Location: Charlotte, N.C. | Arena: Charlotte Bobcats Arena (19,026) | Majority Owner: Robert L. Johnson | GM: Bernie Bickerstaff Head Coach: Larry Brown | Titles: 0
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MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Jason Richardson carried them as a scorer the second half of the season, particularly with Gerald Wallace injured much of that span with a concussion and later a groin strain. He had the fourth-most three-pointers (243) in an NBA season.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER The Bobcats signed Earl Boykins at mid-season, hoping he'd offer a pop as both a scorer and playmaker. Not much happened, but in Boykins' defense, he hadn't played in over six months and his minutes were sometimes sporadic in what was always a chaotic rotation of point guards.
FREE AGENT FOCUS The major focus is obviously on Emeka Okafor, who becomes a restricted free agent after turning down a long-term contract extension before this season. Okafor already turned down over $12 million a season, and though he says he wants to remain here long-term, it wouldn't be shocking if he signed a one-year qualifying offer to reach unrestricted free agency in July of 2009.
Ryan Hollins, Derek Anderson and Boykins are also free agents and it's a given the Bobcats won't exercise a team option on Othella Harrington for next season. Of those four, restricted free agent Hollins -- a young, athletic, but unpolished, big man -- seems the most likely to return to the Bobcats.
PLAYER NOTES
--Larry Brown said he anticipates leaving Raymond Felton at point guard, rather than shifting him between the point and shooting guard, as his predecessors did. Brown can be particularly hard on point guards, so Ford's presence on the staff will be important in acting as a buffer zone between Brown and Felton.
--Brown can be particularly demanding that players be at peak conditioning. That could be interesting, with power forward Sean May rehabbing from knee surgery. The Bobcats need May's rebounding, but he's never been in great condition as a pro.
--Brown has experience coaching two of 14 Bobcats. He coached Nazr Mohammed in Philadelphia and Emeka Okafor in the 2004 Olympic Games (when Okafor was the designated college player on a USA squad otherwise full of pros.)
--The coaching change might have increased the likelihood of Okafor wanting to stay in Charlotte. It was clear Okafor had issues with Vincent. He's a restricted free agent in July. It wouldn't have been a shock, had Vincent stayed, if Okafor signed a one-year qualifying offer to reach unrestricted free-agency. Okafor might still do that, but he has less reason to want to leave now.
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The Charlotte Bobcats were only 5 games out of a playoff spot this season. I think that just having Larry Brown as the coach will add 5 to 8 games in the win column. With Larry Brown coming in, I expect some free agents to give the Bobcats a better look. The Bobcats are under the salary cap and should be a big player in the draft and free
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I can see that sman1965 bothers almost every team on their message board. While trash talking is fun, just seeing this guys posts makes me fell like I am back in the 3rd grade.
I am proposing a boycott of any thread he starts, and to any posts he makes on other threads as well...
Maybe he will start to talk smart sports conversation or maybe he will jus
This is just absurd. I have been in CLT for 7 years now and have never seen a town so unapprecative of having a NBA franchise in my life!!!!! Isn't NC supposed to be basketball country??? This year the record does not show it but we ( the Bobcats) definitely have a team on the court this year. Not to mentio
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After calling for Vincent's firing and the hiring of Larry Brown back in February, the Bobcats brass have actually done it!!
AND we have been complaining for years in the rest of the state that we cant see the team on TV, AND they signed a contract with FoxSS to televise the games.
I just cant call this place the Time Warner Cable Arena, I cant stand Ted Turner and I dont understand why the Bobcats didnt think about the Atlanta hatred that Charlotte has and the fact that TWC is based in Atlanta, so I'm looking for a nickname;
A source close to Larry Brown says the Hall of Fame coach would be receptive to speaking with the Charlotte Bobcats, should their head-coaching job become available.
Currently that's not the case: The Bobcats are still reviewing the job performance of first-year coach Sam Vincent, whose team finished with a 32-50 record.
