Our Franchise Direction?

[mcaponi2]

Then I don't really see any justification for the argument you made above because you have nothing to back it up with. How is PER and EFF a terrible way of judging a players performance?

[HornetJail]

I really don't care what his PER was, it's a terrible way to assess players.

It is a bad way to assess players on a small level (i.e. comparing him to Lillard based on PER alone is a bad idea) but no scrub playing 35 minutes a game will put up a PER of nearly 19. 20 is supposed to be borderline all-star territory.

[fatlever]

bobcats went 3-1 vs magic last year and finished with a better record. nobody doubts the magic were tanking. it was obvious. however, that doesn't indicate the could have been better than the cats, if they wanted to.

[SaiCLE]

As a Cavs fan, I'm really liking the direction your franchise is going. I was extremely pissed, when you guys stole my mkg..who I worship away, before my cavs could pick. But I'm a huge fan of Kemba and Zeller

[Stun704]

Go to the Player Comparison board and ask people if they'd take Kemba over those guys. They're largely no-brainers.

The Bobcats were just bad, their SRS was historically poor, while the Magic were just a team turning the gas pedal off to get better odds as the season went on. The Bobcats are slightly different, because although their front office tanked, they did it by putting together a team with minimal talent, not resting guys and letting close games go on purpose (indeed, the Bobcats weren't that bad in close games). The Bobcats were trying as hard as they could, they just weren't very good.

Oladipo blows. You guys tanked on purpose and we still ended up with the better player. He's not athletic enough to make a Westbrook-esque conversion to pg. It just shows how inept your management is that they are even attempting it. He also has no neck.

[Elden Payton]

@Stun

I'm pretty sure he's trolling and doesn't even support the Magic.

[lmcguir5]

Fat can we just get rid of this jackass forever?

[Nanogeek]

After the Jefferson signing I'm not sure what the front office is up to. Signing him at best makes us marginally better while taking minutes away from your lottery picks in the front court and eating up our cap space. Then again our odds literally did not change at all for winning the championship - it was 500 to 1 before the offseason and is 500 to 1 now. Gives you a sense of the effectiveness of front office moves this offseason.

[Durins Baynes]

@Stun

I'm pretty sure he's trolling and doesn't even support the Magic.

Putting out contrary opinions is not trolling. And I'm not a Magic fan as it happens, though I do like their front office and direction. I don't think anything about my assessment is unfair- I have you guys making the playoffs in 2016 (or if things pan out really well, 2015). Given how the team has fared the past 2 seasons (historically bad SRS) I don't think this is an unduly negative prediction. Unless you get a star in the 2014 draft though, I don't see this team transitioning into a contender. I hope I'm wrong, it'll be nostalgic to see the purple and teal Hornet logo making some noise again.

The hate on Oladipo is also weird- scanning through your draft threads, it looks like he was the guy a lot of you wanted, and now he sucks because someone else got him? The Zeller pick (unlike the MKG one) looks good, be content with that, and don't rip on Oladipo (who looks very promising indeed).

[Eoghan]

Well, here's the thing. There's really not much of a point in comparing the Bobcats to how they played last year and definitely no point in comparing them to the 7-win team. You can't say "The Bobcats aren't going to be a contender because they've been horrifically bad the past two years." We've changed way too many moving parts to make such a point-blank statement. Different coaching staffs, new draft picks being significant contributors right away, toxic assets holding roster spots until they fall off the books, etc, this isn't a team that shows any continuity enough that you can definitively say "this is their identity."

A team with 3-4 nice 1st rounders coming in the next two years with hefty salary cap space once Gordon expires is going to dramatically alter the make-up of even this team. As Kemba, Biz, MKG, and Zeller develop and we learn further what kind of players they are and how they fit, how incoming rookies and FAs will fit those guys, and (hopefully) the coach is good enough to give some stability there for once, this malleable roster will finally start to get hammered out into something resembling the finished product. But right now, there's just so much flux that you can throw a butt load of statistics out the window, we're talking about a team that has started a really young, inexperienced Congalese kid as their center for the past two years (the youngest player in his draft class) and then drafted another player that was the youngest in his draft class and immediately threw him into the starting SF spot.

(ripping on Oladipo is homerism and kind of shameful though)

[HornetJail]

Go to the Player Comparison board and ask people if they'd take Kemba over those guys. They're largely no-brainers.

The Bobcats were just bad, their SRS was historically poor, while the Magic were just a team turning the gas pedal off to get better odds as the season went on. The Bobcats are slightly different, because although their front office tanked, they did it by putting together a team with minimal talent, not resting guys and letting close games go on purpose (indeed, the Bobcats weren't that bad in close games). The Bobcats were trying as hard as they could, they just weren't very good.

Oladipo blows. You guys tanked on purpose and we still ended up with the better player. He's not athletic enough to make a Westbrook-esque conversion to pg. It just shows how inept your management is that they are even attempting it. He also has no neck.

And what, did we not tank on purpose? I think the whole Dunlap thing was all the confirmation I need.

Oladipo wasn't even in my top 5 and still isn't, but saying Oladipo blows is far from correct. Even if he doesn't pan out, he's still an above average role player like Hendo with better handles.

[Liver_Pooty]

Go to the Player Comparison board and ask people if they'd take Kemba over those guys. They're largely no-brainers.

The Bobcats were just bad, their SRS was historically poor, while the Magic were just a team turning the gas pedal off to get better odds as the season went on. The Bobcats are slightly different, because although their front office tanked, they did it by putting together a team with minimal talent, not resting guys and letting close games go on purpose (indeed, the Bobcats weren't that bad in close games). The Bobcats were trying as hard as they could, they just weren't very good.

Oladipo blows. You guys tanked on purpose and we still ended up with the better player. He's not athletic enough to make a Westbrook-esque conversion to pg. It just shows how inept your management is that they are even attempting it. He also has no neck.

And what, did we not tank on purpose? I think the whole Dunlap thing was all the confirmation I need.

Oladipo wasn't even in my top 5 and still isn't, but saying Oladipo blows is far from correct. Even if he doesn't pan out, he's still an above average role player like Hendo with better handles.

I think Oladipos going to be a damn nice player, but that's just me.

[Stun704]

Go to the Player Comparison board and ask people if they'd take Kemba over those guys. They're largely no-brainers.

The Bobcats were just bad, their SRS was historically poor, while the Magic were just a team turning the gas pedal off to get better odds as the season went on. The Bobcats are slightly different, because although their front office tanked, they did it by putting together a team with minimal talent, not resting guys and letting close games go on purpose (indeed, the Bobcats weren't that bad in close games). The Bobcats were trying as hard as they could, they just weren't very good.

Oladipo blows. You guys tanked on purpose and we still ended up with the better player. He's not athletic enough to make a Westbrook-esque conversion to pg. It just shows how inept your management is that they are even attempting it. He also has no neck.

And what, did we not tank on purpose? I think the whole Dunlap thing was all the confirmation I need.

Oladipo wasn't even in my top 5 and still isn't, but saying Oladipo blows is far from correct. Even if he doesn't pan out, he's still an above average role player like Hendo with better handles.

At the very best Oladpio is Tony Allen with a higher motor

[Stun704]

@Stun

I'm pretty sure he's trolling and doesn't even support the Magic.

Putting out contrary opinions is not trolling. And I'm not a Magic fan as it happens, though I do like their front office and direction. I don't think anything about my assessment is unfair- I have you guys making the playoffs in 2016 (or if things pan out really well, 2015). Given how the team has fared the past 2 seasons (historically bad SRS) I don't think this is an unduly negative prediction. Unless you get a star in the 2014 draft though, I don't see this team transitioning into a contender. I hope I'm wrong, it'll be nostalgic to see the purple and teal Hornet logo making some noise again.

The hate on Oladipo is also weird- scanning through your draft threads, it looks like he was the guy a lot of you wanted, and now he sucks because someone else got him? The Zeller pick (unlike the MKG one) looks good, be content with that, and don't rip on Oladipo (who looks very promising indeed).

I don't speak for the Bobcats fanbase, but I never liked Oladipo, the fact that you said Kemba isn't a top 15 PG, is also a very weird statement my friend

[HornetJail]

@Stun

I'm pretty sure he's trolling and doesn't even support the Magic.

Putting out contrary opinions is not trolling. And I'm not a Magic fan as it happens, though I do like their front office and direction. I don't think anything about my assessment is unfair- I have you guys making the playoffs in 2016 (or if things pan out really well, 2015). Given how the team has fared the past 2 seasons (historically bad SRS) I don't think this is an unduly negative prediction. Unless you get a star in the 2014 draft though, I don't see this team transitioning into a contender. I hope I'm wrong, it'll be nostalgic to see the purple and teal Hornet logo making some noise again.

The hate on Oladipo is also weird- scanning through your draft threads, it looks like he was the guy a lot of you wanted, and now he sucks because someone else got him? The Zeller pick (unlike the MKG one) looks good, be content with that, and don't rip on Oladipo (who looks very promising indeed).

I don't speak for the Bobcats fanbase, but I never liked Oladipo, the fact that you said Kemba isn't a top 15 PG, is also a very weird statement my friend

You and I were practically the only people that didn't want him.

[JMAC3]

Its far too early to try and place this team as a playoff team or repeating as one of the worst teams in the League.

There is no doubt the team has improved from a talent standpoint when compared to last seasons roster. We have added new core players, gotten rid of cancerous players, and our young guys should continue to improve.

- For one the frontcourt will be significantly better, especially from an offensive standpoint. The additions of Jefferson and Zeller should average around 30ppg and are going to make scoring for the backcourt easier, because teams will not be able to focus on Kemba and Hendo. Also, the fact that we will have a whole year of McBob can not be underestimated, because the team was much better after he was playing minutes. Factor in that Biz may slightly improve and the not bringing Mullens and Tyrus should be a net positive.

- Next our young wing players have already shown how much their hardwork has paid off in MKG and Taylor. Both impressed in summer league and should be ready to contribute more offensively in addition to their stingy defense. MKG jumper is only going to get better and Taylor seems to be looking for his offense more.

- We already had one of the best point guard combinations in the league with Ramon and Kemba. All we did this offseason was give them more weapons to work with and Kemba should continue to improve. Hendo and Gordon can fill it up any night, with both having the ability to go for 20 plus. I expect them to see more open shots as well from double teams on Jefferson and defenses rotating harder on pick and rolls.

I think offensively we will be extremely balanced attack, because most likely all 5 of our starters will average double digits. I think MKG will benefit greatly from having more scoring options on the floor, because that will allow for him to sneak around and find gaps while teams are focused on other guys. Zeller will help spread the floor more and make teams play Kemba differently on the pick and roll. Henderson should see way more open looks as a result and he is a great shooter, so i expect his percentages to rise. He will not be taking as many fadeaways with the shot clock on his back. Overall the offense could be very efficient if we play as a team.

Add in the fact that this team has capable scoring off the bench in Sessions and Gordon. Taylor could give the bench a huge rise if he continues his success from the summer league. And we have two really good role players upfront with Biz and McBob.

The key to this teams success may be how fast they buy in and execute Cliffords defensive schemes. He is known as a great defensive coach and we have supplied with plenty of plus defenders. If this team learns how to play defense together and we are able to find a way for everyone to get their shots then we could be a dangerous young team.

[Durins Baynes]

We already had one of the best point guard combinations

I think it's safe to say that the team with the worst SRS in the NBA did not have one of the best point guard combinations in the NBA.

[Stun704]

We already had one of the best point guard combinations

I think it's safe to say that the team with the worst SRS in the NBA did not have one of the best point guard combinations in the NBA.

I think its safe to say you need to start watching games and stop relying on bogus stats such as "SRS" friend

[Durins Baynes]

Are wins a bogus stat too?

[JMAC3]

We already had one of the best point guard combinations

I think it's safe to say that the team with the worst SRS in the NBA did not have one of the best point guard combinations in the NBA.

Like Holy ****... we get it you are gay for SRS. Are you the one who invented it? You are promoting it in every single post like its your religion.

I am sorry, but I am sure you watched 5 games at most last season and yeah its easy to bash on the bobcats, because everyone does it. However, I think the guys who watched nearly every game last season, are a bit more knowledgeable when it comes to evaluating this team.. even if it is a bit biased.

Kemba and Sessions were two of the highest scoring pg tandems, had two of the highest PER, and were great at getting points at the rim (even without a frontcourt to rely on).