Charlotte’s still trying to figure out its bench. Ramon Sessions was brought back for a second tour with the Hornets, and he creates space by getting into the paint early and often -- he’s fifth on the team in free throw attempts, despite having played just a fraction of the minutes of the starters, and fewer minutes than Belinelli and second-year big man Frank Kaminsky. But he’s just shooting 31 percent from the floor.

Belinelli’s Belinelli-ed behind the arc (48 percent) but hasn’t been so great when opponents can get him off the line (35 percent). Jeremy Lamb has, again, been too injured to contribute much.

Kaminsky has had some moments, displaying the versatility that had Jordan so intrigued before the 2015 Draft that he famously turned down four picks from Boston, which was trying to move up to take the former Wisconsin Badger -- picks that can be gold for a small-market team that could control costs using the rookie wage scale. And Jordan’s belief hasn’t wavered as Kaminsky’s multiple abilities on the floor have adapted to the NBA game, including the ability to cover the screen and roll defensively, a gift from former Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan.

What happens to Zeller when Hibbert is back full-time? That’s probably not settled law just yet.

Clifford, though, remains a big believer in the former Hoya, who’s close with Hornets associate head coach and fellow Georgetown alum Patrick Ewing. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak vouched for Hibbert, who spent an otherwise unproductive season in L.A. last year. And Hibbert is also held in high regard by Hornets assistant Pat Delany, who watched Hibbert at his best in Indiana when Delany was in Miami as a video coordinator and scout, and the Pacers and Heat met in three straight playoff series, including back-to-back Eastern Conference finals.

“When we started talking about him, (Delany’s) thing was, Steve, look: all I’m telling you is, people don’t realize, he can play at a fast-paced game,” Clifford said. “If you look at those playoff series, that one year he averaged 22 and 12 and was guarding (Chris) Bosh a lot. He’s much, much more agile than I realized. And the other thing is he’s such a great worker. He keeps himself in great shape. He doesn’t play at the pace Cody plays, but he’s a huge target and he’s a good basketball player.”

Walker was coming off a national championship at UConn when he came to Charlotte as a lottery pick in 2011. The Hornets went 7-59, setting an NBA record for fewest victories in a season (though there were only 66 games played that lockout-shortened year). It was brutal, and it was hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel.

But the changes that would help Charlotte survive were being put in place. It took some time. But the Hornets are now in position to not only survive, but possibly thrive -- just like the Bucks did three decades ago, for more than a decade.

“Me, Nic, MKG and Marv and Cody now, we’re all kind of locked in for about the same amount of time,” Walker said. “We are getting the opportunity to grow with each other. It’s a great start. We all love playing with each other. We know how to play with each other very well. We all know each other’s spots and how each other plays and things like that. As far as more pieces, I think we’re good right now. We’re going to grow. The best thing about it is how hard we all work. We work extremely hard. The guys around us, they see that. Hopefully over the years, whoever comes here to our team, they see how hard we work, and they follow.”

… AND NOBODY ASKED YOU, EITHER

Trade Secrets. From Jon Duke:

Apart from the unprecedented spike in the salary cap (Thanks Turner/ESPN Disney), which saw a tremendous number of players changing teams in free agency, player movement in the area of trades has been fairly quiet over the last two years. Some of this could be due to a reliance on free agency, but I wonder how much can be attributed to the future of the CBA. With reports that a new CBA may be settled in the next few weeks, does that mean the floodgates may once again open on player movement via trade?

Selfishly, as a long time Celtics fan, the possibility of getting that cornerstone All-NBA talent has seemed too remote as team after team has chosen to hold on to their prized talents. I'm rather hoping a certain financial future will give General Mangers and ownership the confidence they need to make systemic changes in Sacramento, Indiana, and maybe even Golden State. Maybe that's wishful thinking, but player movement via trade has to rebound at some point, doesn't it?

Very wishful thinking in the Dubs’ case, Jon. The cap spike clearly was the driving force for player acquisition last summer; almost everyone had tens of millions of bucks and had to spend it. But it’s not just the cap spike, though. More teams are committed to player development, and if they have to take a risk, they’re more comfortable doing it for their own guys as opposed to someone they don’t know. So that puts the brakes on deals, too. Also, Draft picks are more valuable than ever, as they attach fixed costs to the players they’re used on for up to five years, which is gold in this era. So, teams are extremely reluctant now to deal picks, too.

Tyrannosauras. Spinosaurus. Townsosauras. From Kelly Slattery:

Do you think we are at the dawn of a golden age of bigs? Reading your article on Draft class of 2013 contract extensions, it occurred to me just how many players in that article were promising young bigs. Teams once considered themselves fortunate to have even one star or promising young big, yet it seems most teams can now make that claim, with quite a few having more than one. The 76ers are the best example, as I can't recall any team ever having such a glut of promising young bigs. The 76ers may be the prime example, but the Timberwolves, Nuggets, Thunder, Bucks, Magic, Jazz, Raptors, Kings and Trail Blazers can also claim at least two promising young bigs. Of course not all will fully realize their potential, but it seems many won't have to in order to still end up with the largest amount of quality big men the league has ever witnessed.

If you agree with my assertion, what impact do you think this will have on the way the game is played over the next ten years, especially considering many of them bring athleticism and shooting not previously common at this position?

Sure. But talented bigs never go out of style, Kelly. What has changed over the years is that very few teams still play inside-out basketball or rely on their bigs to score. Given the rules changes that make it almost impossible to guard ballhandlers in space, that shouldn’t be a surprising development. Today’s offenses requires bigs to be adept screen-rollers more than hulking post players, and able to switch onto guards and contest shots defensively more than blocking shots -- though rim protection remains very important. A guy like Gorgui Dieng, to whom you referred, can get paid handsomely for those very skills. It will be interesting to see what happens with players like Jahlil Okafor and Greg Monroe in future years. Their skill sets on offense still have value, but will teams be willing to build around them and get them 15-20 paint touches per game?

We will find out, I guess, if three really is a magic number. From Ethan Austin:

Your thoughts on Russell Wilson's involvement to build Sonics arena & be a part owner?

Couldn’t be happier for my Seattle folk. Wilson’s name and cache as a Super Bowl winning quarterback can do nothing but help the effort out there. From what I understand, it was Wilson who approached Chris Hansen and his group, and Wilson is going to do more than just talk about it; he’s putting some $cratch into the deal. Having a diverse set of investors will make the Seattle pitch that much more compelling in the years to come. We are talking years, unfortunately. But if Seattle continues to get its ducks in a row, and Hansen will indeed pay for a new building without local financing, that city will be at the top of the list when the next team becomes available, either through relocation or expansion. And that will be a happy day for those of us who miss the Emerald City.

Send your questions, comments, and best tips to avoid the occasional squid in your parking space to daldridgetnt@gmail.com. If your e-mail is funny, thought-provoking or snarky, we just might publish it!

MVP WATCH

(Last week’s averages in parenthesis)

1) LeBron James (24.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 8.5 apg, .655 FG, .615 FT): Cavaliers are now 4-16 when he sits out a game; the latest loss came Wednesday in Indiana.

2) Kawhi Leonard (22.3 ppg, 10 rpg, 4 apg, .438 FG, .842 FT): Brandon Armstrong, Impersonator of the Stars, strikes again.

3) Kevin Durant (28.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 6 apg, .608 FG, .714 FT):Stay in your lane, Drake.

4) Russell Westbrook (31 ppg, 11 rpg, 11.3 apg, 479 FG, .848 FT): Most praise from on high from His Airness, who presented Westbrook for induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame last week. Of course, last year, Westbrook presented Kevin Durant into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Memories.

5) DeMar DeRozan (25.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4 apg, .388 FG, .805 FT): Credits grueling offseason workouts, including 5:30 am sessions while in Rio with the Olympic team, for this incredible start to the season.

BY THE NUMBERS

$2,500,000 -- Donation by LeBron James to help fund an exhibit on the late Muhammad Ali that will open at the Museum of African-American History in Washington, D.C.

49 -- Career four-point plays, the most in league history, by the Clippers’ Jamal Crawford, who got his latest one Friday night against the Kings.

0 -- Remaining unbeaten teams at home after the Celtics beat the Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills Saturday night. Detroit had won its first five games in a row at home for the first time since the start of the 2002-03 season, when the Pistons won six straight at the Palace to open the year.

I’M FEELIN’ …

1) Keep the week of Dec. 5 open. Barring significant last-minute snags in negotiations, that’s when I’m hearing it’s likely there will be an official agreement between the league and the union on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Nothing will happen before Thanksgiving, and the two sides will probably use the post-Thanksgiving week to inform their respective constituents about the highlights of the deal. After that, the new deal replacing the current one is likely to be ratified, ensuring labor peace for the next several years.

2) When you know the Chief of Police …’cause she gave birth to you.

3) This is how three decades of awful ends -- with a whimper, not a bang.

4) My kids know way more about NASCAR than I ever will. But I know enough to know that Jimmie Johnson winning a seventh Sprint Cup Series championship is a very, very big deal, and congrats to him on the accomplishment.

NOT FEELIN’ …

1) Don’t have a hot take on whether Phil Jackson’s “posse” comments were racist or not. I certainly don’t believe Phil to be racist; even a cursory examination of his life shows a person who has always sought out and embraced people from different cultures and backgrounds, and has been especially connected to and learned from Native American culture. What it sounded like here was an old man being dismissive of the accomplishments of younger men -- and being tone deaf to how that would come across from an old white guy talking about young black guys. Yes, Maverick Carter and Rich Paul and many of LeBron James’ other friends have gotten opportunities in business that they may never have gotten solely on their own. So has Phil Jackson, a journeyman player who was hired by Jerry Krause out of relative obscurity to be an assistant coach in Chicago, then got the chance to coach the greatest player of his generation and one of the four or five greatest players of all time, and six NBA titles. And that led to coaching two more transformational players in Los Angeles, and five more championships. We all can get a boost from our associations, some more than others. (Equally troubling, to me, as his posse commentatus: you haven’t voted in a presidential election since 1980? Dude.)