Cho Knows!

[EmmaCat]

In an unbelievable turn of events to start the season the Charlotte Bobcats are off to a 5-4 start this season which is absolutely incredible. On ESPN.com they are ranked #21 in the Power Rankings. They are currenty T-6th in the Eastern Conference for best record. All of these things were beyond our wildest dreams coming into the season.

The question is where do we go from here? There are several options. First, the city of Charlotte is starving for a winner! The Panthers are terrible and people are sick and tired of that organization. They don't see any plan for improvement, any direction for the team. The Bobcats have a plan. They are going to build through the draft and attempt to wisely spring money to bring in free agents to accompany the young players. They are not going to go out and overpay to get someone.

However, with the 5-4 start and the weakness of the Eastern Conference there are some thoughts that the Bobcats could threaten the playoffs. If they did make the playoffs they would have to give away their 1st Round Pick this season. Certainly something they hope not to do. Also, the Bobcats don't want to become one of those teams that is a perenial 7 or 8 seed and gets swepped out of the playoffs. That is why they traded away Capt. Jack and Crash. They also don't want to pull a Florida Marlins and trade away key parts of their team and alienate a city that is starting to support them. The Bobcats have a chance to capitalize on the weakness of the Panthers and win over this city if they can make the playoffs.

At the same time the Bobcats also have some excellent trade bait on this young season that a contender might be willing to give up a 1st Round Pick for. Ramon Sessions is averaging 16.2 ppg - 4.2 assists - 3.6 rebounds. At only 26 years old I could easily see several teams who need a PG wanting him pretty badly. Also, Gerald Henderson, once he is healthy has proved expendable. The Bobcats have a nice lineup with Jeffrey Taylor and Ben Gordon as the backup.

It will be very interesting to see what Cho does with his. We have a lot of leverage and can be very patient. We don't have to take a desperate swing - we can finally wait and see if any offers come along that blow us away. One thing is for sure, I trust Cho.

Emma

[Dcarnys]

This team is two wins away...... Repeat.. Two wins away from maching their total from last year. It's nearly impossible to say this season isn't a success so far. My real question is can we keep this up. Cho and company have proven this isn't your fathers front office (unless your Cory Higgins in which case it technically is). They have drafted two potential all stars and have hired I'm willing to say right now, potentialy the best coach in Charlotte basketball history. All I can say is good job bobcats.

[Pepperz]

Cho has been a genious. He is alot further along in the rebuild then expected. If the team is still playing this well or better, he should win GM of the year. He turned the worse team in the history of the NBA to an enjoyable team to watch.

[Stylesg1234]

Great post Emma....i agree with some points but disagree with others...i know alot of people dont want to make the playoffs this year bc of the whole draft pick thing but i really think the experience would be great for these young guys....but i really dont expect us to contend for the playoffs this year...but if we do and lose that pick i think this is the year to lose it ( bc i am not impressed with this draft at all ) and i have a feeling Portland will make the playoffs so we wouls recieve their pick to mae up for it

I agree that Charlotte is starving for 1 of their pro teams to succeed....thats why i want to take advantage of this year and win as much as possible....this year is our chance to gain alot of fans and maybe even convert some Panther fans and season ticket holders to Bobcat fans and season ticket holders...

another point i kinda disagree with is becoming a perenial 7/8 seed who gets swept every year...i think we can essily avoid that with all of our young guys ( who will grow each time with xperience) ..our multiple draft picks ( which will bring new young blood to the team...and lastly the $$ we will have to spend...if we do make the playoffs and get swept we can add our draft pick / picks as well as a really good vet for 8-10 mill a year which i would hope makes us better and helps us get over the hump of being swept

i also agree that we do have alot of trade bait but i dont want Sessions to be that guy...but we do have Diop and Reggie Williams expiring deal to trade this year...Ben Gordons expiring next year...Gerald henderson ( who i would rather see get moved over Sessions ) and the draft picks we can also package...so we have alot of fkexibilty and the pieces to wheel and deal....and Cho has proven to be a great GM when it comes to trades

on a final note i totally agree that we can sit back and enjoy the success without stressing bc i very much trust in Cho and we should just let him work his magic and understand that it might take time

Once again great post Emma....its refreshing to hear from a knowledgable and realistic fan

[spectre]

Cho is da man.

And I'm LMAO at that other thread that's worrying about winning too much. Cho has done such a stupendous job of pulling this pitiful franchise out of the depths of hell in such a short time I'm amazed that anyone would be worrying about anything right now.

I know it's hard after continuously being screwed by an inept FO but trust in our GM. He knows what he's doing.

[cltblkhscoach]

I had forgotten about Diop's and Reggie's expiring deals - that can bring us another Ben Gordon type of deal where we may take on an extra year of salary along with a draft pick where that helps us in two ways - get more draft picks for the future and still help the team compete in the interim.

We could be in a very good position to where we have multiple picks to move up in a draft yet still be competitive ahead of schedule...

[notdeadyet]

TBH, I would be very surprised if we traded Sessions. His ability to play either G position is big. Definitely think Ben Gordon is only here for this year. With the rapid development of Walker and Mullens, our need for Gordon has diminished already. And when Henderson returns, it'll be further diminished.
That last trade we made for Warwick could become a bigger deal than we realize. His ability to play both SF and PF would enable Taylor to remain at SG. If Warwick "buys in" to the Dunlap way, he could become a valuable bench contributor...

[TheBeagle]

Cho is da man.

And I'm LMAO at that other thread that's worrying about winning too much. Cho has done such a stupendous job of pulling this pitiful franchise out of the depths of hell in such a short time I'm amazed that anyone would be worrying about anything right now.

I know it's hard after continuously being screwed by an inept FO but trust in our GM. He knows what he's doing.

Damn straight. I mean, fucking negativity about being 5-4 currently, Kemba making great strides in becoming our 1 of the future, MKG performing and showing the potential that comes with being a No. 2 pick, Mullens playing tough D and rebounding, JT getting his "sea legs" with each game and already becoming our lockdown defender on the other team's go-to guy, Sessions and Haywood being great, steadying vets, leading and teaching by example, Coach Dunlap bringing it all together, and Cho being the mastermind behind it all?!?!? Yeah, these are all things to worry about.

I know we're all diehard Cats fans here, but it's just pathetic that some of you can't enjoy this run we're on right now, and see the obvious growth we're making as somehow detrimental to the future of the franchise.

[liverpooty]

Charlotte is definitely starving for a winner, but they need to start coming out to the games. The Bobcats are currently 25th in attendance with an average of about 14,600 a game showing up. Granted we haven't exactly played any big draw games yet, but hopefully this goes up as the season progresses and we continue to get better, and better.

[DY_nasty]

Cho is da man.

And I'm LMAO at that other thread that's worrying about winning too much. Cho has done such a stupendous job of pulling this pitiful franchise out of the depths of hell in such a short time I'm amazed that anyone would be worrying about anything right now.

I know it's hard after continuously being screwed by an inept FO but trust in our GM. He knows what he's doing.

You know what...

I'll surrender myself unto Cho. Maybe its all part of the plan. I just don't want to love and be hurt again ;_;