CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Ask for a buyout? Yes, Charlotte Hornets center Bismack Biyombo considered it.
"I could have gotten a buyout. A lot of (teams were) calling," ninth-season veteran Biyombo told the Observer on Sunday.
Teammates Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist did just that, giving up guaranteed salary to sign with playoff contenders Milwaukee and Dallas, respectively. Biyombo understands and respects their motivation for doing so.
However, when Biyombo assessed the situation _ the Hornets value him for his defensive ability and mentoring skills _ he chose to ride it out as the oldest veteran in this rotation.
"The house is on fire? Let's find a way to fix it," Biyombo said of the Hornets' rebuild. "I think the way we have been competing shows a lot of character from a lot of guys."
Biyombo's history in Charlotte forms a fascinating circle: He started his NBA career here as such a raw rookie in the winter of 2012 that then-assistant coach Rob Werdann gave him remedial lessons in catching the ball. But Biyombo had rim-protection skills that made him the seventh overall pick _ ahead of future All-Star Kemba Walker.
The first run was so underwhelming that Hornets management didn't make a qualifying offer to restrict his free-agency in 2015. So Biyombo moved on to Toronto and then Orlando. Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak reacquired Biyombo in a series of trades motivated as much as anything to off-load Dwight Howard when coach James Borrego arrived.
But in the 1 { seasons since, Biyombo has gone from extraneous to valued. He started the last four games, although he might get some bench time to give Cody Zeller another shot as Borrego reviews center options. Most importantly, Kupchak said he'd consider re-signing Biyombo when he reaches free agency in July.
What Kupchak's praise reflects as much as anything is Biyombo still reinvents himself. He averages a career-high 7.8 points this season; that sounds meager, but he's trustworthy as a ballhandler and shooter now in a way he never was in the past.
A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Biyombo likes to travel in the summer. However, after surgery to repair a torn knee meniscus, he committed to more time in Charlotte with the coaches.
"To understand more their point of view about how our system would work. Ask more questions," Biyombo described.
Hornets assistant Nate Mitchell pushed Biyombo's comfort zone, even if Biyombo initially saw intensive ball-handling drills as a lost cause.
"You're crazy. What am I going to use this for?" Biyombo recalls telling Mitchell. "He was trying to make sure I was comfortable. Feeling confidence."
A victory Feb. 12 in Minneapolis showed just how far Biyombo had come, as the Timberwolves kept double-teaming him with the ball. Biyombo finished with two assists, in addition to his 14 points and 10 rebounds in perhaps his best game as a Hornet.
"Now, more of those are becoming catches and finishes," Borrego said of Biyombo's touches. "This isn't something he just hopes changes, he works at it."
During a recent dinner with former Toronto teammate Kyle Lowry, Biyombo shared that this Hornets group reminds him of the Raptors in 2015; talented, but young and still searching for how to win.
With Walker in Boston and Williams in Milwaukee, the Hornets lost a wealth of leadership and experience. Biyombo feels he can be major in filling that void.
"When things are not going right, everybody wants to run away. It's human nature," Biyombo said. "Instead of always seeing problems, sometimes you can see opportunity. So we lean on each other."
