LeBron to Charlotte? Hornets must try

I do not expect LeBron James will end up anywhere besides Miami. But this is a chase the Charlotte Hornets absolutely have to join, just in case.

And they will. The Hornets and general manager Rich Cho are not dumb. They will get in line as a suitor for James -- who has opted out of his contract with the Heat -- just like everyone else in the NBA will. And Michael Jordan should be part of this recruitment process.

And while LeBron's landing spots certainly would seem to be more likely in Miami, L.A. (with either team), or Cleveland, it is a tribute to the Hornets that they at least are in this conversation. A column in Yahoo! Sports recently was headlined: "LeBron James Could Be The Superstar Michael Jordan Is Looking For" and contained the sentence: "The Hornets can make a solid case they are in better standing than the Heat if James is removed from the equation."

Ultimately, I cannot imagine LeBron coming to Charlotte. But that's the way the biggest dreams sometimes are -- unimaginable until they actually happen. If you are the Hornets, you never know on this one until you try.

Benjamin wants to win Super Bowl his rookie season

Kelvin Benjamin certainly has not backed down from anyone or any expectation so far for Carolina.

When asked last week after a Panther practice what his expectations were for this season, Benjamin said simply: "Win the Super Bowl. Add on to my national championship ring."

Benjamin, the Panthers' No.1 draft pick in May, won a national championship in college last season with Florida State. At 6-5, 240, he is supposed to give Cam Newton the big target that he has been lacking and has been impressive so far in practice.

A couple of the leaping grabs Benjamin has made in workouts have caused everyone on the practice field to take notice, although he remains a work in progress as a route runner. Even if Benjamin doesn't start in the regular-season opener, however, it is a sure thing he will come in for red-zone situations and try to take advantage of his height and athleticism on fade routes.

Newton has smartly started making a concerted attempt to bond with Benjamin. He took Benjamin to Georgia over the Memorial Day weekend, where they hung out on a boat, went swimming, played video games and ate to their heart's content.

Benjamin was appreciative. "I want to get around an older guy who's been here in the limelight," he said of his new quarterback. "He's trying to teach me things."

The Panthers -- who won 12 games and the NFC South title last season -- don't start training camp until late July in Spartanburg. By then, Newton should be fully healthy from his offseason ankle surgery. How Benjamin fares when the Panthers put the pads on -- and how quickly he and Newton gel on the field -- will be one of camp's key storylines. Benjamin has got to play well quickly for this team to come anywhere near accomplishing that Super Bowl goal.

When asked if that goal was really possible, Benjamin laughed and said: "What? It's a football team, right? So it's possible."

Best new Hornet uniform is the alternate one

Can the Charlotte Hornets make their alternate uniforms their primary home uniforms?

Unfortunately, they cannot, because those alternate uniforms -- primarily teal in color and on the far right in the picture above -- are the ones that I like the best of the new trio of uniforms the Hornets unveiled Thursday.

The Hornets will wear those teal uniforms 16-20 times a year, they say -- about half of those at home games and half at away games. Of the three, the teal uniforms are the only ones that say "Charlotte" on the chest plate -- the other two both say "Hornets."

None of the three uniforms have the characteristic pinstripes coming down the front of the jersey that the originals had. That is a lost opportunity in my book. I wish the pinstripes had been inserted into at least the alternate uniforms.

On the other hand, I think the lettering is good and the overall look is crisp and uncluttered on all three uniforms.

The Hornets will have three uniforms for 2014-15. Here is a quick look at each and my reaction to each:

1) White home uniforms. The NBA mandates that a light-colored uniform must be an NBA team's home uniform. None of the Hornets' new uniforms are bad by any means, but these to me are the weakest of the three. I just like purple and teal to be the primary color -- that's what says "Hornets" to me.

Also, while the word "Charlotte" is actually on this uniform, it is in very small print and extremely hard to read on the bottom right leg of the shorts. The Hornets' brass say this is a "discoverable" element -- to me, it should have been easier to discover. The purple numbers are cool, though. (Here's another take from the influential "Uni Watch" blog, which believes the home whites are actually the best).

There is colorful striping on the left side of the uniform, which the Hornets are insisting are "pinstripes" in homage to the original design. To me, a pinstripe is thin. These are very thick. These "pinstripes" use purple, teal and light blue like the original Hornets, but they also add a new color in gray.

2) Purple road uniforms. These are the second-best of the new uniforms. The purple is vibrant. This is basically like the home uniform but with a lot more color to it. Like the home uniform, the chest plate says "Hornets" and not "Charlotte" -- Hornets officials said this was in large part due to their research, which said fans wanted the word "Hornets" very prominently displayed since it was so hard to get the old nickname back. Again, the word "Charlotte" is on the bottom right leg of the shorts and you won't ever see it unless you are really, really looking for it.

3) Teal alternate uniforms. These will be worn in about a quarter of the Hornets' games. I wish it was more like 90 percent of them. Talk about a pop -- these uniforms are the ones I predict will sell the most (fans can pre-order all of the new unis, but not until August).

These also have "Charlotte" on the chest plate, and I like that too. The purple numbers on the teal looks a lot like the iconic Alexander Julian design that originally made so many millions for the Hornets (Julian wanted to design these new uniforms for free, but the Hornets instead had a team of designers from Nike do it).

This shade of teal is a bit darker than the original teal, by the way. It looks fantastic.

All in all, it's wonderful to see actual Hornets' uniforms again -- ones that will be worn, not just old uniforms that will only be nostalgically remembered. And while I am nitpicking some here, what will be the most important ultimately is how well the Hornets play in these uniforms.

Cam Newton gets another shot at Madden cover

UPDATE: Cam Newton made it to the finals to be on the cover of Madden 15, but lost to Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman.

You may recall that Cam Newton really wanted to be on the cover of Madden 13, the NFL video game. He wanted to so badly that two years ago he concocted a seven-minute homemade video calling out Detroit wide receiver Calvin Johnson -- his rival in the finals -- and saying he was the best choice because he was the better "Madden" player.

Nevertheless, Johnson won anyway. The results were announced in New York City's Times Square -- if you can believe this, The Observer had me cover it (although to be fair, I was already in New York for something else) -- and Newton was obviously disappointed.

Now Newton is back in the Final Four of the Madden '15 cover vote, joining Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick and Richard Sherman in competition for the cover. Results are determined by fan voting, which is always a fickle process (remember how the Panthers managed to win "Best NFL Uniform Ever" in a national fan vote for their all-black getup, despite having only worn that uniform once in a regular-season game at that time?). The semifinals for Madden 15 end May 30, with the two finalists being chosen and voting opening immediately for another week. The winner will be announced Friday, June 6, on ESPN's SportsCenter.

I can't get very excited about who makes a videogame cover, but it's obviously important to Newton and to a lot of other people (my teenaged sons like to keep me monitored on this contest). This time Newton faces Luck in the semifinals in a battle of the No.1 picks from 2011 and 2012.

Newton, a No.1 seed, has already won two voting matchups to get that far, trouncing Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown and Kansas City's Jamaal Charles. Middle linebacker Luke Kuechly -- a No.6 seed who plays a starring role in the Madden 15 official trailer -- won one matchup over Denver's Demaryius Thomas but then lost to Kaepernick in the quarterfinals.

What this does mean, besides the fact that Madden 15 is getting a lot of publicity and will sell a whole lot of copies once more?

Not much, really, except that the Panthers continue to become more nationally prominent. Only 16 players were selected for this contest, and two of them were from Carolina. That tells you something, much like Carolina's renewed prominence in prime-time games in their 2014 NFL schedule, when they play three games at night. The Panthers are no longer an NFL afterthought.

Just what the Panthers do not need -- Greg Hardy gets arrested

Panther defensive end Greg Hardy was arrested Tuesday on misdemeanor charges of communicating threats and assaulting a female. Here's the news story. The Panthers quickly issued a statement saying: "We are very disappointed to learn of the allegations involving Greg and are concerned for all parties as we continue to investigate."

Like anyone, Hardy is innocent until proven guilty. But when one of the team's five best players gets arrested in Charlotte and has a mugshot that quickly has found its way all over online, that's going to make major news, and that's exactly the kind of news the Panthers don't need.

Hardy, who calls himself the "Kraken" in a nod to to the mythological sea monster, has had behavioral and maturity issues before. That's part of the reason he lasted until the sixth round of the 2010 draft despite otherworldly athletic ability. Hardy also had a bad motorcycle accident on the eve of the 2011 training camp, which cost him most of that preseason.

He was spectacular in 2013 for Carolina, with 15 sacks and his first Pro Bowl appearance. The 15 sacks tied a team record and represented a fourth of the Panthers' 60-sack total, which led the NFL. The Panthers responded by giving Hardy their "franchise tag," which guaranteed him a $13.1-million salary this season if he doesn't reach a long-term extension with the team.

As for the arrest, undoubtedly there will be more details emerging, and it is important to stress it is a misdemeanor, not a felony. See the incident report yourself if you like. But one thing you can say for sure: This isn't good, Hardy is in hot water once more, and as my colleague Tom Sorensen notes, a lot of people in the Panther organization are livid right now.

5 things to know about Benjamin

Now that the Panthers have picked Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin at No.28, what does that mean? Well....

1. One of the underrated parts of this pick if it works out: It will improve the Panthers' running game, especially at the goal line. Panther general manager Dave Gettleman said having Benjamin at wideout won't allow other teams to put eight players in the box. While that may be an oversimplification, if Benjamin produces -- especially in the end zone -- it could certainly help the run game that got stuffed too many times in the San Francisco playoff game and at other times last season. (Here is my column about the pick of Bejamin in general terms).

2. Benjamin's route-running can be improved, Gettleman acknowledged in response to a question. Then again, Gettleman said the only wide receiver in the draft whose route running is beyond question is former LSU star Odell Beckham (taken by the New York Giants at No.12 overall).

3. Although Benjamin just finished his redshirt sophomore year at Florida State, he is 23 years old. That's because he failed two grades before he got to high school. Due to being too old according to Florida high school standards, he wasn't allowed to play in the final couple of games of his senior year. Gettleman said that Benjamin has plenty of football smarts and that he proved it several times when the Panthers put him "on the board" and had Benjamin diagramming plays and coverages.

4. I liked the way Benjamin handled his first questions as a Panther. He sounded humble and genuinely happy. "I'm not looking at it like taking Steve Smith's spot," Benjamin said. "I'm just wanting to be the best that I can be." And if Benjamin catches a few of Cam Newton's overthrows, so much the better.

5. How good can he be? Benjamin is not a burner -- his 40 time is in the low 4.6 range. Neither was Muhsin Muhammad, though, and he was the Panthers' second-best WR ever behind No.89. Gettleman said Benjamin improved dramatically in the final four games of Florida State's season, and the Panthers believe he will continue to get better. And, as Gettleman kept saying: "You can't coach 6-foot-5, 240." (Note: Benjamin has played in the Panthers' stadium before -- he scored FSU's first TD on a 14-yard pass in the Seminoles' 45-7 rout of Duke in the ACC title game in December and scored again later on a 54-yard throw from Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston).

On Panther draft, Durant speech and other sports notes

-- I do not think the Panthers will trade anywhere but down in this draft, and I think it is more likely that they do not trade at all. Better stock up on late-night snacks on Thursday, because I would guess the Panthers won't pick until at least 11 p.m.

-- I remain a believer that Carolina should take an offensive tackle with its No.1 pick Thursday night and a wide receiver at No.2 Friday, but it would be OK if that order was reversed. They need to address both those positions in the first three rounds, however.

-- The best two Panther drafts in history were in 2001 (Steve Smith, Kris Jenkins and Dan Morgan) and 2002 (Julius Peppers, DeShaun Foster, Will Witherspoon). The two worst: 1997 (Rae Carruth) and 1998 (Jason Peter, Chuck Wiley, Mitch Marrow). Dave Gettleman's first draft in 2013 ranks somewhere in the middle, but could rise to a top-5 Panther draft eventually if the two defensive tackles at the top keep progressing.

-- If you remember Grady Little -- who went to Garinger, later managed the Boston Red Sox and L.A. Dodgers and now manages the high school baseball team at Hickory Grove Christian in Charlotte -- I wrote a long profile about him here in Wednesday's Observer. You have to at least read the part about "Bull Durham" -- Little was the "baseball trainer" for that movie.

-- Kevin Durant's NBA MVP speech was one of the best and most gracious sports speeches I have ever heard. Here's the full video: skip to the 23-minute mark to see the best part, when he talks about his Mom being the "real MVP."

-- Along with more than a dozen other current and former Observer staffers who have written books, I will be signing and selling my "100 Things Panther Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die" book on Thursday, May 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on The Observer's front lawn (600 S. Tryon Street). Books are $15 apiece, including tax. More details here.