CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Kemba Walker keeps hearing from his friends around the league that the Charlotte Hornets won't be as good after losing Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee and Al Jefferson to free agency in the offseason.
Walker doesn't mind hearing that.
''I kind of like it that way,'' the Hornets' 6-foot point guard said with a big grin. ''The year we did have high expectations (in 2014-15), it didn't work out so well. So I'd rather be the underdog. It works out better for us.''
Last year the Hornets were viewed as an underdog and won 48 games during the regular season - tied for third-most in the Eastern Conference - but were ousted in the first round by the Miami Heat.