Barnes Injured, Hornets Sign Portis
5 minutes into the game versus New Orleans Pelicans, the Hornets starting power forward Harrison Barnes had to be carried away into the locker room as he suffered a bruised calf. Despite the injury, the Hornets managed to get a W due to stellar performances from Trae Young and Kris Dunn.
Barnes is expected to miss the next two weeks with the other Hornets power forward Christian Wood expected to return from a broken hand a week later. With big games against Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies coming up, the front office decided to bring a power forward to act as a replacement for Barnes. They signed former Arkansas power forward Bobby Portis on a minimum deal until the end of the season. Last year, Portis had a successful spell with the Pistons when he was acting as a replacement for injured Bam Adebayo but was unable to land a deal in the CSL ever since. With the Pistons, Portis averaged 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 53 games.
Portis has a relatively similar playstyle to Harrison Barnes and shouldn’t have trouble blending into the squad. Angel Delgado and Landen Lucas are also expected to feature for the Hornets at the power forward spot. In order to make roster space for Portis, the Hornets had to cut Phil Pressey who only appeared twice for the team this season.
After beating the Lakers in Charlotte, the Hornets are sitting at 28-20 and are currently fifth in the Eastern playoff race. The front office hopes the addition of Portis will help the team stay relevant even during the absence of both Barnes and Wood.
