2016 Media Day

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Quierra Luck is a freelance sports writer who has been featured on various sites such as BSO and WRAL Sports Fan. Quierra is an NC native  and the Charlotte Hornets have always been a hometown favorite. The opinions expressed here are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Hornets organization.

It’s that time of the year again, as the Hornets look to make their mark in the Eastern Conference. Coming off an impressive run to the playoffs last season, the Hornets are looking to not only return, but become a deeper threat in 2016-17.

Media Day marked the start of the NBA season, and with it dawn some new faces and high expectations. Head Coach Steve Clifford addressed the media first and set the tone for the rest of the day as he stressed the need to gel together as a team and become a repeat offensive threat. While questions were raised as to whom will start, Clifford was confident in knowing at least four of the positions, leaving the question open as to who will start at the five. Clifford stated that time will be shared between Hornets veteran, Cody Zeller and newcomer, Roy Hibbert. Speaking of Hibbert, Coach Clifford is dedicated to returning him to All-Star status. Clifford’s confidence in Hibbert’s capabilities proves that pundits may be missing something that he sees in Charlotte’s new big man, and with only two years removed from his second All-Star appearance, I don't think Clifford is far off. 

But the big story in Charlotte is the return of a strong veteran Hornets presence and ensuring team chemistry. The Hornets have six new faces on the roster, and they’re looking to teammates like Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marvin Williams to ensure people are adapting and coming together as a team. Williams, who is entering his third season in Charlotte, stated that chemistry is big to him this season and making sure everyone is comfortable in their position.

“Its always a process, but thankfully for us, it'll be expedited because we have so many guys returning,” Williams said. “But we do have new faces, so it will take time to learn someone’s game, personality and where they can be successful. But with most of us being around each other for 2-3 years, I think that will help us most during Training Camp.” 

Kemba Walker echoed the same sentiments stating, “I think our team chemistry is super important. We have to get along and make sure we like each other in order to play well on the court. You have to know that your teammates are going to sacrifice as much as you when diving for loose balls and taking charges. Chemistry is all a part of that.”

The Hornets are looking to make sure their presence is finally felt in the Eastern Conference. One thing that stood out when speaking with returning Hornets was that they all wanted to get past the first round of the playoffs.

The returning MKG had a little bit more confidence and stated, “I want nothing more than to go all the way.” Looks like MKG is coming back with a vengeance. 

Hornets fans can expect a dedicated team this year. The guys came in focused and dedicated to not only each other, but the city of Charlotte. With so much going on, this team wants nothing more than to bring this city together and heal in the only way they know how, bringing wins and high energy to Time Warner Cable Arena. 

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Blog: Expectations High at the Hive on Media Day

Alan Becker is the Regional Sales Manager for Norsan Media, where he is responsible for business development, community involvement and overall growth of the markets. Norsan Media is the only Hispanic media network offering TV, newspaper, radio, online and other entertainment venues to Hispanics across North Carolina. The opinions expressed here are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Hornets organization.

El verano ha llegado a su fin, y como todos los años pasa, ¡es tiempo del deporte ráfaga! Los Hornets están más que preparados para luchar por ese quinto lugar en su división y regresar a disputar las finales. El entrenador Cliford confía en que las nuevas adiciones como el italiano Marco Belinelli y Roy Hibert además del regreso de Ramon Sessions se unan a los que fueron estrellas del equipo como Kemba, Batum y Zeller y repitan el gran papel que lograron la temporada pasada.

Todos están sanos, todos tienen muchas ganas de volver a ser un equipo ganador, todos quieren que la renombrada Spectrum Arena zumbe con nuestros Hornets y por qué no mejorar aún más.

6 Nuevos jugadores se unen al equipo, ya no veremos más a Linsanity, ya no veremos más a nuestro paisano Jorge, pero este nuevo roster tienen profundidad, tiene gente con hambre y con ganas de hacer mejor las cosas. En el pasado el coach ha logrado que jugadores quienes se creían que estaban acabados volvieran a brillar, así que esperemos que siga con su magia, y logre que sus Hornets zumben más fuerte.

Con la pretemporada a la vuelta de la esquina, no puedo esperar para apoyar a MIS HORNETS y seguir siendo parte de la nueva historia de los Charlotte Hornets!

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Blog: Es tiempo de Zumbar

With the end of summer, as it happens every year, basketball is back! The Hornets are more than ready to fight to get that No. 4 or No. 5 seed (if not higher) and get back to the playoffs. Head Coach Steve Clifford trusts that newly-acquired players like Marco Belinelli and Roy Hibbert, as well as the return of Ramon Sessions will merge with last season’s stars Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum and Cody Zeller and do an even better job than they did last season.

All the players are healthy and are all eager to be winners again. They all want the newly-named Spectrum Arena to buzz along with our Hornets as they look to get better than before.

There are six new players - no more Linsanity (Jeremy Lin) and no more of our countryman Jorge (Gutierrez) -  but this roster is deep and has hungry players – players willing to be better. Coach Clifford has managed to get players who many thought to be on the tail end of their careers to play great again, so we hope he does magic with them for a great season.

With the new season upon us, I just can’t wait to support MY HORNETS and to continue being part of the new story the Hornets are writing.

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Blog: Time to Buzz Again

Hornets fan blogger John Hartman is a lifelong Charlotte basketball fan and current Swarm 365 team member. The opinions expressed here are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Hornets organization.

A few weeks ago I received an invite to attend Hornets Media Day and very quickly responded, yes!  The entire day was an experience, from initially walking from the locker room area out of the players’ tunnel and onto the court, to interviewing the players and coaches.  Before I knew it, I was sitting in on Head Coach Steve Clifford’s Media Day press conference.  In person it’s easy to see how genuine coach is and how much he loves the game of basketball.  He answers each question with the same passion as the last and doesn’t skirt around the difficult questions.  While he has high hopes for the team this year, he knows that outside of the Top 3 teams (Cleveland, Boston and Toronto), the Eastern Conference is up for grabs.  The underdog mentality is something the team needs to feed off of this year and from what I could gather, the team has already adopted it.  When asked if he thought people have high expectations for the team this year, Coach Clifford was very quick to dispell that theory in a tone that sounded as if he felt the Hornets were being disrespected.  His hunger and passion to lead this team are as high as ever.  Roy Hibbert elaborated that Kemba scheduled player-only workouts at the beginning of September, of which the majority of the team attended.

The rest of Media Day was run like a well-oiled machine where players moved from station to station at timed intervals.  There were photoshoots where players took action shots.  The player reactions to being sprayed with water at these stations to simulate sweat were great.  Apparently the water was pretty cold.  Michael Kidd-Gilchrist jokingly forced Christian Wood out of his shoot early, noting it was his birthday so he got to do whatever he wanted.  Of course MKG told Christian he was joking and let the shoot continue.  Then there were the general media interviews, aka let’s see how many cameras and microphones can fit in a 10-foot square area.  Surprisingly the questions flowed without people cutting each other off.  The most memorable moment at this station was when Frank Kaminsky was asked who had the nicest car on the team.  He responded by saying Kemba has a nice little Jaguar and for us to notice how he stressed the word little because Kemba is tiny.  Throughout the day you could tell the team chemistry off the court remains strong.  The new guys – including Roy Hibbert, Ramon Sessions, and Marco Belinelli – were all excited to join the team and commented on how they felt during the free-agency process.  This is again a testament to the coaching staff and players who are making Charlotte a free-agent destination rather than an afterthought.

The remaining stations included interviews with WFNZ, Matt Rochinski and Matt Carroll (Live with Matt and Matt) on hornets.com, and a social media station that produced some epic snapchat selfies.  Frank’s was the winner there in my mind.  I recommend checking all the pictures out. While all of this sounds like a full day’s work for the players, in reality, it was a whirlwind tour that only lasted a couple hours.  Just another day in the life of a professional athlete.  Overall, I walk away from my experience encouraged that this team is hungry to get the season started and has the tools to compete in the East this season.

2016 Media Day

Blog: Expectations High at the Hive on Media Day

Blog: Es tiempo de Zumbar

Blog: Time to Buzz Again

Fan Blog: One Fan's Take on Media Day

Gallery | 2016 Media Day

Media Day Kicks - 09/26/16