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I cannot post a link as it is from ESPN Insider. But Hollinger has his rankings for the East out. Here is what he has to predict.

1.Orlando
2.Cleveland
3.Boston
4.Atlanta
5.Chicago
6.Miami
7.Toronto
8.Washington
9.Detroit
10.Philly
11.Charlotte
12.Indiana
13.NJ
14.NY

He did not have very much good to say about it. We have not resigned Ray yet, added no one via FA, only the Draft. Not a pretty outlook. And Hollinger is not one of the Bobcat haters at ESPN. Can only imagine what the others there are predicting.

He's still ripping us for the trade, and rightfully so.

thruthefire wrote:He's still ripping us for the trade, and rightfully so.

True. He makes the point that we were very poor regarding our scoring last season, and Okafor scores more than Chandler, so that is a net decrease.

Bobcats will never win until they get rid of Larry Brown and get a real general manager not just a big name in MJ.

They could of had a Franchise Center in Lopez and now look at them. Trading for Chandler. Pathetic.

Dexmor wrote:Bobcats will never win until they get rid of Larry Brown

Who would you like to see as head coach?



EDIT: Oh well, looks like Dexmor got suspended for steroids again. Guess I'm just going to have to wait for an answer.

I can't say we should be higher, but he's got Chicago way too high, as is Washington and Toronto. Sure they all made upgrades, but nothing is going to be that drastic. Agent Zero isn't the same, Jamison is getting older, and Butler has peaked. In Toronto, they've got a nice starting lineup but I don't think their depth is that great. Chicago lost their top scorer... not happening.

The thing is, if we suck then I hope we just flat out tank from day one. Give me the best chance at a top 2 pick next year so we can finally land some top talent. This lottery limbo Golden State LA Clipper land blows. The last thing I want to be is a team just good enough to miss the playoffs every year. Having a 2.1% chance at winning the lottery every summer won't get us anywhere.

Boston at #3?

Boston roflstomped the league year before last with the big three and they've added Rasheed along with more seasoned David and Rondo. I don't see the changes Orlando and Cleveland made overcoming the Celtics assuming the Celtics stay healthy.

Having Hollinger put you that low is the best indicator of Bobcats playoffs I've seen in a while!

I think Detroit will bomb out with their new soft lineup and am yet to be convinced that Toronto has greatly improved.
Chicago still haven't got their interior scorer, Rose is going to be under a lot of pressure getting that offence to flow.
Washington is a bit of a wildcard, it matters how the old retreads perform.

Dexmor wrote:Bobcats will never win until they get rid of Larry Brown

Huh? Did you watch a game last season? Its comments like this that must've led to that suspension.

Battery wrote:EDIT: Oh well, looks like Dexmor got suspended for steroids again. Guess I'm just going to have to wait for an answer.

What does one do to get suspended around here?

Felton for Pres wrote:

Dexmor wrote:Bobcats will never win until they get rid of Larry Brown

Huh? Did you watch a game last season? Its comments like this that must've led to that suspension.

I don't agree with Dexmor's statement at all, but I would undue 3 trades that the Bobcats have made during his time. Bringing in below average players (Diop and Radmanovic) with huge contracts just isn't smart. I guess, I should reserve judgment on the Chandler trade, though.

It just feels like a never ending cycle of not being good enough to make the playoffs, but not being bad enough to get a top pick.

I know you don't like Gana, but in light of the TC/Okafor trade you have to admit he's WAY more of an asset than Carroll would be right now. He's our only banger at the 5.

Vlad I sort of agree with, but his reasoning in making that trade was that if we had any hope of making the playoffs we had to have an actual breathing player backing up Crash instead of that train wreck Morrison. As it only cost us an extra year of salary it's not that bad.

IMO picking up Morrison's option was worse.

Either way, that Phoenix trade was so good that it still trumps all the other moves...which BTW Hollinger said Kerr should have worn a ski mask. I seem to remember he whined about our scoring then too.

The latest trade could bring that back down to earth, but I think the gamble that it'll be near neutral at least is pretty good.

Never been a fan of Hollinger, he has a habit of being wrong.... a lot.

e4Nf6 wrote:Never been a fan of Hollinger, he has a habit of being wrong.... a lot.

Didn't he say we'd make the playoffs last year or maybe it was 9th?

I think Hollinger is ESPN's best writer by far ... or, at least among NBA writers.

But, yeah, Spectre, I understand why he acquired Vlad. I was all for it at the time, since I wanted to make the playoffs so badly, but now, I'm having a really hard time seeing us as a playoff team, so it's easy for me to write it off as a bad trade. Watching Vlad play makes it even easier.

Hopefully, we can keep together some parts of our core, and in two years, when we have what, $27 million in cap space, we'll spend it wisely. We should be able to re-sign Chandler and get a big time player with that money.

As far as making the playoffs this season, I think our hopes rest on health, our bench, and Felton stepping his game up. He needs to be a 17/8/4 type player. I pretty much think everyone else in our starting lineup are what they are, but Felts still has a chance to improve. Seeing him break the 14 and 7 hump would be nice.

Hollinger made a great comment in the article: "The best news of the offseason is that owner Bob Johnson plans to sell the team. Bobcats fans have to hope he'll find a buyer immediately, and that whoever takes over won't be too awed by Michael Jordan's presence to tell him you can't run a basketball team from a driving range 700 miles away."

Hollinger is defntly in tune with Bobcats fans.

In the history of the Bobcats, I would've only done two of the trades they've done and one trade I know they could've done but didn't.

Okafor for #4
J-Rich for #9 or whatever it was

and I would've obviously done #3 for #5 and #13

I just had to put that out there again because I like to.