PJ Hairston Assault Charges Reportedly Dropped at Alleged Victim's Request

The assault charges brought against Charlotte Hornets guard P.J. Hairston have reportedly been dropped at the request of the alleged victim.   

Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer revealed the news Thursday:

Hairston's charges were from an alleged altercation at the Durham YMCA back in July. District Attorney Roger Echols noted that Kentrell Barkley requested the charges to be dropped, per The Durham Herald-Sun's news report.

The rookie shooting guard has played well this season, averaging 5.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in just 13.2 minutes per game. Those numbers are good enough for per-36 averages of 13.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game (h/t Basketball-Reference.com).

Hornets coach Steve Clifford recently spoke about his importance to the offense, per Bonnell.

“All I know is when he’s out there, it opens up for everyone else,” Clifford said. “It opens up because they’re so scared of him taking a shot.”

Meanwhile, Barkley has moved on from the skirmish. The Northern Durham player recently signed with ECU, per Bret Strelow of The Fayetteville Observer:

Hairston can now focus solely on basketball moving forward. The first-round pick for Charlotte in the 2014 NBA draft will need to play well to get the team back on track in the Eastern Conference.

Traveling to take on the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors on Friday and Saturday, respectively, the Hornets will need Hairston to be at the top of his game to win both contests.

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