Update on Wallace, Larry Hughes and Henderson/Graham...

[ALong13]

Two updates from practice:

-- Gerald Wallace's sprained left ankle was quite sore this morning, so the team sent him for a Magnetic Resonance Imaging. They haven't heard anything on the results of that test yet. However, I'd be surprised if Wallace plays against the Magic in Orlando, if he was that sore today.

Coach Larry Brown indicated that if Wallace can't play, he'd likely move Stephen Jackson to small forward in the starting lineup. He'd then likely start either Stephen Graham or Gerald Henderson at shooting guard. Wallace currently leads the NBA in minutes (42 per game), so there's a lot of fill-in in his absence. Look for Boris Diaw to play more small forward (Brown wants to leave Tyrus Thomas at 4) and for Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin to play together in the backcourt.

-- New Bobcat Larry Hughes was at practice Saturday, doing shooting drills. He has a fractured left hand (approximately at the base of the finger next to his left pinky). He's five weeks into a six-week recovery period for that injury. He's cleared to work out but not yet for contact drills.

The Bobcats don't expect he'd be cleared to play before the second half of next week. Right now he can catch passes, shoot and dribble without discomfort, but that's not the same as playing defense.

Brown said that when Hughes is activated, he'd play primarily shooting guard, though he can be the Bobcats' third point guard in a pinch. Obviously he's here to pick up some of the scoring off the bench -- a void that was left by Flip Murray's trade to Chicago.

-Charlotte Observer (Bonnell)
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I'm really hoping Henderson gets the start at SG and we go Felton, Henderson, Jax, Diaw, Ratliff, I hope Henderson can play well and see good time to impress coaches. Hopefully Wallace's injury is just a sprain still and sore and he can come back Tuesday or Wednesday.

[EC123]

Graham should always see as little playing time as possible.

[ALuhrs704]

Graham should always see as little playing time as possible.
Whenever grahm plays he always goes hard and plays decent d and can hit an open jumper i dont mind seeing him in there but not for longer then 2 or 3 min stretches a quarter. i think larry will start grahm, even tho id rather see hendo start because its obvious the more henderson plays the more he gets better. i think we could still beat orlando with our main lineup as felton jackson diaw thomas and whatever center decides to play, but without our main guy its gonna be tough. as long as this injury dont nag at gerald we'll be fine and going into the playoffs with momententum. and i like larry hughes if he takes smart shots.

[ALong13]

Gerald Wallace is consisdered day-to-day with his sprained left ankle and is traveling with the Bobcats for their two-game road trip despite being in a walking boot.

This is great news, although it's still up in the air as to when he'll play again. The good news is that he probably wouldn't be traveling if there wasn't a chance he could play. Don't be surprised if he sits on Sunday at Orlando, but Tuesday in Indy seems like it could be a real possibility.

-Rotoworld

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Good to hear he is day to day, hopefully he can play tuesday, I would sit him out tomorrow though whether he wants to play or not. Having him 90% on Tuesday against a winnable team is much better than risking further injury at 50% against a tough, physical team

[BlockParty]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4992142

Looks like MRI was clean on GW's ankle, so maybe only miss the Orlando Game. Orlando plays tonight in Washington so maybe they will be tired.

[spectre]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4992142

Looks like MRI was clean on GW's ankle, so maybe only miss the Orlando Game. Orlando plays tonight in Washington so maybe they will be tired.

Good news BlockParty & Along!

If he's going to miss just the ORL game then we've come out very well.

[bozzy]

Hopefully GW sits out the next two games at least. Frankly, GW has looked like he was wore out the last few weeks. A little rest for his ankle could do wonders for the rest of his body. I just hope he doesn't come back too soon and have it nagging for several weeks.

[Marvel]

I would like to see Wallace rested for a bit longer beyond the Orlando game as well, it would do wonders for him i'm tellin ya.Plus we get to see more UPS in action

[Demon DeaCat]

Graham should always see as little playing time as possible.

I really don't understand the negativity towards Graham on this board. He's a very solid contributor and a valuable insurance guy. I think Hendo love is blinding a lot of people to that fact.

[EC123]

I really don't understand the negativity towards Graham on this board. He's a very solid contributor and a valuable insurance guy. I think Hendo love is blinding a lot of people to that fact.

Henderson and Graham both suck, but Henderson has more potential than Graham.

Graham should be a defensive stopper, but he does nothing well except for moving too fast for himself.

[G-Force for MVP]

graham is the new kobe stopper

[Toocool]

Graham is a selfish scorer. I remember him going solo constantly (back when Raja was injured) and do nothing but turn over the ball or miss the shot. He tried to carry the team on his limited shot making ability. Ever since then I've always had a sore taste in my mouth about him.

Also, I would love to see Hendo start. Either him or UPS. Since Crash is out, would make Brown use TT + UPS more which would be good for UPS.

[TheBeagle]

Bonnell's article indicates he's a definite no-go for both the ORL and IND games. I'm shooting for a Friday return in Atlanta when hopefully Hughes will also be suiting up, but won't have my hopes up (in Gerald's case) because you never know with these sprains.

[WarioVsMooChicken]

If we can take 1 of the next 2 games. I'll be happy

[kickazzz2000]

If we can take 1 of the next 2 games. I'll be happy

I got a feeling Jax is going to go Apeshit on Orlando.

[SWedd523]

I got a feeling Jax is going to go Apeshit on Orlando.

I got a feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night
that tonight’s gonna be a good night
that tonight’s gonna be a good good night wooh hoo

[kickazzz2000]

I got a feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night
that tonight’s gonna be a good night
that tonight’s gonna be a good good night wooh hoo

LOL, didn't we do the whole BEP thing once already????
:biggrin:

[CarolinaBlue704]

I don't know how reliable this guy is...


bobcats wallace is day 2 day with left ankle and foot sprain and is going on 2gm roadtrip despite being in walking boot.

http://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo

[GOBOBCATS24]

Thats also what I heard on NBA.com or somewhere like that. Its a reliable source

[TheBeagle]

I got a feeling Jax is going to go Apeshit on Orlando. And Apeshit he went! Nice!

[Demon DeaCat]

Henderson and Graham both suck, but Henderson has more potential than Graham.

Graham should be a defensive stopper, but he does nothing well except for moving too fast for himself.

12 pts and 6 boards against Orl doesn't suck. Without Graham, we don't win yesterday.

[ohara831]

12 pts and 6 boards against Orl doesn't suck. Without Graham, we don't win yesterday.

Well said. We dont win without his effort yesterday.

[Dexmor]

Graham isn't terrible on O. He is capable of putting up the lowest starters scoring minutes without being offensively challenged like Ben Wallace which imo is 12 points.
If he would work on his shot and perfect the 3 and midrange he could be a Rasual Butler one day with better D.

Henderson to me is a shorter but more athletic version of Graham with some potential.

Either we will trade Henderson or he will wait patiently on the bench with us for the next 3 years to get his chance because with Jackson and Hughes he is uneeded unless there is a suspension or something.

[ohara831]

Without Graham, we would have been blown out by the Pacers. He is a very solid player for us. Good depth.

[BigMike]

Without Graham, we would have been blown out by the Pacers. He is a very solid player for us. Good depth.

The poor kid just needs more minutes on the floor, playing at game speed! He will come along nicely but his brother is going to school him in 1v1 over the summer break.

[BRNC]

Without Graham, we would have been blown out by the Pacers. He is a very solid player for us. Good depth.

This was the best I've seen him play...depth is no longer an issue since most of the guys a stepping-up now...

[Demon DeaCat]

Another incredibly strong night from Graham. 19 pts on 7-9 shooting. He deserves a lot of credit for us winning 2 out of 3 without Gerald. There is really no rational argument that can be made right now for Henderson playing over him.

[polarcat]

i will take my medicine and admit being wrong to give henderson the minutes over graham. stevie has straight balled and brought his lunchpail the past few games. props where they are do....and they are without gforce.

[teej]

We need to re-sign Graham, he's better than any bench player we've ever had, unless I'm having a major brain fart. Tyrus will be better, but he isn't yet. And I'm counting Nazr as a starter.

[BRNC]

I have to admit to my doubts about "Hulk" before...the last three games he's impressed me...I'm starting to think of him as a "maybe 6th man" next season...:g:

[Marvel]

I have to swallow my pride and admit Steve G should play over Hendo and erase any doubt that he should be getting the minutes over Hendo too.Hendo's time will come.

[TheBeagle]

We need to re-sign Graham, he's better than any bench player we've ever had, unless I'm having a major brain fart. Tyrus will be better, but he isn't yet. And I'm counting Nazr as a starter. Agreed. I guess since most all of us are making our confessions on Hulkster, I'll give mine: I was in the minority who really liked him from the get-go and couldn't quite figure where the hate was coming from. Since I've been silent about this the whole year, I'm not going to scold (like I'd scold anyway), but he's done nothing but give it his all when Larry puts him in, and he's been damn productive. I mean, like someone mentioned earlier in this thread or another, he was the man guarding Kobe in LA when he went 2-12. He also finishes strong at the rim, and now he's actually starting to get some calls.

I can understand some wanting Henderson to get minutes so as to possibly develop, plus you want to see your lottery pick play over a non-roster invitee, but the fact is Stevie is the far superior player at this time (and likely will always be, but I digress...) and deserves those minutes.

Anyway, it was really cool to see Hulkster put up career highs on consecutive nights, and be an overall great team player all season long.

[Dcarnys]

I never really said anything about it but I know Graham had something. If he can keep up this level of play, he truly deserves more time then Hendo.

[spectre]

A Shot At Redemption - Bill Ingram (http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=15609)

Comments from Larry Hughes, LB and different Bobcats' players about him joining the team.

[teej]

"I also think the fact that he played for LB and knows his system will be good, because there won't be an adjustment for him coming in because he's already played for Larry Brown. He played for Larry Brown as a rookie, and Larry Brown doesn't play rookies. That says something. I think he'll come in with a lot of self-confidence because he won't worry about Larry Brown hollering at him and fussing at him because he's already been through it. I think he ought to fit right in with us."

Gotta love Gerald.

Larry seems like a great guy, my friend from TheKnicksBlogRadio says he's a really nice guy to be around and isn't really the tough guy his reputation has him made out to be. And he's not old enough to have all his skills fade yet.

[ammofan]

When will Hughes play? I wanna see him play!

[BobCatsFanInTx]

Graham should always see as little playing time as possible.I don't know where all this Graham hate comes from but that guy has been solid when he has been on court. Also I would rather Graham see more playing time on the court at this time of the season than a rookie who coach Brown has given little burn to up to this point.

I believe the absence of Crash could be a good thing. It will undoubtedly force others to step up and we can see what this team is made of. When Crash does come back the team will be stronger than ever. I have had my concerns that the Bobcats would revert to old poor habits during Crashes time off the court but they have looked for the most part good. Now my only concern is whether the team can regularly beat the Pacers and 76ers type teams of the league. It seems the team steps up and beats the top teams but the teams out of the playoff hunt they tend to come out flat against.

[BobCatsFanInTx]

Graham is a selfish scorer. I remember him going solo constantly (back when Raja was injured) and do nothing but turn over the ball or miss the shot. He tried to carry the team on his limited shot making ability. Ever since then I've always had a sore taste in my mouth about him.

Also, I would love to see Hendo start. Either him or UPS. Since Crash is out, would make Brown use TT + UPS more which would be good for UPS.Graham has been solid this year. I really don't get what it is you people think is so wrong with him up to this point in the season. He is no All Star but most guys on ANY basketball team are not. However this season he has played within the system and has contributed when it is necessary.

Our two rookies are not playoff ready. We are headed down the homestretch and I would rather see veterans get the burn at this point. The rookies can compliment the veterans but the veterans should not compliment the rookies. At least not our two rookies who have not really gotten enough burn up to this point to have earned that right. Just my opinion.

[spectre]

Agreed Tex...tho we didn't realize it Crash's injury came at a very opportune time. Hulk JR took the minutes and showed he can contribute, and we're going to need every bit of his play going into the playoffs.

Our bench has been very spotty this year and without that support the odds don't favor us. If Hulk JR, DJ, TT, TC & Hughes can do that it's going to be huge.

[110oldeast]

Have agreed with the folks about Graham. I have liked him all year and think that he is fine playing within the system as long as he is not asked to do too much. He can also knock down a simple open jumper wihich has always been long undervalued by Bobcats fans IMO (we seem to care about athleticism, but don't realize the value of a guy who can knock down the perimeter J and spread the floor) but makes the job MUCH easier for the pg or offense initiator.

As for playing without GW, I think that historically the team has been able to adjust to it when we have had another solid wing who could knock down shots consistently. Last year was the fist year that we really were negatively impacted, b/c we didn't have a good shooting wing combo like we did when Vincent was here. When we had J-Rich and Carroll in Vincent's year, we actually went on a trememndous run of wins when Crash went down despite playing solid teams and playoff contenders.

With Jackson here, if Felton is assertive, and as long as Jack doesn't overfellate himself and go into Kobe mode, we can stay afloat while Gerald gets himself where he needs to be. Graham is a great fill in guy, b/c while there are things he can't do Crash like, there are other things like knocking down the kickout and spreading the floor that he can do well, much in the same way when we were going with a J-Rich/Carroll combo before.

The key for him with the 2nd unit will hinge in part on DJ. If DJ takes an assertive role in running the offense, it will reduce the number of isolation opportunities for Graham as he will do more completing of plays than initiating of them. This is key for BOTH of our pgs as our wings need to be ones to complete plays with playmaking here and there and not primary playmakers.

[Dexmor]

This is pretty crazy guys. Graham isn't the best player on bench history. He had a few good games. Notice his fg% was like 70-80 which means he basically hit every shot he took. That's not gonna always happen you know.

[Ampsportsduo]

This is pretty crazy guys. Graham isn't the best player on bench history. He had a few good games. Notice his fg% was like 70-80 which means he basically hit every shot he took. That's not gonna always happen you know.

If shooting was the only thing Graham was contributing I would agree, but his defense has been just as big (if not bigger). Having someone you can bring in as a change of pace defender to keep giving scoring wings a different look (and possibly suck up some fouls) that you have confidence will knock down open jumpers is a valuable bench asset. When Henderson would come in, it seemed like his best play was often flying for a tip jam on a ball that already went through the hoop.

[Marvel]

Don't get it twisted though,i'm sure not everyone here thought that Stevey could play,well i knew he could definitely play but i was keen to see Hendo develop this season same for UPS.At this stage it's very unlikely both of our rookies will only be getting 10 mins per game.