Rafael Barlowe is back again to breakdown the games of some names currently falling in NBA Draft big board projections. Howard Beck discusses his GQ article on Marc Lasry’s sale of his share of the Milwaukee Bucks. The Hornets are under the specter of their own ownership changes. What can we learn from Beck’s interview with Lasry?

Our player recap series continues with Nick Richards. He experienced a season that included everything from his monster debut against San Antonio, to not playing because of the coach’s decision. Should that have led to a three year contract? Walker and Doug discuss Richards’ role within the center rotation going forward.

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Chiante George conversation one of the Favorites we've been mentioning him in The pre-draft process Doug had a Conversation with Rafael Barlow about The Baylor product and Howard Beck is Back this time to talk about possible Ownership change in the NBA that might Affect the Charlotte organization Nick Richards will be the conversation at the End all today on lockdown Hornets we're Locked on hornets part of the locked on Podcast Network your team every day in America we live [Music] It's locked on hornets part of the Locked on podcast Network it's your team Every day thanks for making us your First listen we're free and available Anywhere you get your pods and that does Include YouTube where you can continue To see Doug do serious silly dances and You can continue to watch me where the Silly serious hat as I mentioned in the Previous episode this is where Quail Hollow Walker meets Hornets Walker I Thought a bucket hat About on Thursday I'm letting it roll I'm just we're we're bulk recording this Stuff so I'm letting it roll man you can See me in multiple episodes with this Thing on it's fine I'm just again I'm Gonna contest that this hat would not be Allowed at Quail Hollow I think they Have standards and as fun as that hat

Looks I I don't associate you know Golf Club with with fun and that hat that Bucket hat that has all of these nice Little buzz City emblems on it I just Don't think you look more like a Spectator but like a spectator that Cheers for Happy Gilmore what that no 100 yeah you will not make this putt you Jackass that's what I look like 100 Um all right Doug why don't you tell the People what we have in store you had a Couple of conversations with different People helping us out this past week and Beyond in Rafael Barlow and Howard back Uh yeah this first conversation is going To be the last squeeze of the juice from A long conversation that I had with Rafael Barlow of the locked on NBA Big Board podcast a great draft podcast that You definitely should subscribe to uh People have been loving these segments They they and not because I did them but Because Rafael Barlow is a draft genius And he's giving us a lot of info and so This is a continuation of our discussion About sort of the best of the rest in The lottery we talk about keante George Then we also get into something that I'm Really interested in and that is how NBA Bodies are changing sometimes for the Better but sometimes for the worse as They play more and more minutes before They ever get to the NBA and he has some Really different little conversation

Like the NBA birds and the bees Conversation how bodies are changing Once you get to the association all Right yeah it was it was puberty-esque Was this uh was this conversation no it Was thank you it was really fascinating Because uh Raphael is around a lot of These guys as they you know from from a Real young age you know because we're Paying attention to prospects at a Younger and younger age and so he's Around these guys as they morph and Change and play more minutes and he's Been doing this for a while so cool Stuff I want to talk about a couple of guys That are seem to be falling down some Mock drafts and some draft boards Nick Smith Jr who I saw in the top five very Early on in the middle of the college Season and then chiante George Who Tankathon currently has in the 14th slot Which of those guys do you think least Deserves to fall at this point who do You think people are a little too down On right now Nick Smith Jr or chiante George Oh man that's a tough question Um and I don't know why it's a tough Question with Nick Smith we all know That he was injured he was coming in out Of the lineup didn't have continuity and He it's almost like he would have been Better off like you said about cam

Whitmore if Nick Smith would have shut It down in January he would have been Better off but when people saw him Playing it and I I mean he didn't play Like he was injured he just looked Really out of sync and his rhythm Without Rhythm was off which is very Natural when you're trying to join your Team off and on when they've been Playing consistently two or three times A week so I think people are a little Bit hard on him but I also understand Why because he looked like a man without A position didn't look like a natural One didn't look like a two looked really Thin it was not able to get to a spot And then as far as chiante he and I've Met chiante I've done some work with him I've been watching him work out in Dallas and he had mentioned to me that He put on a little bit too much weight In the season coming into the season Felt like he was 20 pounds over where he Was comfortable at and he's in the he's He looks a lot different than he did During the season but then he also Mentioned that he played a lot of the Second half of the season with a banged Up Ankle he said he had so much tape on It one foot felt heavier than the other Didn't have the same burst and lift on His shot so I mean there's context why both guys Struggled so I don't know exactly which

One this is is Um has suffered the most but I think Either way teams are going to get it Still and I think they possibly can be Able to get their draft stock up in Workouts yeah it's interesting on the George front because I was really Excited to see him play in the the College postseason in the tournament to See what he could do and I felt like he Wasn't really going into anywhere close To like a takeover mode Um as Baylor just sort of you know duck Farted out of the out of the tournament So Um that makes a little bit more sense There on the context I'm curious your Overall thoughts because you've been Paying attention to this for a long time On the fact that we have a lot of Freshmen available on this draft but a Lot of them seem to have gone through a Lot you know just in their basketball Careers already even though they've only Played one year of college or maybe you Know g-league or whatever And you know I think there's been a lot Of conversation about how much how many Miles are are on these bodies as they Enter the NBA what are your thoughts on That uh do you feel like these guys that Are coming in as freshmen though they Might not be prepared in terms of Experience their bodies are wearing a

Lot of a lot of miles already Definitely I I went to a symposium a few Weeks back and it was a strength and Conditioning coach from a power five School and he had mentioned that Nobody that's not in the NBA should be Doing more than like 17 hours of 17 Hours a week of hard workouts and Activities and even though 17 hours may Sound like a lot it's it's pretty common Because a lot of these guys somebody Sees the potential and the potential Earning power and they're basically Telling you got to get in the gym you Got to work out and they're working out Every day then with the High School Season you know High School season may End in what March for most guys well the Au season starts in March and sometimes They overlap depending on how far a team Goes into the state tournament so you're Having guys literally playing all year Long I actually talked to a parent And and we had this conversation two Weeks ago And and He released a film like his team of like Fourth graders and what's crazy about How it ties into this is A few years back when I was assuming Fourth graders in Dallas I had no idea That I was filming Guys that are projected in this draft I Was filming for Cason Wallace's team I

Had no idea when he was like nine that He was going to be a you know potential Lottery pick but in those same games That I was watching there's chiante George there's Anthony black there's um Someone told me Derek Whitehead was on The team so it was a bunch of guys that Were playing so anyway this particular Coach said yeah you know that summer I I Was so proud of our record and I tracked How what our record was for the summer He's like I realized we played a hundred Games that summer like nine-year-olds Yes he said we were nine he's the only Thing we were thinking as coaches were Winning this tournament because we were So good we just kept advancing and kept Advancing so sometimes you're playing Two games a day three games a day and You know four Four five games a weekend starting from April until August and he's like we Played 100 games so with all that being Said yes these guys bodies are worn down Because Someone is trying to kind of telling him You got to play in this tournament or if You don't play in this tournament you're Running from somebody and I think it's It's it's it's it's bad for Especially the NBA teams Because by the Time they get them and they're paying All this money They're worn down

Yeah well especially because I mean the Rookie scale contracts are favorable to Teams but then they they get three or Four years down the road and you get Even more miles and then you've got to Make the decision on giving on giving The big contract and that's where it can Get a little dicey it's it's going to be Interesting to see how this develops Over the next few years as these guys Get younger and younger that are coming In the draft and uh we'll we'll kind of See how it how it all factors in uh Final question for you Raphael uh in in This particular segment will be Is there a name that we have not talked About as we sort of peruse the the names That could be available to the Hornets At one through eight have I not Mentioned a name at this point that you Think uh would be would be worth keeping An eye on if you're Mitch cup check and This team here with the Charlotte Hornets Well there's a guy that I'm really high On I was high on him Prior to the season I was having him During the season even though he Struggled a little bit and I've had a Chance to be around him and watch him Work out and I think when it's all said And done if everything aligns right he Could be a top five player in this class You don't have to go far to get them

And I know some North Carolina fans may Not like the name but it's GG Jackson a Guy that can catch North Carolina I mean he was he started the season off At 17 years old with 17 playing in the SEC and he you know turned I think 18 in December so he was Still extremely young for his class and Just he just young period And I think When the season starts this year he'll Still only be 18 years old tremendous Upside can handle the ball Can shoot and uh you know there are some Concerns about Maturity but it's not like the maturity That if you're a Hornets fan which you Guys have had your own bouts with Players Yeah yes but this is more like the Immaturity of a a kid that is a great Kid is not going to get in any trouble Off the court but it was just showing a Lot of flash of immaturity with his body Language and his reaction to losses but Not like a guy that I think is going to Have any Issues like off the court and falling in Love with the NBA lifestyle and the Money that comes along with it I mean He's like a a pure kid with a grown Man's game and grown man's talent but he Has a good support system around him but That's a guy that I would keep an eye Out for okay GG Jackson right now

Tankathon has him at 21. so that could Kind of segue into some conversations That Raphael and I are going to have a Little bit later as we get closer to the Lottery which is what do the Hornets do At that second first round pick do they Even make that second first round pick We don't know but if they do we'll talk About some names like Marcus Sasser Leonard Miller Derek Whitehead and Gigi Jackson as well but until then thank you So much Raphael make sure you're Following on on Twitter at Raphael 500 And also make sure you're subscribed to The locked on NBA Big Board podcast it's Every single day NBA draft talk mock Drafts big boards all the stuff that We've been talking about here but you Get a little bit of all the teams and All the players so do make sure that After you listen to this you go and hit The Subscribe button on that podcast Raphael thank you so much for your time No problem looking forward to touching Base again as we get closer to the draft Awesome stuff finally the end of a great Long series with Rafael Barlow again Make sure you check him out locked on NBA big board if you want all of your Draft knowledge up to date with the Players that the Hornets could be taking Maybe it's first overall in Victor Webignyaba we have that episode episode For you scoot Henderson ending with

Chiante George a little bit there so Really if you're interested in any of The prospects Charlotte could uh take Within the first six picks or so we have Those episodes for you just go back look At The Archives wherever you get your Podcast and you can go back and watch Those episodes as well on YouTube this Episode is brought to you by eBay motors For a championship team it's all about Making sure every player is a perfect Fit it's the same when it comes to your Vehicle every part needs to fit just Right so the next time you need parts And accessories head to Ebay motors and With eBay guaranteed fit you can be sure Every part you need fits right the first Time around just add your ride to the my Garage Tab and look for the green check To know the part will fit or you get Your money money back because just like In sports confidence is the name of the Game when you shop on Ebay motors and With over 122 Million Parts to choose From you'll be back in the game in no Time after all it's easy to bring home a Win when the right parts are guaranteed Get the right parts get the right fit Get the right prices all on Ebaymotors.com let's ride eBay Guaranteed fit only available to us Customers eligible items only exclusion Supply stay tuned for the Howard back Conversation coming up next

Thanks again to Rafael Barlow now we'll Transition to Howard back he's back with Us I know he spoke to Doug in the Previous episode but I'm interested in This because Doug as we mentioned Howard Back uh Monster Rider Big Time guy That's been covering the NBA for a long Time covered the awesome Lakers teams With Kobe and Shaq and he's been in New York as well you've heard him on the low Post podcast frequently what up back you Niche NBA podcast listeners you know Exactly who Howard is and this big Picture conversation not only does it Relate to the Hornets but it's just Really interesting to hear this combo That you told me about with him Um about ownership in the NBA and that Change Doug what did you guys talk about Here as a little tease well yeah so he Wrote an article for GQ called it's a It's an exceptionally hard decision mark Lazarry on selling his share of the Milwaukee Bucks this is a guy that you Know lifted up the trophy won a Championship as as an owner of the Milwaukee Bucks and decided despite all Of that to walk away And so we've we've got a situation here Where Michael Jordan is exploring Possibly doing a similar thing uh but Maybe taking a step back into a minority Stakeholder in the team uh but selling The team you know so I wanted to know

Why Mark lazri did it uh what kind of Person decides to own a team why does a Person decide that maybe owning a team Isn't as fun anymore and I think we got Some pretty good Insight from Howard and His conversation with Mark lazari so I Hope you enjoyed it I I did I'm excited About this one yeah let's take a listen Right now here's Doug with Howard back I Want to talk about this excellent GQ Article that you wrote it's titled it's An exceptionally hard decision mark Lazri on selling his share of the Milwaukee Bucks So this this article was relevant to me And I think should be relevant to a lot Of hornets fans because there are more Than rumors uh there are confirmed Reports that uh the Michael Jordan is Exploring options uh to sell a majority Stake that he owns in the Charlotte Hornets so my first question is why was It a hard decision for Mark lazri to Sell because it seems like it might be a Hard decision for Michael Jordan to sell As well why was it a hard decision for Mark So thanks for that oh yeah it was a hard Decision for Mark lazri Um because you know you know as an owner As one of the co-owners of the bucks for The last you know decade or so I think It was maybe nine years Um he's one who was really invested more

Than financially right I think owners You know and every owner uh every team In this in this league for the most part Has multiple owners not all of them a Lot of them have multiple owners and so If you own a majority share a minority Share whatever it may be you got into it Because you were probably a fan first Right you didn't just do it as an Investment you know a lot of these guys Are billionaires I think maybe the Majority are billionaires by now but you Don't buy a share of or a majority stake In a sports franchise unless you really Love sports there are better I don't know how many better Investments There are out there but there are there Are other Investments you could make And you do this one because it has the Added benefit of there's some status hey I'm the owner of you know the Bucks I'm The owner of the Hornets I'm the owner Of the Pelicans whoever there's some Status for sure Um it sets you apart from your fellow Billionaires not everybody can buy into These clubs um there's only so many uh Teams and shares to go around Um And it's fun it's fun so my that was Kind of my first question to Mark was Like You know look I know how much you enjoy This isn't it hard to just decide to

Walk away like I get that you are making Literally hundreds of millions of Dollars in profit and selling the share That you you bought nine years ago and You know maybe as a pure investment uh Vehicle it's just too great of an Opportunity not to cash out now and I Think that's really how the scales Tipped for for Mark is that yes he loved Being a an owner of the box and they had A rotating thing with who was going to Be the governor and all that stuff so he Was you know they were co-owners but at Times he was kind of like the majority Guy because he was he was the governor Um To give that up was very difficult he Enjoyed it a lot but I think the the Practical part of him and the Financially minded part of him uh that Saw this also as an investment Looked at it and said I never thought Values would be this high you know um The valuation of the Bucks was whatever Five point something billion and so his Share was you know northward of 800 Million he I think he bought it that his Share was you know two to three hundred Million like how do you say no to that Um and so I think I I it cuts both ways Here they won a championship a couple Years ago so on the one hand you got to Achieve and experience the highest highs As an owner of a franchise

The flip side of it is so it's hard to Walk away from that because it's so fun On the flip side is you've already done It right you've got to experience that a Lot of owners are going to go their Entire career as owners without Ever Getting to experience that so Mark got That so maybe that made it a little bit Easier to walk away too but he loves the Relationships that he formed over those Years whether it's with current players Like Giannis obviously weren't getting To know guys like Oscar Robertson Um and I think he really enjoys being in This realm and he is he is going to Launch some kind of um Sports uh Investment fund within his firm so he's Going to stay involved in sports as an Investor on some level and it wouldn't Surprise me actually if Mark bought into Another even another NBA team at some Point uh but this it seemed like this Was just kind of too good of an Opportunity financially to pass up That's interesting it feels like when One team sells you know it sets the Valuation it sets the mark and it's Really a litmus test for a lot of the Owners it's like how much do you really Love being an owner because you might Love it a little bit but not enough to Pass up this huge payday and I've made This analogy to other people that I've Talked about this with that owning an

MBA franchise or owning a sports Franchise seems a little bit like the Old adage about owning a boat that like The best days that you own a boat are The day you buy it and the day you sell It but especially I I think and maybe You might disagree with this or you Might you know in your conversation with Mark Um you know have some additional context To add to this but it feels like Especially for small to mid-market-sized Teams It can be very difficult to look at the Financials year to year and be satisfied With your investment even though all Evidence points to the fact that the day You sell the franchise you're gonna make Buku bucks but year to year it can be a Tougher proposition Yeah and we talked about that a little Bit too because I this is something I've Really been fascinated by in my years of Covering the league that Um you know the big Market versus small Market thing is is real Um it it doesn't always you know apply Across the board to every team in terms Of what they're they're grappling with But there there is a dynamic there right Uh on a couple different levels one is That players generally prefer the bigger Markets or as I sometimes call them just The glamor markets right like Miami's

Kind of a mid-sized Market but it's a Glamor market right players prefer being In Miami than Minneapolis Um that's no shot at Minneapolis it's Just the reality right and they get it The teams will understand this their Fans understand this um so there's that Aspect the other aspect is New York la A couple other places make such an Incredible amount off of their local TV Rights deals that they can just simply Outspend the smaller markets so you know We've seen the Warriors and the Clippers In particular go you know way into the Luxury tax and now the new CBA is going To try to ratchet down or make it harder For those teams to just you know keep Running laps around everybody else in Terms of their spending And so there's that Gap as well so if You're a small Market owner if you're if You're Michael Jordan if you're mark Lazri You're looking up every day and going How do I keep up with the war you're Spending and the Clipper's spending and You know do I need to is there a way to Do this smartly and not have to now the Bucks what a championship Um they did have to go into the tax at Some point along the way here and They've probably you know by by pure you Know business terms they've they've been Deficit spending right they're spending

More than they're bringing in and so That's why I put the question to Mark at One point in our interview was is owning A team just purely an investment is it a A vanity play uh as I put it at one Point which I think he kind of recoiled Out a little bit that was probably not The the most diplomatic uh phrasing by Me Um but it is like the part of it where It's the status symbol and he Acknowledged that Um or is it a business because in a Normal bit in a normal business Um you make x amount and that hopefully That X is larger than the uh why of your Spending you're supposed to turn a Profit in most businesses We kind of have stopped expecting that Of NBA owners or probably Major League Baseball and NFL owners too I don't Cover those Sports because we're saying Your franchise is going to increase in Value by such a dramatic amount that Whatever day that comes that you decide To sell you're going to make this Massive profit in the hundreds of Millions Why should we the fans or Media or Anybody else care that you have to Deficit spend on a year-to-year basis to Stay competitive Easy for us to say we're not the ones Writing the checks for tens or hundreds

Of millions of dollars in luxury tax uh Bills right but that's the view and That's certainly the view of the of the Players union by the way Um which is you know this is just part Of it if you want to own an NBA team Um and you want to be competitive if That's what it requires then that's what You got to do and if you don't want to Do that then sell to somebody else who Will uh I'm not sure where I stand on all of That I just I just think it's an Interesting debate uh but yeah I think I Think owners getting into this now you Know wealthy people buying shares of Teams Um have to kind of expect that if you Want to compete at a high level there's Probably going to be years where you're Not truly quote unquote turning a profit In the uh on an annual basis But you know that you're eventually Going to sell your share for for a lot But it does make it harder to compete Right I think it does some teams are not Don't feel that they are as capable of Spending to that level as as others Um which forces them to be a little more Creative it may force them to make Harder decisions on on players they're Letting walk at times certainly um the Money was a part of the rationale for Why the Bucks decided to let Malcolm

Brogden walk a couple years back so Um you know it's it's a real issue the MBA has been trying to Grapple with it Through multiple CBA cycles and um not Sure if they've gotten there Another thing that's interesting to me And something that you touch on a little Bit in the article is This idea of player empowerment this era That I I don't know if we're currently Living in it or where we are in the in The cycle of these things uh I mean the CBA negotiations seem to be At least returning a little bit of some Advantages back to small and mid-market Owners uh at the cost of some of the the Glamor markets as you call them but We're still in an era where players are Are deciding that they're going to go Play where they want to go play and uh Signing shorter term contracts do you Think that makes it from the view of of Mark or anyone else do you think that Makes it less fun uh or I I don't know If Fun's the right word but just Um less desirable to own one of these Franchises no knowing that that's going To make it a little bit more difficult To put together a winning team It's interesting question I don't know I Mean I I think sometimes we don't really Know the full effect of these uh CBA Wrinkles as they you know you know Rework it every you know seven to ten

Years we don't really know the full Consequences until it's in in place for A while Um I do think that it's just generally Challenging for owners in smaller Markets to uh to build in in the same Way that that the larger markets can With more resources more money basically Available to them Um I think that the good news is you Know you alluded to the player Empowerment era and the player Empowerment era what we mostly mean There's a there's a bunch of different Facets to that but I think we mostly Mean this is the era that started when LeBron left Cleveland for Miami right in 2010 and kind of kicked off this era of It's actually like Superstar Mobility Right like player empowerment just not Really all 450 that's mostly about the Stars Um and it's mostly about you know having A little bit more self-determination About the course of your career and that Means they're moving around more often And sometimes it's not even through free Agency anymore it's now through forced Trades and initially it was with forcing A trade with a year left then it was Forcing trade with two years left now With guys are forcing trades with four Years left

And they have the leverage to do so so That's that's the empowerment we're Alluding to Um And I think it makes things more there's There's more anxiety built in if you're If you own a team or the GM of a team Uh that happens to be Fortunate enough to have one of the Great players in the game and especially If you're in a smaller market now they Can sour on a large Market too right you Know I just watched Kyrie Irving Kevin Durant forced their way out of Brooklyn Where I live a few months back so you Can sour on any market right but I do Think there is a a Higher degree of difficulty for owners And GMS of small Market teams to keep Their guy happy or the onus is is that Much greater because the temptation to Leave to go to a warmer Market or a Bigger Market is always there the Bucks Were you know had the advantage of Having you know identified Giannis as a Talent developed him as a talent had him Blossom into an MVP two-time MVP Um on their watch and They didn't secure his his you know Signature on an extension a couple years Ago until they made that trade for Drew Holiday because that was the linchpin That was the one where Rihanna said okay We're serious here we just we just you

Know send out all these picks and excuse Me invested in a guy who's a little bit Older in his career and everything Because He's somebody I know we can win with and So that's that's the thing like you were You that's and it's a good pressure Right there should be pressure on teams To do the best they can by their Superstars and put them in the best Possible position to win Um if you if you misfire on that though That's where the consequences come in That's where it's you know you're you've Got a guy waking up one day and saying It's time for me to go and we've seen You know you know countless examples of That over the last 10 years Well it's been two decades since the Hornets have won a playoff series but I Hope it's not another two decades before Uh you and I chat again because this was A fascinating conversation uh Howard Beck the article is it's an Exceptionally hard decision mark lazri On selling his share of the Milwaukee Bucks go read it at GQ because I think It's going to be extremely relevant who Knows I mean you just said Mark might Buy into another team it might be the Hornets who knows so go get to know a Little bit about Mark lazzary through That article thank you so much Howard Really appreciate all the Insight you

Shared with the audience today I appreciate it Doug thanks for having Me Awesome stuff with Howard back we Appreciate him back with Doug do we have Any more Howard bags back with Doug you Know I think the Hat you're wearing is Restricting the blood flow to your brain Let me uh try to Okay perfect Okay done all right now we are ready to Go oh baby uh any more segments with Howard back can we come back back with Howard at all did you hold him down He came in and he dropped all that Knowledge on us and then he's gonna fly Away and and you know go report on the NBA Playoffs all right perfect Um well with that being said let's drop Some knowledge ourselves on Nick Richards Doug uh continuing the player Recaps an interesting one here today Because Game one Nick Richards goes for 19 Points against San Antonio grabs 10 Rebounds eight of those 10 rebounds were Of the offensive variety eight of the Ten boards on the offensive end and just Came out like a complete Beast helping The Charlotte Hornets to a 1-0 record Second game Kind of a dud six points only six Rebounds in 26 minutes

The third game of the season in 20 Minutes goes for 20 and 11 or five of Those are offensive rebounds the rest of The season he would not reach 19 or 20 Points in any other game that took place So it was those two out of the three That he performed the 19 and 20 pointer We were like okay we got our starting Centered except it's not Mark Williams It's Nick Richards and he was great but He was doing all of that Off the Bench You know I mean those big numbers that He put up were were off the bench and Yet yeah I think he you know as he got Into the groove of the season You know a lot of that initial spark Faded a little bit but he was consistent Enough that the Hornets decided to give Him a contract three years 15 million Dollars that's probably going to look Like nothing by the time that contract Is over but you know second round pick Another second round success story for The Charlotte horn it's not bad No not bad at all the three-year Contract going for 5 million each of Those Seasons I think the reception to That Doug even if you're talking about Some kind of national opinion anybody That might be watching the Charlotte Hornets to just know a little bit about Every team in the NBA I think a positive Reception right I think a lot of people Thought okay this works Nick Richard

Solve it back up solid backup money that He gets he'll be there to be the guy off Of the pine when Mark Williams needs a Breath and Mark Williams clearly is Going to be the starter of the future if You just want an overview of his numbers Nick had a career high in basically Everything right you know he had a Career high in minutes played he played Close to 19 minutes per game he appeared In 65 started nine of them just to give You a Showcase of what he did the Previous year only seven minutes per Game and 50 appearances so 7 to 19 close To it averaged eight points per contest Averaged six rebound he was a great Offensive rebound as we kind of Indicated in those first couple games That he played that were very good we Saw the three-pointer late in the season The form looked good I know you think Nick Richards is holding out on us and The Charlotte Hornets advised him to do So so we'll see what happens going Towards the future with Nick but this is Kind of an interesting player recap Right gets a contract at the end of the Season started off hot got some dnp CDs Once Mark Williams entered the fold but Then Mason was traded and that allowed Nick Richards to get back on the court Overall what do you make of Nick Richards just how good you feel about Him possibly being that backup center

You can rely on I feel okay about it and Honestly I think the contract is such That if they happen upon another Center Prospect at some point you're okay with Nick Richards being your Reserve Center At three years 15 million dollars you Know I mean they you you want to have Some depth at that position and I I Think that's the big story for Nick this Season is that he proved that he can be A death piece for the Charlotte Hornets And that was not a given coming into This season I didn't know really what to Make of Nick Richards before this season I I had seen him make a lot of mistakes And limited minutes that he got in the Previous uh season and I wasn't sure That he was really long for the Charlotte Hornets roster I thought he Had an okay summer league but then you Had Steve Clifford who got into this Whole thing late hired late got got a Quick look at Nick Richards and during Training camp he was singing the Praises Of Nick Richards and I think you and I When we got on the show and talked about Her were like what what is what does Steve Clifford see like what I've seen Any yeah I haven't seen anything like That um you know any promise there but Obviously uh Steve had uh dug a little Deeper or saw some of the Transformations that had happened over That previous summer

And and he you know I think he is a Little bit of a kind of yes and like yes There were improvements and there are Plenty more improvements to make I think At the end of this season Steve Clifford Harped on the fact that Mark Williams is a very smart player and Nick Richards is a very physical player And I think while he was complimenting Both guys the thing that he didn't say About both players you could sort of Swap those and go yeah the negative Thing about Mark is that he's not Physical enough and the negative thing About Nick Richards is that he doesn't Always play the smartest basketball what Do I mean by that I mean defensively He's not necessarily where he needs to Be on some of these pick and rolls like He just takes a step in the wrong Direction gets his feet caught under him And and the play is broken or we saw This a lot with Nick Richards this Season bad screens like we saw it over And over again getting offensive fouls Because he's setting bad screens and Killing possessions so if you're talking About growth points for Nick Richards You know what do we want to see from him In the preseason next season I just want To see smarter basketball killing less Possessions because he does he does so Many positive things by cleaning up bad Possessions on the offensive boards and

All of that is great but if you're also Killing offensive possessions you're You're sort of you're balancing that out In a bad way So that's what I want to see from Nick Richards next season yeah and the other Thing to note here before we end the Show is the center rotation it it's Funny because the last couple of years They've drafted big guys but now you Clearly have an answer as your starter With Mark Williams but you still do have This uh I don't want to say depth but You have bodies at the center spot Nick Richards gets the contract you invested The first round pick in Kai Jones and I Asked Steve Clifford at the end of the Season how do you navigate that Three-man rotation with all of those Guys and he said that's what the off Season is going to be for but if you Invest a first round pick in Kai Jones And clearly he's got all of the talent In the world it's just trying to do Something with it and figuring out the Best way to do what you know whatever Right I think clearly he plays his best Basketball at the five so if that's the Case for Kai Nick Richards does have the Contract Mark Williams is the center of The future it you've got interesting Interesting points of view for each of Those players I will say with the Contract you you mentioned the figures

There it's a nice sweetener to match any Salary right like if you're talking About if you just need five million Dollars to match something Nick Richards Is a fine throw in and you're not going To say no to a potential deal that might Better you if Nick Richards is that guy You know what I'm saying it's not oh we Have to desperately hold on to the Backup center Um in Nick Richards and so that would be Somebody that you might include in some Kind of trade if it sweetens the deal And matches the salaries I wonder if That's another reason why you go ahead And hand out that contract as well well Especially if he really can't shoot Threes if the three that we saw was was A little fluky fluky you know if he Can't shoot threes that means that none Of your centers can shoot threes despite The fact that Kai Jones takes them he Cannot hit them despite the fact that Steve fliffert believes that someday in The future Mark Williams might be able To hit three I don't expect that to Really Happen Consistently next season I would be Shocked I would be as shocked if that Happened for Mark Williams as I was at Nick Richards coming in in those first Three games and doing what he did double Doubles I think he had nine double Doubles Off the Bench this season like

He does that you know then then I'll be Shocked but none of your centers can Shoot three so if you have a chance to Upgrade the position in that way then I Think you have to take it even if it Means Um you know moving off of the second Round success story like Nick Richards The the other thing that I would say is That Nick Richards combined with Kai Jones and combined with Mark Williams at Least makes your Center position Interesting and the Charlotte Hornets Have not had a center position that was Really that interesting for a long time I mean obviously they had an all NBA Level Center in in Al Jefferson But in terms of like athleticism in Terms of uh bodies that make for fun Watching of basketball you know this is As exciting as it gets in a world of Bismack Beyond bows and Cody Zellers and Jake vossels and on and on Primos Primos Brezix are you going you're going to the Sicko Brigade yeah John a job you know I Mean I can get out of the sicko exactly I'm talking sicko Brigade the center Position is the center of the sicko Brigade because it's just been name After name of guys that have uh you know You were just begging to be competent You weren't even thinking about them Being exciting so that's what I'll say Is that this is the most exciting the

Center position has been in a very long Time yeah Billy Hernan Gomez is not Walking through that door a part of the Sicko Brigade so Nick Richards will have To step up and be confident off of the Bench to back up one Mark Williams That'll do it for today's show had a lot Of different stuff for you chiante George Rafael hello Howard Beck and then A little player recap regarding Nick Richards for this Friday heading into The weekend we appreciate you joining us Once again making us your first list and Anywhere you get your pods make your Second listen game to game NBA every Moment every top performance every Result locked on game to game covers Every game from across the league with Local analysis that only lockdown can Deliver follow game to game unlocked on NBA available on the Odyssey app YouTube And wherever you get your podcast have a Great weekend we'll be back with you on Monday we'll be back we'll be back with You on Monday Thank you [Music]

Charlotte North Carolina – A Mid-Sized City With Lots of Things to Do

Event, Life, Sports, Weather, News

Charlotte North Carolina is a mid-sized city with plenty of things to do for everyone. It’s known for its financial industry, multiple professional sports teams and stadiums, delicious (and evolving) food scene, abundance of parks, and nearly 200 neighborhoods.

The job market is booming with large companies like Bank of America, Lowe’s and American Airlines setting their headquarters in the area. Tech is also becoming more of a focus in the job market and it’s one of the fastest growing economies in the southeast.

It’s a great place for families and young singles to live due to the strong job market. It’s also a very diverse city that is made up of a lot of White, Black and Asian residents.

Sports are a big part of Charlotte’s culture and people love to go to their local team’s games. Some of the best teams to watch include the Carolina Panthers and the Charlotte Hornets, both of which play in Bojangles’ Coliseum.

Spring is a wonderful time to visit Charlotte with the slow emergence of spring flowers, soft blooms and blue skies. The weather is perfect for exploring the area, though it can be colder than other parts of the country so prepare accordingly.

Winter is a little milder than other places, and it’s not common to see snow in the city. It can get chilly at night, though, so make sure you wear layers of warm clothing.