Chef
06-22-2011, 10:12 AM
pretty good analysis from the bobcat section. too positive in my opinion. i would trade the pick but we all know that already.
9. Charlotte Bobcats
State of the Team: Oh, look at that: The Bobcats are in the lottery again. Of course they are. They've picked in the lottery six times in the franchise's seven years. The only exception, actually, was last season, when they didn't have any draft picks. But it's because of this preferred place in the draft that the Bobcats have acquired young players who don't make Michael Jordan cover his eyes while watching his own team. What they still lack is a big man, preferably one who can contribute before he falls prey to a rookie vice that Mark Cuban calls the pizza-and-Twinkies diet — which, in the Tar Heel State, means midnight runs to Bojangles.
Stats:
W-L RECORD: 34-48
eFG% RECORD: 37-45
TOV% RECORD: 35-47
REB% RECORD: 44-38
FTA% RECORD: 47-35
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: SCORING
To nobody's surprise, an offense that relied upon a 32-year-old Stephen Jackson as its primary scorer failed to produce points on a consistent basis. Charlotte ranked 29th in points per game and 26th in offensive rating (points per 100 possessions). Jackson had the second-lowest offensive rating (OR) of any player who took 1,000 shots or more last season, producing just 98 points per 100 possessions. The league average for such players was 110.5. Meanwhile, backup guard Garrett Temple was the worst offensive player in the league (minimum: 200 minutes), putting up a 73 OR. He used 25 percent of Charlotte's possessions while he was on the floor, but he turned the ball over 30 percent of the time and was 12-of-42 from the field. The only young player on the roster who has exhibited any hope as a scorer is forward D.J. White, who had a .526 eFG% (effective field goal percentage) in 24 games after being acquired in the Nazr Mohammad trade. And he's blocked by Tyrus Thomas.
Front Office Profile: The Bobcats recently hired Rich Cho, who lasted as Portland's general manager for less than a year. Cho, a former Boeing engineer, caught on with Seattle's basketball operations department, moved to Oklahoma City when the SuperSonics became the Thunder, and ascended to assistant general manager under Sam Presti. The Trail Blazers hired him as GM last July, and the highlight of his brief tenure in Portland was convincing Charlotte to swap Gerald Wallace for Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, and the 19th pick in this year's draft. Michael Jordan must have taken note, so now Cho will be running the Bobcats' front office while his Airness perfects his short game. Cho is a renowned stat-head whose draft process will rely heavily on quantitative analysis, and like his one-time mentor Presti, he won't hesitate to trade the pick in either direction.
They Said It: "You see a guy who's seven feet tall, a 7-8 wingspan. I played with a guy named Manute Bol and he changed the game. I mean, he wasn't an offensive player or a traditional center where you catch it on the post and make your move on the block, but in terms of defense you were always looking for him. I played against him as well as with him, and he had an effect on the game." — President of basketball operations Rod Higgins on drafting Alexis Ajinca (Winston-Salem Journal)
"We will get this right." — Higgins on this year's draft (Charlotte Observer)
The NBA Executive Says: "They've identified their needs. They need shooting and a big man. They may go for Biyombo, Tristan Thompson, Markieff Morris."
They Should Pick: Tristan Thompson
9. Charlotte Bobcats
State of the Team: Oh, look at that: The Bobcats are in the lottery again. Of course they are. They've picked in the lottery six times in the franchise's seven years. The only exception, actually, was last season, when they didn't have any draft picks. But it's because of this preferred place in the draft that the Bobcats have acquired young players who don't make Michael Jordan cover his eyes while watching his own team. What they still lack is a big man, preferably one who can contribute before he falls prey to a rookie vice that Mark Cuban calls the pizza-and-Twinkies diet — which, in the Tar Heel State, means midnight runs to Bojangles.
Stats:
W-L RECORD: 34-48
eFG% RECORD: 37-45
TOV% RECORD: 35-47
REB% RECORD: 44-38
FTA% RECORD: 47-35
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: SCORING
To nobody's surprise, an offense that relied upon a 32-year-old Stephen Jackson as its primary scorer failed to produce points on a consistent basis. Charlotte ranked 29th in points per game and 26th in offensive rating (points per 100 possessions). Jackson had the second-lowest offensive rating (OR) of any player who took 1,000 shots or more last season, producing just 98 points per 100 possessions. The league average for such players was 110.5. Meanwhile, backup guard Garrett Temple was the worst offensive player in the league (minimum: 200 minutes), putting up a 73 OR. He used 25 percent of Charlotte's possessions while he was on the floor, but he turned the ball over 30 percent of the time and was 12-of-42 from the field. The only young player on the roster who has exhibited any hope as a scorer is forward D.J. White, who had a .526 eFG% (effective field goal percentage) in 24 games after being acquired in the Nazr Mohammad trade. And he's blocked by Tyrus Thomas.
Front Office Profile: The Bobcats recently hired Rich Cho, who lasted as Portland's general manager for less than a year. Cho, a former Boeing engineer, caught on with Seattle's basketball operations department, moved to Oklahoma City when the SuperSonics became the Thunder, and ascended to assistant general manager under Sam Presti. The Trail Blazers hired him as GM last July, and the highlight of his brief tenure in Portland was convincing Charlotte to swap Gerald Wallace for Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, and the 19th pick in this year's draft. Michael Jordan must have taken note, so now Cho will be running the Bobcats' front office while his Airness perfects his short game. Cho is a renowned stat-head whose draft process will rely heavily on quantitative analysis, and like his one-time mentor Presti, he won't hesitate to trade the pick in either direction.
They Said It: "You see a guy who's seven feet tall, a 7-8 wingspan. I played with a guy named Manute Bol and he changed the game. I mean, he wasn't an offensive player or a traditional center where you catch it on the post and make your move on the block, but in terms of defense you were always looking for him. I played against him as well as with him, and he had an effect on the game." — President of basketball operations Rod Higgins on drafting Alexis Ajinca (Winston-Salem Journal)
"We will get this right." — Higgins on this year's draft (Charlotte Observer)
The NBA Executive Says: "They've identified their needs. They need shooting and a big man. They may go for Biyombo, Tristan Thompson, Markieff Morris."
They Should Pick: Tristan Thompson