NEW YORK -- The Charlotte Hornets were hopeful in their chances at re-signing Jeremy Lin.Their desire to retain Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams also was significant, and it left leaving little salary-cap space for Lin, whom Charlotte could not go above the cap to retain.Before signing as a free agent with the Brooklyn Nets, Lin said on social media last season was the most enjoyable year he spent in the NBA.Even so, Lin could not get the three-year, $36 million deal from Charlotte that he received from Brooklyn. He will be a spectator Friday night when the teams meet at Barclays Center.Lin is sidelined due to a strained left hamstring. The Nets announced Thursday that Lin will be re-evaluated in two weeks, meaning the ailment will cost him at least seven games.The injury occurred at some point in the first half of the Nets 109-101 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, two days after Brooklyns 30-point loss to the Chicago Bulls.With Lin out, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson could hand point guard responsibilities to Isaiah Whitehead and Sean Kilpatrick, who played the position during summer league games.Kilpatrick recorded his first career double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday, and Whitehead scored five points in 20 minutes.We dont have the luxury of not playing hard every possession, Kilpatrick said. Thats something were starting to instill. As soon as Jeremy went out, I was like, Im going to have to play the point. Coach did a great job of making sure I played the point because you never know when that time is going to come.The point guard rotation also could involve Randy Foye, whose strained right hamstring has been upgraded to probable after he missed the previous five games.Obviously, its tough to be there without J-Lin, said Nets center Brook Lopez, who scored 34 points Wednesday. Were confident hell be all right.Regardless of who is at the point, the Nets (2-3) will be facing an opponent that will be looking for a better start.The Hornets improved to 3-1 with a 109-93 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. They recorded the win after trailing by as many as 13 at during the first half.Batum scored 17 of his 20 points in the third quarter. He was 6 of 8 from the field with three 3-pointers in the decisive quarter, and the Hornets were 16 of 22 from the field in waking up from a shaky first half.I had to get more aggressive, Batum said. The first week and a half (of the season), I was too passive and just tried to move the ball and get everybody involved. So sometime I have to look for my shot, and I had to do it. I had to step up. I wasnt playing like myself. Thats why I had to step up, and in the third quarter, I was able to hit some shots and get my rhythm back.Hornets coach Steve Clifford said of Batum, You could tell that he was going to come out and look for his shot more. You could tell from his body language that he was upset, in a good way, that he knew we had to play better. He was aggressive right from the start of the second half.Clifford will hope he does not have to discuss slow starts after Friday. In the past three games, the Hornets averaged 22 points and 34.4 percent shooting (21 of 61) in the first quarter.We have to start better, though, Clifford said. Since the first game in Milwaukee, we havent started well, so we have to try to do better with that.The Hornets swept the four meetings with the Nets last season. Charlotte completed the sweep with a 105-100 victory in Brooklyn on March 22 and won despite Kemba Walker shooting 4 of 14. Wholesale NBA Jerseys China . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Basketball Jerseys On Sale . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. http://www.cheapbasketballchina.com/ . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Wholesale Basketball Jerseys . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Cheap NBA Jerseys . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Shane Bucenell threw three touchdown passes and rushed for a score, Mike Holloway had 107 yards rushing, and Charleston Southern snapped Libertys five-game winning streak with a 48-26 victory on Saturday.Charleston Southern (6-3, 3-1 Big South) scored on four straight possessions in the second quarter to build a 31-6 halftime lead.Up 7-6 after the first quarter, the Bucs got an 83-yard kickoff return from Darius Hammond that led to a field goal to make it 10-6. Ben Robinson scored on a 28-yard run, Bucenell hit Mike Holloway for a 20-yard TD, and Kamereon Brown hauled in a 45-yard pass one play after Shadarius Hopkins interception.dddddddddddd.Bucenell, who passed for 170 yards, scored on a 57-yard QB keeper on the Bucs first play of the second half to put Charleston Southern in front 38-6.Stephen Calvert had 261 yards passing and three TDs for Liberty (6-4, 4-1). Kendall Couamin, Dante Shells and B.J. Farrow each had receiving scores. ' ' '