Hornets Add Two Former Miami Hurricanes to Their Roster

[ozymandias]

Hornets Add Two Former Miami Hurricanes to Their Roster

While Charlotte Hornets have been inactive in free agency due to them being over the salary cap, they've recently brought two new players on their roster. Both guys who are about to wear teal-and-purple for the first time next season are former Miami Hurricanes players.

The first of the two is Bruce Brown, a player CSL fans are familiar with after spending the previous season with the New Orleans Pelicans. Charlotte acquired Brown in a trade that saw them ship Kerwin Roach, Wenyen Gabriel, and two additional second round picks to New Orleans. Brown had a difficult rookie year as a Pelican, shooting just 31.4% and 23.2% from beyond the ark. While his game on the offensive end was a disaster, he displayed above-average defensive potential. The Hornets entered the offseason looking to uplift their backcourt defense and they believe Brown is the right man for the job. What the Hornets front office was particularly impressed with is Brown's ability to both stop drives and force turnovers. Another thing the Hornets liked about Brown is his eagerness to grab rebounds for his team. With Kris Dunn, Terran Petteway, Delon Wright, and Furkan Korkmaz on the roster, Brown might find it difficult to earn a spot on the team this season but should he work on his offensive game a bit and show coaches that won't be a liability on the offensive end, he might eventually crack the rotation. The new coaching staff in Charlotte will work hard with Bruce during the offseason in attempt to boost his efficiency.

Bruce Brown is hoping for a bounce back season with the Hornets

We mentioned earlier that Brown's good rebounding game was one of the reasons he Hornets traded for him. While a good rebounder, Brown was never going to help the Hornets rebounding woes on his own. Last year, the Hornets found themselves second to last in rebounds allowed and another goal they've set for themselves was to bring in a player who'll help them make the most off every shot missed. They've found the answer in another former Hurricane - Dewan Hernandez. Hernandez was one of the best rebounders in this year's draft class and he joins the Hornets on a 3-year-long second round contract. Expected to play between the 4 and the 5, Hernandez might be able to help the Hornets improve in the rebounds category. Like Brown, Hernandez isn't a finished project just yet and the coaching staff will spend the summer helping Dewan adjust to the CSL game. If he's able to grab more loose balls on the defensive end, Hernandez might become an important piece in the Hornets rotation.

Dewan Hernandez is set to prove that he is one of the best rebounders in the class

While both former Miami players may need to show some improvement in training before suiting up for CSL games, the Hornets hope that the two will have long and successful stints in Charlotte. The Hornets are looking to make a jump after losing in the first round of the Playoffs last year but nothing is certain given how stacked the eastern conference is and just reaching the Playoffs won’t be easy at all.

[Ramcus]

I think that if you can fit higher volume scorers next to Bruce Brown, he'll tone down his shot attempts and put more effort on the defensive end. Unfortunately I didn't have enough of that, so it didn't work out. He would shoot some dumb FG line every night, going 1-7 in one night and 1-9 the next. That being said, his defensive potential is legit. He averaged just under 1 steal a game in less than 20 minutes a game, and he's got surprising inside scoring potential. If he gets one good training camp, he'll be a serviceable player. Right now though, he'll single-handedly shoot you out of games if you don't put higher volume scorers around him.

Dewan Hernandez, at best, is an above-average rebounder. But definitely not an elite rebounder. I wouldn't be too disappointed about that though, as you're not really looking for consistent rotation guys. You're looking for spot minutes, and Hernandez and Brown fit that perfectly.

[TheTwoWallaces]

Is Bruce Brown a good rebounder? He doesn't seem to be from what I can tell.

Still, I liked the acquisition of Brown. His M2M defense will be useful against some of the scoring threats in the East. And when all moves need to be made with the goal in mind of escaping the East, getting more dynamic defenders is always smart.

I don't know much about Dewan Hernandez, but he will be considered a good pick if he winds providing offensive rebounding for Trae & Dunn three point attempts.

If you get a few more Miami guys you can be the Orlando Magic's Kansas nemesis. But I'd pick a team of Jayhawks over a team of Canes any day of the week

[ozymandias]

He's at 49/44 at rebounding which isn't bad, it makes him the second best rebounder out of our PG/SGs. Yeah, I think he can be a cheap rotational piece once Wright/Petteway's contracts expire. I need to fix his shooting before that and I wouldn't mind another nice camp from him next year.