By Spencer
Who: Brooklyn Nets vs Charlotte Bobcats
What: NBA Basketball – Nets Home Game
When: 7:30 PM ET
Where: Live at The Barclays Center
The Matchup:
|
Record |
Offensive
Efficiency |
Defensive
Efficiency |
Pace |
| Brooklyn |
43-32 |
104.6 (9) |
103.8 (19) |
90.9 (29) |
| Charlotte |
18-58 |
98.1 (28) |
109.2 (30) |
94.1 (14) |
Previous Meetings:
2012/12/28 – 96-80 – Recap – Boxscore
Injuries:
Brooklyn:
Charlotte: Byron Mullens (OUT), Ramon Sessions (OUT)
Starting Lineups
Just a few quick notes today:
Greg: Brooklyn hasn’t had much trouble with the Bobcats this year, winning by an average of 18.5 points. The Bobcats shot under 40 percent in both of those games, so their issues were largely on offense. I’m not sure there’s a ton they can do about that: Deron Williams and Joe Johnson have the size to bully Charlotte’s guards, and if the Bobcats’ perimeter players aren’t scoring, they aren’t scoring period.
If they want to even have a shot, they’ll need to slow down Brook Lopez. Lopez, who the Bobcats tried to sign to an offer sheet before the season, is a terrific scorer. He’s gone off against Charlotte this year, averaging 21 points on 79 percent shooting (!) in two games. Just check out this shot chart:
Maybe keep him away from the basket, if possible?
By Spencer
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Josh McRoberts, PF 37 MIN | 4-12 FG | 0-0 FT | 11 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 2 BLK | 1 TO | 8 PTS | -18
Not a great defensive effort — Bosh made McRob look silly on occasion. I’ll say this a lot in this recap, but not a stellar night offensive either.
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Bismack Biyombo, PF 25 MIN | 2-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 8 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 4 PTS | -1
Blah. The only think that sticks out about this stat line is that he took 7 FGA.
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Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF 38 MIN | 7-17 FG | 4-4 FT | 14 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 18 PTS | -4
The one bright spot for Charlotte in this one. Not crazy efficient from the field, but extremely competent compared to his other teammates tonight. 3 of MKG’s makes were mid-range jumpers on left side of the court — his preferred portion of the floor for jump shots.
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Kemba Walker, PG 41 MIN | 3-15 FG | 6-6 FT | 3 REB | 4 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 12 PTS | -13
Sigh. Well, Kemba didn’t torch Norris Cole as I expected. Couldn’t get anything going from behind the arc or from mid-range (0-7). Also, not very successful finishing around the rim last night (2-6). A night to forget for Kemba.
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Gerald Henderson, SG 37 MIN | 2-16 FG | 7-8 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 11 PTS | -14
Pretty much everything I said about Kemba, except slightly worse. 1-7 with shots around the rim and 1-4 on mid-range — what’s to like? Nothing, and then throw 4 turnovers in the pot. Throw this one in the garbage Hendo.
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Three Things We Saw
- The Bobcats will want to forget this game quickly and they’ll have an opportunity to do that with a game in Brooklyn slated for 7:30 tonight.
- 31.8% from the field is not going to get it done against anyone. Also doesn’t help when the opposition knocks down 13 3′s — probably the X-factor for Miami to win this one.
-
By Spencer
Who: Charlotte Bobcats vs Miami Heat
What: NBA Basketball – Bobcats Home Game
When: 8:00 PM ET — ESPN
Where: Live at Time Warner Cable Arena
The Matchup:
|
Record |
Offensive
Efficiency |
Defensive
Efficiency |
Pace |
| Charlotte |
18-57 |
98.1 (28) |
109.3 (30) |
94.2 (15) |
| Miami |
58-16 |
110.5 (1) |
100.7 (8) |
93.0 (22) |
Previous Meetings:
2012/12/26 – 92-105 – Recap – Boxscore
Injuries:
Charlotte: Byron Mullens (OUT), Ramon Sessions (OUT)
Miami: Mario Chalmers (Game-time decision), Lebron James (OUT), Dwayne Wade (OUT), Ray Allen (OUT)
Starting Lineups
– Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Ray Allen are all expected to sit tonight for Miami. Vegas has the line at Even, but does the absence of so many vital Heat members make this a realistic opportunity for the Bobcats to beat Miami for the first time since March 9th, 2010?
QCH Panel–
Spencer: Absolutely. Charlotte seems to really be getting into a groove on the offensive end — the Bobcats have an offensive rating of 104.7 (+6.6 of season avg.) in the past 5 games and have a 56.2% total shooting % (+5.7% of season avg.). Henderson’s offensive outburst as of late has helped and you have to like his chances again tonight going up against Mike Miller, although Battier could give him a run for his money in spurts. The other matchup that they Bobcats can take advantage of is Kemba vs. Norris Cole. Cole doesn’t have one advantage over Kemba — not height, speed, quickness or shooting. I would look for a huge night from Kemba.
Charlotte biggest challenge tonight will be containing Chris Bosh. Everyone needs to remember that Miami won in San Antonio just a few nights ago without James & Wade, so this is still an extremely good team without the duo. Charlotte will likely guard Bosh by committee. I would expect Dunlap to start McRoberts on Bosh and then change it up on him for the rest of the game with a mix of Biz and Adrien.
Prediction — 102-99 Bobcats.
Greg: Charlotte will obviously have a solid chance, but Vegas sounds about right. It feels like a toss-up. The Heat, even without all the players listed above, are stocked with professional vets that know how to compete. They should be fired up, as well, considering all those guys take pride in their play and that it’s a nationally televised game.
One thing working in the Bobcats’ favor is that its a home game. Even though they’ve won five of their last 12 games, a (depressingly) big improvement over their total record, none of those victories came on the road. In fact, their last win away from Charlotte came Feb. 19 at Orlando. They’ve only won six all year.
The Bobcats guards should have big nights, as the Heat will be giving heavy minutes to Mike Miller, James Jones and Norris Cole. On the other side, I’m half-expecting Bosh to go nuclear. The combination of the Bobcats’ weak frontcourt defense and the Heat’s lack of other options means he’ll be the focal point of the offense, and Bosh is good enough to take advantage.
By Brett
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Josh McRoberts, PF 43 MIN | 6-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 16 REB | 4 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 12 PTS | +15
Exactly what the Bobcats want to see from McRoberts – efficient scoring, strong rebounding, and a few assists, with his passing really helping overall ball movement.
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Bismack Biyombo, PF 38 MIN | 2-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 11 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 3 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | +5
Bismack gets contact credit for centering a defense that held Philly to 35% shooting. And 11 rebounds are nice as well.
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Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF 17 MIN | 2-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 4 PTS | -1
7 rebounds from the small forward in just 17 minutes is nice (just 17 minutes, less so). And the delayed break basket he had where he finished with a floater in the lane while being tackled by Spencer Hawes was a great example of his scoring ability.
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Kemba Walker, PG 40 MIN | 6-14 FG | 3-4 FT | 5 REB | 10 AST | 5 STL | 1 BLK | 6 TO | 17 PTS | +13
Like Bismack – contact credit for being part of the defensive effort, with Kemba getting points for Jrue Holiday’s 2 of 24 shooting. Combined with Kemba’s double double, of 17 and 10, a very strong night.
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Gerald Henderson, SG 36 MIN | 10-18 FG | 4-4 FT | 4 REB | 4 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 24 PTS | 0
Another A level performace from a Bobcat starter – 24 points without a made 3 for Gerald Jr, plus 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block for the well-balanced box score.
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Tyrus Thomas, PF 12 MIN | 2-9 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 6 PTS | -8
Tyrus had 9 attempts from the field, plus 2 free throw attempts in just 12 minutes – for 6 points. His focus continues to be on offense.
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Ben Gordon, SG 25 MIN | 2-9 FG | 5-6 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 9 PTS | +5
9 points on 9 attempts, plus 6 free throw attempts? Shoot better, Ben.
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By Spencer
Who: Charlotte Bobcats vs Philadelphia 76ers
What: NBA Basketball – Bobcats Home Game
When: 7:00 PM ET
Where: Live at Time Warner Cable Arena
The Matchup:
|
Record |
Offensive
Efficiency |
Defensive
Efficiency |
Pace |
| Charlotte |
17-57 |
98.2 (28) |
109.6 (30) |
94.2 (15) |
| Philadelphia |
30-43 |
99.5 (26) |
102.9 (14) |
93.1 (21) |
Previous Meetings:
2012/11/30 – 98-104 – Recap – Boxscore
Injuries:
Charlotte: Byron Mullens (Status unknown), Ramon Sessions (OUT)
Philadelphia: Jason Richardson (OUT)
Starting Lineups
Thoughts from the QCH Panel –
Greg: The 76ers are going to be well-rested coming into this one; in fact, their last game was Saturday’s 100-92 win over the Bobcats. Like you’d think, they play a lot better when they get some time off. This year, Philadelphia is 12-8 in games when they have at least two days of rest; they’re 18-35 in all other games. There’s obviously a lot at play in deciding those wins and losses, but having fresh legs can help a lot at this point in the season.
Saturday’s matchup was relatively competitive, but it took an ultra-efficient night from MKG (21 points on 9-of-11 shooting) to keep things close. Most of those points came near the rim on hustle plays — which is a little surprising, as Philadelphia is typically solid at defending the restricted area and the paint. It’ll be interesting to see if he can repeat that performance.
Spencer: Charlotte played well in Phila on Saturday night — the Bobcats outscored the Sixers in the paint 48-42, only turned the ball over 10 times and shot 50% from the field. The straw that broke the camels back was the 14-23 (60.9%) from the free throw line — not good enough to win on any level. To add to that note, Hendo only got to the FT 5 times for the game, only converting on 2 of those attempts.
Phila is good at slowing the game down and forcing teams to execute in the half court — not Charlotte’s desired tempo. Tonight the Bobcats have to be able to find a healthy mixture of speeding the game up and getting stops in the half court, defensively.
Prediction: 98-95 Bobcats
Mathew: Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer looked at a few of the possible reasons the Bobcats have decided to give Tyrus Thomas some run after 25 consecutive games of inactivity. He touches on two rather clear motives – to see what the Bobcats have in him moving forward and to showcase his trade value for the rest of the league. Although he does admit a trade is unlikely (Bobcats would be forced to take back other bad contracts in exchange for Thomas), I think the most probably outcome is Thomas getting amnestied in the offseason. Therefore, the incentive is to showcase (please note, a loose interpretation of the word) him in the hopes that another team sees something worth bidding for, as any salary paid to Thomas by another team would offset the sum owed to him by the Bobcats. Let’s hope for no more 3-point attempts (if you didn’t see the play last game, check the box score) the rest of the season from T-Time – it certainly won’t help the Bobcats cause.
Harabalos Voulgaris is probably the most successful NBA bettor in the world. If you don’t know who he is, just read this. He even spent a brief stint working for an unnamed NBA franchise. This guy is not some degenerate – he loves the NBA and knows his stuff. Therefore, this response to a tweet from Rick Bonnell intrigued me. I knew the Bobcats were one of the worst teams in the league at defending the corner 3 (last in opponent makes, second to last in attempts, and third to last in percentage), which is one of the most efficient shots in the game. However, outside of slow rotations and bad team defense I hadn’t really considered the reasons for their struggles from a strategic standpoint. If Voulgaris’ eye for strategy is correct (I trust it is), you can understand Dunlap’s decision to a degree given the Bobcats’ struggles in the half court. He’s essentially risking more open attempts from the corners for the reward of having guys ready to get out on the break. However, given the tone of Voulgaris’ tweet, I think one can assume he views this strategy as a losing bet. One guy makes his money coaching on the floor. Another makes it from his living room. So who’s right? Something to keep an eye on as you watch tonight.
Doug Collins could very well be coaching for his job from here on out. A loss to the Bobcats could cement his fate and induce another bleep-laden postgame rant from the Sixers coach. There’s something worth cheering for.
By Spencer
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Josh McRoberts, PF 39 MIN | 2-8 FG | 4-4 FT | 10 REB | 4 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 8 PTS | -29Not a good night offensively or defensively. McRob was noticeably lazy boxing out. Used to seeing more effort/energy from him than we did tonight. |
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Bismack Biyombo, PF 25 MIN | 2-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | -16Watching Biz go up against Larry Sanders puts into real perspective just how far he has to go with his development. Lately we’ve seen random flashes of Biz becoming more competent offensively — tonight did not provide us with any of those moments. |
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Kemba Walker, PG 35 MIN | 8-11 FG | 11-13 FT | 2 REB | 6 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 4 TO | 27 PTS | -20Extremely efficient night for Kemba — he was 8-8 for FGA inside the 3-point arc. Wow. Just showed how versatile he’s come with his overall game. Finishing at the rim and knocking down step back mid-range jumpers. 100% of them. 4 turnovers is the only reason he doesn’t get A+. |
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Gerald Henderson, SG 34 MIN | 6-11 FG | 5-6 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 2 BLK | 2 TO | 17 PTS | -33Hendo didn’t dominate the ball as much as he has lately. He also wasn’t a factor on the glass, which Charlotte apparently needs him to be badly if they’re going to compete at all. |
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Jeffery Taylor, SG 29 MIN | 3-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 7 PTS | -10It’s clear to see that the coaches are imploring Taylor to attack the rim more, but he has no go to move to get there. 3 turnovers. |
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Tyrus Thomas, PF 23 MIN | 5-9 FG | 1-2 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 13 PTS | -12HE PLAYED AND HIT TWO 3′S. Yes, this is April Fool’s, but this stat line isn’t a joke. |
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Ben Gordon, SG 20 MIN | 6-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 6 TO | 14 PTS | -13An efficient 20 minutes of basketball for Gordon tonight. He really is fun to watch on the offensive end when he gets into a groove. That being said, he turns the ball over at a high rate when dominating the ball. 6 turnover tonight. So basically the 6 made FG’s are negated by the 6 TO’s. |
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Four Things We Saw
- Charlotte turned the ball over 21 times and that led to 27 Milwaukee points. In contrast, the Bobcats only scored 6 points off 10 Bucks turnovers. When you turn the ball over against a team that plays as fast as Milwaukee, you’re asking for trouble.
- The Bobcats took 28 less FGA than Milwaukee tonight. A -13 rebounding margin and 21 turnovers will do that.
- You wouldn’t think that Charlotte has given up this many points to an opponent this season and if so, you’d be wrong. The Bobcats surrendered 132 to San Antonio back on Dec. 8th.
- Bobcats get Philadelphia at home on Wednesday and a nationally televised (ESPN) game against Miami, in Charlotte, on Friday.
By Spencer
Who: Milwaukee Bucks vs Charlotte Bobcats
What: NBA Basketball – Bucks Home Game
When: 8:00 PM ET
Where: Live at BMO Harris Bradley Center
The Matchup:
|
Record |
Offensive
Efficiency |
Defensive
Efficiency |
Pace |
| Milwaukee |
35-37 |
101.0 (21) |
102.5 (12) |
97.2 (3) |
| Charlotte |
17-56 |
98.2 (28) |
109.3 (30) |
94.1 (16) |
Previous Meetings:
2012/11/19 – 96-102 – Recap – Boxscore
2012/12/07 – 108-93 – Recap – Boxscore
Injuries:
Milwaukee:
Charlotte: Ramon Sessions (OUT)
Starting Lineups
 1- STATS: Neither team comes into this game on fire, but Milwaukee is especially struggling at the wrong time. Nobody seems poised to catch the Bucks for the 8th spot in the east, but they’re not helping their own cause. Milwaukee is 1-4 in their past 5 games — the Bucks have shot 29.5% from behind the arc during this 5-game stretch. On a team that certainly has outside shooters, what seems to be the problem?
Spencer: On the season the Bucks are taking an avg. of 19.3 3FGA per game. In the past 5 games Milwaukee has fired up 22.4 3FGA/game. So the fact that they’re relying on the outside shot more is a sign of below average offensive execution and forced shots. When you have guys who dominate the ball such as Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings, I’m assuming that it diminishes offensive efficiency in the long run.
Greg: The level of competition hasn’t helped — the five teams they played were the Pacers, Hawks, 76ers, Lakers and Thunder, and there are three top-10 defenses in that mix. Especially bad performances against Indiana (3-of-19) and Philadelphia (6-of-24) drag that average down, too. It seems like a lack of ball movement also hurt them in those games; they failed to record 20 assists in either, compared to a season average of 22.8.
Jeremy Schmidt (Bucksketball): Just a bad shooting stretch, frankly. J.J. Redick hasn’t been particularly effective lately, inside or outside the arc. Ditto for Brandon Jennings. Milwaukee has played a bunch of good teams of late and the Bucks schedule down the stretch is by no means favorable. They’ll have to start making a lot of shots they’ve been missing lately.
2- REDICK: Will the Bucks be able to retain J.J. Redick in the summer and should he be considered a disappointment since coming to Milwaukee at the trade deadline?
Spencer: I have to believe that the Bucks will do everything in their power to keep him there considering they gave up Tobias Harris, a young 6’8 SF with loads of potential, that’s still on his rookie deal. Yes, the Bucks were very crowded in the front court, but I would’ve done quite a bit to keep Harris around.
Redick has had to take on a different role in Milwaukee, so his individual numbers were always expected to take a small hit. That being said, I don’t believe he’s been that much of a disappointment. The one outlier that’s bothersome is that fact that he’s shooting 31.9% from deep since joining the Bucks. In Orlando Redick was 39% in 50 games this season.
Greg: I think they’ll do their best to keep him. They should have enough cap space to re-sign both him and Brandon Jennings, if that’s the path they want to take.
Just from looking at the numbers, he seems to be doing fine; his individual stats have taken a dip, but the on-court/off-court numbers look solid. The team’s offensive efficiency, true shooting, and eFG% all jump when he’s on the court, and the offensive efficiency as a team has risen from a season average of 101.0 to 104.1 in the 18 games since he’s joined them.
Jeremy: He hasn’t been disappointing from an effort perspective. He plays hard, he comes off screens with a fury and he’s a very hard worker. But he’s made only 31.9% of his threes and 40.8% of his shots from the field. That’s not the guy the Bucks wanted to acquire. Milwaukee paid a steep price in Tobias Harris to get Redick for the stretch run. Right now, that’s not looking like such a great move. But everyone expects his shooting to come around soon enough. It’s too tough for me to predict whether he, Ellis or Jennings will return this summer right now.
3- PICK IT: Milwaukee has 5 1/2 game cushion for the 8 spot in the east, but a loss at home to Charlotte may force some to push the panic button. Cats or Bucks?
Spencer: Bucks. Perfect opportunity for Milwaukee to break out of this slump and they simply can’t afford a home loss to the Bobcats at this point in the season. 105-92 Bucks.
Greg: I’d lean towards Milwaukee. Charlotte beat them on Nov. 19, but got massacred when visiting Milwaukee on Dec. 7. A big part of that loss was the Bucks’ shotblocking ability — they’re second in the league in blocks, which keeps the Bobcats’ guards from scoring at the basket as effectively. When you take that away, they’re forced to shoot from outside, and the Bobcats don’t have the three-point shooters to compensate for the less-efficient attempts.
Jeremy: Milwaukee has been disappointing lately, but mainly because they’ve been playing very good teams. I don’t suspect the Bucks will do anything other than beat Charlotte by double digits.
By Spencer
Who: Philadelphia 76ers vs Charlotte Bobcats
What: NBA Basketball – 76ers Home Game
When: 8:00 PM ET
Where: Live at Wells Fargo Center
The Matchup:
|
Record |
Offensive
Efficiency |
Defensive
Efficiency |
Pace |
| Philadelphia |
29-43 |
99.4 (27) |
102.9 (14) |
93.2 (22) |
| Charlotte |
17-55 |
98.1 (28) |
109.3 (30) |
94.1 (16) |
Previous Meetings:
2012/11/30 – 104-98 – Recap – Boxscore
Injuries:
Philadelphia: Jason Richardson (OUT), Andrew Bynum (OUT)
Charlotte: Ramon Sessions (OUT)
Starting Lineups
- Gerald Henderson continues to be on a roll offensively. Last night in Manhattan he dropped 35 points and got to the foul line for 17 FTA — Hendo is averaging 24.6 PPG in the last 5. He’ll be matched up against Evan Turner tonight, and although Phila is a good team defensive team, there’s no reason to believe he can’t get 25+.
- The Bobcats have fallen behind by 19 in the 1st quarter of both of the last 2 games. Against Orlando, Charlotte was able to climb out of that hole for the W. Last night in New York was far too deep of a deficit to overcome, although Charlotte did get as close as 7 with 3 minutes left in the 4th.
- Expect to see more Jeff Taylor than usual tonight to lend a hand on guarding Jrue Holiday. Kemba will start on him, but I don’t anticipate that going to well. Defending Holiday will be by committee — Kemba, Taylor, Pargo.
- Phila is coming off a good win on the road in Cleveland last night, and well, Charlotte just isn’t good on the road. Don’t expect the Bobcats to fall behind early as they have in the last 2 because of the Sixers style of play.
- I’m taking the Sixers 92-85.
By Spencer
Who: New York Knicks vs Charlotte Bobcats
What: NBA Basketball – Knicks Home Game
When: 7:30 PM ET
Where: Live at Madison Square Garden
The Matchup:
|
Record |
Offensive
Efficiency |
Defensive
Efficiency |
Pace |
| New York |
44-26 |
107.7 (3) |
103.0 (15) |
92.3 (26) |
| Charlotte |
17-54 |
98.0 (28) |
109.1 (30) |
94.2 (16) |
Previous Meetings:
2012/12/05 – 100-98 – Recap – Boxscore
Injuries:
New York: Tyson Chandler (day-to-day), Pablo Prigioni (day-to-day), Amar’e Stoudemire (OUT)
Charlotte: Ramon Sessions (OUT)
Starting Lineups
1- STATS: In the Knicks past 5 games they’ve been on a tear offensively. NYK are averaging 104.6 PPG, making 10.6 3FG/game & shooting the ball at a 50.3% mark. How can the Cats’ slow this potent offensive attack down tonight?
Spencer: It’ll be interesting to see if Chandler plays tonight. If he doesn’t, the Bobcats can compete on the glass and not have to be so on alert with PnR’s involving Tyson. Other than that, you have to know where shooters are with the Knicks. Smith, Novak, Felton & Shumpert (just to name a few) can make you pay in a hurry. Considering the style that Dunlap likes to implement defensively, over-helping, has to be reeled in a bit tonight. Just cannot afford to leave shooters with the Knicks. Chase these guys off the 3-point line and force the ball to the rim where they’ll have to finish contested attempts there.
Jim Cavan (Knickerblogger): When the Knicks are rotating the ball like they have – recapturing some of the November magic many of us had given up for dead – having your defense on a taut string is of the utmost. The ‘Cats are quick enough to executive quick rotations capable of making life difficult for New York’s shooters. The question is whether the communication and correct rotations will be there when they need to be. Goading Felton into 22-footers from the top of the key isn’t a bad strategy, either.
Mathew: Well, I’d say limit the 3-point attempts but that request is a little stale at this point. I’m going to focus on a specific Bobcat – MKG. He’ll get the task of checking Carmelo Anthony for the majority of the game tonight. If he can hold his own when Melo takes him down into the post, in turn not requiring a double from one of his teammates, it will allow the Bobcats to defend passes out of the post and the 3-point line more effectively.
2- WHAT’S HENDO WORTH? Charlotte is highly likely to extend Henderson his qualifying offer that’s worth approximately $4.3 million by June 30th. This means the only way he’ll leave the Queen City is if another teams decides they’ll swoop in and offer something better than that, with the Cats’ unable to match. Give us some $ numbers to ponder on his worth.
Spencer: It’s obvious that Henderson isn’t that vital a piece of Charlotte’s future due to the fact that they desperately tried to trade him for a 1st round pick at the trade deadline. Hendo’s performance as of late is likely due to motivation drawn from the attempt to deal him. Now Cho & Higgins are in a tough spot as teams around the league are taking notice of Hendo’s stellar play. All this being said, I don’t think Charlotte goes any higher than $8mil/year to retain him, and maybe not even that high.
Jim: Henderson is definitely kind of player who could blossom under the right system and circumstances – most of his numbers have continued to improve, and he’s started to assert himself as a legit three point threat. Taking a cursory look over the league, I think Chicago might be a realistic destination for Henderson; assuming the Bulls don’t exercise their $5 million option on Richard Hamilton, they could offer Henderson enough to make the Bobcats balk.
Mathew: Good question. Henderson has been playing very well recently, asserting himself on the offensive end more than at any point in his career. His 3-point shooting has improved drastically this year as well (.368 versus .234 last season) – perfect timing given his impending free agency and the ever increasing importance being placed on the 3-point shot. The Bobcats will certainly make him a qualifying offer. However, if they want to retain him I believe they are going to have to match another team’s offer sheet. From the Bobcats perspective, what would I be willing to pay him? Probably the Mid-Level Exception over three years (around $5 million per season). What do I think he gets offered? Maybe the MLE over four years. I foresee the Bobcats declining to match the offer and deciding to move on to possibly Ben McLemore (who would be a very good fit next to MKG since he can stretch the floor) or possibly crossing their fingers for Andrew Wiggins in 2014.
3- PICK IT: Charlotte has been competitive lately, but the Knicks have seemed to find their form in the past 5 games. Who you got tonight?
Spencer: Knicks. The way they’ve played in the past 5 is reminding us all of the team that we saw at the beginning of the season. 105-95 Knicks.
Jim: It’s Friday, meaning the pall of Robert Randolph looms large. But I’m taking the Knicks. K-Mart has been a roll-playing revelation, J.R. Smith is on arguably the best tear of his career, and Woodson is finally starting to piece together something resembling rotational consistency, highlighted lineups featuring a pair of points. It won’t be a blowout – the Bobcats always seem to get up for games in the Garden – but I think the ‘Bockers win comfortably. Knicks 108, Bobcats 96.
Mathew: Knicks. Give the Bobcats credit, they’ve been playing better and have even racked up a few victories while they’ve been at it. But the Knicks are playing well and are a better team. And oh yeah, it’s in MSG. Let’s hope for a competitive game though.
By Spencer
Who: Charlotte Bobcats vs Orlando Magic
What: NBA Basketball – Bobcats Home Game
When: 7:00 PM ET
Where: Live at Time Warner Cable Arena
The Matchup:
|
Record |
Offensive
Efficiency |
Defensive
Efficiency |
Pace |
| Charlotte |
16-54 |
99.7 (29) |
109.1 (30) |
94.1 (16) |
| Orlando |
18-53 |
99.3 (26) |
106.8 (26) |
94.3 (15) |
Previous Meetings:
2012/12/15 – 98-107 – Recap – Boxscore
2013/01/18 – 106-99 – Recap – Boxscore
Injuries:
Charlotte: Ramon Sessions (OUT)
Orlando: Nikola Vucevic (OUT), Aaron Afflalo (OUT), Glen Davis (OUT)
Starting Lineups
1- STATS: In 3 games this season the Bobcats have averaged 103 PPG and shot 46.6% from field against Orlando. Why does Charlotte match-up so well with the Magic, because we all know that’s not the case often for the Cats.
Spencer: Well, the Magic, like the Bobcats, are not a very good team. Therefore, the two tend to make each other look good at times. Tonight, the Magic may make Charlotte look really good simply due to the fact that they’re depleted by injury. Arguably, their best 3 players have all been lost for the season due to injury — Aaron Afflalo, Nikola Vucevic & Glen Davis.
Raj Prashad: Charlotte dominated the paint in all three games against Orlando and will look to do the same Wednesday night. Their ability to get out in transition, be conservative with the ball and control the young Magic front court makes the Bobcats a tough matchup with Orlando.
Greg: It helps that Orlando is really bad. The Magic have lost seven in a row, and have a legitimate chance at “overtaking” Charlotte for the worst record in the league. That doesn’t mean the players don’t have promise, though. They’re just similarly a roster in flux right now, starting a mix of rookies and young players. They’ve suffered some significant injuries, too, with Glen Davis missing time and Arron Afflalo recently sidelined.
As far as on the court, they don’t defend anyone particularly well (25th in opponent eFG%) and don’t force turnovers. Their opponents also shoot 61.9% in the restricted area (fifth-worst in the league), which the Bobcats have the personnel to exploit.
Mathew: For starters, much like the Bobcats, the Magic are a bad defensive basketball team. Why are they bad defensively? They’re young (again, like the Bobcats). Young basketball teams are rarely formidable on the defensive end, particularly when it comes to team defense. Look for a high scoring game tonight.
2- OVER/UNDER: Kemba has averaged 27 PPG (53.8 FG%), 6.3 APG & 4.7 RPG in 3 meetings with Orlando this season. Take the under on these numbers tonight, right?
Spencer: I actually believe there’s a strong chance that Kemba surpasses these numbers tonight. This is going to be an up-tempo game. Probably comical to how fast this one is going to be played at times. There won’t be a whole lot of defense, because, well, neither team has a defensive identity and they’ll simply feed off each other for the opportunity to run-and-gun. Lastly, I just don’t trust the combination of Jameer Nelson, Beno Udrih and E’Twaun Moore to contain Kemba.
Raj: Under. Kemba’s been consistent this season, but his numbers against the Magic are a bit inflated thanks to a 32-point effort back in December. He’ll be more likely to hit around the range of 22 points, seven assists and three rebounds.
Greg: See my answer to Question No. 1 — if he’s willing to take the ball to the rack, he could have similar success on Wednesday. Kemba has been deferring to teammates a little more, however, with his points per game steadily dropping from a high in December. That’s probably good for the team overall, but at this point Walker seems to operate better when he’s dominating the ball. Finding a happy balance will be key for the team moving forward.
Mathew: Under. But barely. Jameer Nelson has never been known as a stopper and he’s getting up there in years. Therefore, Kemba should be able to get into the lane with regularity. Whether or not he tallies the requisite points most likely boils down to how efficient he shoots the ball from the mid-range and behind the arc. I’ll go 24/7/5.
3- PICK IT: Don’t say this often — Bobcats have chance to take the season series from the Magic tonight. Will it happen?
Spencer: Yeah. It will happen. Just take a glance at Orlando’s starting lineup. They have some real promising young players, but much like the Bobcats of last season – the Magic are probably sporting a D-league starting 5 currently. 110-102 Bobcats.
Raj: Without Nikola Vucevic thanks to a concussion, Orlando seems firmly focused on the offseason. I’ll give this one to Charlotte.
Greg: Sure, why not? Charlotte’s well-rested, is playing at home, has looked improved in the past ten games and seems to match up well. It’s far from a lock (nothing this year could be), but I have a better feeling about tonight’s game than any in recent memory.
Mathew: Bobcats. Although the Cats are coming off a 32-point drubbing by the Miami Heat the Magic bring a 7-game losing streak into TWC Arena. I think the Bobcats take it at home. This game could very well be termed a battle for the most ping pong balls, but without a surefire #1 pick in this year’s draft I don’t think we’ll necessarily see either team trying to lose. My opinion as a fan? I would rather them lose if it means securing the most ping pong balls for the upcoming draft, even though there is no consensus #1 pick. Having the first pick simply affords the team more options come draft night (selection, trading up/down, trading pick for veteran).
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