LaMelo who? The Charlotte Hornets had seven players score double figures in their season opener against the San Antonio Spurs as they rolled to a 129-102 win without the services of injured point guard LaMelo Ball. Terry Rozier (24 points), Gordon Hayward (20), Nick Richards (19), PJ Washington (17), Kelly Oubre Jr. (13), Dennis Smith Jr. (12) and Mason Plumlee (12) all led the charge as the Hornets raced out to a 38-22 lead through the opening frame and never really looked back.
“I thought the biggest part was the starters had a great readiness to play,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford after the victory. “When we subbed and broke the lineup, there was no change. A lot of guys played well. Our better quarters tonight, we played pretty good all-around basketball.”
The Hornets are back in action on Friday at home at 7 p.m. when they face the New Orleans Pelicans.
Speaking of the Hornets, let’s make the top 10 list about them. Here is, according to me, the 10 greatest Hornets players of all time.
10. LaMelo Ball (2020 - present): When it is all said and done and if he stays with the team long term, he should end up being in the top three one day.
9. Kendall Gill (1991-1993,1996): One of my biggest complaints about the NBA is that today’s players can’t play defense. Gill could give a clinic on defense and then score 20 points on you.
8. David Wesley (1998-2004) and Baron Davis (2000-2005): No. 8 is a tie, but also a tie-in. Wesley and Davis were a great backcourt for the Hornets. And had the team been able to keep both players, they might have seen more success in that era.
6: Jamal Mashburn (2001-2004): He might be a surprise addition to this list to some. But for four seasons, all he did was average a consistent 21 points a game.
5. Dell Curry (1989-1998): A deadly shooter and the epitome of a team player. Additionally, when coaches teach guys who have bench roles, they should point to how Curry carried himself.
4. Alonzo Mourning (1993-1995): When Mourning went No. 2 in the NBA draft to the Hornets, I almost became a Hornets fan (when I think Hornets Starter jacket, I think Alonzo Mourning). Although his stay was short in Charlotte, I can’t think of a better center to this day to lace it up for the Hornets. Had it not been for a contract squabble, he and Larry Johnson might have been a challenge to Jordan's Bulls in the late ‘90s.
3. Glen Rice (1996-1998): The 3-point king of Charlotte, who in one season averaged nearly 27 points a game and shot 47% from beyond the three-point line.
2. Muggsy Bogues (1989-1998): For the 5’3” Bogues, it’s not about his stats — in fact, throw them out. He was the heart and soul of those early Hornets teams. Not only that, but he was a pure point guard: a floor general, a pure passer, one of the fastest players on the court and a tenacious defender. Most of all, the locker room and the fan base respected and loved him.
1. Larry Johnson (1992-1996): The very first Hornet to be selected as an All-Star. Teamed with Mourning, Bogues, Curry and Rex Chapman, the expectations for this combo were high. But unfortunately, the calming influences of Bogues and Curry couldn’t reign in the egos of Johnson, Chapman and Mourning. As a result, starting with Chapman in ‘92 and then Mourning in ‘95, the pieces of what could have been great were traded away. In 1996, Johnson was shipped off to the New York Knicks. He would never come near the 19-points-a-game average he had with the Hornets. And, there were the awesome Converse commercials.
News and notes
North Carolina has been picked as the preseason No. 1 Men’s Basketball team by the Associated Press for a record-tying 10th time (breaking a tie with rival Duke). Duke, in the first year of the post-Coach K era, was picked No. 7 in the poll. No other schools from the Carolinas were on the list.
On the women’s side, South Carolina was the unanimous No. 1 pick. NC State landed at No. 10 while the Lady Tar Heels sit at No. 12.
It’s still early, but the Carolina Hurricanes are looking good with a 3-0 record. Goaltending and defense have been the big takeaways when looking at the stat lines with the team only allowing one goal in each of its first three games. The ‘Canes are back on the ice on Thursday night with a tilt against the Edmonton Oilers in their barn at 9 p.m.
In other puck news, the Charlotte Checkers opened their season last weekend with two wins over the Hartford Wolf Pack — a 4-3 overtime thriller and a 3-1 victory. They are back at Bojangles Coliseum this Friday and Saturday to face the Hershey Bears.
According to a police report, James Bouknight, a guard for the Charlotte Hornets, was arrested for DWI on Oct. 16 after being discovered drunk and unconscious in a parking lot with his car in drive. He was carrying a weapon, according to the police report. Police said they tried to wake Bouknight up using a public address system, airhorns and lights for about an hour.
When Bouknight awoke, police said he defied orders, showed signs of confusion and ate some food before driving into the two police cars in front of and behind him.
Bouknight was taken into custody after exiting the car. At the scene, police said Bouknight admitted to drinking four tequila shots. Police said Bouknight's blood alcohol level was 0.14, which is over the 0.08 legal limit in North Carolina. He's set to appear in court Nov. 10.
On Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, P.J. Walker will start at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers for a second straight game.
Jacob Eason will act as the backup, according to Steve Wilks, the interim head coach. Walker had a rough outing last week, completing only 10 of 16 passes for 60 yards as the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Panthers, 24-10.
Walker has never started two straight games in his career.
The announcement comes on the heels of QB Sam Darnold's return to practice on Wednesday after being cleared to return from the injured reserve. Wilks said he wanted to give Darnold more time to heal, though.
Due to ankle ligament damage, QB Baker Mayfield continues to be unable to practice.
The absurdity of sports: Volunteer to pay for your own goalposts and the true definition of a dumpster fire
- The University of Tennessee Volunteers snapped a 15-game losing streak last Saturday against the University of Alabama. As college kids do, they stormed the field and tore down the goalposts. In the Southeastern Conference, schools are fined $100,000 for “allowing” fans to run on the field after a game (it would have been kind of hard to stop them).
But, I’m sure that there are measures that the school could have taken to protect its goalposts. Tennessee is asking fans for a handout to pay for the new goalposts, despite the fact that data show its athletics department generated $133 million in revenue in 2021, with football accounting for $62.4 million.
Y'all remember how we tore the goalposts down, hauled em out of Neyland and dumped em in the Tennessee River?
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 16, 2022
Yeah that was awesome.
Anywho, turns out that in order to play next week's game, we need goalposts on our field. Could y'all help us out? 🙏 https://t.co/NSMoL3SzPX
Read the room a bit better, Tennesse Athletics Department. Besides, I hear Tennessee graduate Peyton Manning made a lot of money playing football — maybe they should hit him up for a loan.
- There’s a lot I could say about Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Commanders. I mean a lot (full disclosure, I grew up rooting for Washington’s NFL team and somehow still do, although it is getting harder. And have covered them on numerous occasions in my career). But, there will always be bad people in life. But, when the little guy, the fan, starts to get stomped on by the franchise run by the said owner, that person should be called out.
Like the time Snyder tried to sell expired peanuts to fans. Or, the time he sued a 73-year-old season ticket holder who could no longer afford her season tickets and wanted to cancel her contract.
Now, a 50-50 raffle winner at a recent Commanders game went to cash his winnings,only to find that there wasnone. The check — $14,822, half of the $29,645 pool — bounced.
The Commanders confirmed in a statement Wednesday that there was an issue and blamed it on a "bank error." The team digitally sent the money to the fan on Wednesday to the fan after Washington media outlets got a hold of the story.
Here is the statement from the team:
"We've reached out to the fan and sent an electronic payment directly to his account. It was a bank error, and we have reached out to the bank to determine what happened, and to ensure it doesn't happen again."
“It was a bank error” and “the check is in the mail” are two of the most common things deadbeats say. Congratulations to Dan Snyder — he has truly redefined what a dumpster fire is.
Other sports headlines:
- Given the NFL's history, the Panthers' interim coach should get more than a glance
- Bruce Sutter, a split-finger ace and Hall of Famer, dies at 69
Thanks for reading. Until the next Time Out For Sports Overtime.
