Formula For Cat's Greatness

[Bassman]

What's your formula for the Cat's to get into contention for serious playoff success?

Not pie in the sky ideas, but looking at our roster, what moves (within reason) would get us over the hump?

> Trade Okafor for a bigger 5 that can rule the boards, defend the bigger C's we have to climb over in the eastern conference, and score consistently in the post/FT line. You may say, doesn't Emeka do much of that? To some degree yes. However, he struggles against bigger lines, particularly offensively. He cannot convert free throws, making him a liability in close games. Could Ajinca do this eventually? He'll have to bulk like the Hulk to have any hope. Is there anyone out there who might fit this bill and be available in such a trade? Not really. Brook Lopez might get to that level someday but....

> Obtain a stud shooting guard to be our go-to guy. I know, some will say that's what we thought we had in J-Rich, but he was missing the defense we needed and struggled creating his own shot. Our best hope here is to get ULTRA lucky in the draft at either need position and trade Emeka for the other puzzle piece.

The starting 5 would then be: Big Center, Diaw, Crash, Stud SG, Felton. That's a championship combination.

Obviously our depth must continue to improve. DJ & Radman are very good there. If this all happened next offseason we could bring Bell off the bench with Diop for a solid 9 man rotation. If Ajinca can do anything then call it 10.

I like Okafor, no bashing here. I just think he's played up to his max potential this season. Unless we obtain a stud PF to pair with him, I'm not sure how far he can carry us with the current front line. Diaw and Crash are special players. With a 5 who can be a force and a SG that causes teams to account for him every second, this squad could go a long way.

[Walt Cronkite]

yawn

edit: to elaborate because I felt like a jerk posting just "yawn".

Who are some examples of this center that is bigger than Okafor, better at guarding larger players and more efficient from the post and ft line...that is available for Okafor + whatever (and you better not suggest trading a draft pick, because I'll counter that suggesting with your typical "ZOMG _____ WAS AVAIlABLE" hindsight logic)

I haven't followed the draft as much as some, but I don't think Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and Brandon Roy are walking up to that podium. James Harden do anything for you? Too bad, he's out of our range. He's too little to be the type of player that defenses "account for him every second". Same with Warren. DeRozan maybe fits the bill, but he won't be there next year.

We didn't win the Shaq lottery, so eliminate the idea that we'll be able to compete for a shot at the championship in our first playoff appearances. How about we use the Hornets, Heat, Raptors or (sigh) Grizzlies as more realistic franchise building model?

[Paydro70]

My formula is to not use apostrophes when I mean to make things plural. Sorry, pet peeve.

Seriously though, how are we supposed to trade Emeka for a guy who is better than Emeka? Without winning the lottery, he can't fetch his own replacement AND a stud shooting guard, so we'd either have to clear cap space or trade off some of the players you think are integral to our core. What kind of centers are you looking at here, and how good of a 2-guard counts as a "stud" if not JRich?

Obviously, winning the lottery and drafting a star would be great, but realistically we'll probably be picking 10-15, and getting a contributor but not a star. A long-term plan from here is pretty difficult, because we're locked into a lot of contracts. My inclination is to just do OK for a few years (i.e., make the playoffs), and then just completely nuke the team and start over with whoever is still looking good/healthy at that point (meaning probably not Wallace, and I'm guessing Felton will have started to disappoint us again).

If you want a title as soon as possible, trade everyone for pennies on the dollar and offer a max deal to someone in 2010... probably Amare or Bosh, and build from them.

[amcoolio]

Draft Tyler Hansborough

[chrbal]

Pull off some miracle trade, sign Lebron James for the MLE, train Nazr Mohammed to shoot 50% from beyond the 3 point line....

I'll wait until the draft pick falls wherever it falls...i'll make a guess, and then I'll be wrong.

I'd kind of like to see this team draft Chase Budinger.

And we might have (where it is now) the 35, 40, and 53rd pick. So I don't know about the 1st two, but I'm really looking forward to taking someone at 53.

[Dexmor]

Nobody is giving us a stud for Mek. Besides Mek does a pretty good job at defending the 5's.
Besides I don't think Mek is to be given up on just yet.
As for getting a stud 2, I agree. We shouldn't give up on Felts,Mek.Diaw. I would say Wallace to but were not getting a stud for nothing so i Think if we have to trade somebody it should be Wallace because he has peaked for the most part and his game is based on athletism and he is getting close to 30.

[Dexmor]

I wonder if getting Randy Foye is at all possible. Maybe DJ and something else and he could be our stud. I would give DJ and our pick this year for Foye. It might get it done.

[Dexmor]

We can keep our entire team and get a stud if we listen to me and get Rashard. He can be had at the midlevel.
And Tyler will suck in the pros.

[BigSlam]

I wonder if getting Randy Foye is at all possible. Maybe DJ and something else and he could be our stud. I would give DJ and our pick this year for Foye. It might get it done.

Foye? Really?

I see Foye as a worse version of Felts.

[Marc3287]

Who are you hoping to trade Emeka for? Who is better? Besides Dwight or Yao I can't think of anyone. Emeka is a career double double guy and a stud in the post defensively. He is going to give you 14 and 10 and 2 blocks every year and he really hasn't been injured a lot. And what kind of center shoots free throws like Steve Nash anyway? Emeka is wayyy better than you indicate, especially relative to the other centers in the NBA.

As far as Foye I am not sure about giving away DJ alone for Foye, especially with our first thrown in. I am aware DJ has a size issue, but is there an issue with his game I am not seeing? He can drive and he can shoot the 3, both really well and if he continues to improve at leading an offense he is going to be really dangerous. Maybe I am the only one, but I am not giving this guy away for Brook Lopez. We have a center, and a better one than Brook Lopez, who hopes he can develop into the post presence Okafor was his rookie year. If you want to see a team that is weak on the boards plug Brook Lopez in next to Diaw and you'll appreciate Okafor's work.

Anyway, I am all for improving the team but the premise of this thread is untimely. This current team is having the most success as any in franchise history. We're playing about as well as anyone and we're in a huge race for the playoffs for the first time. Plus we have as huge of a game as in our team's history tonight. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

[Walt Cronkite]

^Great post

[Dexmor]

This is what I dont get, why can't Mek play the 4 in your opinion? Why can't it be Mek and Lopez upfront with Diaw or Wallace? That is a hell of a frontcourt.

Don't get me wrong, I love DJ. I really do but out of the starting 5 who is the only guy who is young and clearly a position we don't need to improve? Felton and Mek. Maybe some think Mek should move to the 4 but what is DJ really gonna do for us when Felton should be getting 38 minutes a game. DJ should be getting 35 minutes a game to with his skill. It is a total waste.
When Felton was struggling or they had ideas to trade him I could see it or if DJ was picked 20th and was such an obvious starter I could see keeping him. This doesn't make sence.

As for Foye I do believe he would make an excellent sg in our system. He is a little like Felts with his shooting % but he is 6'3-6'4 and he is built like a pf. He would make an excellent sg in a year or 2 with Raja Bell we could let him develop a little more.

[Marc3287]

Okafor is a 5, everything that makes a 5 a 5 is Okafor and everything that is Okafor is a 5. The only difference is that Okafor is 6'10", he is a center in a body two inches too short, but he is still highly effective so this isn't as much an issue as that sounds. Putting Okafor at the 5 is like putting Dwight or Yao there. Just Okafor is shorter so he seems to fit at PF better than a guy that is 7'6", but really he is not comfortable there.

Plus Diaw fits in at the 4 and he complements Okafor. If Okafor were to go to the 4, Diaw would not be in his best position for a majority of the time and Diaw at the 4 is the engine that makes this team go. So basically Diaw at 4 and Okafor at 5 >>>> Okafor at 4 and Brooks at 5.

I understand the issue with having Felton as well as DJ. But I am okay with just waiting to see how this develops. Having two legit PGs is definitely not the worst issue a team can have. Plus Raymond isn't even sure to be here next year. And even if he is the two provide different strengths to the team and Raymond can play the 2 for a few minutes. And if we eventually trade one, for a legit PG I am hoping there are better options than Foye.

[thruthefire]

Does anyone think Okafor can make an all-defensive team this year?

I think the idea of trading him is ridiculous. IMO, he's the 5th best center in the NBA.

[arh1109]

I agree that if we resign felton, dj needs to go since he's not being utilized well for his talent. I''m gonna be the first to propose that if sacramento wins the blake griffin lottery, we should push for jason thompson. dj would be perfect to take the keys to their team while thompson would give us a young athletic, versatile forward whose offensive talents would be utilized well by diaw and felton. He can also rebound the ball and has the potential to be a great defender. Sacramento would have a solid starting lineup and be on track for the playoffs in a couple years. Also, I think Wallace is another player we should at least consider offers for. Its not that his play is the problem, its the injuries that he risks and that we worry about game after game. I love the guy to death, but I'd take a good young defensive small forward like Trevor Ariza and a backup point for him. Is he a restricted FA next summer. Next we should draft whoever the hell larry says is good. haha. Maybe Demar Derozan, he's drawing comparisons to Gerald Wallace with his low 3 ptfg% and unquestioned dunking ability.

[manou]

I wonder if getting Randy Foye is at all possible. Maybe DJ and something else and he could be our stud. I would give DJ and our pick this year for Foye. It might get it done.

Foye? Really?

I see Foye as a worse version of Felts.

Foye is shootig 40.8% for the season on a LOT of fga. That's definitely not what the cats need.

[BigSlam]

I wonder if getting Randy Foye is at all possible. Maybe DJ and something else and he could be our stud. I would give DJ and our pick this year for Foye. It might get it done.

Foye? Really?

I see Foye as a worse version of Felts.

Foye is shootig 40.8% for the season on a LOT of fga. That's definitely not what the cats need.

That's what I mean - and at least Felts can run the point and initiate the offense.

I don't rate Foye at all.

[BigSlam]

I agree that if we resign felton, dj needs to go since he's not being utilized well for his talent.

So we can have more back ups like Burleson, McInnis and Singletary?

Why would you want to trade a high quality PG like DJ?

I''m gonna be the first to propose that if sacramento wins the blake griffin lottery, we should push for jason thompson. dj would be perfect to take the keys to their team while thompson would give us a young athletic, versatile forward whose offensive talents would be utilized well by diaw and felton.

How would Boris utilize JT's talents when they both play the same position?

Maybe Demar Derozan, he's drawing comparisons to Gerald Wallace with his low 3 ptfg% and unquestioned dunking ability

They are nothing alike and DeRozan is about 3 years away from having any impact at all. I'd rather take the known with Crash.

[arh1109]

Sorry I was being kind of vague because I was in a hurry. I want to trade Augustine because he is a talented asset, but playing Felton and DJ causes matchup problems at the 2 spot and Dj isn't a stellar defender so that also leaves us weak at the 1 spot. This would be drastic against superstar backcourts like Rondo/Allen or Chalmers/Wade or Harris/Carter. I feel like our supergreat depth at the 1 spot and poor depth at the 4 spot could be transferred to good depth at the 1 spot and supergreat depth at the 4 spot.

Trade 1: We trade Gerald Wallace to LA in a S&T for Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar. This trade is dependant on how well LA does in the playoffs.

Trade 2: If Sacramento wins the lottery, we can trade them DJ Augustine for Jason Thompson. Its not so much about what position he plays as much as what positions he can play. He's big enough to play the 4 or 5 and is a rare case of a guard who grew into a power forward body. He can hit the j, take slower defenders off the dribble, rebound the ball, make the athletic play. He can backup Diaw as power forward but also play alongside him as a center, or move diaw up to the sf. Either way, theres no doubt that diaw and whoevers at the point could get him better looks than he is getting in sacramento (even though he is very efficient there).

As for Ariza, he could start at the 3 and backup bell at the two. He's a great perimeter defender and gets a rediculous number of steals. Farmar would be great backup point if we could pry him from LA. Overall both of these trades are highly circumstancial and therefore unlikely to happen but would be a good new team. The rotation would be described by most of you to be a huge cluster**** at the forward spots. With a lineup this versatile, we'd have alot of options on defensive Lmatchups and have some new firepower on the offensive end. Obviously minutes would change drastically and theres no telling whose gonna be in Larry's good graces and gets the minutes.

PG: Felton/Farmar
SG: Bell/Ariza/Martin
SF: Ariza/Radmon/Diaw
PF: Diaw/Thompson/Radmon
C: Okafor/Diop/Thompson

This lineup would make us much deeper and able to sustain injuries well along with add young talents that could contend for a championship.

[August Us Seazr]

NOOOOOOO. TRADE. D.J! DO NOT DO IT! NYET! NON!

One of the things I loved about the Hornets when they were in Charlotte was Muggsy Bogues. Now Muggsy could hit a free throw, but his jump shot was about as accurate as Emeka's free throw shooting. But he could put up 10-12 assists with 1 or no turnovers. Always about 3rd in the league in Assist to Turnover Ratio. I see a little of Muggsy's speed in D. J. And besides, he's just a rookie. He'll get even better, now that he knows what a season in the NBA is like.

And I detest going back to the McInnis at point guard mess. Trade D. J. and that will be what we end up with.

Keep D. J. Let him develop. He's a BOBCAT. A BOBCAT he should stay. I mean it!

And while we're at it, the same applies to Felton.

A trade should make us better. A trade shouldn't be made just to do a trade. We don't need to alter the balance of forwards to guards much anyway. Not keeping Ray and/or D.J. would throw the balance we have now out the window. Someone has to work the ball in to the bigs. Atlanta found out that Diaw was out of place at PG. Let's not encourage that mis-step here in Charlotte.
Rant over.