More appreciation for Bonnell this season

[Veteran_Picksetter]

While the national media and some of my friends have jumped on the anti-Michael Jordan bandwagon, I appreciate that Rick Bonnell has tried to offer a more informed perspective. The following articles or blogs come to mind:


http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2012/04/michael-jordan-deserves-scrutiny-but-larry-browns-jab-felt-more-like-revenge.html

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/04/27/3204142/a-lot-factored-into-charlotte.html

http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2012/04/larry-brown-rips-michael-jordan-and-charlotte-bobcats.html

http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2012/04/on-sam-vincent-michael-jordan-and-credibility.html

[bobcatsflow]

Nice reads!

[Dcarnys]

Good for him. I've warmed up to him this year because he actually tried to learn what was going on this season.

[BIGCatBobcat]

I've been harsh on Ricky B! for years. He was the Observer's Hornets guy, and he was just the incumbent and he acted like it for years. I talked to people about why he was so bad and they said he was up Larry Brown's ass and didn't want to mess that up, so....this year. No dog in the fight? I guess he re-found himself as a writer and a reporter. His perspective has improved after he removed his head from Larry's ass. My concern is he might be a shill for the team, Jordan in particular. But yes, much improved.

[BlockParty]

2 things have helped Rick:

1.) Last few years have been hard on him taking care of his parents from abroad (his focus can now be back on his work)
2.) Twitter-Rick will always be the media type that gets the most information for the fans, because he's the only Charlotte based reporter that is only assigned to the Bobcats. Now that he has embraced Twitter, he realizes it's all about the timeliness of the information. He wants to break the news first and then follow it up with a link to his article.

[ND22]

Rick has done a good job this year. His reporting has improved, and he feels more invested in covering the team. I've been a big critic of his, but I applaud the job he's done this year. Hell I applaud anyone who has had to cover the team all season.

[QC Thundercats]

Maybe Bonnell was improving last year, but I gotta call him out on this:


Then Kansas’ chances defaulted to Robinson, and it turned out this tough, if athletically-limited, kid from Washington, D.C., was a difference-maker.Where has anybody called Robinson a limited athlete? The words I've seen describe him are "elite athlete," "explosive," "impressive all-around athlete", "powerful," "very fast," "high leaper," etc. Either Rick is extremely slanted against the guy, or he has no idea what he's talking about.


Within months of each other, the two stable factors in his family — his uncle and then his mother — died unexpectedly. That left him to care for his half-sister back in D.C., while trying to keep his head straight playing for the Jayhawks.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/06/09/3305932/bobcats-nba-draft-too-close.html#storylink=cpy
This is a failure as a reporter of research and verification. Robinson's story is very tragic, but his uncle didn't die. It was his grandfather, grandmother, then mother who passed. And his sister was being taken care of by her biological father while in D.C.

Not trying to bag too hard on Bonnell because hes had difficult times and has done some adequate work in the past. But my misgivings about his lack of getting any deep insight into the players or team, or any real thought provoking analysis remain, and to start failing on doing his due diligence on research of a major prospect, I do actually have a problem with this. You can't put stuff like this out into a major publication of a top 25 market.

[superb1]

Maybe Bonnell was improving last year, but I gotta call him out on this:

Where has anybody called Robinson a limited athlete? The words I've seen describe him are "elite athlete," "explosive," "impressive all-around athlete", "powerful," "very fast," "high leaper," etc. Either Rick is extremely slanted against the guy, or he has no idea what he's talking about.

This is a failure as a reporter of research and verification. Robinson's story is very tragic, but his uncle didn't die. It was his grandfather, grandmother, then mother who passed. And his sister was being taken care of by her biological father while in D.C.

Not trying to bag too hard on Bonnell because hes had difficult times and has done some adequate work in the past. But my misgivings about his lack of getting any deep insight into the players or team, or any real thought provoking analysis remain, and to start failing on doing his due diligence on research of a major prospect, I do actually have a problem with this. You can't put stuff like this out into a major publication of a top 25 market.

I actually read those articles and notice the mistakes. I chocked it up to just him throwing together articles to meet deadlines rather than giving time to get facts corrrect. Bonnell does not master in giving quality thought provoking articles nor new news and updates as it happens. I feel he has no really comp in Charlotte for Bobcats news so we get what we get.

[WAM9]

Maybe Bonnell was improving last year, but I gotta call him out on this:

Where has anybody called Robinson a limited athlete? The words I've seen describe him are "elite athlete," "explosive," "impressive all-around athlete", "powerful," "very fast," "high leaper," etc. Either Rick is extremely slanted against the guy, or he has no idea what he's talking about.

This is a failure as a reporter of research and verification. Robinson's story is very tragic, but his uncle didn't die. It was his grandfather, grandmother, then mother who passed. And his sister was being taken care of by her biological father while in D.C.

Not trying to bag too hard on Bonnell because hes had difficult times and has done some adequate work in the past. But my misgivings about his lack of getting any deep insight into the players or team, or any real thought provoking analysis remain, and to start failing on doing his due diligence on research of a major prospect, I do actually have a problem with this. You can't put stuff like this out into a major publication of a top 25 market.

I agree with this.

I used to get upset about his lack of information or wrong info but now I just brush it off as what is expected.

I can get far more information, that is far more accurate, and in a much quicker time frame right here on BP.

[Veteran_Picksetter]

Rick Rick Rick.

I'm trying to understand where he's coming from with the "athletically-limited" statement. Maybe he knows more about the combine results than we do? Maybe he's referring to the fact that Robinson was a poor shotblocker in college? Doughboy Jared Sullinger blocked shots at a more frequent rate than Robinson. Maybe he sees Robinson as more of a hustle guy than an athlete?

I've never been a big fan of his take on young prospects.

[Veteran_Picksetter]

I would describe Robinson with more of a MID-ceiling than a low ceiling. The potential for 18 pts and 12 boards a night is definitely there.....

After Davis, he's the pick least likely to be a bust. We know he will board like a beast.

[SWedd523]

I've never been a big fan if his take on anything.

[ziggy]

Via Rick Bonnell on Twitter...

@bobcatsplanet Odd that some of your posters think I "hate" Thomas Robinson. I've called him the safest option at No. 2

[Plowright]

who said that Bonnell didn't like him? I missed that in a thread

[spectre]

Via Rick Bonnell on Twitter...

@bobcatsplanet Odd that some of your posters think I "hate" Thomas Robinson. I've called him the safest option at No. 2

Maybe if he explains why he thinks Robinson has a low ceiling it could clear things up a bit.

[QC Thundercats]

Via Rick Bonnell on Twitter...

@bobcatsplanet Odd that some of your posters think I "hate" Thomas Robinson. I've called him the safest option at No. 2

I don't have twitter, so if somebody could tweet him back...

I don't think Rick hates Robinson, my problem is how he had several glaring mistakes in his article, which shows a complete lack of research or preparation. They weren't minor spelling or grammatical errors. Rick is the first person to call Robinson a limited athlete, when he is one of the more explosive, elite athletes to come out. It's like saying MKG has a limited motor, or Anthony Davis has limited length, or Marshall is a limited passer.

About Robinson's family, not knowing his sisters situation isn't the biggest deal, but the part about his uncle being dead, and not both of his grandparents - I mean, this story has been out since last year, and covered ad nauseum during the NCAA tourney. I hold professional sports writers to a higher standard than message board posters, so not checking facts before submitting is a material error to me.

Last, saying Robinson has a brooding persona is an unfair and misleading assessment. Yes, he may be still recovering from the deaths in his family, but brooding has a negative connotation, where it implies he is moody, persistently dour and depressing, and focusing on negativity. His mood may be down, but a persona refers to his personality and character. This slants readers perceptions, where they say "I don't want a sourpuss downer on my team.". I've only heard great things about his personality, how he stays strong and positive despite his surroundings, how he's very polite, but show a fiery pride and competitive persona.

So, four glaring problems with his article is the real issue.

[SWedd523]

Via Rick Bonnell on Twitter...

@bobcatsplanet Odd that some of your posters think I "hate" Thomas Robinson. I've called him the safest option at No. 2
The question now is what name did he sign up under to lurk?

[dnbman]

The question now is what name did he sign up under to lurk?

He could have viewed the tweet links as a guest.

[SWedd523]

You aren't helping the conspiracy theory

http://sirkevinpatrick.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/aliens-meme.jpg?w=510

[Mustachio]

I'm guessing he's talking about what I said in one of the NBA Draft Talk threads... which was "Bonnell seems to hate the guy almost". I didn't realize he had him as the safest pick, so I am obviously off base(won't be the last time).

But I was just going off that interview on wfnz and it seemed as though he kind of disregarded him as a target at #2. Which wasn't a criticism of Bonnell, just thought that maybe he knew something we didn't about how the front office feels about Robinson. Obviously I was off base, but the way he spoke of T-rob versus the way he spoke about others just seemed off to me. Like he knew the Bobcats weren't interested.

Thanks for reading BCP though Rick, I think that's going above and beyond the call of duty.

[WAM9]

Via Rick Bonnell on Twitter...

@bobcatsplanet Odd that some of your posters think I "hate" Thomas Robinson. I've called him the safest option at No. 2

I see he didn't address the posters (like myself) who think he (Bonnell) "didn't do even the common knowledge research on" Thomas Robinson.

I agree 100% with QC's comments specific on this matter.

[WAM9]

The question now is what name did he sign up under to lurk?

Sign up?????????

He has been here for years...it's where he gets all of his "breaking news" from :)

[Plowright]

Ziggy??? wait... no it can't be... maybe ziggy is Bonnell and he set it up years ago as Bonnell didnt know anything and was planning to get all his info through BCP :O its all so obvious now. Also I guarantee thats how he found out about the merch thing as his article went up like a day after it got posted here

[SWedd523]

Ziggy??? wait... no it can't be... maybe ziggy is Bonnell and he set it up years ago as Bonnell didnt know anything and was planning to get all his info through BCP :O its all so obvious now. Also I guarantee thats how he found out about the merch thing as his article went up like a day after it got posted here
There really isn't a way to say this without sounding like a creeper........but Ziggy is way cooler than Tricky Rick


He's also not a bald white dude

[ziggy]

Ziggy??? wait... no it can't be... maybe ziggy is Bonnell and he set it up years ago as Bonnell didnt know anything and was planning to get all his info through BCP :O its all so obvious now. Also I guarantee thats how he found out about the merch thing as his article went up like a day after it got posted here

This would be so cool if that was the case... Personally, I think Rick is DNBMan. You never, EVER see the two of them in the same place at the same time. :g:

[dnbman]

This would be so cool if that was the case... Personally, I think Rick is DNBMan. You never, EVER see the two of them in the same place at the same time. :g:

Also, when I look in the mirror, I don't see a reflection.


I just see disco light. :g:


I think it's Ohara, the name of both a famous writer and optical glass company, as in he's a writer who's always watching through a lens.


think about it.

[superb1]

This would make a good thread, Who is the Rick Bonnell poster here or something like that and give your reason why. lol

[dnbman]

This would make a good thread, Who is the Rick Bonnell poster here or something like that and give your reason why. lol

Ladies a gentlemen: Rick Bonnell. Δ

(And what an ego-maniac!)

[SWedd523]

definitely black. starting threads trying to get pub and saying "we love ya"?



Definitely.

[superb1]

Ladies a gentlemen: Rick Bonnell. Δ

(And what an ego-maniac!)

lmao, uh no, I might be balding but i'm way way less appealing on the eye.

[WAM9]

I just love today's coach candidate article from Bonnell...

He names the 3 finalists and then says that he got the information from ESPN.com.

? Really ? If you are the team beat writer, then why aren't you breaking the story?


By the way, I don't think he could be any of the regular guys around here...as a group, you guys are far too smart about the game of basketball. It would have to be some obscure, member since 2007 but with only 3 posts or something like that.

[Plowright]

I know what you mean Wam, I thought that as well. Why does he never break any news? However, then I thought about just how big ESPN is and how many contacts they must have around the country... ESPN probably knew before MJ did lol

[dnbman]

However, then I thought about just how big ESPN is and how many contacts they must have around the country... ESPN probably knew before MJ did lol

Maybe that's how the Bobcats do things: they wait for ESPN to report what they have done and then fulfill that action.

I'm pretty sure that was the basis for an episode of Battlestar Galactica.


OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!

I KNOW HOW WE SHOULD REBRAND!

CHARLOTTE CYLONS!!!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ni/cylon.png

PLUS, we get to have the tagline "we have a plan."

[Black]

I am definitely not Rick, okay? Move along, nothing to see here. Again, I am definitely not Rick.

On a completely unrelated note, does anyone know where I can find a good deal on bulk scalp cream?

[superb1]

I was going to give Rick some props on the stories he wrote on yesterday but then realized that the 3 stories I read were derived from one source the 100 top NBA players. I don't know whether to be happy for the multiple stories or appalled for the cheap way he tried to pulled this off.

[dnbman]

I was going to give Rick some props on the stories he wrote on yesterday but then realized that the 3 stories I read were derived from one source the 100 top NBA players. I don't know whether to be happy for the multiple stories or appalled for the cheap way he tried to pulled this off.

I think that's legit. The top 100 players was probably a significant undertaking. Getting a few stories out of it makes sense.

[Veteran_Picksetter]

Rick posted this article today:


"The Bobcats have two finalists in Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw and Los Angeles Lakers assistant Quin Snyder, now that former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan pulled his name from consideration. President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins hasn’t dismissed the idea of reopening the search to other candidates..…"

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/06/18/3326622/bradley-beal-confident-hes-a-top.html#storylink=cpy

I should say so! Mike Dunlap hired on the same day......

[CatNation1]

Props to Rick for actually breaking the story. Meanwhile the national guys snatch up the story and credit "sources" instead of him