Have we "improved" ourselves out of a top 5 pick?

[DashGlobal]

We have had a pretty substantial shot of talent this offseason with the draft and esp with the signings of Gordon, Sessions, and Haywood.

Add those players to MKG and Taylor and we have a lot more talent on this roster.

Then factor in superior coaching and I am expecting significantly more wins.

[CamoAmmo35]

We haven't made a bad move this offseason. Very impressed. Loved how we replaced DJA with A better defender Ramon sessions. DJA is a terrible defender. If we get Scola and/or Jamison we'll be outside the playoffs, maybe even a 8th seed. Sessions can Pass his ass off, he used to average 5/6 off the bench, crazy. He really didn't get the chance in LAL b/c Kobe runs the whole offense

[dnbman]

I don't think we moved out of a top 5 pick yet, but we should be much more respectable. You look at teams like Washington and New Orleans, and they'll be a lot better too. Due to the nature of this draft, a lot of teams got better, but I think we got some of the best long term pieces.

[Plowright]

I see a lot of other bad teams improving at the moment. No other team is pissing into the wind and trying to blow it up and rebuild. I think we will be border line, kind of around the top 5 pick regionr

[Zoolander]

This infusion of talent is like drinking cold water on a hot summer day. It's refreshing but you just can't seem to get enough.

[Black]

I don't think so, but it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if we somehow were able to payoff the Bulls next year. The pick is top twelve protected this upcoming season, so it's highly unlikely, but the early projections are that the class of 2013 will not be very good. I'd rather give the Bulls our pick in the 10-14 range than wait a few years with the pick that it ends up being a top five pick.

Does anyone know if we're allowed to pay them off with the Portland or Detroit pick if we get one of them this year, and it's outside the top twelve? Or does it have to be our own pick?

[Hormel]

This infusion of talent is like drinking cold water on a hot summer day, after a hard night of drinking. It's refreshing but you just can't seem to get enough.
how I feel

[adam187]

last year the second worst team had twice as many wins as us, so i doubt we move out of the bottom 5.

it's a long season, gotta take it one day at a time, too many factors with injuries and trades to make any sort of accurate guesses about the season right now. mostly just hoping to see some progression and development in our young players.

[ohara831]

I would like the think that we would be somewhere in the range of pick #5-10, but have the ping pong balls go right for a change and we slip into the Top 3. That would show we have strongly improved AND we will get another high quality young player. And that beats the heck out of tanking.

[GoBobs]

I think MKG is going to drag us to the playoffs. He is not a more talented prospect then rookie Lebron but he will be a more effective player for his team. Guessing we will probably get one pick next year (blazers) while our pick goes to the Bulls and Detroit keeps there pick due to protection.

[TattoodCats4life]

I think this season we end up with a pick in the 5-9 region. BUT with the other two picks I think we move up, or do something else that's awesome. Cho all the way

[Jerp]

Nope, we still suck enough

[Plowright]

Were going to be in the play offs next year!? Jesus they must be something in the water in Knoxville TN!!! We were the worst team in the NBA last year for crying out loud

[Mustachio]

Wow. We have so much to prove next year, I dont even think we can have this conversation seriously. To make the 8th seed we would have to be literally 5x better next year. We added some pieces but only role plaayers. We should be better next year, more competitive, more fierce, no more 40 pt massacres....we should see marked improvement in our young guys and MKG seems (after one summer league game, grain of salt) like the kind of guy to will you some wins. But we are still firmly in the bottom 3 teams in the league.


Reasonably we cant run and pressure all year like we have in SL and we are still VERY young with a rookie head coach. So we are still gonna hit rookie walls, and still lose in some situations where only experience can win. We still have a ton to learn in every department including coaches. If we end the season with 21 wins we will have become 3x better than last year and we should be pretty happy to have that as long as we can see the curve towards improvement.

[JGib23]

Playoffs? Come on guys. We have improved but, we are no where near playoff caliber.

The Wizards were the 2nd worst team and they added
Beal
Okafor
Ariza

New Orleans was 3rd worst and added
Anthony Davis
Austin Rivers
Ryan Anderson

Cleveland was next and added a Top 4 SG to pair in the backcourt with ROY Kyrie and also Tyler Zellar.

Next up was NJ- we all know that Brooklyn will be a force and possible top 4 team in the east.

All of these teams finished 13 or 14 games ahead of us and have all improved just as much as we have.

Some teams will be worse (Orlando, Atanta) but, not bad enough for s to catch them

[GoBobs]

Were going to be in the play offs next year!? Jesus they must be something in the water in Knoxville TN!!! We were the worst team in the NBA last year for crying out loud

Last year we were watching a team that threw in the towel. Some of our vets never showed up (maggs) and some checked out early (diaw). The coaches screwed up big time by designating maggs as the man when he had done nothing to earn the respect of his teammates. Our coach was unable to reach Diaw or Tyrus thomas to get the best out of them.

remember in the second game of the season we lost to the Heat by one point, despite maggs going 1-10. If we had brought that kind of energy all season we would have won a lot more then seven games.

[winthropbobcat]

isn't the goal to win games? not have a top 5 pick every year? just saying.

[Black]

isn't the goal to win games? not have a top 5 pick every year? just saying.

Of course, in theory. But we still need to add top tier talent. The goal is to not become a middle of the road team, which will happen if we add late lottery/mid first round picks every year. Realistically the goal this year is to show signs of improvement, while still being to add a top five talent in next years draft. Then, things should really start coming together.

[Scrapper1]

No worries, we will lottery draw for that top pick again.. unless Stern promised the Hornets the 2013 top pick also.

By the way- kind of sad that you guys hope the team stinks every year so you can constantly draw for the top pick.

[Black]

I don't think anyone hopes they stink. The question was will we be out of the top five. Most people believe we will not, which isn't a bad thing altogether.

[SWedd523]

isn't the goal to win games? not have a top 5 pick every year? just saying.
Not for the next 2 or so years it isn't

[Mustachio]

isn't the goal to win games? not have a top 5 pick every year? just saying.


Umm. No the goal isnt to win games. The goal is to win championships. 82 wins without a ring is meaningless.

[QC Thundercats]

Past lottery winners:

2005 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_NBA_Draft) Milwaukee Bucks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee_Bucks) 30–52 (6th-worst) 6.30%
2006 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_NBA_Draft#Draft_Lottery) Toronto Raptors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Raptors) 27–55 (5th-worst) 8.80%
2007 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_NBA_Draft#Draft_Lottery) Portland Trail Blazers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Trail_Blazers) 32–50 (6th-worst) 5.30%
2008 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_NBA_Draft#Draft_Lottery) Chicago Bulls (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Bulls) 33–49 (9th-worst) 1.70%
2009 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_NBA_Draft#Draft_Lottery) Los Angeles Clippers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Clippers) 19–63 (2nd-worst) 17.70%
2010 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_NBA_Draft#Draft_Lottery) Washington Wizards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Wizards) 26–56 (5th-worst) 10.30%
2011 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_NBA_Draft#Draft_Lottery) Los Angeles Clippers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Clippers) (conveyed to the Cleveland Cavaliers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Cavaliers)) 32–50 (8th-worst) 2.80%
2012 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_NBA_Draft) New Orleans Hornets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_Hornets) 21-45 (T-3rd-worst) 13.70%

Anywhere from 19 to 33 wins has won the lottery the past several years. So improving by 15-20 wins isn't going to knock us out of the top 5, or from even winning the lottery for that matter.

I don't think we can expect to win more than that, the guys are just way too young to have that consistency yet. Even the Thunder took 2-3 years to get into the playoffs.

[spectre]

Yes, we all loved the losing and we want a repeat each and every year.

[gm in training]

Umm. No the goal isnt to win games. The goal is to win championships. 82 wins without a ring is meaningless.

actually the goal is to be relevant and competitive . its 30 teams and one championship . wins and loses can get you fired , players traded,or even franchises moved. i would rather have the career of charles barkley than robert horry.championships are nice but to stay relevant is even more important.

[SWedd523]

actually the goal is to be relevant and competitive . its 30 teams and one championship . wins and loses can get you fired , players traded,or even franchises moved. i would rather have the career of charles barkley than robert horry.championships are nice but to stay relevant is even more important.
You don't get it either.

[superb1]

I rather see us improve, win about 20 to 30 games. And we still will be the range to get a top 5 pick. I say we are 2 to 3 years from playoffs

[Mustachio]

actually the goal is to be relevant and competitive . its 30 teams and one championship . wins and loses can get you fired , players traded,or even franchises moved. i would rather have the career of charles barkley than robert horry.championships are nice but to stay relevant is even more important.


Congrats. Its tough to make 42 post and not be right in a single one. Not only are you suggesting mediocrity as the goal, you are sayng a championship wouldnt bring relevancy. Id rather suffer for a 100 years for a ring, than 90 years of consolation prizes. Do you still have all your "participation" trophies from youth soccer on your mantle?

[dnbman]

Congrats. Its tough to make 42 post and not be right in a single one. Not only are you suggesting mediocrity as the goal, you are sayng a championship wouldnt bring relevancy. Id rather suffer for a 100 years for a ring, than 90 years of consolation prizes. Do you still have all your "participation" trophies from youth soccer on your mantle?

Come on Mustachio, that's a fair point of contention: to be focused on always putting out the best team every year or to bide your time until a specific point to have the best team possible (eggs in one basket.) There are a lot of people who think every time you play you should try your hardest to win. I think we both agree that today's NBA demands a long view on establishing a championship contender, but you can't disrespect people for always wanting to be competitive.

To summarize:

If your goal is a championship, you need to bide your time, acquire young talent, and then once you've got a competitive core, go for broke surrounding them with talent to try and win. Otherwise, you spend most of your time in the low seeds and being considered a "dangerous" team (read: not a serious contender, but can knock out a careless team in the first couple of rounds), never reaching the finals. This path requires patience and timing.

If your goal is to be competitive every year, then you sign the best free agents you can afford and plug away until a miracle happens and you break through the other super teams. You may not ever when a championship, but you get to stick your chest out with pride that you always tried hard.

Personally, I want a championship.

[gm in training]

Congrats. Its tough to make 42 post and not be right in a single one. Not only are you suggesting mediocrity as the goal, you are sayng a championship wouldnt bring relevancy. Id rather suffer for a 100 years for a ring, than 90 years of consolation prizes. Do you still have all your "participation" trophies from youth soccer on your mantle? championships do bring relevancy but there is a small percentile that actually make it there and even win. when you live in the real world life is more than being number 1 , just like everything else you can strive to be number 1 but be relevant,competitive and still be meaningful . you can suffer 100 years without a ring is dumbest thing i've heard in a longtime , you can live a hundred years of depression and meaningless while i can live 100 years of fame ,glory, and being an icon with no ring. do you think dan marino,barkley,karl malone,and ewing gives 2 craps about a ring rite now when their pegged as the greatest and had the women that men dream about hell naw ,why? because they was relevant and had longevity.

[Mustachio]

do you think dan marino,barkley,karl malone,and ewing gives 2 craps about a ring rite now .

100% yes. Barkley mentioned it in his hall of fame speech, dan marino is questioned about it daily. If you think those guys lead their lives with "relevancy" as the goal, you are mistaken.

We are beginning to argue semantics here, but you are claiming an artificial high ground. Of course I would be happy with Barkley's career, but if you are striving for anything less than Jordan, you arent doing it right.

[dnbman]

championships do bring relevancy but there is a small percentile that actually make it there and even win. when you live in the real world life is more than being number 1 , just like everything else you can strive to be number 1 but be relevant,competitive and still be meaningful . you can suffer 100 years without a ring is dumbest thing i've heard in a longtime , you can live a hundred years of depression and meaningless while i can live 100 years of fame ,glory, and being an icon with no ring. do you think dan marino,barkley,karl malone,and ewing gives 2 craps about a ring rite now when their pegged as the greatest and had the women that men dream about hell naw ,why? because they was relevant and had longevity.

Marino was my absolute favorite player and a great point. And here's reality: In twenty years, very few people on the planet will care about Marino. We've already lost interest in most of the greats from the 60s and 70s. Championships do more to cement status than longevity or good play. I guarantee you that more people will remember "Big Shot Bomb" than all but a handful of his contemporaries, because he's a guy who was amazing in the games that absolutely matter.

You make a great point that only 1 team wins each year. But I think that speaks more in favor of what Mustachio and I want: a team that has the greatest chance of winning for a given number of years rather than a team that might be better in terms of average win percentage but rarely is in contention.

[gm in training]

Marino was my absolute favorite player and a great point. And here's reality: In twenty years, very few people on the planet will care about Marino. We've already lost interest in most of the greats from the 60s and 70s. Championships do more to cement status than longevity or good play. I guarantee you that more people will remember "Big Shot Bomb" than all but a handful of his contemporaries, because he's a guy who was amazing in the games that absolutely matter.

You make a great point that only 1 team wins each year. But I think that speaks more in favor of what Mustachio and I want: a team that has the greatest chance of winning for a given number of years rather than a team that might be better in terms of average win percentage but rarely is in contention. i didn't say average , i said to compete . do think that thunder franchise is lacking fan support,ticket sales,media exposure ,players who want to come to okc because they lost the championship? i would love for the bobcats to win a ring but i live in the real world and my optimism goes as far as at 6-8th seed at least. i don't come into this season thinking championsip or bust because thats not real or likely but if we make the playoffs ,maybe get a all-star to represent our team and get some accolades im satisfied as fan that we are showing progress .

[dnbman]

i didn't say average , i said to compete . do think that thunder franchise is lacking fan support,ticket sales,media exposure ,players who want to come to okc because they lost the championship? i would love for the bobcats to win a ring but i live in the real world and my optimism goes as far as at 6-8th seed at least. i don't come into this season thinking championsip or bust because thats not real or likely but if we make the playoffs ,maybe get a all-star to represent our team and get some accolades im satisfied as fan that we are showing progress .

No, but OKC is a legitimate title team, the kind that will likely be at the top of the West for the next few years. And there was a process of getting there that included divesting themselves of contracts and acquiring youth. Then once they had the youth in place, they started adding key veterans. That's exactly what we're trying to do.

[gm in training]

100% yes. Barkley mentioned it in his hall of fame speech, dan marino is questioned about it daily. If you think those guys lead their lives with "relevancy" as the goal, you are mistaken.

We are beginning to argue semantics here, but you are claiming an artificial high ground. Of course I would be happy with Barkley's career, but if you are striving for anything less than Jordan, you arent doing it right.

funny you said barkley mentioned it in his HALL OF FAME speech,and that you found it relevant enough to watch a ringless guy make a speech. key line: HALL OF FAME.

[SWedd523]

i didn't say average , i said to compete . do think that thunder franchise is lacking fan support,ticket sales,media exposure ,players who want to come to okc because they lost the championship? i would love for the bobcats to win a ring but i live in the real world and my optimism goes as far as at 6-8th seed at least. i don't come into this season thinking championsip or bust because thats not real or likely but if we make the playoffs ,maybe get a all-star to represent our team and get some accolades im satisfied as fan that we are showing progress .
Are you familiar with how OKC put themselves in the position they're currently in?


I'll give you a hint: by doing exactly what we're doing.

[gm in training]

No, but OKC is a legitimate title team, the kind that will likely be at the top of the West for the next few years. And there was a process of getting there that included divesting themselves of contracts and acquiring youth. Then once they had the youth in place, they started adding key veterans. That's exactly what we're trying to do. exactly because okc is at the top and what i was trying to stat to muchacho was that an legitimate team is not a championship team but as a competitor that is what brings hope or recognition as a fan and as a fan you can live with that

[gm in training]

Are you familiar with how OKC put themselves in the position they're currently in?


I'll give you a hint: by doing exactly what we're doing.

i never disputed that so why are you telling me this ?

[dnbman]

exactly because okc is at the top and what i was trying to stat to muchacho was that an legitimate team is not a championship team but as a competitor that is what brings hope or recognition as a fan

Perhaps you disagree on the term "relevant." If you're talking about being a relevant championship contender, one of the top few teams in the conference with a chance to win a championship, then most people would agree with you. What a lot of Bobcats are tired of is being in the playoff conversation for a 7th and 8th seed-- a relevant team in terms of the playoff picture-- but not a legitimate championship contender and not getting much better in the draft either. For those of us that lived through the last 4 or 5 years of the franchise, it's been painful.

[Zoolander]

exactly because okc is at the top and what i was trying to stat to muchacho was that an legitimate team is not a championship team but as a competitor that is what brings hope or recognition as a fan and as a fan you can live with that

? It sounds like you are chasing your tail. Relevancy doesn't last, Championships do. If we have 5+ 70 win seasons, become NBA darlings, all starting 5 players are in the top 10 in jersey sells, attendance is top 3 in the league, have our own network that's boats 70% regional ratings, even if we have all that, the teams that won championships during that time are the ones that are remembered. Sooner or later you go back to being dormats of the league. That's just the way it is now with FA. You don't have 20+ win seasons and 10 championships. You need to get while you can. As a fan I'd have more pride and not to mention more bragging rights in a championship than another fan who had more wins.

[skratch]

I hope not but i really doubt we moved out of the top 5, honestly were still in the top 5 worst teams, we improved but teams like N.O,DET & possibly SAC if they can orchestrate all that talent improved dramatically imo, those teams are set with there core but a year away from playoffs one of them might make it this year, word is still out on kemba's jumpshot, bismack still some years away, our front court can still be much better, hendo is a average guy, i dont see us getting a 8th spot, i see that going to Cleveland or wash

[Potato]

5 exactly would be a good guess

[gm in training]

? It sounds like you are chasing your tail. Relevancy doesn't last, Championships do. If we have 5+ 70 win seasons, become NBA darlings, all starting 5 players are in the top 10 in jersey sells, attendance is top 3 in the league, have our own network that's boats 70% regional ratings, even if we have all that, the teams that won championships during that time are the ones that are remembered. Sooner or later you go back to being dormats of the league. That's just the way it is now with FA. You don't have 20+ win seasons and 10 championships. You need to get while you can. As a fan I'd have more pride and not to mention more bragging rights in a championship than another fan who had more wins.

well if you read my previous posts , i stated that i would love to win a ring but to be competitive is what keeps you relevant ,perfect example: larry brown didn't win a ring till like 2 decades later but he kept a job ,mike brown couldn't win in cleveland but he landed the most storied franchise in all sports ,andy reid is the longest tenured coach on one team who hasn't won a ring,bill cowher coached the steelers for about 8 years before he won a ring but somehow all these coaches kept their jobs or a job why?cause they are winners,while coaches like tom coughlin was on the hot seat(google it) and he won a superbowl like 4 years ago,mark cuban sacrificed a potential 2nd championship for younger players who can keep the mavericks relevant and contending for the future,
jon gruden got fired like 4 years after winning a ring with tampa,and the same with brian billick with ravens . basically im saying there is always the bigger picture

[dnbman]

well if you read my previous posts , i stated that i would love to win a ring but to be competitive is what keeps you relevant ,perfect example: larry brown didn't win a ring till like 2 decades later but he kept a job ,mike brown couldn't win in cleveland but he landed the most storied franchise in all sports ,andy reid is the longest tenured coach on one team who hasn't won a ring,bill cowher coached the steelers for about 8 years before he won a ring but somehow all these coaches kept their jobs or a job why?cause they are winners,while coaches like tom coughlin was on the hot seat(google it) and he won a superbowl like 4 years ago,mark cuban sacrificed a potential 2nd championship for younger players who can keep the mavericks relevant and contending for the future,
jon gruden got fired like 4 years after winning a ring with tampa,and the same with brian billick with ravens . basically im saying there is always the bigger picture

Football is not a good comparison, as it's much more of a team/system based league than basketball, which has much more to do with individual stars. You don't have to have a top 10 player to be a Superbowl contender. If you don't have a top 10 player in the NBA, you're not even in the conversation unless your the early 00's Pistons.

Where I think you're absolutely right is that Dunlap will have to show progress to keep his job. He won't have to win a championship, though, for a while. Progress will be measured by our general competitiveness and individual growth, not necessarily proximity to the playoffs. That will come eventually, but right now we just need to acquire assets and develop talent, regardless of the wins and losses. I think the FO has the same vision.

[gm in training]

Football is not a good comparison, as it's much more of a team/system based league than basketball, which has much more to do with individual stars. You don't have to have a top 10 player to be a Superbowl contender. If you don't have a top 10 player in the NBA, you're not even in the conversation unless your the early 00's Pistons.

Where I think you're absolutely right is that Dunlap will have to show progress to keep his job. He won't have to win a championship, though, for a while. Progress will be measured by our general competitiveness and individual growth, not necessarily proximity to the playoffs. That will come eventually, but right now we just need to acquire assets and develop talent, regardless of the wins and losses. I think the FO has the same vision.

i thought championships/winning was the general topic but i guess you agree what im saying somewhat lol

[dnbman]

i thought championships/winning was the general topic but i guess you agree what im saying somewhat lol

The point I was trying to make is that the FO will be much more forgiving about Dunlaps wins and losses until we develop or acquire some clear stars. Football is more demanding in that it's more based on a system. A good coach with solid players that aren't necessarily stars can turn around a football franchise. That rarely happens in the NBA until some stars are in place. That's why Houston, a borderline playoff team over the last few seasons, is willing to trade most of its future and team to get Howard: they weren't going to be a real player until they got a top player in the league.

[TheBeagle]

last year the second worst team had twice as many wins as us, so i doubt we move out of the bottom 5.

it's a long season, gotta take it one day at a time, too many factors with injuries and trades to make any sort of accurate guesses about the season right now. mostly just hoping to see some progression and development in our young players. That's it exactly. Was telling a friend this last night, last year we were historically uncompetitive, this year we'll take our lumps and look bad during portions of the year, but we'll be competitive. Won't make any predictions until the start of the year when rosters are more stable, but I think we're in the 25-28 win department, which should definitely be in the top 5 wheelhouse.

[dav7z]

Its a long season and i understand both sides of the thought process. Me i say we can't tank and try and win ever damn game. RIGHT NOW turn thease guys lose let them learn to play togethter and win at whatever pace this core can carry you to . Its no way in hell i try to hold back any of thease kids . Whitch pick thease kids get shouldn't mean a damn thing to thease kids. Right now a ring shouldn;t either . Start the inprovement prosess and let the wins dicatate themselfs. I want thease kids to give ever thing they got with 5 wins of 50 wins MAKES NO DIFFERANCE to me in this stage of the rebuilding process. As far as im concerned tanking should be over and its time for inprovement to start .

[westbrook08]

I don't think we're out of the top 5.But if we add jamison we're gonna be a legit 2 deep @ every single position and i think it might take us out of the top 2, which is where we need to be.Next years draft is gonna be muhammed, noel, and then the rest of the draft.If it doesn't look like we are gonna be in the conversation for the top 2 we seriously need to consider taking some combination of our pick,the portland or detroit pick, and one of our expirings like diop,carroll, or williams and possibily make a deal @ the deadline to acquire a player instead.I just think outside of the 2 guys @ the top this is gonna be a horrible draft.

[dnbman]

Its a long season and i understand both sides of the thought process. Me i say we can't tank and try and win ever damn game. RIGHT NOW turn thease guys lose let them learn to play togethter and win at whatever pace this core can carry you to . Its no way in hell i try to hold back any of thease kids .

Even last year, when we were clearly not trying to win, I don't think we were trying to hold guys back, though ineptitude of coaching might have. I think where we're at right now is just playing our young guys and not ever extending for pieces that might make us more successful, ala trading for Diop. Develop youth and pieces to stabilize us (Sessions, Haywood, etc.) and wait until the time is right to spend money.

[spectre]

Notice that with MKG out last night we looked strangely similar to last year's team?

Even with adding Gordon/Sessions/Haywood we're not going to be that much better.

[adam187]

Umm. No the goal isnt to win games. The goal is to win championships. 82 wins without a ring is meaningless.

BUT, they might make a movie about our team 10 years down the line, so there's always that:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn7C6jgl0RI

It's a metaphor.

[CamoAmmo35]

Notice that with MKG out last night we looked strangely similar to last year's team?

Even with adding Gordon/Sessions/Haywood we're not going to be that much better.

It's only summer league. And if we sign Jamison I think we'll be alright

[SWedd523]

Notice that with MKG out last night we looked strangely similar to last year's team?
Because without MKG or any of the new additions we... are... last year's team :p

Actually worse considering Hendo, DJ, and Diop aren't getting their minutes

[anton273]

We are still going to get a top 5 pick next year, i dont see how adding mediocre free agents and a couple draft picks will set us apart from the rest of the trash in this league.

All teams are doing the same thing as us, end of the day we have an undersized point guard who would be a 6th man anywhere else, a shooting guard that is not even a 6th man on most teams, a small forward who is 19 ( excellent prospect ) but nevertheless he is inexperienced at this level. A power forward who looks lost half of the time and a centre who is shooting like he's Dirk... Okay sessions, gordon, taylor and haywood are quite decent pick ups for potential starting roles. This team still screams 'We suck, give us another top 5 pick'.

This will be a fun season as we all want to see our youth improve and play up tempo ball but I feel we are another year away from being out of top 5 picks

[spectre]

Because without MKG or any of the new additions we... are... last year's team :p

Actually worse considering Hendo, DJ, and Diop aren't getting their minutes

You'd think that would be pretty obvious wouldn't you...but here we are on page 6.

Adding two young rooks, a couple of old vets, a disappointing 6th man combo and a backup PG isn't going to make nowhere near the impact that some are thinking here.

Just hope for more entertainment next year. That's where I'm at.

[dav7z]

Even last year, when we were clearly not trying to win, I don't think we were trying to hold guys back, though ineptitude of coaching might have. I think where we're at right now is just playing our young guys and not ever extending for pieces that might make us more successful, ala trading for Diop. Develop youth and pieces to stabilize us (Sessions, Haywood, etc.) and wait until the time is right to spend money.
I compleatly agree with that . But adding a building coach and adding two nice rookies . Its time for inprovement to begain and forget about a top two pick next season . The way i see it we have five core pieces with decent veteran back ups . We play the game and let the loto balls fall where they may. If thease kids end up over acheving and the team gets better quicker than expected . So be it .

[dnbman]

The way i see it we have five core pieces with decent veteran back ups . We play the game and let the loto balls fall where they may. If thease kids end up over acheving and the team gets better quicker than expected . So be it .

Absolutely. With Dunlap at the helm, I can't imagine it being any different.

[heelcat]

I was honestly worried about falling out of the lottery....until reality hit. Folks, this is the youngest team in the NBA with the newest NBA coach. All I want to see from this team is consistent improvement. Meaning, MKG gets a jumpshot by the end of the season and both he and Taylor are making noise in the league. Kemba coming into his own as an NBA PG. Also, I want to see good schemes and players looking like they have a purpose on the court. A team that is under control and wins more games at the end of the season than they did at the beginning. I want us to remain in the lottery and have Portland make a big improvement to give us 2 first rounders. From there, I think we can begin building our future.

[DashGlobal]

I am sorry but Sessions, Gordon, and Haywood make for some darn good experienced backups / role players. As starters yes they are nothing special but they will prove to be quite valuable in their role here in Charlotte.

Combine that with a new coach that stresses defense, Kemba & Biz with a year under their belt, and the addition of MKG and Taylor and I can see us being much better and competitive.

I doubt we drop out of the top 5 still, but I would not be shocked if we did.

[BubbaGolf]

The direct answer to your question is absolutely not! The Bobcats will definitely still be one of the 5 worst teams according to record in the NBA. There is no questioning that. In my opinion, the Bobcats will win between 15-20 games. That is not a tremendous improvement on the 7 wins last season in a 66 game season.

However, where the Bobcats will make up ground is that they will be much more competitive in their games. Last year the Cats point differential was -13.9 points per game. That is horrific. I believe only the 1992-1993 Dallas Mavericks had a larger point differential than that.

Regardless, I think that will be the true sign of the Bobcats improvement in the 2012-2013 season. If the Bobcats can end the season with a -5.0 point differential or better I will be very hapy with the teams progress.

[dnbman]

The direct answer to your question is absolutely not! The Bobcats will definitely still be one of the 5 worst teams according to record in the NBA. There is no questioning that. In my opinion, the Bobcats will win between 15-20 games. That is not a tremendous improvement on the 7 wins last season in a 66 game season.

However, where the Bobcats will make up ground is that they will be much more competitive in their games. Last year the Cats point differential was -13.9 points per game. That is horrific. I believe only the 1992-1993 Dallas Mavericks had a larger point differential than that.

Regardless, I think that will be the true sign of the Bobcats improvement in the 2012-2013 season. If the Bobcats can end the season with a -5.0 point differential or better I will be very hapy with the teams progress.

Yeah, I've said this a few times, but I'm restating it: we need to lose a bunch of games but make teams hate playing us. We need to be the team that is definitely beatable, but you're going to work to get that victory, it's it going to cost you. I want games that come close to turning into fights.

I'll take 0 wins next year if we make an opponent cry 82 times.

[SWedd523]

I think we'll win more than 20 games, but I would prefer we finish with the worst record again. I don't care if it's a 14 way tie for last place, I want the most lotto balls

[kitch0202]

I think 20 wins, plus or minus a couple, is about right for us. The point though is that we'll be more competitive and that we will develop a style of play.

Progress with our young players, the establishment of a playing identity and plenty of tight/hard games is the aim for this coming season. IF we achieve that then we will be able to use the cap space we have the following season to get in a good to very good free agent. If we're not able to attract that level of quality then it's more of the same, taking on a bad contract or two for extra picks and drafting high & well. Either way we have a direction!