Dwayne “Not Dwyane” Bacon has been sneaking up on that wide-open job of “second option” on the Hornets, and with this, his third-straight twenty-point game, he’s one step closer to taking that job. Now that I think a little bit harder about it, he should just go ahead and take it right now. The Hornets are probably missing the ‘offs, so it’s not like the decision matters much in terms of the outcome of the season. It mostly matters for his own development. And for the entertainment value of watching him pop off the dribble for twelve-foot jumpers like we’re living in some bygone era of NBA basketball.
Not to mention that I don’t remember any Hornets player other than Kemba who had three-straight twenty-point games this season. Nic Batum definitely hasn’t done it. Neither have Marvin Williams or Cody Zeller or Frank Kaminsky or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, as far as I remember. Jeremy Lamb may have achieved it once or twice. But Bacon is different from those guys. He’s not supposed to be good at scoring, yet he is. Just by virtue of that fact alone, he should be allowed to assume the mantle of second option on the Hornets.
All that’s left for Bacon to do is to establish a reputation as a defender. That way, the Hornets’ announcers can yell “No Fakin’ the Bacon!” when he locks somebody down for a possession. Or, when he gets a steal: “The Bacon is Takin’!” If Bacon’s already known as a defender, or if the Hornets’ announcers are already using my catchy phrases (“catchphrases”), you’ll have to accept my apologies. Honestly, there’s no way I would expose myself to any more Charlotte Hornets games than absolutely necessary, so I would never find out about new catchphrases being used by their commentary crew.