You never know who you\u2019re going to run into at the NBA Summer League. <\/p>\n
Prior to the Hornets game Thursday evening with the Magic, I had a lengthy conversation with legendary referee Joe Crawford on the intricacies of the transition take foul. I saw Jeff Van Gundy and one-time Hornets coaching candidate Mike D\u2019Antoni hanging out. There were plenty of players, current and former, and there were also some heavy hitters in the world of sports media. <\/p>\n
One just happens to include longtime NBA writer David Aldridge, who had no problems sharing his opinion on the state of the team, as they are in the midst of a very busy offseason, which saw them trade away the longtime face of the franchise in LaMelo Ball. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Jeff Peterson is a good GM,\u201d Aldridge said off the bat. \u00a0\u201cIt’s very easy after a 25-game jump to say, okay, we’ve arrived, but for us to get to our best place, we may have to make some changes.”<\/p>\n
Like a lot of fans, Aldridge was surprised at the moves the Hornets made. In the long term, he said it might be for the best. However, in the short term, he did express the possibility that the Hornets may have taken a step back. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt may just be a team having some growing pains that they didn’t have last year,\u201d he explained. \u201c(But) you have no idea until you see everything come together.”<\/p>\n
Obviously, a big part of the move was Charlotte\u2019s belief that Coby White had what it took to run the team’s offense at point, replacing the incumbent LaMelo Ball, who was traded to Minnesota last month. <\/p>\n
\u201cCoby\u2019s a really good player, and I could see where they would be very comfortable putting the ball in his hands,\u201d Aldridge said. \u201cYou saw him in the play-in game. He was very comfortable at the end of a game with the season on the line, making big plays.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regardless of what happens with White and the current group of Hornets, Aldridge says the main thing Charlotte fans should feel good about is the plethora of picks the team has in the upcoming NBA drafts. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I like is they have such a war chest of picks now,\u201d he explained. \u201cThey can get into any trade they want to get into. So whatever it is, whatever level of player it is, they can get a shot at it.\u201d <\/p>\n
It may not mean much with all the uncertainty, but at the very least, the Hornets have “tomorrow” going for them. <\/p>\n
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