE ALL RUBEN AMARO, JR. AND HIRED A COACH WHO INSPIRED YOU TO LOSE A LOT OVER THE LAST 2 1/2 MONTHS YOU HAVEN'T WON A GAME UNTIL LAST NIGHT? WELL, BRETT BROWN, YOU MIGHT HAVE A CASE OF "MIKE DUNLAP SYNDROME" BECAUSE YOU SIR, MR. BROWN, HAVE NO BUSINESS OF BEING A FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACH WHO'S PLAYING TO GET AXED OUT OF A CITY THAT LOVES THEIR SPORTS, AND YOUR FOOTBALL TEAM GOT RID OF DESEAN JACKSON, HECK YOUR PHILLIES MIGHT STINK UP THE JOINT AND FAIL AGAIN, BUT YOUR BASKETBALL TEAM MAN, YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A BIG, MISERABLE, IGNORANT BUNCH OF LOSERS WHO DION'T EVEN CARE ABOUT WINNING A GAME AND ARE NOW "TANKING FOR WIGGINS" GIVE. ME. A . FREAKING. BREAK!

LOOK AT WHAT YOU DONE, PHILADELPHIA 76ERS, YOU HAVE NOW BECOME THE WORST TEAM I HAVE EVER SEEN IN THE NBA THIS SEASON, AND I GUARANTEE A SO-CALLED "FIRE SALE" WILL BE COMING SOONER OR LATER ONCE YOUR SEAON OF FAILURE WRAPS UP, AND IF I WAS A 76ERS FAN, THE FIRST THING I WOULD DO IS FIRING YOUR COACH THAT HAS GOTTEN YOU INTO THIS BIG DEPACLE IN THE FIRST PLACE SINCE YOUR ORGANIZATION HASN'T RECAPUTRED THE GLORY YEARS SINCE THE DAYS OF ALLEN IVERSON AND ANDRE IGUODALA!

To wrap up this latest "Special Comment", I am so glad you finally won a game snapping the 26-game losing streak, and I'm not happy about what your organization, the Philadelphia 76ers have done this season, so what I insist YOU do is this: CAR. ABOUT. WINNING. GAMES. OR. ELSE! GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK!