| Lottery Summit: Charlotte Bobcats Authored by Andrew Perna & The RGM Bobcats Forum - May 16, 2008 - 1:49 pm
Last month I debuted a series of Pre-Draft Summits over on RealGM’s NFL page as each of the league’s teams prepared for the annual rookie draft. I posed a set of questions, similar to the ones asked on our NFL boards, to each of the NBA’s fourteen lottery team forums as we prepare to begin our up-to-the-minute, expert 2008 NBA Draft coverage. The following responses were compiled from our Charlotte forum, the people who know the Bobcats better than some of the players themselves.
The Charlotte Bobcats:
2007-08 Record: 32-50
Difference From 2006-07: 1 Fewer Win
Chance Of Landing #1 Pick: 2.8%
Restricted Free Agents: Jermareo Davidson (T), Ryan Hollins, Emeka Okafor
Unrestricted Free Agents: Derek Anderson, Earl Boykins, Othella Harrington (T)
The Verdicts
1. What could the team have done different to make the playoffs?
W_HAMILTON: If we hadn’t gotten rid of the two people that gave us the most leadership. It certainly did not pay off.
BigSlam: A better head coach and some more luck with injuries.
Paydro70: Never hiring Sam Vincent, never re-signing Jeff McInnis and if we had played Jared Dudley the whole year.
Walt Cronkite: No contract for McInnis would have helped and a better lineup rotation up-front (more Dudley).
Rich4114: Let's see, how about stick to the plan of being a fast-paced team, not playing Felton at shooting guard for a third of the season, not allowing McInnis play more than five minutes, if we had addressed the front-court issue in the offseason and played Matt Carroll and Dudley more early on.
2. Where were the team’s biggest strengths?
W_HAMILTON: I'm not really even sure. We have amassed some nice individual talent. It used to be that we would give our all every night, but that wasn't the case at times this year.
BigSlam: In the past I would have said our "never say die" attitude. This year I’d say ball movement -- it's just that we didn't see it nearly enough.
Paydro70: Uhhh.... uhhhh.... uhhhh....We were above average at forcing turnovers and we got to the line a fair amount. However, that might have been an intentional strategy since we were second-worst in the league from the stripe.
Walt Cronkite: When we played against other lottery teams.
Rich4114: Our ability to penetrate, the fast break and three-point shooting.
3. Who had a surprisingly effective season?
W_HAMILTON: Jason Richardson. Nazr Mohammed was better than I thought he would be and Dudley was decent the few times he got minutes. Outside of that, I don't think most of our players had "effective" seasons.
BigSlam: Dudley.
Paydro70: Dudley would have to be the biggest "surprise." Richardson's play after November was stellar, but we sort of hoped for/expected that.
Walt Cronkite: Richardson. I thought he was going to be good, but he got even better.
Rich4114: I have to go with J-Rich. I know we expected him to score a lot, but I would've never guessed he'd have a Glenn Rice-like year from beyond the arc.
4. Who had a surprisingly ineffective season?
W_HAMILTON: Almost everyone I didn't list in my previous answer.
BigSlam: Sean May. If he had been healthy he might have been a force, instead he rode the pine all year.
Paydro70: Carroll's year was disappointing for sure, and surprising. Gerald Wallace also took a step back in his rebounding and was less effective on offense too.
Walt Cronkite: Mohammed was ineffective with Okafor, but I feel uncomfortable nominating them. Wallace and Carroll both had their bright spots, but more consistency would've made a difference.
Rich4114: At some points Wallace, at some points Okafor, at some points Felton, and at some points Carroll. Each of those guys had their ups-and-downs. Maybe Wallace takes the cake though, since we expected a lot more from him this year. He changed his game a bit and it hurt him.
5. How confident are you in the front office heading into the offseason?
W_HAMILTON: Somewhat confident, because I know they are willing to spend and from some of the moves they've made in the past, I can't imagine that they won't fix the problems from this season. Now, they may be stupid and "fix" those problems with even bigger problems, but I believe they will address them, so for that reason I'm somewhat confident.
BigSlam: Not at all. There seems to be a rift between the general public, the local business and the front office -- and it's getting ugly. So long as Jordan keeps building "Team Jordan" and only brings in people who he as a past with, I feel we are cutting off our nose to spite our face.
Paydro70: I haven't been impressed so far. The J-Rich trade was a coup, but our drafting has been poor, we have attracted zero free agents and so I'm not sure how it'll go this summer. Our second-best move was probably re-signing Wallace for a reasonable price, so we probably won’t screw up too bad.
Walt Cronkite: We could've gotten a pick in the Mohammed trade, but otherwise I think we've made good moves recently. However, the ‘McMinus’ fiasco is inexplicable, so I have no idea what to expect.
Rich4114: I’m not too confident. They seem to keep missing out on opportunities and they aren’t aggressive enough till it's too late.
6. What are the team’s biggest needs in the draft?
W_HAMILTON: A power forward and maybe a point guard, but I personally do not want to waste a few more seasons deciding on a young, questionable point. I would prefer we just acquire one via free agency. So, I think we should draft a power forward.
BigSlam: An athletic, mobile four with range and lateral movement to defend opposing forwards.
Paydro70: A true four, and point.
Walt Cronkite: The best available power forward or point guard.
Rich4114: A mobile forward who can defend mobile forwards, and who can also score and make jumpers, as well as hit free throws at a decent clip. Also, a point since Earl Boykins goes back to being a free agent and the only one on our roster will be Felton.
7. Assuming the lottery plays out true, who would you like your team to select?
W_HAMILTON: Trade the pick.
BigSlam: Trade it.
Paydro70: I'm not copping out on this... if Anthony Randolph is still there, he's my first choice. If he's not available, D.J. Augustin.
Walt Cronkite: We should give Randolph and Russell Westbrook long looks.
Rich4114: I haven't followed it as much this year as the past four, but I'd certainly be happy with another trade assuming we can fill a need that way. We've got too much youth on this team. A veteran power forward, who can be effective for us might go a long way.
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Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM. If you’re a fan of one of the many teams that we have yet to feature, surf over to our forums and weigh in on what is happening within the organization. If you’d like to contact Andrew, shoot him an e-mail at Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
