Are we a playoff team now

[dav7z]

With all the upgrades the east has made in the off season is the Bobcats a playoff team now. I agree it will be a tougher road to get thair . With the Magic , Boston ,Atlanta all getting better and no one really getting worse. Where do you guys see us finishing this year.
http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2007/07/garnett-to-bost.html
WHERE DO WE FINISH PLAYOFFS OR NOT

[dav7z]

I think we still make it but its going to be harder. I say we win 45 games this year.

[Jonathanmartin7]

nope. we aren't ready. We haven't added the big we needed and IMO J-rich is just a flash player who really adds nothing but highlight reel footage. I'll root hard for them and go to as many games as I can but unless we have an injury free season(which does not happen in the nba)then I say 25-35. Probably closer to 35, still won't be enough to get us in.

[timang]

i'll predict some teams who are comfortable to where their team stands now will suck this coming season... with that said, i'll be betting that will reach somewhere w/in 44-49 wins range. we are not in any way comfortable w/ our position, but in a way we are on serious business right now. no playoffs= last thing on our mind right now.

[ALong13]

This is how I see it... First 5 teams are locks...IMO, though I still think Boston has a chance of not making the playoffs, they have no depth and if one of the new Big 3 goes down, I think they are screwed....

1. Detroit
2. Chicago
3. Washington
4. Cleveland
5. Toronto
-----------------
6.
7.
8.

The final three spots IMO are between Charlotte, Boston, Orlando, NJ....In my opinion, I don't think Miami will make it this year, Shaq's numbers are coming down, he's getting injuried more, and he's just getting old IMO. I'm not sure how Wade will come back, they need another point guard with Payton expected to retire. Not too much depth behind Wade with Kapono gone either, I think this is the year, the Heat bow out, and next year is the year Shaq may leave town...

[spectre]

Of course a few things have to work out (team geling, May's health, Davidson & Duds contributing, Ammo progressing), but I think we can overcome an aging Miami and will most likely win the majority against Washington. Orlando added Lewis but lost Hill & Darko. They might get their same record as last year but I have my doubts.

I see the 4th spot in the playoffs due to winning the division. Wins? A little above .500, so I'll go with the 42 to 50 option.

[ziggy]

46 wins and a trip to the playoffs. Take it to the bank.

My only concern ( and its a big one ) is Emeka's health. If he goes down for a 15 or 20 game stretch, then our interior defense will be non-existent. Him being gone for any significant stretch of time will be enough to keep us out of the playoffs.

[dav7z]

Come on all you Bobcatsplanet members cast your vote on this even if you dont post. I would love to see at least 50 votes. I think we can do it we the best Bobcats site around . All you guest become a menber and VOTE we need your imput . 50 VOTES WE CAN DO IT ...........
Ziggy im right with you on 46 wins . We need the only good big man left and we have the green to get him.

[spectre]

46 wins and a trip to the playoffs. Take it to the bank.

My only concern ( and its a big one ) is Emeka's health. If he goes down for a 15 or 20 game stretch, then our interior defense will be non-existent. Him being gone for any significant stretch of time will be enough to keep us out of the playoffs.

Repeated because it's just so true. All our hopes ride on Mek's shoulders (ankles).

I wasn't really for going after Sean Williams in the draft, but there's no doubt he could at least have been somewhat of an insurance policy.

[ziggy]

Come on all you Bobcatsplanet members cast your vote on this even if you dont post. I would love to see at least 50 votes. I think we can do it we the best Bobcats site around . All you guest become a menber and VOTE we need your imput . 50 VOTES WE CAN DO IT ...........
Ziggy im right with you on 46 wins . We need the only good big man left and we have the green to get him.
Thanks Dave for encouraging some of the lurkers out of hiding :)

[x2pacalypse]

im out of hiding....no more lurking in this thread!

i figured we will get playoffs and win probably more than 40...45ish is my guess

boston/cleveland/pistons will be great yes...but the losses have to pile up somewhere...so i feel there will be many teams with horrible records...allowing us to get a 5 or 6 seed...or even win the division

[Mustachio]

sean williams has looked like a humongous flop so far (plenty of time to fix that).

I agree with tadzs... some of those teams like maybe Toronto who think they will get a playoff spot on paper might not make the playoffs...kind of like Memphis last year.

I dont see Detroit as a lock for the best team either.

1. Chicago
2. Cleveland
3. Detroit
4. Boston
5. Toronto
6. Charlotte
7. Orlando
8. New Jersey

[dav7z]

Boston is not going to be as good as ever one thinks.Sure they have scoring in the big three . Buts thats about it no beanch Ray Allen has slowed as well as Perice so they will get scored on a lot.They may not even make the playoffs. They just got three players now.
Orlando . [over hyped] Any one ever seen Lewis play DEFENCE. Would rather have Wallace.
New Jersey[ CARTER ]one man show they want even go. Down hill from hear for the NETS
Pistons. seen thair best years going down hill its going to start showing this year.
Chicago, Cleveland,Toronto, I think are locks with the Heat and Wizzards as posabilitys . Its wide open.



BTW, we still need 36 more votes we can do it. JUST GETING STARTED.

[Chris#3]

I'll say in the range of 30-40 wins. Hopefully Mek can stay healthy. Can Michael just sign another big guy that can play defense so we won't have to worry about who will replace Mek if he goes down. Don't tell me they're going to have Wallace play the 4 and 5 again like he did the past 2 seasons. That'll be pretty stupid.

[swetooth9]

boston is a definitely b/c of the allstar trio of pierce, ray allen, and KG

we can slip in i think with 42-45 wins b/c of our added depth, but overall young age

[tamburello]

We'll probably get around 40 wins. That means I don't think we're still a lock for a playoff spot. I don't say that Orlando or Atlanta or New York will be better than us. But there will be a tough competition among these teams for last few spots for playoffs.

I expect Cleveland to drop dramatically.

[123together]

its a tough call, i voted for 42-50 wins, but ill say 44 is a reasonable amount to get. they could get the 6th seed maybe the 5th and win a playoff series

[dvdbumpus]

I'm predicting a season close to or better than Toronto's last year.

[batingaw]

If all of them can stay healthy, I predict that we can make it to eastern conference.
If not, we can still make it to the playoffs.

[dav7z]

Welcome to the board . Good positive post they are our Bobcats. Rep it up


24 votes so far in a day . I still think we can get 50 votes . For all you readers join up and vote we going for 50 . We can do it.

[ALong13]

I don't see Miami getting in this year, Wade we don't know how he'll return, Shaq's getting old and injury proned, and Wade's back-up Kapono is gone, also Payton is expected to retire, so we should pass Miami. NJ will be a bit tougher, but I think Wallace, J-Rich, Okafor & Felton are better than Kidd, Carter, Jefferson, Magloire. Orlando has improved with Lewis, but they lost Grant Hill and Darko Milicic, and I don't think they get that high of a seeding, I think in Charlotte's healthy they can pass them. So I think we have a nice shot at the playoffs...

[dav7z]

If we get a Quility big man and a veteran point guard its no reason we dont get 45 wins.
If we dont get that, Okafor goes down or May cant play or Felton goes down we screwed.
We need two back up veterans.

[Jonathanmartin7]

Boston is not going to be as good as ever one thinks.Sure they have scoring in the big three . Buts thats about it no beanch Ray Allen has slowed as well as Perice so they will get scored on a lot.They may not even make the playoffs. They just got three players now.
Orlando . [over hyped] Any one ever seen Lewis play DEFENCE. Would rather have Wallace.
New Jersey[ CARTER ]one man show they want even go. Down hill from hear for the NETS
Pistons. seen thair best years going down hill its going to start showing this year.
Chicago, Cleveland,Toronto, I think are locks with the Heat and Wizzards as posabilitys . Its wide open.



BTW, we still need 36 more votes we can do it. JUST GETING STARTED.

Boston has holes to fill but you can bet they will fill them.
New Jersey a one man show? Carter? What PG would you take before Jason Kidd? maybe Nash? I'd take Kidd and Jefferson is no slouch either. NJ will get the 3 seed or higher, they also get back there C from 2 years back think his name was Krista.
I voted 25-35, I did it because we have no depth, and every year we have injury problems. If we get people to take up some minutes so Ray and Oak don't have to play 45 min a game then we'll win more.

[dvdbumpus]

Boston is not going to be as good as ever one thinks.Sure they have scoring in the big three . Buts thats about it no beanch Ray Allen has slowed as well as Perice so they will get scored on a lot.They may not even make the playoffs. They just got three players now.
Orlando . [over hyped] Any one ever seen Lewis play DEFENCE. Would rather have Wallace.
New Jersey[ CARTER ]one man show they want even go. Down hill from hear for the NETS
Pistons. seen thair best years going down hill its going to start showing this year.
Chicago, Cleveland,Toronto, I think are locks with the Heat and Wizzards as posabilitys . Its wide open.



BTW, we still need 36 more votes we can do it. JUST GETING STARTED.

Boston has holes to fill but you can bet they will fill them.
New Jersey a one man show? Carter? What PG would you take before Jason Kidd? maybe Nash? I'd take Kidd and Jefferson is no slouch either. NJ will get the 3 seed or higher, they also get back there C from 2 years back think his name was Krista.
I voted 25-35, I did it because we have no depth, and every year we have injury problems. If we get people to take up some minutes so Ray and Oak don't have to play 45 min a game then we'll win more.


I'll have to disagree with New Jersey being a #3 seed, because I don't see them winning more games than Toronto and possibly Boston. That division is wide open, and I just don't see them taking it.

No depth on the Bobcats, I would have to edit that statement to no depth @ the point or another reliable big man. I do agree that if they play around 35-40 minutes and no more they'll win more games. If we don't get depth with them then we're royally screwed.

[dav7z]

Whats Bumpus know,Whos HE, a modarator or somthing,LOL, Na good post as all ways . We half way thair we need 25 more voters. So all you people lurking around just reading join up and vote . Bumpus will even let you post . And if not tell ZIGGY ON HIM..................

[dvdbumpus]

Haha, Yeah I'm just such a dictator on the boards :whenpigsfly:

wFJSpGThtF0

[Muttley]

Haha, Yeah I'm just such a dictator on the boards

Want a position as center for the Charlotte Bobcats???

[dav7z]

Great post Muttley lol. REP IT UP......

[ziggy]

I'll have to agree with Bumpus on New Jersey not being a #3 seed.
* Jason Kidd is 34. 34 year old players do NOT dominate in the NBA.
* Richard Jefferson is overated. Always has been and always will be.
* Vince Carter (see Richard Jefferson).

I think that we'll wind up with more wins than the Nets easily.

[Muttley]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure we'll top the Nets. I also see Miami doing much worse than they expect, and the Cavs seriously dropping off as well.

I think we can finish around the 6th-8th range.

[ALong13]

New Jersey, Carter is explosive, and don't get me wrong I think he's good, but explosive is about all he is. Jefferson sucks at defense, and is very overrated. Kidd on the otherhand is still one of the best points in the game IMO. They have no defense what-so-ever and their low post guys are not that good....They'll be going for a 7-8 spot if they even get in...

I think Miami doesn't even make the playoffs, they didn't make any improvements this offseason IMO, they need a point guard, Shaq's getting older, and Wade is coming off shoulder surger and who knows how long or how well he'll be. Jason Kapono, Dwayne Wade's top back-up is gone, and veteran Gary Payton is expected to leave or retire....I just don't see them making it. Cavs had their year, but that's as far as I see them getting...

[Keetch]

Detroit 51 and up - fantastic core with new bloods Amir Johnson and Rodney Stuckey on the way; but man do they need a coach. Bring back Larry Brown!

Chicago 49 and up - Noah not a big factor, but it won't matter with Tyrus Thomas emerging...just too solid.

Cleveland 46 and down - Gibson will remind everyone that he is really an average NBA player, but LeBron won't take as many games off...

Boston 44 and down - an injury away from bad, but KG is an ironman, so the wins will come.

Miami 43 and down - don't bet against DWade, Shaq and Riley, especially DWade; just don't. Their pride was hammered last year, and they go one left together. Smush a huge pick up - j/k.

Toronto 41 and up - if Bosh plays injury free as he has, look out. The emergence of Ford and Calderon make this a nice team. I'm probably underrating them.

New Jersey 39 and down - hehe don't bet against Jason Kidd either, still one of the fastest distributors in the NBA, just an awesome player. Watch him play with Team USA this month, its PG mastery. A true NBA Superstar.

Washington 38 and down - Jamison and Arenas just have a way of hanging around and winning some games.

Atlanta 36 and up - with Josh Smith who needs a point guard anyway? Big upgrades this summer should give the Hawks a nice balanced attack.

Milwaukee 35 and stuck - does anyone care? Yi never steps foot on The Good Earth of Wisconsin; at least as a Buck.

Philadelphia 33 and stuck - Watch Louis Williams, he may be ready, but otherwise, this team improved by trading away its best and greediest player last year; AI.

New York 33 and stuck - Zach, Eddy and David Lee are nice gamers but ugh that back court!

Charlotte 31 and way up - failed to support Okafor and bolster front line; which proves to be a huge mistake. Emeka REALLY needs help! - while the Bobs management goes on vacation. Will be fun to watch though :D

Orlando 30 and up - uhoh Rashard Lewis is not what the Magics think he is, i.e. a franchise player, actually he's kind of a lazy player. Dwight Howard is a monster though and good for 30 wins all by himself, he'll need to be.

Indiana 25 max! - always seems to win more than its share; (like opening night last year against the Cats "How the HELL are we losing to these guys?" ...not this year.

Well that was fun! Just thought I'd slam our beloved Cats to rile stuff up....I'm sure they'll do better than 31, but sheesh when Okafor goes down its damn ugly out there, and I don't see that improving.

[TheBeagle]

Good job, Keetch!! I agree with just about every assessment you gave, excepting the Bobcats, obviously. I imagine they're in the low 40's grouping along with Miami, Toronto and New Jersey. Even though this year's playoffs were fairly wide open, next year's playoffs will be like the MLB playoffs: if you're in it, you can win it. I swear I can actually see any team that makes the playoffs, 8 seed included, have a chance to make it to the Finals. I think Chicago and Detroit are clearly the best two teams in the conference, but neither really instills any fear in me in a 7 game series.

[Chris#3]

Keetch, I say Bobcats has help at the frontline. We have J-horror at the 2, Wallace at the 3, Ray-Ray at the 1....all were missing is the 5. It better be a defensive five too, not just some one dimensional scorer like Primoz. I mean don't get me wrong, i still like Primoz.

[dav7z]

Keetch, I say Bobcats has help at the frontline. We have J-horror at the 2, Wallace at the 3, Ray-Ray at the 1....all were missing is the 5. It better be a defensive five too, not just some one dimensional scorer like Primoz. I mean don't get me wrong, i still like Primoz.


I agree with ya not having that one good big scares the hell out of me. Through one more trade for a good big. Its possable we could contend for the east with the right trade. We over half way in votes we siting at 28 with only 22 votes left to get to that 50 goal.So if you have not voted VOTE. If you not a member join up and Vote. Its all good guys hear and love to hear new ideas and topics.

[TheBeagle]

Dav:

What in the world do you have at stake for having people sign-up and vote for this poll? You're pimping this poll like it's your life's work. Any information you can give me about this is appreciated!

[dav7z]

Nothing at all nothing.I just thought i would ster up some Bobcat fans early this year. This is a good site with good people. So i hoped to pick up a few new people. As far as i know we never had 50 voters befor so hell i thought we could break a record.
Ziggy do you know what that record is. If you do let us know. Just showing suport early.....

WE ONLY NEED 21 MORE TO VOTE IT CAN BE DONE.....

[ziggy]

Dave, now that I think of it, I don't know what the record is :g:. I'll try to dig that up this weekend.

[Dead_Real]

Some at ESPN think so...

5. Besides the Celtics, which '07 East lottery team has the best shot of making the playoffs next season?

Abbott: New York is a big possibility, but I wouldn't count out the Sixers. Mismanaged as they may be, they have Andre Miller, and he's really something.

Hollinger: Don't sleep on Charlotte. They were wracked by injuries last season and still won 33 games; with the addition of Jason Richardson to the Wallace-Okafor-May-Felton nucleus, they could break into the top eight.

Stein: New York has upgraded and so has plucky Charlotte. Milwaukee, if healthy, will be in the mix for No. 8, too. The hard part is coming up with teams to bounce out of last season's top eight.

Thorpe: I like Charlotte. Richardson and Wallace on the wings is a great combination, and I think Felton is ready to make serious strides. If May can stay healthy then their chances are solid.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=Roundup-EastPower&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1

Always good to hear positive comments about the Cats.

[dav7z]

Glad to see we starting to turn a few heads . But none of those dudes think we can win 46 games this year. Im ready for the Bobcats to start taking names and kicking some srrious tail. And then see Jordon laughing his tail off ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK. The stupity of some of the media.
1 frigin national game , [DAMN THAT WOULD BE LIKE KISSING YOUR SISTER] I cant wait til we start kicking some serious tail and hear them then.

[Muttley]

I cant wait til we start kicking some serious tail and hear them then.

Exactly.

Then wait until someone like Stephen A. Smith say, "I knew these guys were gonna be great..."

[TheBeagle]

I cant wait til we start kicking some serious tail and hear them then.

Exactly.

Then wait until someone like Stephen A. Smith say, "I knew these guys were gonna be great..."
:D :D :D Good one, Mutt!!

PS. Thanks for the clarification, dav. That's cool, and I agree it's good to try to bring 'Cats folks together and participate on the board. I knew there was nothing sinister about your zeal, I just thought you might have had a bet going with someone :wink: So I voice my cry along with dav: VOTE, PEOPLE, VOTE!!! Sign up now and say you were a member before we took the eastern conference by storm!!!!!!!

[ziggy]

As far as i know we never had 50 voters befor so hell i thought we could break a record.
Ziggy do you know what that record is. If you do let us know.

I took a look and 25 was the previous record, so this poll has broken it with 30 votes so far :funkybanana:

[Keetch]

What is very cool is that the level of competition this year should be much improved..for a few reasons:

No one will be tanking; and everyone will be looking for a piece of the playoffs

Roster improvements on many teams (Charlotte, New York, Boston, Orlando) while some stalwarts may be crashing (Indiana, Miami)

Some teams were marginal to begin with and could be taken (Washington, Philly, New Jersey, the Milwaukees).

Overall it looks like a season where most teams in the east just won't be able to take nights off like in the past. Every game will matter! That favors the Bobcats I think, because some of these teams can't help but take nights off more than others, just because of who they are (Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter). Makes me think too that the hard-working teams like the Wizards, Bobcats, and maybe even the Sixers could rock and roll the conference a little this year.

[dav7z]

As far as i know we never had 50 voters befor so hell i thought we could break a record.
Ziggy do you know what that record is. If you do let us know.

I took a look and 25 was the previous record, so this poll has broken it with 30 votes so far :funkybanana:



I still hope to see 50 votes but the pole goes to show you the fan base is getting BIGGER just like the team is ready to start kicking some tail .I cant wait til season starts to show all the doubters thet Charlotte is going to be a quility organiaation.

[Dunk]

I'd say around 40 wins +/- two.

I still think we've got a couple of gaps in our lineup that would take us to 50 or more.

[qchoops]

Had the Bobcats hit the lottery jackpot, and scored Oden or Durant, then maybe they crack 42 wins this season. But they didn't, so I kind of expect 42 wins to be a cap of reasonable expectations. With no quality depth behind Primoz at center (or at center at all, depending on which version of Primoz shows up this year), the Bobcats are very thin in the interior, and when Emeka misses a couple of games (or 10) here and there, the Bobcats are really going to struggle to win. I did a post about the Bobcats numbers without Emeka this past season, and they're ugly: http://www.queencityhoops.com/WhatIf.php .
With all the negativity out of the way, the team is improved overall and I expect they continue their steady upward climb in the win column. 18 to 26 to 33 to...41 wins this year, and their first non-losing season.

[dav7z]

Brett welcome to the board. Great find and good read . Rep it up............

[dvdbumpus]

Had the Bobcats hit the lottery jackpot, and scored Oden or Durant, then maybe they crack 42 wins this season. But they didn't, so I kind of expect 42 wins to be a cap of reasonable expectations. With no quality depth behind Primoz at center (or at center at all, depending on which version of Primoz shows up this year), the Bobcats are very thin in the interior, and when Emeka misses a couple of games (or 10) here and there, the Bobcats are really going to struggle to win. I did a post about the Bobcats numbers without Emeka this past season, and they're ugly: http://www.queencityhoops.com/WhatIf.php .
With all the negativity out of the way, the team is improved overall and I expect they continue their steady upward climb in the win column. 18 to 26 to 33 to...41 wins this year, and their first non-losing season.


Good article about scoring Margin with Okafor out. Worse thing about it was the raping Portland did on us(Zach Randolph), and we played the likes of the Clippers(elton brand) X2, New Jersey(Kidd, carter, etc),Phoenix(everybody), Seattle(meh),Cleveland(NBA Finals/Lebron) which we won, Memphis(healthy Gasol), Utah(Williams and Boozer w/Okur), Orlando(Howard), Milwaukee(Healthy Redd) lost by 6, and Philadelphia(after the AI trade, and were respectable).

For the most part, the teams we lost to have legit scoring big men(Stoudamire, Boozer, Howard, Brand, Gasol) or had some of the best point guards in the league (Nash, Williams, Kidd). Top that off with elite scorers (Ray Allen, Redd, Iguodala as an up/comer), and the next Magic Johnson (Lebron) and we had a pretty tough schedule for not having a legit big man to defend the post.

[timang]

Had the Bobcats hit the lottery jackpot, and scored Oden or Durant, then maybe they crack 42 wins this season. But they didn't, so I kind of expect 42 wins to be a cap of reasonable expectations. With no quality depth behind Primoz at center (or at center at all, depending on which version of Primoz shows up this year), the Bobcats are very thin in the interior, and when Emeka misses a couple of games (or 10) here and there, the Bobcats are really going to struggle to win. I did a post about the Bobcats numbers without Emeka this past season, and they're ugly: http://www.queencityhoops.com/WhatIf.php .
With all the negativity out of the way, the team is improved overall and I expect they continue their steady upward climb in the win column. 18 to 26 to 33 to...41 wins this year, and their first non-losing season.


hi brett, welcome to BCP! i've seen your blog a few days before and i appreciate your posts there, though i'm always skeptical about stats, but anyways welcome to the board :biggrin:

[Alex]

42-50 for sure, I have a lot of confidence in what our guys can do this season. If you look at the progression of our franchise in the first three seasons there is an easy comparison that can be made with the Baby Bulls of a few seasons back.

In 01-02 they were 21-61
In 02-03 they were 30-52
In 03-04 they were 23-59
In 04-05 they were 47-35, the young and talented players that they had drafted in the period between 01 and 04 (Curry, Hinrich, Duhon, Gordon) had finally developed and learned how to win and remember they didn't have a serious veteran star like Richardson on their squad. I think we're going to make some serious noise this season, we just have to stay healthy.