The Charlotte Hornets are way better than I thought they were going to be this year. I admit, I had some hearty laughs at their expense, making light of what I thought to be another pointless 8th-seed push. Jokes on me, right? The 5th seed is way more than the 8th.
There are a lot of reasons for their unexpected ascension of the rankings. Kemba Walker being a beast, Al Jefferson being buried on the bench, Tyler Hansbrough providing vet savvy, Spencer Hawes providing nothing… but the real hero, in my opinion, is the resurgence of Nicolas Batum after a down year last season in Portland. This may only be his second triple-double of the year, but he has had a ton of games that were pretty close, and he is a versatile threat on the court in many areas. A bit turnover-prone, but come on, you don’t get intangibles like what he offers for cheap.