| 30 Teams, 30 Days: Charlotte Draft Preview (22nd) Authored by Elliot Cole - June 21, 2007 - 8:27 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Breaking Down The 2nd Round After a somewhat surprising first round of the 2008 NBA playoffs, we find ourselves with even better match-ups in the Round of Eight.
Prospect Report: Brook Lopez Of StanfordFor a team looking for a well-developed offensive game at center, Brook Lopez is the 2008 Draft’s best option.
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Compete. The Bobcats are too young to know when they don’t have a chance, so they just keep pushing the envelope, whether they’re tied or down by 30 (which is pretty common, actually). With a new GM in Rod Higgins and a new head coach in Sam Vincent, the Bobcats are still trying to find an identity. They have yet to draft a franchise player, generally drafting household names to get the attention of their fanbase rather than drafting on potential (see: Sean May, Emeka Okafor, and Adam Morrisson).
The Bobcats lack talent, and it could be a pivotal draft for them. With two first round picks, Higgins and Vincent will be able to leave a significant imprint on next year’s roster. A lot of what they do in the draft hinges on whether or not they resign leading scorer Gerald Wallace. Wallace averaged 18.1 points a game, also pitching in 7 rebounds and a couple of steals a night. He was one of the surprise players in the league this season, and with a rapidly developing Raymond Felton he helped form one of the quickest, most athletic backcourts in the NBA.
The Bobcats won’t find their franchise player at the 8 spot, but they could couple the 22nd pick with the 8th and try to move up if they really like a prospect. However, if they keep the 22nd pick, they may try to continue the pattern of drafting mature, experienced, well-known college players to come off the bench and provide depth.
Where They Need Improvement
Where do you start? They gave up over 100.6 points a game while scoring only 96.9. More than anything, they need to continue to improve. Morrisson, though mostly disappointing, still has potential and could benefit from a new coach and less pressure. Okafor looks like a defensive gem in stretches, but seems to spend as much time off the court as on it. The continued development of May and Felton will be pivotal.
Although the coaching staff has had little to work with, the Bobcats could surely mask their halfcourt ineptitude by pushing the ball more. Felton is a solid distributor, and if they retain Gerald Wallace they could make the transition to a running team. They are young and athletic enough, but until they find some veterans to fill in significant rolls on the roster, they’ll continue to struggle.
Without a consistent scoring threat, points were hard to come by in 2006, and with the 22nd pick they could look for that explosive, off the bench spark that they’ve been missing. They need help on the wings and down low, and will look to address both areas in the draft or package them to move up.
Who Should They Pick? (22nd overall)
- Aaron Afflalo/Alando Tucker, UCLA/Wisconsin
Why lump them together? Because the Bobcats need experience and depth, and both these players offer exactly that. They could probably take a better prospect at 22, but with their pension for drafting high profile names, it would take nobody by surprise if they went with either Afflalo or Tucker to give them some defense and intensity.
- Marc Gasol, Spain
A few sites have Gasol going in the early 20’s, and he wouldn’t be a bad fit for them. Pau’s little brother isn’t as finely tuned on the offensive end, but he is much more bullish and tough. For a frontline that has injury problems, they could use a consistent, tough-minded bench player. He’s more Fabricio Oberto than Pau, but his work ethic would add for good chemistry. The only problem is that the Bobcats have been reluctant to draft overseas, since players like Gasol don’t exactly encourage people to buy tickets and they have yet to be packing the stadium full in Charlotte.
- Marco Belinelli, Italy
Again, the Bobcats tend to stray away from foreign players, but Belinelli would be a good fit. The Bobcats may not want to pony up to keep Matt Carroll around this offseason (despite a great year), but Belinelli could immediately step in and contribute on the wing. He’s smart, savvy, experienced, and one of the best shooters in the draft…which may be perfect for one of the worst shooting teams in the league.
- Josh McRoberts, Duke.
If he falls, Charlotte will look hard at him. The Bobcats organization loves Carolina-bred players, as noted by the drafting of Sean May and Raymond Felton. McRoberts is an interesting prospect because he underperformed at Duke, but is a solid ballhandler for his size and a great passer out of the high post. He’ll never be a great scorer, but he could open up their offense with his other abilities. Think Chris Webber in his post-injury years.
Picks Since 2000
The Bobcats have been extremely conservative thus far, taking only big name college players with limited upside. Many of their selections have yet to pan out, but the recent change of GM and head coach will hopefully lead them to take some chances.
2006
Adam Morrison, 3rd
Ryan Hollins, 50th
2005
Raymond Felton, 5th
Sean May, 13th
2004
Emeka Okafor, 2nd
Bernard Robinson, 45th
Elliot Cole is a RealGM contributor and maintains www.thesilverandblack.blogspot.com, a San Antonio Spurs blog. He can be reached at elliot.cole@yahoo.com |
