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Sports Grumblings -
http://www.sportsgrumblings.com/basketball/articles
NBA Basketball Grumblings -- 2008 Team Previews -- Charlotte Bobcats
http://www.sportsgrumblings.com/basketball/articles/articles/488/1/NBA-Basketball-Grumblings----2008-Team-Previews----Charlotte-Bobcats/Page1.html
Mike Zink
 Mike Zink has been a part time sports reporter for nearly 15 years, covering all of the major circuits plus most college and high school sports. Fantasy Sports is relatively new to him but plans to treat it like everything else he has covered. Being the new kid on the block, with just a little under five years as a Fantasy Sports contributor Mike plans to go all out as basketball is his number one passion and his goal is to keep you up to speed in your respective leagues. In his spare time Mike works for several local papers, and has interviewed many of the top players in the game, so he feels qualified in bringing the very best that he can give. By Mike Zink
Published on 11/17/2008 |
 Jason Richardson can run the floor with the best of them. |
Larry Brown was brought in to be the teacher. While he may have some baggage, he has a proven record of accomplishment and a history of turning teams just like the Bobcats into winners. More specifically, he is best known for helping young guards with talent play like poised veterans. He turned Allen Iverson into an MVP, and he transformed Chauncey Billups from a journeyman into an NBA Finals MVP.
Stephon Marbury could not be helped because—well, "Starbury" is not coachable. Look for Brown to work his magic this year, and turn Raymond Felton into a top-ten point guard. Felton will need to show mental toughness to flourish under his new taskmaster of a coach. Already Brown has hinted that rookie D.J. Augustin may fight for minutes but you can bet that is just to light a fire under Felton, who has extraordinary talent.
Bobcats’ fans should be excited about the return of forwards Adam Morrison and Sean May from injuries. Much of the Bobcats hope for the power forward position will hinge on May's knees. He has played in just 58 games in his three NBA seasons thanks to three knee surgeries. May certainly has talent, but if his own words are any indication, counting on him may be a mistake. Morrison, who missed all of last season after tearing the ACL in his left knee, had a disappointing rookie campaign two years ago, but he did average 12 points a game while having to create far too many shots for him. If healthy, Brown envisions Morrison as a Mike Miller-type shooter coming off the bench behind Jason Richardson and Gerald Wallace. However, speculation remains that Morrison is trade bait, since Brown has so many options on the wing. Few teams in the Eastern Conference have a trio of swingmen of equal caliber.
Wallace, who missed 20 games in '07-08, and played far too many minutes at the power forward position, is an extremely athletic wingman that is more of a slasher and scorer than shooter,. Wallace needs to stay away from logging major minutes out of position. The health of May and Morrison will be paramount to that.
Richardson is a special talent and has a similar skill set to Wallace, albeit with a larger upside and a better jumper. A superlative athlete, Richardson runs the floor with few peers, and Brown would like to see him drive to the basket with more regularity.
Another source of excitement has been the addition of rookie point guard D.J. Augustin. He should see quality minutes behind Felton, and be a high-energy guy off the bench, with his ability to get by his defender and into the paint. Augustin, the ninth overall pick in the 2008 draft out of Texas, will need to show Brown he can hold his own on the defensive end.
Emeka Okafor was re-signed to a mega deal over the summer. Okafor played the first full season of his career in 2007-08, following a pair of seasons derailed by ankle and calf injuries. An excellent low post defender, superlative rebounder and major shot blocker, Okafor has not developed into a top-tier offensive player and there are doubts he ever will. That said, a force on the defensive end and the glass would always get consistent minutes.
There is also super-raw Euro Alexis Ajinca, who only averaged five points a game in the French League. He was taken with the 20th pick in the draft, and at this point cannot be considered anything more than a project.
Another option that has been bandied about is to go small and start Okafor at center, Wallace at power forward, and Morrison at small forward. What is intriguing about that lineup is that it would allow second-year forward Jared Dudley to play significant minutes off the bench. Last season, Dudley impressed fans and management alike while filling in for the injured Morrison, and Brown should find minutes for him.
The overwhelming consensus among Bobcats fans is that this can be the year that the team makes the playoffs for the first time. Even analysts who are not biased towards the team admit that making the playoffs in the mediocre Eastern Conference is within the realm of possibility.
Whether they do or not, the team should be greatly improved under Brown's leadership. Remember, Brown has something to prove after the Knicks debacle. He does not want one year with Isiah Thomas to be how he is remembered—and if he succeeds in Charlotte, his failure in New York will be largely attributed to the impossible situation that Thomas created before Brown ever got there.
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