Lets Go Bobcats!.....Here we go again

2006-2007 Record: 33-49

Quote :

"End of season roster Alan Anderson GF 6-6 $128,935 Derek Anderson GF 6-5 $617,539 Primoz Brezec C 7-1 $2,750,000 Matt Carroll GF 6-6 $1,188,000 Raymond Felton G 6-1 $3,060,840 Othella Harrington FC 6-9 $2,200,000 Walter Herrmann F 6-9 $1,800,000 Ryan Hollins C 7-0 $412,718 Brevin Knight PG 5-10 $4,400,000 Sean May PF 6-9 $1,740,720 Jeff McInnis PG 6-4 $3,600,000 Adam Morrison GF 6-8 $3,616,680 Emeka Okafor FC 6-10 $4,300,560 Jake Voskuhl C 6-11 $2,000,000 Gerald Wallace F 6-7 $5,525,000"

Im excited about our draft chances with Durant and Oden coming to the NBA

Hope everyone liked last years thread, this one will be much better because we will have a better product on the floor...

I'll update it with draft info and free agent debates, im holding out for a top 2 pick and Rashard Lewis, plus weve GOT to keep Gforce...

4/18/2007 11:09:19 PM

I'm hoping for a top 2 pick, but what are the chances? 10%?

It would be nice to get a big time free agent, Vince Carter perhaps.

4/18/2007 11:16:15 PM

^sadly much less than 10%

however maybe some type of freak luck/karma/needle in a haystack, we will get the basketball gods to reward us for playing hard for all 82 games and not trying to tank at the end

with all our injuries this past year we were still only a few games out of the playoffs, let alone that we set the RECORD for most wins by a franchise in their 3rd season...if we can get a quality rookie and/or free agent we will certainly be a playoff contender next year

4/18/2007 11:20:14 PM

i.e Orlando Magic in the early 1990's.

#1 pick two years in a row, with the second being a one in a million shot.

4/18/2007 11:23:02 PM

Hornet got the 3 pick and Baron Davis with them having the best record of all the lottery teams and the worst chance for a top 3 pick

4/18/2007 11:26:00 PM

MJ's on board now, maybe he can rig it for us

and in on page one

4/18/2007 11:29:07 PM

we shouldn' keep wallace AND pick up Lewis.... they play the same position really.

Lewis isn't worth whatever he is about to get paid this Summer. I guess this is the appropriate thread: who do you guys think we should get if we had the 1st pick?

4/18/2007 11:29:37 PM

^durant

4/18/2007 11:31:51 PM

Durant

Oden will be great, but his game is too much like Okafor's. We need points, not blocks and rebounds.

4/18/2007 11:33:01 PM

We would get Durant im sure

and i think if we are to pick 1 or 2, we wont go after a big time free agent unless they get feeling real froggy

and hey, we need a coach???

4/18/2007 11:34:05 PM

durantdurantdurantdurant

4/18/2007 11:35:15 PM

1st pick: ODEN

game maybe similar to okafor, but you cant coach his physical talents...legit 7 footers do not come around as often as great wing players like durant

course either one would be a great addition and would mean that we somehow got a top 2 pick!

[Edited on April 18, 2007 at 11:44 PM. Reason : .]

4/18/2007 11:43:36 PM

Raymond Felton G 6-1 $3,060,840
Matt Carroll GF 6-6 $1,188,000
Gerald Wallace F 6-7 $5,525,000
Adam Morrison GF 6-8 $3,616,680
Walter Herrmann F 6-9 $1,800,000
Sean May PF 6-9 $1,740,720
Emeka Okafor FC 6-10 $4,300,560
Primoz Brezec C 7-1 $2,750,000

These are the guys that should definitely be back.

Felton
Carroll
GW/Morrison
Herrmann/May
Okafor/Primo

If we can't get Oden/Durant it would be good to pick up a SG. If we get the 10th or so pick there isn't alot to pick from as far as Center potential.

4/18/2007 11:45:05 PM

I usually agree with the "go with size" mantra. But we've never seen a player like Durant before. We lack scoring and a scoring presence on the wing. So Durant is the obvious choice.

Coach?

4/18/2007 11:47:40 PM

^first off, i dont think either oden or durant would be the "obvious" choice...it would almost be similar to okafor/howard where you really didnt know who orlando was going to take until stern announced it

but what exactly do you mean we havent seen a player like durant before? do you mean the bobcats havent had a player like him? cause theres a number of players in the nba who are similar to durant...there are less players in the nba similar to oden

4/18/2007 11:49:08 PM

I know it has been discussed and shot down but I wouldnt be mad at Larry Brown, we have the grind it out attitude he likes, despite the youth, which isnt All that young like it was

i could deal with him, UNC stuff aside, but long term, which is what i would like to see brought in, there have to be others capable of sitting on the bench for more than a few years

4/18/2007 11:50:28 PM

i'm killing with the cats on nba 2k7 right now.

4/18/2007 11:50:54 PM

it'd just be kinda fucked up if we got the 3rd pick and got brandan wright

not that he doesnt have nice nba potential...but the thought of adding a 4TH tarheel (if mcginnis stays) is almost nauseating

hopefully we'll ship may's fat ass somewhere although who would want him?

4/18/2007 11:52:51 PM

If we don't luck into Oden or Durant ... I want Brewer from UF. Put him, Wallace, Felton, and Okafor on the same floor, and we've got the best defensive team in the league.

The china guy looks good too, but I'm not thrilled about having a team that has two-non english speakers in the rotation.

4/19/2007 12:18:23 AM

Quote :

"Hornet got the 3 pick and Baron Davis with them having the best record of all the lottery teams and the worst chance for a top 3 pick"

Sadly, the third pick in this year's draft is dead to me. It could actually be catastrophic, as it might force us into taking Brandan Wright (who I don't want, regardless of the Tarheel factor) or JoScream Noah.

4/19/2007 12:22:40 AM

Who would I rather have between Wright and Noah?

wow...giant douche or turd sandwich

4/19/2007 12:25:59 AM

ugh

Both are pretty mediocre offensively. Wright isn't going to be able to stand near the basket and get only slam dunks.

[Edited on April 19, 2007 at 12:29 AM. Reason : sdf]

4/19/2007 12:28:05 AM

Gimme Horford over both

4/19/2007 12:34:16 AM

^word up

although a 3rd PF 1st round pick in 4 years is pushing it

[Edited on April 19, 2007 at 12:37 AM. Reason : .]

4/19/2007 12:37:22 AM

I agree with Horford

i dont really think Wright gives us much of an upgrade...

but i think we will end up with Corey Brewer with our later pick, then weve got the Raptors pick to use as well

4/19/2007 12:38:35 AM

Quote :

"we shouldn' keep wallace AND pick up Lewis.... they play the same position really."

If we HAVE to choose I would rather keep Wallace.

And please to no Larry Brown, we are trying to build something not a 1/2 year fling. Get Nate McMilian back in NC and out of Jail...I mean Portland.

4/19/2007 12:11:21 PM

From the Chad Ford chat

Quote :

"MJ (Charlotte): What am I going to do this offseason? I can't overpay for Gerald...should I max out Rashard Lewis? Maybe make a run at Darko? SportsNation Chad Ford: (12:29 PM ET ) I think the Bobcats are on the right path. I'd lock up Wallace .. maybe at an average of around $8-9 million a year and then spend the rest of my cash on Rashard Lewis to give some much needed shooting to the team. Combine that with another good draft pick and maybe use Adam Morrison as trade bait and I think Charlotte might be in a position to make a run at the playoffs next year ... but please ... don't hire Butch Carter. "

see, he and I both agree, keep wallace and get Lewis

think about how long ours starters would be, jesus

4/19/2007 12:44:21 PM

Spencer Hawes is pretty nasty too. Coming out of Wasington as a freshman and projected top 10 as a center. Normally I'd say if you can't get Oden go for Hibbert. Hawes averaged 15 points a game as a frosh compared to Hibberts 12.5 as a junior.

4/19/2007 12:47:33 PM

It's hard to know exactly what we're going to do (esp. with MJ at the helm now) but I feel I have a pretty good grasp on our direction. I have done a lot of research on our cap situation so I hopefully this will be pretty informative for any fans we have here:


A) The six players under contract who will be back with certainty (barring a trade):

Emeka Okafor ($5.43 million)
Adam Morrison ($3.89)
Ray Felton ($3.27)
Othella Harrington ($2.38)
Jake Voskuhl ($2.05)
Sean May ($1.86)

Combined 6 players ($18.9 million)


B)[b] Two players with team options that will be picked up with near certainty:

Walter Hermann ($1.94)
Ryan Hollins ($0.69)


Which brings us to a total of 8 players at $21.51 million.


[b]C) Primoz Brezec has a $2.75 million player option that he will almost certainly utilize.

Which brings us to a toal of 9 players at $24.26 million


Now this is where it gets interesting:


D) Brevin Knight has a team option worth $4.2 million. I have heard rumor that the team would have to pay him 1.5 million if they do not pick up the option. It's my opinion that Brevin will not be back and that we will use our 2nd first round pick on a backup PG. However, they may wish to retain his services and/or use him as a trade bait during the season. He has an expiring deal and is productive so he certainly has SOME trade value.

E) Free agents on our own team. We technically have 4 free agents but I will also treat Gerald Wallace as one because its a foregone conclusion that he will opt out of his player option.

Gerald Wallace, Matt Carroll, Alan Anderson Jeff McInnis, and Derek Anderson

Gerald Wallace is obviously the most interesting of this group. I have no doubt the Bobcat's would love to sign him to a 5 year/~$45 million deal. However, he is likely to ask for the max. I find it unlikely that he will get a max deal and will probably wind up in the 5 year/~$50-55 million range. There aren't a lot of teams with cap flexibility so I find it unlikely that he finds a deal much better than this but it only takes one team to make it happen.

Matt Carroll is intriguing. He's not strictly a one-dimensional shooter, but he's clearly not a full mid-level exception guy. There are tons of shooters on the market this year (Kapono, Peterson, etc) so this isn't a great year from his perspective to be a free agent. I think he will find that his services are not in very high demand and will take a deal with the Bobcats in the 4 years/~10 million range.

I feel that Alan Anderson will be back for a few reasons. He will sign cheaply, he is a fairly talented young player, and he offers flexibility as a 3rd PG option.

Jeff McInnis is tough to read. I don't think we will offer him more than the minumum to stay in Charlotte. If we decide to keep Brevin next season then McInnis likely won't be back under any circumstance. I have a feeling McInnis signs elsewhere regardless of whether Knight is back or not.

Derek Anderson: MJ has always made it clear that he has man love for DA. He even got him signed to Nike before he'd even played a game in the NBA. That's the only reason I'm not sure what to predict when it comes to DA. His knees are pretty much shot but he would probably take the minimum or close to it so maybe he's back for another year.


F) Contract Extension

Emeka Okafor is eligible for a contract extension this year and there's pretty much no doubt we're going to get this done. The only question is whether we'll be able to get him at a 5 year/~65 million deal or if he'll hold out for the max. In all likelihood I think he gets the max. He's not technically valuable enough to be a "max" player but he's pretty much got us by the balls in this situation. This is why the "max" rule sucks dick. It really undermines the fairness of a competitive market, but at the same time it does keep stars from holding out for exorbitant amounts and then being surrounded by inferior talent (think A-Rod in Texas)



Free Agency: After the huge extension granted to Okafor if we re-sign Gerald Wallace we really won't have the resources to go after a VC or Rashard Lewis type player. If G. Wallace skips town I fully expect us to offer Vince Carter a max deal to bring him to Charlotte. Otherwise the only "outside" free agent I could see us signing is a cheap under the radar guy like Azubuike.


The draft: If we pick #1 or #2 we take Oden or Durant obviously. If we pick #3 we probably take Brandon Wright. If we pick around the ten range I look for us either to take a Center or a SG.

With the late first round choice I think we take a backup PG or perhaps a SG (if we go big man with our first pick)



Alright, in a couple of weeks/months I'll bump this thread and stroke my e-cock to my predictions.

4/19/2007 5:09:03 PM

thats a pretty good look into it

im just ready to see how the ping pong balls turn out

4/19/2007 5:25:06 PM

There aren't many players like Oden in the league right now. But teams have adapted and players like Oden may become a thing of the past. Oden will be a great center. His basement is Alonzo Mourning and his ceiling is somewhere around Hakeem Olajuwon. But we have Okafor, a very serviceable center.

What players in the league can do what Durant can do? Mcgrady is probably the closest, though McGrady wasn't this good at the same age and couldn't rebound of play in the paint as well. KG is slower than Durant and doesn't have the range on his jumper. Rashard Lewis is unathletic. Larry Hughes can't shoot or rebound like Durant. Durant will be an athletic version of Dirk. (giving up a few inches but making up for it by being a lockdown defender.

I don't think the Bobcats could go wrong either way, but our need is obviously on the wing. I think Brewer would be the best pick we could realistically make.

We really should go after Lewis. His offense is needed. Especially the long range shooting.

4/19/2007 5:58:04 PM

It's not wise to trot Okafor out there as a starting center

He got injured his 2nd season because he was playing too heavy trying to defend centers.

He gets into foul trouble often because he's not able to guard opposing centers without leaving his feet.


We need a center with better post moves and size. Okafor needs to play predominantly at PF


I agree that Durant is a blend between Garnett and Dirk. He has a better offensive game than Garnett but a slightly less lethal one than Dirk. He is a slightly better defender than Dirk but a very inferior defender to Garnett.



[Edited on April 19, 2007 at 6:02 PM. Reason : a]

4/19/2007 6:01:06 PM

The league's centers are all becoming smaller. Duncan has been playing at the 5. Amare is at the 5. Harrington, Jermaine Oneal, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard are all playing the majority of their minutes at the 5. That is the new NBA. OKafor was injury prone in college, it's tough to blame the size of NBA centers on that.

I was just making the point that Durant is unlike anything we've seen. You're right Durant's offense isn't as good as Dirk now....but Dirk's been in the league 10 years. I am not claiming Durant is going to be the next Jordan, I just think his skill set is unbelievably unique and will cause match up problems like few others ever before.

If we are lucky enough to get Oden, I think we make the playoffs. He will be an instant difference maker.

4/19/2007 6:06:49 PM

Duncan has rarely been used as a 5 in his career and he's longer than Okafor.

The spurs have normally paired him with a Mohammed, Nesterovic, or Oberto.

Amare is an exception because the Suns play small ball.

Harrington plays for Nelly and Nelly always has a horrible defensive team and that prevents them from ever being good enough to win.

ONeal has been oft-injured. Partially due to being too small.

Dwight Howard is usually paired with Darko Mlicic.

We need another big man theres no way around it.



We could have given ourselves a great shot at getting Oden/Durant but we chose to be complete idiots. Something this organization seems to have a knack for.

4/19/2007 6:14:09 PM

Watch Spurs games the last two years. The spurs have sometimes used 4 guard lineups with Duncan maning the middle. They play Duncan with Robert Horry in the 4th quarter. The NBA's new rules have rewarded athleticism at all positions. None of this is the point, the Bobcats won too many damn games for us to get our hopes up anyway. I just hope we don't get another power forward... I hear there is a good one coming out of UNC.

4/19/2007 6:33:23 PM

Okay I didnt mean to say he is NEVER used at the center position during games.

Just that he isn't asked to play 40 minutes at the center position.

He rarely (if ever?) has started at Center the past few years.


Theres a big difference from playing 40 mpg at Center and 12-20 minutes.

Foul trouble being one major difference.


Anyway, the point is we need a center badly. Voskuhl is inept and he's only got one year left on his deal. Brezec is too soft and he's in his last year on the team too. Hollins showed some potential but apparentally we aren't too high on him and he has only one more year on his deal. Hell, Harrington is in his last year too... and Sean May is in his last guaranteed year before we have to determine whether to extend him or not.

We have to go big with our first round pick IMO, unless we take Corey Brewer

4/19/2007 6:37:17 PM

i dont follow the bobcats. but if we got good i would.

(i only care about the playoffs)

4/19/2007 6:41:40 PM

Quote :

"I just hope we don't get another power forward... I hear there is a good one coming out of UNC."

Brandon Wright and Power are two words that should never be used together.

4/19/2007 8:45:56 PM

wright is more of a "long forward" while may is a "fat forward"

4/19/2007 9:59:55 PM

Obviously we would love to have a chance at Oden or Durant and would be able to find a place for either one of them. Outside of them, I'd be cool with Hibbert, Horford, chinese dude or even Thorton and if we draft Noah, I will seriously consider becoming a Magic fan.

I'm all about making a run at VC, not so much Lewis, but would happily give up May or Brezec to get a quality, all-star caliber player.

Here's to making the playoffs in Year 4!

4/19/2007 10:19:00 PM

^Hmm I didn't really think about Al Thornton who should be a good NBA player. He is a lot like Josh Howard IMO and he is doing well. Any chance we might take him with our 2nd 1st rounder if he is available? Thoughts? I would like to have a guy like him.

4/19/2007 10:44:20 PM

any thoughts on if we get the 1st or 2nd pick and one of these guys pulls a Kobe and says, fuck yall Im not playing in Charlotte??

and I have said it before and ill say it again, if we draft Noah, im done, thats it, done being a Bobcats fan

4/20/2007 8:36:46 AM

Quote :

"REMOTE CHANCE OF GETTING OVERALL TOP PICK Bobcats to face tie-breaker today Kings, Knicks also share NBA's 8th-worth record RICK BONNELL rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com The Charlotte Bobcats finished with 33 victories, tying them with the New York Knicks (who must exchange first-round picks with Chicago) and Sacramento Kings for the eighth-worst record in the NBA this season. The NBA will break that tie sometime this afternoon, after the Board of Governors meeting. League executive Stu Jackson conducts it, and the teams that are tied will each have a Ping-Pong ball with its logo on it. Those balls are placed in a basketball with a hole at the top. The team that Jackson pulls out first wins the first tiebreaker and will be slotted ahead of the other two. He then breaks the tie between the other two teams by selecting another ball. Regardless of today's drawing, the Bobcats will have only a remote chance of winning the No. 1 pick in the May 22 draft lottery. If designated the eighth-worst team, they would have a 2.8 percent chance. The ninth-worst team gets a 1.7 percent chance and the 10th-worst team a 1.1 percent chance. By finishing with the NBA's worst record (22-60), the Memphis Grizzlies will have a 25 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick in the weighted draft lottery. The draft is June 28 in New York. Odds are ... A look at the lottery teams' chances of winning the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery May 22. The NBA will break the ties today. TEAM PCT. Memphis 25 Boston 19.9 Milwaukee 15.6 Phoenix* 11.9 Seattle 8.8 T6 Portland/Minnesota 6.3 T6 Portland/Minnesota 4.3 T8 Charlotte/Chi.#/Sac. 2.8 T8 Charlotte/Chi.#/Sac. 1.7 T8 Charlotte/Chi.#/Sac. 1.1 T11 Philadelphia/Atlanta+ 0.8 T11 Philadelphia/Atlanta+ 0.7 New Orleans 0.6 L.A. Clippers 0.5 *via trade with Atlanta; #via trade with New York; +via trade with Indiana"

4/20/2007 10:45:35 AM

Quote :

" • Portland (32-50) won a tie-breaker with Minnesota, and will be selecting 6th*. Minnesota will be selecting 7th* • Charlotte (33-49) won a three-way tie-breaker with New York and Sacramento, and will be selecting 8th*. • New York** (33-49) won the subsequent tie-breaker with Sacramento, and will be selecting 9th*. Sacramento will be selecting 10th*. • Indiana*** (35-47) won a tie-breaker with Philadelphia, and will be selecting 11th*. Philadelphia will be selecting 12th*. • Washington (41-41) won a tie-breaker with New Jersey, and will be selecting 16th. New Jersey will be selecting 17th. • Golden State (42-40) won a tie-breaker with the Los Angeles Lakers, and will be selecting 18th. The Los Angeles Lakers will be selecting 19th. "

At least we got a little break there


so the 8th and 22nd picks

4/20/2007 4:01:33 PM

hell yeah...nice tiebreaker...get us an extra 1.7% chance

now we're guaranteed of picking our first pick no worse than 11th (and thats only if either 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 teams somehow get the 1st 3 picks)

[Edited on April 20, 2007 at 4:08 PM. Reason : .]

4/20/2007 4:07:53 PM

Durant.

That is all.

4/21/2007 10:20:39 AM

4/23/2007 6:05:53 PM

bobcats were mentioned/ripped on Entourage last night...

Something about Ari not wanting to go to a Lakers game b/c they were playing the Bobcats. That's funny because the Bobcats actually swept the home and away series with the Lakers, 2-0 this season.

4/23/2007 6:20:02 PM

Maybe he didn't want to see the Lakers get owned.

4/23/2007 6:29:52 PM

yeah that triple overtime game in charlotte was awesome

4/23/2007 6:30:17 PM