When the Charlotte Hornets acquired Dwight Howard in return for a package of Marco Belinelli and Miles Plumlee, the general reaction was that the Hornets got a steal. They bought low on a likely Hall of Fame player coming out of a bad situation. He was the physical, rim protecting interior threat Rich Cho and Steve Clifford had long expressed a desire for. There were reasons for optimism.
That optimism was validated when the Hornets won five of their first eight contests of the season. Despite being in his 14th season, Howard put up big numbers during that stretch, averaging over 14 points and 14 boards per game, albeit while struggling with turnovers and free throw shooting.