TSN Previews the Bobcats

[Dead_Real]

http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=2492...s=secStory_nba

The second issue at play here is the return of Brown to coaching. While Brown is a Hall of Fame coach and a master teacher, his last two outings with Detroit and New York have only hammered home the point that Brown is also first and foremost about Larry Brown - and let no one get in the way of that relationship. The hope here is that because Brown so desperately wants to rehab his image after the disastrous year he spent in New York that he'll be on his best behavior while in Charlotte.

The demotion of point guard Raymond Felton began the day that Brown arrived - despite Brown never having coached him - and the team was ready to give up its best player in Gerald Wallace in an attempt to pry T.J. Ford away from Toronto to replace Felton at the 'one'. Ultimately the team went for a Felton-like pick in the draft in Augustine, but the whole scenario reeks of Brown's meddlesome tactics to fine-tune his favorite position just the way he wants it.

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP

PG - D.J. Augustine
I have trouble swallowing the idea of Brown starting a rookie at point guard, but the only noise this team made all summer outside of re-signing Okafor was at this position - and that noise basically said that any point guard is better than Felton. While it's true that Felton has hardly taken the bull by the horns at the point in Charlotte (often being played at shooting guard by former-coach Bernie Bickerstaff), Augustine is no more of a natural point guard than Felton. He was stellar in Summer League at scoring the ball against weak summer competition (19.7 per game), but he was reluctant to get others involved, averaging only 1.3 assists per game - including one game against the Warriors where he played for 31 minutes without a single dime. It would be premature to assume that he couldn't learn to be more generous with the rock, but from the outset it doesn't exactly look as though he's a point man in the Larry Brown mold.

SG - Matt Carroll
Who knows if Carroll, who started only 18 games last season, will be called upon to start for this team this season, but it isn't as though there is an obvious fifth choice in play here. At least with Augustine's ability to get himself inside on drives Carroll would make for a nice complement to Jason Richardson on the outside knocking down threes. Carroll is a stellar three-point shooter and will no doubt be given his fair share of minutes this season, but he's a liability defensively and he isn't much of a scorer inside of the arc (43%). This spot could wind up going to Felton or Dudley or even Adam Morrison by the time the season arrives. For now, though, Carroll is as good a bet as any.

SF - Jason Richardson
After starting off last season a little rocky (17 points per game on 42% shooting in November) he certainly found his groove by season's end (26.8 points per game on 47% shooting in April) and he'll probably be the linchpin of Larry Brown's offense. He, too, is a liability on defense, which won't suit Brown, but he's versatile on the offensive end of the court and he rebounds the ball reasonably well. His stock has faded somewhat since his days in Golden State as he never really seemed to round out his game the way that guys like Paul Pierce and Tracy McGrady did. But he's still an effective NBA player who is just entering his prime years so perhaps there is still another level to which Richardson can elevate his game before all is said and done.

PF - Gerald Wallace
Wallace is a superb talent that gets very little recognition (outside of Charlotte and fantasy leagues) because of where he plays. There is a chance that he would be less effective on a better team that wouldn't let him freelance so much, but any player capable of putting up averages of 19.4 points, 6 boards, 3.5 assists, 2.1 steals and a block a game have some real talent on their side to work with. Wallace's biggest issue is that he can't stay healthy enough to keep his team in the hunt. He's averaged just 65 games per season since arriving in Charlotte and the sheer variety of his injuries - from his shoulder to his groin - keep anyone from expecting durability after healing from Wallace. Perhaps in a system with less weight on his shoulders, he could find an easier time of staying on the active roster (he averaged 38.3 minutes per night last season banging with power forwards) but Charlotte would have to be willing to trade their most talented two-way player to find out. While they were ready to do it for Ford just before the draft, it is unlikely that many others players would tantalize the Bobcats enough to let him ply his trade elsewhere.

C - Emeka Okafor
Okafor has turned out to be exactly the player that he was projected to be when he came out of college four years ago. Minus the injuries, people figured he'd be a dependable big man who could play solid defense and block some shots while putting up decent offensive numbers. They said that his 'upside' was nil and it is turning out to be true. The good thing is that he played all 82 games last season for the first time in his career, but he also saw his scoring, rebounding and shot blocking numbers dip from the season before. Larry Brown has made solid NBA players out of guys like Dale Davis, Antonio Davis, Theo Ratliff and Tyrone Hill in his past coaching stops, and perhaps that is the perfect mold for Okafor. He may be the most talented of that bunch, but it is looking increasingly like that is the bunch that he belongs in - despite expectations and his hefty new contract.

I don't agree or like his potential starting line up at all as I've said before I would much rather see Jamareo Davidson get the nod rather than having Crash having to bang down low with the PF's again. Oddly enough he's a beast at the 4 but it's not worth the risk. Also it's also going to be great seeing the Ray Felton doubters eat crow when he shows what he can do while running the point consistently. Augustin backing him up will only make Felts step it up even more I can't see him not rising to the occasion with so much on the line.

Thoughts on this?

[WAM9]

He clearly is an outsider looking in because he is way off base on several things.

First off, he must not have watched DJ in the summer league. His low assist numbers had a lot to do with weaker players not finishing plays or not being able to handle the pass. DJ is a pass first guy and this will show when he is on the court with other NBA quality players.
Also, would Larry Brown really start a rookie? I think not as long as there is another option (Felton).

Matt Carroll starting? I don't think so. While I like Carroll and he may get a spot start or 2 during the year, that is not the answer. He is much better suited as offense off the bench. Starting him at the 2 spot would make 2 other guys play out of position in Richardson and Wallace. That leads me 2 my next issue...

Richardson is not a 3 and Wallace is not a 4. Both can probably play the positions out of neccessity but they aren't the best spots for these 2 guys. He suggests that Wallace would be better suited on a team with "less weight on his shoulders" in the same sentence that he says he should be the starting PF. Really?

I don't really agree with most of his assessments. All in all, as I stated earlier, I feel he is an outsider looking in instead of someone who closely follows the team. Any number of posters on this site could have written a much better article.

[davcbow]

Agreed that dude is way off base here.

1) Felts / DJ / Brown
2) J-rich / Carrol / (Ammo)
3) Wallace / Dudley / Ammo
4) May / Davidson /(Mek)
5) Mek / Nazr / Hollins /Ajinca

But Id be interested in this line up just to see what could happen.

1) Felts / DJ / Brown
2) J-Rich / Carroll / (Ammo) / (Brown)
3) Wallace / Dudley / Ammo
4) Mek / May / Davidson
5) Nazr / Hollins / Ajinca

This Lineup just makes since to me. I know there is a lot I'm asking of our centers but what do y'all think?

[dnbman]

1) Felts / DJ / Brown
2) J-Rich / Carroll / (Ammo) / (Brown)
3) Wallace / Dudley / Ammo
4) Mek / May / Davidson
5) Nazr / Hollins / Ajinca

This Lineup just makes since to me. I know there is a lot I'm asking of our centers but what do y'all think?

I'm guessing that's our game 1 starting line-up. That's the best starting five we can put on the court, unless May or Davidson show otherwise. I'm also guessing that Brown does two things:

1. Even if May looks like he can play, I'm guessing Brown brings him along slowly. Brown seems to want athleticism, and May won't be in tip-top shape. Despite the hole at the 4, I'm guessing that Brown plays May a 15 minutes a night the first month of the season. Perhaps later in the season, if May proves to be healthy, he gets into the starting line-up. However...

2. I think Brown will groom Davidson to be the immediate option at the 4. He's going to need a lot of work, but Davidson has a midrange game, can rebound, and get a couple of blocks on any given night. He may not ever be an all-star, but he can be a starting caliber PF. My guess is that Brown continues to push Davidson, making him our starting PF beside Okafor by the all-star break.