a must read: why the bobcats have no idea what they're doing

[Dexmor]

Felton is our starting pg. Raja is an old man on a rebuilding team. he shouldn't even be here. He should have been traded for a young player already. Henderson has star potential but is a rookie. Carney and McCants proven scorers out there for peanuts and were not gonna make a move because we have a pg Bell and a rookie? Thats probably the weakest sg position in the league or top 5 worst.

[CatNation]

I felt like Bell was one of our best players last year. one of our only clutch shooters and always brings high level defense

[thruthefire]

They have no idea what they are doing because we need a sg badly and guys like Carney and McCants can be had for peanuts right now. LB doesn't think there worth it for free? He would buy Radman and Chandlers contract but those guys aren't worth contract offers?

Iverson is even easier to get then we thought yet no offer? No midlevel offer? Really your gonna offer the min Larry Brown?
See this is why I hate Larry Brown. If he would just shut the hell up and just coach fine but a gm? He's worse then MJ or close. They are the worst combo. I know they are names and name wise the biggest but they are the worst.

Time to get a new gm.

I agree, Dexmor. Even if Henderson works out in time, we still have a weak shooting guard rotation this season. I'm all for bringing in AI, and if that means moving Bell or Henderson, so be it. I also agree with you on McCants. Yeah, he might be a bit of a headcase, but he can flat out score. Maybe he'll buy into LB's preaching about playing defense, or maybe not. It really shouldn't matter. Vlad's a space cadet, but he still gets playing time.

I agree with you about LB, too. Just stick to coaching. Seriously. He's added a lot of payroll to our cap for substandard players. Gana and Vlad deserve no where near their salaries, but he traded for them. All of this added salary, and what do we have to show for it? 3 more wins from a year ago (when Sam 'The Man' Vincent was coaching), and 2 more wins from the previous year. More than likely, we miss the playoffs this season, too.

I think LB's a great coach, but he's gotta stay outta the front office's ear. Okafor for Chandler? I'm willing to bet this brings him 1/4 in trades.

[spectre_]

Maybe I'm overrating Henderson, but I think a SG rotation of Raja/Henderson/Felton is stronger than a PF rotation of Boris/TC/Vlad.

I think LB points at the players he wants...Higgins and possibly MJ work the deals. In my mind it isn't LB that's the problem here. He's by far and away the best judge for what will work in HIS system.

BTW...Vlad gets PT because we have no choice.

Raja was the main reason we had what success we did last season. If you think he's nothing but an old man then you didn't see very many games 2nd half of last season.

[thruthefire]

Raja was the main reason we had what success we did last season. If you think he's nothing but an old man then you didn't see very many games 2nd half of last season.

Are you talking to me, Spectre? I don't think Raja is just an old man. I saw what happened in the last seven games without him, but I think some of that was due to us not having a legit backup shooting guard. I was just voicing my approval of bringing in AI. I really do think he could make more of an impact than Raja or Hendo.

[spectre_]

Raja was the main reason we had what success we did last season. If you think he's nothing but an old man then you didn't see very many games 2nd half of last season.

Are you talking to me, Spectre? I don't think Raja is just an old man. I saw what happened in the last seven games without him, but I think some of that was due to us not having a legit backup shooting guard. I was just voicing my approval of bringing in AI. I really do think he could make more of an impact than Raja or Hendo.

Nah man. Sorry, should have quoted:

Felton is our starting pg. Raja is an old man on a rebuilding team. he shouldn't even be here. He should have been traded for a young player already.

That's about as far off as it gets in regard to Raja.

BTW...absolutely agree about the depth behind Raja. That's one of the reasons I'm so excited about this upcoming season. This team was really clicking until the minutes starting taking their toll (and thus the injuries). I think Henderson will make a huge difference.

So far as AI who knows...maybe in the end we get him on the vet min and he plays for a contract next year. If LB thinks he'll work then I'm all for him.

[thruthefire]

I was amped up about this upcoming season, too, but the Okafor/Chandler trade has definitely brought me down. I guess that's why I really want Iverson now -- to offset what I feel is a bad trade.

[fatlever]

we need raja. [edit]

ok, if we are out of the playoff picture come trade deadline, they we should definitely send raja to a playoff team for a young player or pick and expiring. he will be a very attractive name come trade deadline.

[NCHeels2008]

most draft picks dont end up as anything special, so it justs magnified on a team thats only been around 5 years. We aren't a free agent destination so we have to make due with the draft. While we've made poor decisions we've also been EXTREMELY unlucky. Combined 3 draft picks away from having CP3, Dwight, and Aldridge in our starting lineup. While we have missed a lot of good players, every team does. I think the guy is completely off about the Lopez thing also, many many people mistakenly think Okafor is a PF or we wanted him at PF and its completely wrong. An Okafor Lopez front court would have been a disaster..

Its a shame that we are being insulted for the shannon brown ammo/vladrad trade as well just because Shannon fits into their system better than he did ours. Anyone who saw him play here and Cleveland could tell he was a scrub with low IQ.

Sadly i think Ben Gordon, Martell Webster and Tyrus Thomas (the immediate picks after) would have been a better haul than Okafor, Felton and Morrison. Not to mention the 06 draft had a solid top 7 (hawks universally panned for reaching 5 picks early for sheldon)
the top 7
Bargnani
Aldridge
Morrison
Thomas
Roy
Foye
Gay

Now look at that group and tell me we wouldn't be better with any of those 6 guys. I don't think you can excuse the way we messed up the 06 draft.

[Diop]

we need raja. [edit]

ok, if we are out of the playoff picture come trade deadline, they we should definitely send raja to a playoff team for a young player or pick and expiring. he will be a very attractive name come trade deadline.

Agree 100%, but it wouldn't surprise me if we are again teasingly close to making the playoff's, so no changes will be made.

[moocow007]

"No longer efficient" is a funny thing to say about Iverson, since his two most efficient seasons were the two before this one. If he's on a team where he doesn't have to shoot 30 times, he won't, and he'll make 45%.

But are the Bobcats one of those teams (where he doesn't have to shoot 30 times)? He clearly would be the best offensive player on the team if he's signed and as it stands right now I don't know that you would call the Bobcats roster an offensively talented one would you?

[spectre_]

Numbers for Optimism - QCH

While far from scientific, I just did a quick database query to see what the Bobcats did this past season with only players expected back for the coming year - so no Adam Morrison, Shannon Brown, Dwayne Jones, or many others in the results. Just the 11 - Ray, D.J., Raja, Dontell, Gerald, Vlad, Boris, Alexis, Emeka, Gana, and Nazr. The results: 106.7 offensive efficiency, 101.0 defensive efficiency. That offensive mark would have been 20th last season (and a large improvement over the Cats overall mark of 104.1 at 27th). Defensively, 101.0 would have placed 1st overall, by 0.2 points below Orlando.

[e4Nf6]

As bad as we are Offensively, we are light-years better than those Philly teams minus Iverson. He won't have to shoot 30 times a game.

As to the QCH article, I've always felt that trading a horrid player for a decent one is 10x more of an upgrade than upgrading from decent to good.

so....I think the Cats biggest roster improvements this off-season, in ascending order are:

- Drafting Henderson/Brown
- Resigning Felton
- Not playing Radmanovic the 7th most minutes on the team
- Not playing Adam Morrison the 8th most minutes on the team

I wouldn't call Radmanovic "horrid" but if he is your 7th guy, your bench sucks.

[Dexmor]

Raja was the main reason we had what success we did last season. If you think he's nothing but an old man then you didn't see very many games 2nd half of last season.

Are you talking to me, Spectre? I don't think Raja is just an old man. I saw what happened in the last seven games without him, but I think some of that was due to us not having a legit backup shooting guard. I was just voicing my approval of bringing in AI. I really do think he could make more of an impact than Raja or Hendo.

Nah man. Sorry, should have quoted:

Felton is our starting pg. Raja is an old man on a rebuilding team. he shouldn't even be here. He should have been traded for a young player already.

That's about as far off as it gets in regard to Raja.

BTW...absolutely agree about the depth behind Raja. That's one of the reasons I'm so excited about this upcoming season. This team was really clicking until the minutes starting taking their toll (and thus the injuries). I think Henderson will make a huge difference.

So far as AI who knows...maybe in the end we get him on the vet min and he plays for a contract next year. If LB thinks he'll work then I'm all for him.

Iverson is not taking a min contract. Wed have to give him the full midlevel for at least 3 years.

They are never gonna get over the hump with Larry Brown as the gm
Lopez passing Chandler trade, there clueless. They could have gotten Noah or something if they wanted a fast C. They didn't have to get Tyson crap Chandler.

[Hendrix]

The Shakey lady on True Blood needs to go imo. they just drag it on and on w/ the whole black eye's thing, and havn't gone anywhere with here forever.

More Lafyette, and Jason imo. Can't wait to see what happens with that 2000 y/o vampire that made Eric too.

[fatlever]

continuing trueblood on OT board