TrueHoop on Jordan's Ownership
Posted by Brett on 09/03/2010Grab a second cup of coffee or maybe print it out and carry it with you to lunch - but make sure to read this piece from Henry Abbott about Michael Jordan's Bobcats: Michael Jordan's Bobcat comeback. A quick excerpt:
When Jordan bought the team, there was discussion of more major changes to come. One was changing the name of the team. The other was bringing in another owner, to defray the losses Jordan was certain to endure.Henry pulls together a lot of quotes and info about the current state of the Bobcats - and it is certainly a lot more positive about the future of the Bobcats than the ESPN's NBA Future Power Rankings released earlier this summer, where the Bobcats were worst in the league by a comfortable margin. It is worth your time, go check it out.
Whitfield says both of those discussions are slowing down, in no small part because of the team's success. The name change, he says, is "not anything that we've decided to pull the trigger on. ... When I got here five years ago you'd never see people running up and down the street in Bobcats shirts, or Bobcats license plates on the front of cars. Now that we're starting to see that, we're asking ourselves does it really make sense to change the name and now have the third NBA team name in a small market like Charlotte."
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Posted by Brett on 08/30/2010
This off-season has been a fairly standard for one for the Bobcats in one facet: Change. As a team, the Bobcats have dealt with roster turnover quite regularly for the last couple of seasons. This summer was no different, as two starters from last off-season are no longer with the franchise. I am talking about Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton, two players who helped forge the Bobcats' defensive mindset and aptitude last season and helped lead the team to a league best defensive efficiency mark. Yes, they're gone - and the Bobcats are going to be different.
Today I want to look at the impact of losing Tyson Chandler and some of the things the Bobcats may be able to do to offset his departure. Even during the course of last season, it was obvious what an impact Chandler had on the Bobcats team defense, which can be reviewed here: Tyson's Defensive Impact. That stretch during the middle of the season was a trying time for the Bobcats and it was largely due to their inability to overcome Tyson's absence defensively. The Cats slipped in the defensive rankings during that time, but when Tyson returned it was enough to catapult Charlotte back to the top in defensive efficiency. There will be no such return this year - Nazr Mohammed, Kwame Brown, and DeSagana Diop will be the centers on the roster on opening night, barring a trade (which almost goes without saying with the Bobcats, but nonetheless).
Of those three 5's, Nazr will be getting the bulk of the minutes, as long as his health allows. And while that would seem to improve things for Charlotte - well, looks can be deceiving. Last year, Nazr and Tyson played somewhat similar minutes with the other starters - Gerald Wallace, Raymond Felton, Stephen Jackson, and Boris Diaw. Here are their respective results:
| Time With Starters | Offensive Eff | Defensive Eff | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nazr | 454 | 103.4 | 109.3 |
| Tyson | 341 | 104.6 | 99.3 |
Nothing in that table can be construed as good news for the Bobcats - the team fared 10 points worse defensively with Nazr replacing Tyson, and 11 points worse overall. That expected bump in offensive output didn't even occur. The interesting thing is that when you look at Nazr's individual defensive numbers, you do not see a cause for concern. Nazr held his man to a PER of over 0.5 points better than expected - not great, but solid. However, the team defense took a significant hit - when Nazr was on the court last season, overall the Cats allowed 106.4 points per 100 possessions - without him, 100.8 (these numbers include the postseason).
It is clear that while Nazr's individual defense was passable - the team was very different as a whole with him on the court. The Bobcats aggressive man to man defense and the NBA as a whole's reliance on the pick and roll necessitate a big man who can move his move his feet and deter a driving opponent - Tyson is built for that kind of defense and Nazr is, well, less so.
Can the Bobcats not be successful with Nazr on the court? Give Larry Brown time and I am sure they can be. Last year's defense was planned around Tyson occupying the middle (which happened less than they would have liked due to injury). A slightly different defensive philosophy that accounts for Nazr's presence can be surely found - it may not be as successful, but it seems unlikely the Bobcats go from a league best defensive team to a league worst on the strength of one man. What that change might be, I do not pretend to know - Larry Brown, as the cliche goes, has forgotten more basketball than I have learned.
But I do have one thought - maybe we see a bit more of Boris Diaw in the middle this season. Boris played 751 minutes last season as the Bobcats center - and they thrived during that time. The team posted an offensive efficiency of 108.6 while allowing a mark of just 93.7. Is that a viable full-time strategy? No - against most team's starting centers, Boris would be in foul trouble in just a few minutes and the Bobcats would be handcuffed the rest of the night. But when Boris can be lined up against guys like - well, rather than provide bulletin board fodder, let me just say against less offensively minded (and capable) backups, the Bobcats can take advantage of Boris' strong base and defensive savvy.
And rather than going very small with Gerald shifting to the 4 when Boris is at the 5, keep the wings on the wing and pair Boris in the post with the Bobcats' recently re-signed power forward, Tyrus Thomas. The duo spent just 218 minutes on the court together last year during the regular season - but the team was certainly better for it. 107.4 points per 100 possessions for the Bobcats and just 91.8 points per against - limited minutes and all, but nothing to scoff at -and certainly fun to watch two very distinct players utilize their talents. Tyrus and his high-flying, backboard slapping help defense and Boris showing well on screens, managing switches onto just about anyone when necessary, and still forcing a difficult shot. It could provide a few minutes a night of a different defensive look for the Bobcats - and there is at least some reason to think it might be successful.
While Tyson Chandler is not Dwight Howard, he was still a very influential player on the defensive end. The Bobcats will have to take steps to seal up their defense with their ever-evolving team. Boris at the 5 is not the full-time answer - but based on last season's results, neither is Nazr. The team's defense certainly bears watching in the early going - because as it goes, so goes this team. The center is the last hope on defense, the linchpin - and the next time the team defense is discussed, the focus will be on the starting point, the first line of defense - the point guard and the change from Raymond Felton to D.J. Augustin/Shaun Livingston.
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Kwame and Michael Together Again
Posted by Brett on 08/24/2010
This is how I found out about Kwame Brown joining the Bobcats - I log on to twitter and at the top of my feed was this bit about Michael Jordan and Kwame Brown. So, I assumed it was a joke, some temporary meme that was running its course on twitter. However, a quick scan down the rest of my timeline showed it was no gag, but was in fact reality.
Kwame's signing puts the Bobcats at 4 centers on the squad - one of whom I have confidence in taking a shot that is not a dunk (take a bow, Nazr). While it was certain the Bobcats are going to waive/trade Dampier, this makes it appear unlikely that he will be re-signed following his eventual waiving, as he had previously indicated an interest in doing.
For more thoughts on the move, check out:
The Kwame Brown story will probably always be incomplete - from RufusOnFire
Kwame Brown - What? from BobcatsBaseline
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Bobcats Preaseason Schedule Released
Posted by Brett on 08/16/2010BOBCATS: Bobcats Release 2010 Preseason Schedule - from the press release:
The Charlotte Bobcats, in preparation for the 2010-11 season, will continue their annual trend of spreading preseason contests around the Carolinas with one game in Fayetteville, N.C., versus Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder and a second game in Columbia, S.C., against Ben Wallace and the Detroit Pistons.So, congrats to those in the ' Ville on getting to see Kevin Durant in person...and to those in Columbia, where Ben Wallace is the draw, my condolences. NBA games (even if they are just practices games) start in less than 2 months: Good times.
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Posted by Brett on 08/10/2010
The press release announcing the Bobcats 09-10 schedule - lots of good information in this, an a quick excerpt:
Nineteen of the Bobcats final 41 games will be at home this season, including seven of their final 11 and the regular-season finale on Wednesday, April 13 against the Atlanta Hawks on ESPN at 8:00 pmA couple of thoughts - a slightly road heavy second half of the season, but a nice closing kick largely at home. And national television exposure! Unfortunately, with it being the last game of the season, good chances of it being meaningless for at least one of the teams involved, so maybe not compelling basketball.
A couple of more links to direct your attention to as you soak it all in:
Schedule analysis from the Bobcats - I thought it was interesting that the team would do a rundown of the schedule like this. There are some good factoids in there.
Basketball Prospectus looks at the schedule (tip of the hat to Rufus on Fire) - and the Cats are one of the unlucky ones when it comes to back to backs, tied for second most in the league with 22. The good news - it is some of their competition ahead of them at 23, with Milwaukee, Chicago and Atlanta sharing that distinction.
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Continuing Recognition of Crash
Posted by Brett on 07/26/2010H/T to Mr. Mann at Rufus on Fire
Gerald Wallace is proud to be—along with Michael Jordan—the face of the Bobcats. The large player from a small Southern town is happy to be mentioned in the same breath as Jordan.
He just hopes not to share a hairstyle anytime soon.
-That Guy - SLAM ONLINE
SLAM takes a look at Gerald Wallace and his ever improving game - and what it is predicated on, his never ending hustle. Solid read (aside from the dig at the Bobcats first few seasons - "Over the next three campaigns, the Bobcats didn't improve much, but Wallace—and his digits—did." - 18 wins to 26 to 33 in years 1 through 3, with a small step back in year 4, to 33. Nearly doubling their wins is not an improvement? I know it is a throw-away line, but it bothers me when people misrepresent the past to make a more compelling story). With that along aside over - check it out and revel in your support of a still young All-Star, who has grown so much in the Queen City.
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Posted by Brett on 07/19/2010
I know last year there was some discussion about "why won't the Bobcats sign McCants?" when the team was looking for backcourt help. Rashad McCants remains unemployed at this time and the Bobcats have just 2 shooting guards on the roster - one is Stephen Jackson, who soaks up minutes like a sponge. The other is Gerald Henderson, a young lottery pick that the Bobcats need to give time in order for him to develop. So, I do not necessarily think McCants would be a good fit in the Queen City - and this article from ESPN - The Magazine does nothing to change that:
But he knows the NBA isn't waiting for him. He knows it's his move. "You know," McCants begins slowly, "if they want me to smile ... I'll do it." He sits back in his chair and promptly undermines the declaration he has just made. "But I won't ever change being me."I know the guy can play - I saw a lot of his games when he was at UNC. But things like this make it tough to think he would fit in with the Bobcats, playing little.
- Rashad McCants is born to hated, dying to be loved from ESPN the Magazine (insider required)
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Posted by Brett on 07/15/2010
UPDATED (to clean up stream of consciousness writing)
Bobcats reach deal with PG Shaun Livingston from the AP. The article says the two sides agreed to a 2-year deal for $7 million - or approximately half of what Raymond Felton is getting in New York. I know that is what some people are going to wonder: How does Shaun compare to Ray and wouldn't it have been better to spend a bit more?
Well, Livingston is a former lottery pick like Raymond - the 4th overall pick in 2004 in fact(part of the trade up the Bobcats did to get Emeka Okafor). While Raymond has been Mr. Dependable, playing nearly every game in his career, Shaun has missed a full season due to the knee injury he suffered against the Bobcats back in 2007. Since then, he has bounced around a bit, with time in Miami, Oklahoma City, and Washington. Washington was his last stop, as he finished this past season there, starting 18 games for them.
As a Wizard, Shaun averaged 9.2 points and 4.4 assists per game. But that was in limited time - per 40 minutes, those numbers are 14.4 and 6.9. For comparisons sake, Ray's per 40 numbers for last year: 14.6 and 6.7. Hmm - interesting. Point in Livingston's favor is his superior fg% and points per shot marks - 53.5% from the field for 1.30 points per attempt - to 45.6% and 1.14 for Raymond.
However, the aforementioned knee injury is a detriment in multiple ways - for one, Shaun lacks Ray's durability (not the only time he has missed in his career) and may have to miss some practices and limit his game time due to knee soreness going forward. For another - Livingston is not the same athlete he once was. How is he going to be defensively? I have to admit some concern here - his defensive numbers last year were brutal. Looking at Shaun's numbers from last year, we see an aggregate opponent that really attacked him: His man scored 26 points per 100 team possessions, up from an expected mark of 21.7, while posting a PER of 19.87 (expected of 15.66).
Can Shaun handle defensive responsibilities on some of the league's premier point men? I suppose Larry Brown thinks so, as I doubt the Cats would sign a second defensive liability of a point to back up their other, in D.J. Augustin. One final note in Livingston's defense: He was starting at the end of the season, when the Wizards had thrown in the towel and went on a 16 game losing streak - so maybe he was not totally at fault as defense is a team concept.
To the other concern listed above: Would the Bobcats have been better served to spend a bit more? Well, as James pointed out on twitter today, the Bobcats payroll is a bit bloated. At HoopsHype the Cats are listed as the team with the 4th highest payroll in the league at over $71 million - while the site does not have all signings up to date and some numbers off for the Bobcats, it still shows them as being a bit higher up the salary scale than their performance would indicate. Signing Livingston for half the cost of Felton is one of controlling costs. But they also realized that Raymond just is not quite good enough - just think back to the way he got abused in the playoffs.
Is Livingston the answer? Maybe but even if he is not, at least he is not an expensive incorrect answer like Raymond had become. I know that sounds harsh - but the Bobcats had already overpaid for one of their own previously in re-signing Emeka Okafor and I am glad they learned from that mistake - one they are still working to undo. As much as fans want to think only about winning - there remains a business side to all this and if $3.5 million fewer dollars get a player who may be able to approximate the output of a more expensive option, that will be the choice made unless a team is contending for a title.
Wrapping up: Shaun Livingston is now a Charlotte Bobcat, competing for the starting spot. Livingston is a talented player coming back from injury, with very good size for the position, providing a nice foil to D.J. Augustin. He shoots the ball and takes shots he can make - Larry Brown will enjoy the fact that Shaun will not shoot from deep, with just 6 attempts all of last season. If healthy, Livingston will have been a good signing for the Bobcats. If healthy.
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