My Observations From the Bobcats Scrimmage.

[ND22]

Alright guys here's what I took away from the scrimmage today.

- Gerald Wallace was unstoppable. He knew it too, because in the 2nd half he drove probably ten times in a row and either made it or got fouled.

- Dominique McGuire impressed me. He plays more like a SF, but he could also play PF and SG. His shot isn't as bad as Bonnell made it out to be, and he attacked the glass hard. This might be a stretch but he reminds of Gerald Wallace back when the Bobcats first got started.

- Derrick Brown also impressed. Scrappy was a good way to describe his play, he seemed to be doing a bit of everything.

- Late in the 4th quarter, Tyrus Thomas took the ball down the floor as the PG two times in a row. Both times he went coast to coast and drew a foul.

- Diaw played really aggressively. He went for every rebound, and dished some nice passes. Honestly, I'm glad we didn't trade him, because I think he'll be a big part of this team.

- DJ showed some signs he can be the PG of this team. Made some nice passes, shot fairly well, and seemed to have control of floor.

- Throughout the game my mind changed on who I would keep as the 3rd PG, Collins or Crittenton. *sp* Both would make a play that impressed me. LB has a tough decision on his hands.

- Matt Rogers shouldn't make the team. He easily got beat baseline on a post move by Diaw, and just didn't show me enough to warrant a roster spot. Apparently he can shoot 3's though because he took one that almost went in.

- Nazr looked in shape, and played aggressive.

- Darius Miles is old.

- Overall, I liked what I saw, and I think we'll only be better once Liv, Hendo, and Diop are ready to go.

[WhatAboutBob_cats]

Interesting that Tyrus went coast to coast as the pg. I always imagined he'd be Shawn Kemp-esque (a plus in my book). And this just puts him closer

[ammofan]

Awesome.....glad to hear that "Who-The-F-Is-That" did well!

And I was reading the @bobcats tweets and they were saying gerald was a monster as well. Cant wait to watch an actual game.

Also, I think Collins makes the team because of the 3 point shooting.
Speaking of which, how did Hammer do? Haven't heard much about him!

[ND22]

Speaking of which, how did Hammer do? Haven't heard much about him!

He didn't play much, and was 1-2, both good shots. He didn't really get a lot of opportunities. He did look in shape and like he belonged out there though.

[GOBOBCATS24]

Did $tackJack look okay? How bout Boris?

[ND22]

Did $tackJack look okay? How bout Boris?

Jack look fine. Played well, but didn't do anything that I felt warranted a note. He does look slimmer though. And as I said, I really liked what I saw out of Boris. He doesn't look fat, and he played well.

[ajbry]

Jack typically coasts through these types of games (and preseason too, lol). Glad to hear he looks slimmer though.

And seriously, all the praise this past week about Diaw and TT is excellent. They're going to be integral parts of the team and will need to play well for a successful year.

Thanks for the insight.

[BlockParty]

ND22..thanks for the insight. Glad to see something more than we expected out of Boris and TT, something tells me they are both going to be on the court alot this season at the same time.

[dav7z]

Bonnell seens to think Thomas was the player of the game , Wallace scored at will .

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/10/03/1737431/charlotte-bobcats-camp-observations.html

Piint still seems very shakey , Collins over weight with a in ability to drive by his man and create. . DJ still starting plays way too late. Livingston with a bad wheel . Crietton slightly over weight and doesn't look to distribute . Some ones got to step up thair??

[teej]

Piint still seems very shakey , Collins over weight with a in ability to drive by his man and create. . DJ still starting plays way too late. Livingston with a bad wheel . Creatinton slightly over weight and doesn't look to distribute . Some ones got to step up thair??

Or we could just toss out a Jack/Gerald/Diaw/TT/Nazzy crunch-time 5...matchup issues everywhere.

[dav7z]

Or we could just toss out a Jack/Gerald/Diaw/TT/Nazzy crunch-time 5...matchup issues everywhere.

Who would get the ball up the court? And start the plays ? Do you think Diaw could play point ? Or even JAX?

[teej]

Who would get the ball up the court? And start the plays ? Do you think Diaw could play point ? Or even JAX?

Between Diaw and Jack, there's someone capable of running the offense. And if you have 3-4 guys out there who can handle the ball (Jack, Diaw, Crash and apparently Tyrus, judging by this camp), that's almost impossible for the opposing D to plan for.

[dav7z]

Between Diaw and Jack, there's someone capable of running the offense. And if you have 3-4 guys out there who can handle the ball (Jack, Diaw, Crash and apparently Tyrus, judging by this camp), that's almost impossible for the opposing D to plan for.

Ive read Diaw can play a little point . Though i doubt he could keep any points from driving on him. But as slow as Browns pace is . We might be able to get by with that line up in spurts.

[SWedd523]

dav, I read the Bonnell post and everybodu else's but haven't seen anything said about DJ starting the play late. Where are you seeing that?

[teej]

dav, I read the Bonnell post and everybodu else's but haven't seen anything said about DJ starting the play late. Where are you seeing that?

Yeah, only thing Bonnell's had on DJ is that the team has yet to pick up his option for next season...

[GoBobs]

Diaw started his career as a pg in Atl but his numbers were never great. I think we would be more successful with a lineup of:

Gerald Henderson
S Jackson
G Wallace
Tyrus Thomas
Boris Diaw

Diaw would play the point on offense and the center on defense. This would really screw with other teams switching in transition. Henderson would guard all the speedy point guards, but all the parts are really interchangeable which works well with a LB switching defense. If the other team doesn't have a quick point guard Hendo could be swapped for Nazr, Diop, or WhoDaFuc, whatever gives us the best matchup.

As far as advancing the ball everyone can help out with that. If the other team tries to pressure us it will actually work to our advantage because we will get easy buckets when we beat the pressure.

[BlockParty]

Diaw started his career as a pg in Atl but his numbers were never great. I think we would be more successful with a lineup of:

Gerald Henderson
S Jackson
G Wallace
Tyrus Thomas
Boris Diaw


Given the matchups we may also switch Nazr and UPS from time to time with Hendo in that lineup. If you look at the interview between Hendo and UPS, it's amazing how much taller UPS (Derrick Brown) seems. That height is what made the Cats successful in shutting down premier all-stars (Lebron, Kobe, etc). Everytime they got by one 6'-7" or taller defender, another athletic one met them immediately (that was TT's first game, GW and Jack were the primary defenders/help defenders).

[Felton for Prez]

Nice article about scrimmage in the Wilmington paper. Not much about the game but more about the interaction with the fans. Nice quote by Jack.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20101003/ARTICLES/101009890/0/APA?p=1&tc=pg

[spectre]

Wallace didn’t just communicate with players and coaches. “One of the referees told me he could shoot better than me,” he said.

That's pretty good!

[spectre]

- DJ showed some signs he can be the PG of this team. Made some nice passes, shot fairly well, and seemed to have control of floor.

Per Bonnell:



Asked about D.J. Augustin, who would start at the point, Brown indicated he just has to relax: "D.J.'s trying to be perfect right now, and I want him to shoot the ball a little bit more. But that's OK.''

Augustin, one of the Bobcats' better outside shooters, attempted just two shots (making one) in Sunday's scrimmage.




Without seeing any of the game, would it be safe to say DJ is in a "trying to be a LB type of PG" mode? If so this isn't really what I think will work (refer to the "let's talke about DJ" thread)...sooner or later he has to bring his strengths to the game vs. letting his efforts to try and please the old man get in the way of what'll be successful.

He's in a bad spot. If Larry Brown isn't pleased he'll start (probably already has started) harping on the FO to do anything to get us "his" type of PG. If DJ tries to do something he's not I'm afraid he'll struggle just like last season.

[spectre]

BTW...just so y'all know I'm now considered a "give DJ his chance" guy on another board due to my preference to him over Caleron. :biggrin:

[BRNC]

BTW...just so y'all know I'm now considered a "give DJ his chance" guy on another board due to my preference to him over Caleron. :biggrin:

So spectre...if I'd prefer my cat before Caleron...does that make me "give a pussy a chance" kinda guy...?

[spectre]

So spectre...if I'd prefer my cat before Caleron...does that make me "give a pussy a chance" kinda guy...?

Awesome!

Darn right...but aren't all of us a "give a pussy a chance" kinda guy regardless at heart?

I know I am!

[BRNC]

Roflmao....I know I am...

[SWedd523]

I'll give any pussy a chance as long as it's not too fluffy or dirty, and is up to date on it's vaccinations.


That said, I have two thoughts on the DJ only shooting twice thing:

1) I've felt that DJ works fine in just about anything on offense. He has better handles and generally passes the ball better than Ray, so if he wants to do that then by all means. However!

2) DJ's biggest strength is still, of course, his shooting. So if he had one of the other PG's on him (Collins, Critt), he should have WORKED them for more shots.. Especially off the dribble.

Again though, no idea of how the game was played so maybe he went in just "feeling" like racking up the assists. I know I do that sometimes when I play.

[BlockParty]

That said, I have two thoughts on the DJ only shooting twice thing:


I think GW and Jack mentioned it leading up to the scrimmage, this was for the fans. The scrimmages quickly take on the feel of an all-star game where there are a lot of dunks, a lot of block attempts and very little sound half-court offense or defense. Not surprisenly Larry Brown said he hates the scrimmages because he loses control early on.

My guess on Augustin is his confidence level isn't equal to some of the Vets, and therefore was playing it safe, his goal should've been to avoid injury (which he was successful at). GW (because he's GW), the rookies (because they need a job) and TT (because he's a freakish athlete) played all-out when on the court.

Starting tonight, with the first exhibition game, it's a different story. With DJ's 3 point shooting ability he needs to hoist up between 5-10 shots every game to keep the defense honest. And it's fair to reduce that goal of 5-10 shoots for every 2 free throw attempts he takes.

[millst2]

I dont mind DJ getting his chance, but I do expect if SL performs better he gets the gig. Hell I just want whoever performs the best to get the gig, I do not want us taking any steps drastically backwards.

I think we need to have the guys step up for the defensive dropoff we may have with felton gone. I read a few days ago that " Raymond Felton (http://www.basketballprospectus.com/card.php?id=1014), Charlotte: In terms of defensive value from individual statistics, Felton was second to Rondo at the point guard position. His combination of decent size and quickness makes him a defensive asset."

I read this on a Fantasy Basketball League site,, and it has some valid points..

The Charlotte Bobcats lost Raymond Felton over the summer and now must choose a point guard from either D. J. Augustin or Shaun Livingston. There were some earlier rumors about Jose Calderon joining the club, but his defense is so horrible that I think he just has no shot in Charlotte. The Bobcats were the top rated defensive team in the league in 2009. Stephen Jackson will start at SG, Gerald Wallace at SF and Tyrus Thomas at PF. Erick Dampier was just waived, so the center position is uncertain. Kwame Brown and Nazr Mohammed could share minutes at the spot. Jackson and Wallace are the dependable fantasy options, while Thomas and Augustin make for nice fantasy gambles in the later rounds.

Projected Fantasy Depth Chart
PG: D. J. Augustin, Shaun Livingston
SG: Stephen Jackson, Gerald Henderson, Matt Carroll
SF: Gerald Wallace, Dominic McGuire
PF: Tyrus Thomas, Boris Diaw
C: Kwame Brown, Nazr Mohammed
2009 Team Stats
Pace: #26, 90.4 (avg. 92.7)
Offensive Rating: #24, 104.4 (avg. 107.6)
Defensive Rating: #1, 102.8 (avg. 107.6)
Team eFG%: #25, 49.0 (avg. 50.1)
Offensive Rebounding: #17, 26.5 (avg. 26.3)
Defensive Rebounding: #10, 74.2 (avg. 73.7)
Opponent’s eFG%: #11, 49.1 (avg. 50.1)
Points Per Game: #28, 95.3 (avg. 100.4)


Charlotte is a team built on defense, and when you combine that with the leagues 26th slowest pace, it’s a fantasy nightmare.

There were many games last season when I benched questionable players versus Charlotte and it was usually the right decision.

The slow pace of a Bobcats game also hurts the stats for big names like Jackson and Wallace.

Playing Time and Usage Rates
Usage rate illustrates a player’s involvement in the team’s offense.
Player (2009 MPG) Usage (2009/Career)
Augustin (18.4) 17.9/19.6
Livingston (22.1) 15.9/16.4
Jackson (39.3) 27.8/24.3
Wallace (41.0) 20.3/20.9
Thomas (21.7) 25.1/20.3
Diaw (35.4) 16.2/16.4
Mohammed (17.0) 21.3/19.6
Brown (13.8) 14.7/16.1
The first thing to notice is that the Bobcats have a problem at point guard with two guys who both have below average usage rates.

One of them is going to have to step up this season and my guess is that it’s going to be Augustin. Stephen Jackson is being leaned

on much too heavily with a usage rate of 27.8. On most other teams he would fall somewhere around 23-24. I expect that he will

once again be asked to carry the load on offense, especially with the weak point guard situation. Tyrus Thomas saw his usage rate
rise with the trade to Charlotte and he could maintain that figure if he gets the starting PF spot over Boris Diaw. Kwame Brown simply
isn’t an offensive player and Boris Diaw didn’t show much involvement either in 2009.


Shooting Ability and Shot Location
Player Career eFG% Career 3PT Jumper/Inside
Augustin 49.6 1.2/2.8 (42.0%) 71/29
Livingston 45.8 0/0 77/23
Jackson 47.4 1.5/4.5 (33.9%) 65/35
Wallace 50.1 .4/1.4 (31.6%) 42/58
Thomas 45.2 0/0 48/52
Diaw 51.8 .4/1.1 (33.2%) 54/46
Mohammed 49.1 0/0 38/62
Brown 48.8 0/0 28/72
The first thing that jumps out from these stats is the lack of a a true perimeter threat. The team is mostly comprised

of guys who can take it to the basket just about as much as they take the jumper. The only two jumpshooters on the
team are Augustin and Livingston, and Livingston has absolutely no range at all. The entire frontcourt has a nearly even
Jumper/Inside split, which is rare for an NBA team.


Rebounding
Player Off/Def/Total
Augustin 1.0/7.2/4.2
Livingston 3.3/9.8/6.6
Jackson 2.9/10.7/6.8
Wallace 5.9/18.2/12.0
Thomas 8.4/20.8/14.6
Diaw 5.6/13.0/9.4
Mohammed 13.6/21.2/17.4
Brown 5.6/13.0/9.4
The Bobcats have the luxury of good rebounders at the SF, PF and C spots. Gerald Wallace had a career year rebounding in 2009
and he should be able to keep it up this year, if he can stay healthy. Tyrus Thomas and Nazr Mohammed are both excellent

rebounders and should make life difficult for opposing teams in the paint. Kwame Brown and Boris Diaw are weak rebounders
for their position.

Defense
The Bobcats led the league in defensive rating in 2009 and should again have a solid defense.
PG: D. J. Augustin is a good defender, which may make him the favorite at the PG spot. Shaun Livingston has lost a little lateral quickness after his knee injury, but he’s still decent on defense.
SG: Stephen Jackson is an excellent defender.
SF: Gerald Wallace is the leader of this defense with his hustle and energy.
PF: Tyrus Thomas has all the raw skills to be a great defender and hopefully he can put it all together this season. He is an excellent shotblocker.
C: Nazr Mohammed is a decent defender and rebounder, which is his primary role.
Augustin may earn the point guard minutes with his shooting, especially his ability to hit the three. Jackson, Wallace and Diaw are all very inefficient long range shooters

** Good Read **
*** Sorry for the long post, But it just shows that we really need our pg's to be able to come in and step it up on the defensive side of the ball***

Also we did address part of our non 3 pt scoring with bringing the hammer back, I think if he gets 20+ mins a game he will cause the opponents defense to spread thin and
open up more opportunities for the other 4 players on the floor.