THIS IS THE YEAR WE MAKE THE LEAP






Not a great offseason. At best we held serve. The extra experience under LB is a plus, but the Chandler trade is an unknown value. Also we have no reserve PF. Murray probably helps, and if we get better production from Nazr (any positive production is better than last year) that's good. But, those little extras aren't enough to raise the bar very far.

Sorry, I know I sound like a glass half empty guy, but I am also a realist relative to basketball. The NBA is not a league that thrives on promise and hope. It doesn't take long for teams to adjust to strengths and weaknesses. It is a very sophisticated game, and talent matters. Team play is certainly important, but the collective skills rise to the top. Star players also make a huge impact. Our team has no true star caliber player. Our guys are mostly role players talent wise. We will likely be a bit better this year, and I'm hoping we're a lot better.




But the NBA doesn't reward hope.

9/29/2009 9:54:20 AM

I pretty much dislike the Bobcats because of all their UNC ties. That and the fact they suck.

9/29/2009 10:14:03 AM

I loved the hornets but woudn't care if the bobcats lost every game.

9/29/2009 10:24:42 AM

Please refrain from posting in this thread

[Edited on September 29, 2009 at 10:28 AM. Reason : x]

9/29/2009 10:27:36 AM

and yea i won't post anymore. i dont make a habit of trolling. figured id get my thoughts in before the real discussion began

[Edited on September 29, 2009 at 10:29 AM. Reason : ]

9/29/2009 10:28:42 AM

9/29/2009 11:15:19 AM

How bout some insightful posts, people, instead of just "fuck the bobcats" and dumbass pictures

9/29/2009 11:18:30 AM

Thoughts/predictions on the Bobcats this season

-New unis look really good.

-Augustin will overtake Felton as the starter at PG some point this year. He's a better ballhandler, better shooter, and surprisingly, better finisher around the rim. Felton will still play a big role though. I think we'll see a lot of those two on the court at the same time.

-Chandler gives them a really athletic starting lineup from top to bottom. All 5 of those guys (plus Henderson and Augustin) can really get out and push the ball.

-I think they're going to struggle mightily rebounding. Wallace is the best rebounder they've got, and he's a small forward.

-Like Slave said, this team is made up of really good role players and no star players. If they had a go-to guy, I think they're a top-5 in the east. The pieces are almost all there ... just need that marquee player. Maybe Augustin becomes that player...

-I still don't think the bobcats make the playoffs this year. They'll win slightly more games than last year, but I don't see the playoffs in their future. Hope I'm wrong though.


[Edited on September 29, 2009 at 12:03 PM. Reason : ]

9/29/2009 11:59:09 AM

I just don't see this team breaking 90 points on a consistent basis

Where does the scoring come from ?

Chandler has nothing but dunks, Wallace is a Mason, Felton is like career 40 percent from the field

Diaw is more of a facilitator than finisher, and Bell is just spot up 3's



This is why I was firmly in the AI camp

9/29/2009 12:11:24 PM

Exactly my thoughts. This team is going to struggle to score.

I still think Wayne Ellington would have been a better fit than Henderson. Ellington isn't the defender and lacks some of Henderson's explosion, but he'd give the Bobcats a huge jolt of offense off the bench.

9/29/2009 12:40:36 PM

Quote :

"Chandler has nothing but dunks"

neither did Emeka, when he wasn't getting blocked

9/29/2009 12:48:28 PM

Emeka had nothing but layups

and that point wasn't to take a side on the trade, just to illustrate our lack of scoring prowess, given the rest of the roster

9/29/2009 1:48:52 PM

yeah i know

just saying

it'll be pretty weird to have a center who doesn't get 11.5% of his shot attempts stuffed back in his 6'10" face

9/29/2009 1:52:31 PM

41-41, maybe 8th seed in playoffs, first round loss to Boston or Cleveland.

I really don't like the Emeka/Chandler trade but we will see. And like others have said, where is the offense coming from? Can Henderson turn into Corey Maggette 2.0? If so, we might have a chance. I think the problem the last few years is the starting 5 is as good as most but we have no depth at all.

9/29/2009 1:53:16 PM

i can just assume that the record will improve by 5-10 games over what they did last year since Larry Brown has gotten settled in

9/29/2009 3:58:26 PM

the good news: bobcats could very likely set a franchise record for wins in a season
the bad news: it would only take 36 wins to do so

9/29/2009 4:03:23 PM

if he stays healthy, and that's a big if, I think the Chandler deal is a win for the Bobcats. he can protect the rim and will run a great pick and roll with either Felton or Augustin.

they would have been better off if Terrance Williams had slipped to them. with Williams maybe they could have moved Wallace for another solid big (Kaman/Camby/Deandre Jordan?). I don't expect a lot from Henderson.

scoring is going to be tough to come by. if Iverson was willing to come off the bench, they made a big mistake not snatching him up.

if Chandler stays healthy, Augustin steadily improves, and Henderson brings anything to the table the Bobcats make the playoffs

9/29/2009 4:13:13 PM

First preseason game tonight, and you guessed it, no TV coverage


Hollinger is usually pretty accurate...here's to hoping he's way off, but I doubt it

Quote :

"Outlook Charlotte has only two positive indicators in its favor. First, the Cats finished strongly last year, with their remodeled roster playing essentially .500 ball after the slow start. Second, Charlotte granted an inordinate number of minutes last year to players who contributed sub-replacement-level production, a feat that would be almost impossible to repeat. Even if they replace those minutes with players who are merely "poor" instead of "terrible," they'll come out ahead on the bargain. Another bright spot is the schedule -- the wildly unbalanced home-road split of the past two years has been replaced with something far more even, which should make it easier for the Bobcats to dig out of the early hole that Brown's teams habitually dig for themselves. Despite those positives, it's tough to be optimistic about the team's prospects for this season. The Chandler trade was a downgrade, and it was the worst kind for them because it exchanged a halfway decent scorer for a subpar one. The Bobcats were already desperate for offense, so this move just puts more pressure on the likes of Diaw and Wallace to create opportunities. Wallace is one of the league's most underrated players, an electrifying forward who might be an All-Star on a more prominent team, but he's more of an all-around force than a go-to scorer. Diaw has similar limitations, and with two infrequent scorers around them in Chandler and Bell, turnovers are the probable result, just like a year ago. Murray will help with his firepower off the bench, but he may not play heavy minutes given the crowded backcourt; at any rate, expecting a repeat of last season seems unrealistic. In fact, Charlotte may very well finish dead last in offensive efficiency this season. Only two players -- Wallace and Augustin -- project to post PERs above the league average. And if injuries hit, forget it -- the tight financial fists and poor drafts have left the Bobcats with so little depth that their second-round draft pick will almost certainly be a rotation player. As a result, the Bobcats will have to be extraordinary on defense just to smell .500. I suspect they'll be good at that end, because Brown's teams always are, but I doubt they'll be good enough to offset the offense. Prediction: 29-53, 5th in Southeast Division, 12th in Eastern Conference"

10/6/2009 9:22:08 AM

well he knocks the okafor/chandler swap and cites their offensive production, but i think with chandler, we can be a faster team and get out on breaks more effectively than with okafor. also, chandler is a much better screener than okafor, which cant do anything but help. take away the wasted possessions with illegal screens and offensive fouls on the pick and roll alone and thats a plus.

10/6/2009 10:27:36 AM

what channel do they typically play on? i moved back to raleigh when the playoffs had already started...is it news14 or FSN or what?

10/6/2009 11:13:59 AM

it was FSN last year.

I think they're going to be worse this year, I agree with that write-up. but they'll manage to win 30 games or so and get another late "lottery" pick to use on marginal talent and keep the pattern moving along.

10/6/2009 11:17:59 AM

I heard that we're suppose to get more HD games this year, but haven't seen that confirmed

They're really no excuse not to have HD in 2009, and especially when their SD is home video quality picture

10/6/2009 11:21:21 AM

Chandler also actually calls out picks and screens...Emeka was shy like Peppers and didn't communicate worth a shit on the court

And why is everybody down on the trade so much? Oh no, Chandler averages 5 less points per game than Okafor...while taking half as many shots as Okafor and shooting a better percentage because we didn't have a low post scoring threat like David West...whats so much better about Okafor than Chandler? I'm still waiting to be convinced

10/6/2009 11:21:44 AM

Nothing's better, nothing's worse imo

It's like trading a pop tart for a toaster struedel

10/6/2009 11:24:11 AM

toaster streudel's are so much better than pop-tarts it's sick

10/6/2009 11:26:13 AM

Okafor has better CHARACTER I suppose

whoopty do

10/6/2009 11:35:28 AM

Quote :

"I loved the hornets but woudn't care if the bobcats lost every game."

exactly how i feel

10/6/2009 12:24:27 PM

Quote :

"toaster streudel's are so much better than pop-tarts it's sick"

Totally agreed. The only advantage pop tarts have is that they're quicker to make. You always run the risk of getting the goo shit on you with the streudel.

And I think this year, we'll get to see how good or not good Brown is as a coach. The team has good pieces, but they don't seem to have any great pieces. If he can get this team to the playoffs, then hot damn

10/6/2009 12:58:24 PM

thats a risk im always willing to take

10/6/2009 12:58:58 PM

Quote :

"I pretty much dislike the Bobcats because of all their UNC ties. That and the fact they suck."

There is only one person on the roster from UNC. Get over it. There are more players on the team from France than there are players from UNC.

10/6/2009 9:14:01 PM

As bad as drafting May was, you can almost understand it based on his senior year performance, although it obviously pandered to UNC fans...but playing Jeff McInnis 35+ minutes per game for like 60 games? That was the most unbelievable bullshit, possibly in the history of the NBA...you start a guy and play him 35+ mpg while he averages 4 points and 4 assists...at point guard...for an NBA team

i've always seen past the unc bias, i just question the intelligence of the front office...i like Larry Brown's track record, all his UNC stuff aside...only coach to ever win a title in college and NBA...but honestly I expect about a 37 win season this year, and we're on the outside looking in this summer

and while teams like Orlando and Boston and Cleveland made big moves and we didn't, they're gonna make the playoffs regardless...we just have to worry about beating the Bucks and Sixers and Hawks and contending with teams like that...I'm optimistic but not holding my breath...at least we aren't road-logged at the end of the year since Billionaire Bob decided to move his daughter's precious fucking horse show

10/6/2009 9:20:56 PM

junior year performance

and anyone who wasn't screaming for Gerald Green or Danny Granger on draft night is no friend of mine

10/6/2009 9:24:35 PM

at first i wanted villanueva, but when he was gone i wanted granger

still...JEFF MCINNIS

new jersey basically said "yeah, we'll keep paying you your salary, but um, don't even bother to show up to games or practice cause you're not going to play, period"...but the nets found some suckers to trade off a cheap young bernard robinson for a headache, and somehow those suckers made him a starting PG for over half the season

[Edited on October 6, 2009 at 9:31 PM. Reason : .]

10/6/2009 9:29:37 PM

Gee Rick, tell me something I don't know

Quote :

"The Bobcats generally have downplayed the financial aspect of the Tyson Chandler-Emeka Okafor trade, but coach Larry Brown was pretty clear when asked about the deal Tuesday. “You can figure out why it was done – it's not about the players,” Brown said. Translation: The Bobcats saved tens of millions in the long run by exchanging Okafor's contract for the much shorter Chandler deal. "

10/7/2009 11:42:28 AM

We're saving up for Leon Powe

10/7/2009 8:32:30 PM

a friend sent me this pic of Felton hazing Henderson today

10/7/2009 9:52:38 PM

o damn the bobcats/hornets game is on FSN right now

10/8/2009 7:46:42 PM

played in North Charleston

thug central

10/8/2009 7:49:08 PM

daamn gerald
had one of those dunks that hurts ur hand



and Nazr has 3 fouls in 2 min

[Edited on October 8, 2009 at 7:54 PM. Reason : ]

10/8/2009 7:51:05 PM

70+ fouls called

shits taking forever

10/8/2009 10:05:28 PM

Henderson not looking too bad...

10/8/2009 10:06:48 PM

nm Cavs game is in N. Charleston

10/8/2009 10:14:46 PM

yea i didnt know wtf you were talking about

some g'boro slang i aint heard b4 i assumed

10/8/2009 10:15:25 PM

Didn't watch much, but the Bobcats look pretty decent from what I saw -- especially considering their starting front court players were out. Anyone know what's wrong with Chandler and Diaw?

10/8/2009 10:27:06 PM

an injury report might

10/8/2009 10:31:48 PM

chandler's had an ankle problem. he said it felt fine and the staff were surprised at how well its doing....he was originally suppose to be out the whole preseason but now they're thinkin he might play in the last 4 games.

not sure about diaw. somethin he had happen playin international ball, nothin serious.

10/8/2009 10:33:09 PM

Thanks, sounds promising.

10/8/2009 11:03:20 PM

live bobcats-specific chat starting on espn now

trying to get some Q's in

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/preview2009/news/story?page=Bobcats-Live0910

10/15/2009 12:30:29 PM

I still follow the Hornets b/c I went to high school w/ David West and I still have some Hornets stuff around here so why not?

3 seed this year, probably lose in the conf. finals to LA.

10/15/2009 12:49:07 PM

stupid fuck didn't answer my Primoz question

"Any chance the Bobcats add to their frontcourt depth by re-signing a superstar-in-waiting like Primoz Brezec?"

10/15/2009 12:50:52 PM