ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, October 31, 1993                   TAG: 9310310064
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C.                                LENGTH: Long


BUZZ IN CHARLOTTE THIS WEEK WILL SURROUND HORNETS

It's time to talk about that other team in town.

The NFL has left a black cat on the Charlotte Hornets' doorstep, but that's OK. The Hornets, still NBA kids, have been feeding it for a few years.

"The fact that we've been so successful, I think the NFL took that into consideration," said guard Dell Curry, whose historical perspective is enhanced as one of two remaining original Hornets. "I'll be cheering on the Panthers.

"I think [the NFL expansion team] puts the pressure off us."

Well, it will until Friday night anyway, when the Hornets will have their 195th consecutive sellout at the Charlotte Coliseum, opening their sixth NBA season against the Chicago Scotties. Sorry, Michael.

The Men of Teal are a shade different than during their first trip to the playoffs through Boston and New York, which ended when they were Knicked in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Shooting guard Kendall Gill, who wanted out because his place in the spotlight was overshadowed by Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning, is crowded into a nine-man rotation in Seattle.

In that three-headed deal, Charlotte picked up Gill's backcourt replacement, Hersey Hawkins, and veteran swingman Eddie Johnson, who like Curry has been a prominent scorer off the bench. Does this mean the Hornets are ready to take that next step, to conference championship contender?

"No," said Allan Bristow, starting his third year as Charlotte's head coach. "Our shooting easily is good enough to take us there. Right now, our defense isn't yet. Our rebounding and defense have to get better than they've been in preseason."

The Hornets finished 44-38 last season, good for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They were 22-19 at home and away. Expecting much improvement from the Hornets might be asking too much.

With Hawkins, Curry, Eddie Johnson, rookie Scott Burrell and forward Johnny Newman, Bristow figures he may have one of the best shooting teams in NBA history. However, the nights when those guns are misfiring could be long ones. Charlotte remains one of the smallest teams in the league - and not just because 5-foot-3 point guard Muggsy Bogues is a force - after ranking 23rd (of 27) in rebounding last season.

"There are times we could have four shooters on the court," said Bristow, like Curry a Virginia Tech alumnus. "We have a lot of weapons, more than we had last season. We'll be fun to watch, I'm sure. I know there will be nights when the shooters aren't able to do their thing, but on the other hand, they'll probably win a lot of games for us, too.

"I like this club, but it's just too early to tell if we'll be better than last year. We're going to have to get after it on defense, like we did last year, create turnovers. We have great quickness, but we have to improve our defensive techniques to create more turnovers."

Asked which teams he saw on the level ahead of the Hornets, Bristow named New York and Cleveland in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference powers Phoenix, Seattle "and maybe San Antonio." What about the three-time defending champion Bulls, minus Jordan?

"I just don't know," Bristow said.

He does know his club needs to heal. Mourning is sitting out the last week of preseason games because of tendinitis in his right knee, and the Hornets will start the season without injured backup point guard Tony Bennett and forward David Wingate, a defensive star. Behind Mourning and Larry Johnson, with his new 12-year, $84 million contract, the Hornets have former Old Dominion star Kenny Gattison, aging Mike Gminski and free-agent signee LeRon Ellis.

Bogues will have to be an ironman early, because Bristow hasn't been satisfied with the preseason play of either of Bennett's fill-ins, Shawn McDaniel or former N.C. State guard Kelsey Weems. If another club cuts a point guard, the Hornets may make the first phone call.

With Mourning, former Richmond star Newman, Larry Johnson, Hawkins and Bogues for starters and Curry, Eddie Johnson, Burrell, Gattison, Gminski and Ellis off the bench, the 12-man roster has one vacancy.

When Bennett and Wingate return, one of the top 11 will have to exit. Bristow is likely to play a nine-man rotation early in the season. As for one of his shooting guards filling in behind Bogues as a playmaker, the coach doesn't even want to think about it.

"I don't want to use Dell at the point," Bristow said. "When he's out there, he starts looking at the game differently, and that's not what we want or need."

Hawkins, the five-year pro who came to Charlotte from a rebuilding situation in Philadelphia, said he won't be alone among the Hornets playing in a different atmosphere this season.

"After last year, when Charlotte surprised some people, it will be different because this club is expected to reach a certain level now," Hawkins said. "You want to improve on last year and you want to go further in the playoffs, but you don't just do it.

"There's just as much talent here as last year, probably more. We can shoot the ball, really knock it down. We're an offensive team, but we can't just run up and down the floor and shoot the ball.

"We have to get out and pressure people. We have to get points off our defense, as well as from our passing game."

So, how does Bristow color this season?

"One thing I really like is that we showed we could be tough and competitive with the best teams in the league last year," he said. "We don't have that greenness around the ears anymore."

Keywords:
BASKETBALL



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