Who Will START at Center for the Hornets?! | Tre Mann REVEALS his thoughts on Allen Iverson comps!
We are at peak uncertainty as we debate who will win the starting center spot between veteran Mason Plumlee, high-energy Mousa Diabaté, and rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner. Plus, we share exclusive interview clips with Tre Mann, who discusses his new role and his feelings on the “Tre-I” comparison to Allen Iverson.
On today’s show, we are at “peak uncertainty” as we try to solve the biggest question of the Hornets’ preseason: who will be the starting center? We explore the case for all three candidates in the running for the job. Is it the veteran Mason Plumlee, whose experience, positional size, and playmaking make him the safe choice? Is it the energetic Moussa Diabaté, whose physicality and speed fit the team’s new identity? Or is it the rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner, whose elite size and shot-blocking are already earning him reps with the first team in training camp? We look at why a compelling argument can be made for each player.
Then, we have an in-depth conversation about Tre Mann, featuring exclusive clips from his recent interview. Tre opens up about how the new coaching staff has embraced his personality and “swagger,” allowing him to feel more at home in Charlotte. He also addresses the popular “Tre-I” nickname, explaining his respect for Allen Iverson while making it clear he’s focused on being his own player. Finally, we examine Tre’s evolving role on the team and his willingness to adapt to a more catch-and-shoot-oriented style to help the team win.
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19 Comments
First
Let’s gooooo!
Im excited for this season
Let the world keep doubting us.
I will say it all offseason, i think Saulan is a great C option. That feels like a mismatch just waiting to happen, and he has a great feel for rebounding.
We are in big trouble if plumlee is a starter for us
Give diabante a push , he is only getting better with gameplay
great interview. this is the kind of stuff we need
The center spot at any cost needs to be efficient and contribute whether is rebounding, defending,or a little bit of score. We can't have a stick in the mud at the five position
If Ryan can rebound, he's the one. He offers some touch from a few feet out, he can easily do what Plumlee and Diabate do around the rim and he has the added benefit of being a better free throw and jump shooter than the other two. Even if he's a bit slow, he has height that Mason and Moussa just don't. 3-4 inches gives Ryan a literal leg up on his competition (and 40 pounds on Moussa).
As a side note, we have got to get Tidjane Salaun more time in the rotation, particularly while Grant Williams is out. If he has to pitch in at center to get on the court, I think that improves his prospects long term, even if he's not ideally suited for that role.
Rotation and ability to change players around to win certain matchups is going to be key. I still think center is our obvious weak spot, particularly on the offensive side, but I don't mind the experiment. Obviously, we would all like to see them take that draft capital and bring in a proven All-Star (and I really do feel like that's what the Hornets front office are preparing to do depending on how the market goes) but I'm happy if we show improvement across the board and still end up in the lottery. Picks are Charlotte's way to success — even if they're packaged to bring in vets — and I think Jeff and co. have circled 2027-2028 as the real competitive years for us. Right now they are just putting the foundation in place.
I really wish we had taken Clingan in 2024. It’s crazy that we went from having a solid center rotation to relying on Plumlee and developmental guys who still feel like question marks after just one offseason of injuries and trades.
That was one of the major misses by Jeff Pederson and this FO, though overall they’ve done a very good job.
Will the 1st preseason game be in fanduel? I only see the game on the 9th.
What happened in the intro haha
Doug I think we need a special sound effect for when Walker goes Full Moussa Stan 😂
Let’s go Mason!!!
Great podcast Walker and Doug 👍🏻, the center position is very interesting and it’s hard to predict on who will start/get most minutes. Moussa improved his ball handling and passing as last season went on. Hopefully he and Kalk can be effective this season 🙌🏻. Hopefully Doug’s wish for a 3 point shooting center comes through with Kalk 😃
El centro de Charlotte Hornets tiene que ser Diabate. El demostró por encima de Williams que realmente es un gran luchador de rebotes, de tapas, de volcadas. Algo que no demuestra tanto Plumlee, que solo vuelca hacia atrás.
No es tan difícil elegir.
PD: Al menos es mi humilde opinión, es pequeño Diabatte pero salta y pelea mucho en la zona pintada ofensiva y defensiva.
Trade Bam to the Hornets then C situation handled. LaMelo, B Mill, Bam Trio 🙏🏾🏆
The tiny bit of Plumlee footage in the Real Access “Returns and Arrivals” vid showed him throwing up a left-handed free throw 😂
I think the better question for a Kalkbrenner is probability of him starting the year in Gboro where he belongs learning to play at 45 vs. 33 rpm. Also he needs to spend time in the weight room.
After seeing what happened to the Hornets tonight, I’ll bet I know the player who is most happy he isn’t starting for the Hornets tonight! Mark my words!