The "I Can't Wait for the Season to Start" Thread
Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:05 pm
Bobcats getting after it at Time Warner Cable Arena
-- Bobcats.com's Matt Rochinski | 4:11 pm 9/10/09
Iron Workers
Before the workout I thought I’d check out the weight room to see who might be in there putting in some extra work before hitting the court and came across Ajinca, Henderson, Brown and Dontell Jefferson getting pushed by Strength and Conditioning Coach Mike Irr. The first thing that struck me was how it looks as if Alexis has bulked up a little here in the offseason.
Extra Work
After hitting the weights, these four headed to the court to shoot around a bit while waiting for the others to arrive. You can tell that Derrick Brown and Gerald Henderson have been working out together and have a bit of a rookie bond going here, because as soon as they hit the court they began working on taking outside shots – just inside or outside of the 3-point line with the other one up in their face.
There’s Raymond
While the rookies and younger guys were shooting around, the vets started to show up – first was Bell, followed by Wallace, who also arrived at the court with Raymond Felton. For all of you Bobcats fans who keep hitting up our Twitter and Facebook pages asking about Raymond – he’s still in great shape, upbeat and has been working out off and on over here for the past month or so.
Feeling It
Once the pickup games started, it appeared that Henderson’s extra work had paid off, as he seemingly couldn’t miss from anywhere on the court. Jumper over Bell from the free throw line extended – got it. A 3-pointer from the left corner – money. Another one, this time over Wallace – count it again.
But it wasn’t just Henderson’s shooting that was impressive. He also has a knack for finding the open man, something that fits nicely into the Bobcats team mentality of sharing the ball. If Henderson continues to play like this heading into training camp, preseason and into the regular season, the Bobcats might have gotten a steal in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Playing Hard
While their shots might not have been falling, they did make the youngsters earn everything they got on both ends of the floor. Mohammed continuously pounded away at Ajinca in the paint, getting Alexis to showcase some new offensive moves just to get around Nazr. Wallace was flying around all over the floor and getting in everybody’s way while closing every passing lane and challenging Brown to defend him on the break on the defensive end. Felton pestered Jefferson wherever he went on the court, forcing him to make quick decisions with the ball. Bell challenged Henderson on every shot, but as I said before, Henderson hit almost everyone.
Play of the Day
Alexis Ajinca – enjoy your moment. I’m not sure when you’ll get another one of these again. Ajinca posterized Gerald Wallace midway through the fourth game, rising up and throwing a one-handed dunk down over The Force, leaving everybody in the gym shaking their heads in disbelief.