Ray and Okafor

[ohara831]

OK. I am now satisfied with the Nazr trade. He is doing more than holding his own at the Center position. He and Chandler had a war tonight, and I am pleased with 15 pts and 14 rebs.

It is becoming more and more clear as the season progresses that Crash, J-Rich and Nazr seem to be the ones whom we can at least fairly often count on to show up for the game. I am just so disappointed with the uninspired play of Ray and Okafor. Okafor has done nothing to show us he deserves even the $13 mil/yr offered. Ray is just not able to play the PG consistently. If he was, then Vincent, Bernie and MJ would have him do so. He still must cede much of the play to McInnis, which tells me he is just not able to play the NBA PG position. Is he better suited to play the 2 Guard? I dont know, but it is clear to me that the main objective is either to draft a terrific PG like Rose if we have the pick high enough to grab him, or go with the PF position. Nazr can play the 5 hole well enough, but Okafor is just not doing the job as the PF. West killed him tonight when you compare the nubmers - 20 pts and 10 reb to 10 pts and 13 rebs. I'm sorry to have to say it again, but he is just not cutting the mustard.

Do you my fellow Bobcat fans agree or not? Are the 2 weakest links Ray and Okafor? Are there any out there who would now consider trading Okafor for a 1st rounder?

[ammofan]

I agree, Okafor should be scoring more ( and rebounding more), while MJ and Coach Vincennt have got Felton to pass more, but now he doesn't score at all. That really hurts us.

[ALong13]

They have been both disappointing lately, they've shown signs of greatness at times this year, but they can't be consistent worth a damn...

[dvdbumpus]

Ray has continued his inconsistent streak, and Okafor has just plain seemed to have lost that dominance that made him rookie of the year.

[MattD]

haha did you see my thread... I am with you, and ray is not a good decision maker, I have seen it many times this season, Jrich starts to heat up, o boy does he heat up, and then ray dribbles up and hogs the ball and doesnt get the ball to him, Jrich needs the ball on every possession when hes hot. Its that simple, unless its a wide open fast break... okafor, is not worth more then 7 or 8 mill, period, and I am not even really feelin him for that way too inconsistent beyond the stat lines to be a part of a solid starting five

[Wallace15]

Okafor made a big mistake turning down the 13mil contract we offered him because right now he's playing like he's worth about 6-8mil. Ray's shown no consistency whatsoever this season and isn't looking like the franchise PG we all want him to be. Who's know though. By mid-season they could be playing like all-stars.(doesn't look very likely at this point)

[ohara831]

We seem to be saying the same things. I have to say I am pleasantly surprised with Nazr. I am feeling very good about paying him $6 mil/yr with his production. It just confounds me that we all thought that a good Center to play with Okafor would make Okafor more dominant. Instead, it is like he is just not interested. He's getting the ball, but he is just not shooting the damn thing. Despite J-Rich not playing Defense well, he is starting to make me feel better about his shooting now. Crash will have an off night like every great player deserves. But Ray, wow, talk about taking a step backwards. His 3rd yr, and coaches and mgmnt said that the reins were his for the taking. Instead, he just seems unable to grasp how to be an NBA PG. If we can land a real good PG in the draft, I would love to have Ray play some 2 guard and serve as our back up PG. If his ego can handle it, and since he has given up the role to McInnis so much this yr, that does not seem to be a problem.

I really thought that we might trade Okafor to Phoenix for the Atlanta pick. But now, it looks as though Atlanta will not be in the Lottery at all, so that idea is not too appealing to me at this time. What to do; what to do. Decisions, decisions, decisions!

[dnbman]

I know I've probably given Felton more slack than he deserves, but I do want to add one thing:

Typically Felton is pulled somewhat early in the game, often when he's playing pretty good. For example, he started out pretty solid against Washington. Then he gets back in the game when basically we're down by 12-20 points and the offense is sputtering. So, instead of trying to find any kind of flow in the offense, he resorts to making unnecessary plays to try and catch up quick. Granted, tonight he was mediocre early, but not so bad that he should have been pulled for McInnis.

It's just frustrating to talk about the Bobcats now because so much of what we're doing is bad.

[Muttley]

I think Sam's faith in McInnis is Felton's downfall. Raymond may not be the greatest, and I think he should start playing with just a bit more intensity and focus (hell, we could all use a little of that). However if he was allowed to stay on the floor and work to correct his problems, he might just fix them.

As for Oak. He still needs to be more aggressive, but I can't see how Okafor for a single 1st round pick is worth while. I hope that we'll be able to lock him down at a reasonable rate for at least a couple of years (he'll probably want more years, but likely won't if all he can get is the rate he'll be offered if he doesn't start being more aggressive on offense AND defense).

In any case, if we're in the lottery, we should draft the best player available, with the possible exception of SF.

Dnb's right. It hurts now to be a bobcat's fan and watch these players that we've allied with play so poorly. I was furious watching the game tonight at The Arena. Still not ready to open up shop and send away ray and oak.

[MattD]

I really thought that we might trade Okafor to Phoenix for the Atlanta pick. But now, it looks as though Atlanta will not be in the Lottery at all, so that idea is not too appealing to me at this time. What to do; what to do. Decisions, decisions, decisions!

hmm yes, that is not a good trade... but time will tell, but I dont like okafor's playing recently nor rays. Amare and Mek might be an interesting lineup, if we could swing shawn marion, I like where we are going.

dang ive been playing in the trade machine... its not really working out ehh can we trade players who are rehabing, just out of curiosity?