Big Al's Paint: The Al Jefferson Thread

[BlackOutBuzz]

So you guys think signing Jefferson makes us a playoff team?

Not a playoff team, if I thought that I wouldn't be as unhappy with it. But this takes us from bottom 5 to bottom 10, and yeah there's no guarantee for a top 3 pick but I'd rather have the better odds that comes from being in the bottom 5.

[bobcats3wallace]

Have you guys not been around the last few years? Have you not seen how the draft lottery works? Some of you seem like you just want to tank for eternity. We can tank all we want, hell, we could even have the worst record. Even if that was the case, we could still end up with the 4th pick. For a franchise who is in serious trouble in terms of fan attraction, they need to start doing more than "nothing". This is a move that should be celebrated. Big Al is the biggest name free agent to ever come to Charlotte. This is something that should be harped on. And he didn't come here on the 15M he was reportedly wanted. He came here on a 3 year deal, 13.6 mil per, with an option year. This is in no way, shape, or form a damaging deal. You can't continue to do absolutely nothing, hoping to one day draft a Lebron, and expect to still be an NBA franchise in Charlotte forever. We need to show progress for the sake of our fans and also our future as an NBA team in Charlotte. Fact of the matter is, even with Big Al, we may still be a bottom 10 team in the league. With the Lottery, this may not even hurt our chances in next years draft.

I'm so sick of saying we should be terrible year, after year, only to see the lottery screw up what most people hope for. We've got solid young talent, and we have put enough time into the whole lottery process. It's time to start on the upswing so we can take full advantage of our switch to the Hornets (and the excitement that will bring) next year. We need to be a team competing for the playoffs by next year, when we ring in the Hornets, or else this franchise may be in serious trouble. I'm looking forward to the following line-up!

Kemba/Sessions
Hendo/Gordon
MKG/Taylor
Zeller/Biz
Jefferson/Biz

Much improved from the crap we have seen the last two years. With Thomas now gone, our salary situation next year really hasn't changed much. Tyrus was due to make 9.3 mill, so add the additional 4 million difference for Jefferson's salary and that's all we have added to our 11 million in commitments (not including team options on guys). MJ should also be applauded for his commitment to spending money to better this franchise. He gets bashed all the time, but he is paying significant money to Jefferson in addition to paying significant money to Thomas for not even playing. I'm happy with this move and the commitment shown by MJ to better this franchise.

[countryboi]

Ugh...we have no direction. We better be fun to watch

[Rich4114]

I would love to see them revamp the lottery system.

1.) The same team cannot move above their standing spot more than once every 5 years
2.) The previous 2 years records get weighted into the odds of a top 3 pick

This will give teams who are bad but making slight improvements a good chance to draft a franchise changer and vault that team to a contending status.

There are tons of other ways to change it, like going back to the pre-1990 way where every lottery team has a decent chance... but I like the idea I've come up with since it favors us right now.

[AttitudeAjusta]

Raps fan here, would you guys consider this trade?

Bobcats Get:

Rudy Gay
Kyle Lowry
Knicks 2nd round pick (most likely both)

Raptors Get:

MKG
Gordon
Sessions
Future 1st

How about we include Kemba if you aren't done raping us. One of the worst deals I've read on here.

Seriously don't know which I laughed harder at- the trade proposal, or the response. 10/10 well done sir

[BobsBuddy]

HUM! so much for the 2014 draft. BIG AL is the real thing. 20/10. This doesn't seem like a Cho decision. Gordon's contract comes off next year so we will have some money to pursue another FA then, We probably will not have a pick unless we are top 10 protected. Portland will be worse and in the top 8 in the draft and still have their pick.
It will probably be 2015 before we get Detroit's pick?

This move may signal more players being moved. We need to resign McBob and Hendo and maybe add another FA Wing like Dorrell Wright? or the 3 point shooter in camp from Va. Tech?
Go after OJ Mayo if Hendo gets a big offer from another team.

Predict now 2014 35-47..10-14 in lottery. This means Chicago gets our pick for a 2010 FA decision we are amensiting and paying 16 million to stay at home the next 2 seasons.

[debo23]

Welcome to the Bobcats Al. First time in our franchise we had a center that could score. Great move by Cho, this team is going to be a force next season.

[Brown Notes]

Hope you guys get some more perimeter shooting, I look at that roster and see teams just packing the paint with 3+ guys and double/triple teaming Al. IMO unless you get Kemba and MKG shooting better it's going to be difficult to take advantage of what Al brings.

It'll be interesting to see what a reportedly defensive minded coach can do with him. If he's forced to rotate more than once or find somebody to box after rotating, forget it unless that Clifford guy works some magic.

It should be a more entertaining team to watch in any case, good luck.

[KingCat]

Oh treadmill welcome back, how I've missed you so!

Not ecstatic about this move but not sure how this makes us a treadmill team. Why does this put us back on the treadmill?

This move has pretty much guaranteed us missing out on a top 5 pick in this stellar draft, meaning it's time to start drafting back from say, 8, 9 maybe even 10 (or perhaps we wont even have a draft pick next year) and you know how uncommon it is to find a franchise player that far in the draft?

Also pretty soon we will have to give up our pick to Chicago, and it would have been pretty ideal to start pushing for the playoffs, and giving up our pick after we get our star. Why Cho and co. decided to end the tank right before this spectacular draft, I will never know.

Some may try to argue that we wont be a treadmill team because Biz, Kemba, and MKG are not close to reaching their ceiling, but lets be realistic, non of them will ever be good enough to be our franchise player, and carry our team to a title. This signing is just a horrible move.

[Stun704]

Oh treadmill welcome back, how I've missed you so!

Not ecstatic about this move but not sure how this makes us a treadmill team. Why does this put us back on the treadmill?

This move has pretty much guaranteed us missing out on a top 5 pick in this stellar draft, meaning it's time to start drafting back from say, 8, 9 maybe even 10 (or perhaps we wont even have a draft pick next year) and you know how uncommon it is to find a franchise player that far in the draft?

Also pretty soon we will have to give up our pick to Chicago, and it would have been pretty ideal to start pushing for the playoffs, and giving up our pick after we get our star. Why Cho and co. decided to end the tank right before this spectacular draft, I will never know.

Some may try to argue that we wont be a treadmill team because Biz, Kemba, and MKG are not close to reaching their ceiling, but lets be realistic, non of them will ever be good enough to be our franchise player, and carry our team to a title. This signing is just a horrible move.

[TommyTBolt]

I like this move for the Bobcats. Sure Al Jefferson has holes in his game just like most players but i've never like Mullens game and it was time to try to upgrade the front court. Obviously since Biyombo is a all defense no offense player at this stage of his career you need to bring in a offense first player to pair with him and Jefferson is just that. I've always like Jeffersons offensive game and hopefully Biyombo and Zeller can learn a thing or two from him. The Bobcats have some good young players who will hopefully develop around Jefferson and transform this team into a playoff team in a couple of years.

The best part of this deal is that its only 3 years and not 4/5 meaning if things aren't working out Jefferson wont handicap the salary cap for too long and sooner rather than later he will be an expiring contract and the Bobcats will be able to move him for cap space / other pieces if they feel he isn't the right fit, and if he is the right fit the money isn't too high to be outrageous and they will be able to have money to spend around him.

Nobody is expecting Jefferson to take the Bobcats to the promised land and win the Finals with him as the star player but you can't suck forever and at sometime you have to try to make improvements to the roster and build a winning culture. It sounds nice to tank but that guarantees nothing. Players can get hurt, the lotto can break against your team, draft picks can get hurt or have off court problems or just bust for whatever on court reason. I realize Jefferson hasn't played for alot of winners but all reports have him as a stand up teammate and good locker room guy (kinda the opposite of my impression of Ben Gordon) and you need some veterans on the team to teach these young guys how to be a professional. Also, players like Kemba and MKG are used to winning and playing on winning teams and when teams tank sometimes players like these waste their year and don't improve their games because the lack of promise for the team takes away from their enthusiasm and motivation, or if they do improve it makes them more likely to leave as free agents because they feel like the team isn't trying to win.

Nobody expects the Bobcats to compete at the top level next year with or without Jefferson but they should still be trying to better their team and the record each year. This is a move I see with very little downside as Jefferson is in his prime right now (not too old) and the deal is short term and not for mega bucks. It's not like the Cat's need to save money to make a run at Lebron in free agency so I don't get any criticisms about too much money. At least this guy will be on the floor unlike Tyrus Thomas and at least he can score in the paint unlike Mullens. I think this is a good move to keep the team on an upward trajectory over the next couple of years and the Hornets rebranding. I was enthused by the Zeller draft pick but this takes alot of heat off that as he can bulk up and develop his game coming off the bench and not be counted on as the teams main threat in the post as a rookie. With more time to learn and grow as a player Zellers chances of becoming a impact player went up significantly in my mind thanks to this move.

I'll let you guys know the Cats are my 2nd favorite team since I went to school at UNC Charlotte (still a Knicks fan hope you guys dont hate me too much) but I'm alot more pumped up to watch the team next year with a legit NBA starter like Jefferson operating in the paint rather than scrubs like Mullens or Thomas. Here is hoping for the best from this move and hopefully with growth from MKG Biyombo and Walker this team shows some decent strides next year.

Last thing I will say is I hate reading other teams boards or the general NBA board and seeing people taking cheapshots at Charlotte all the time. The team is a running joke with fans around the league and probably with alot of players too and I think that this move can help to remove that stigma. There always has to be a first guy to sign somewhere and players like NC born and raised Chris Paul never consider signing in Charlotte, sometimes I think you have to make moves like this to become a more stable franchise and attract free agents even if they aren't all stars but just guys that can contribute and improve a team. I don't expect players like Paul to sign in Charlotte because Al Jefferson is on the team but maybe some other lesser guys, B guys or whatever will be more interested in joining a team with a legit front court scoring threat than they would have been joining a team full of guys in their first two or three years in the league. As far as the Lotto goes I hope one day it works out for Charlotte and they can get a no 1 pick and draft a stud to build a championship contender around but shying away from any free agents worth anything and running out one of the worst teams in the league isn't the way to do that. Look at how long the Clippers sucked for and how many no. 1 picks they had. Only Stern vetoing the Lakers / CP3 deal made the Clippers improvements as a franchise possible which was incredibly lucky. Even these teams that build through the draft require some luck and I believe Cho knows that. If Durant went no. 1 overall (which was possible) OKC wouldn't be near what they are now as they would have ended up with Oden. The best example is probably Chicago who did admirable but was not a true contender without Rose this year, but people often forget the year they drafted Rose they had the like 8th or so chance at the no. 1 pick. Hopefully Charlotte can show some improvements this year with the guys they have and get lucky and get a top pick in the draft next year anyways, in which case whoever they would be able to get would be joining alot better situation with some decent talent around him rather than joining a team running BJ Mullens out there everynight. I mean look at the Wizards they lucked into John Wall and they still are trying to build around him because they literally had nothing there to surround him with when they got him.

[Logander]

Oh treadmill welcome back, how I've missed you so!

Not ecstatic about this move but not sure how this makes us a treadmill team. Why does this put us back on the treadmill?

This move has pretty much guaranteed us missing out on a top 5 pick in this stellar draft, meaning it's time to start drafting back from say, 8, 9 maybe even 10 (or perhaps we wont even have a draft pick next year) and you know how uncommon it is to find a franchise player that far in the draft?

Also pretty soon we will have to give up our pick to Chicago, and it would have been pretty ideal to start pushing for the playoffs, and giving up our pick after we get our star. Why Cho and co. decided to end the tank right before this spectacular draft, I will never know.

Some may try to argue that we wont be a treadmill team because Biz, Kemba, and MKG are not close to reaching their ceiling, but lets be realistic, non of them will ever be good enough to be our franchise player, and carry our team to a title. This signing is just a horrible move.

You and I are on the same page. I don't think people understand what a rebuild is honestly. It takes more than 3 years to turn a team around when your only way of obtaining talent is through the draft. We aren't the Celtics or Bulls, etc and cannot sign great players like they can. Unless we sign a player to a ridiculous contract (Al Jefferson). I just don't understand why the BOOBcats picked this year to end a rebuild, with the best draft in 4 years ahead of us. I honestly can't wrap my head around it. **** like this is why we're always going to be the laughing stock of the NBA world.

[BeesWax]

Not ecstatic about this move but not sure how this makes us a treadmill team. Why does this put us back on the treadmill?

This move has pretty much guaranteed us missing out on a top 5 pick in this stellar draft, meaning it's time to start drafting back from say, 8, 9 maybe even 10 (or perhaps we wont even have a draft pick next year) and you know how uncommon it is to find a franchise player that far in the draft?

Also pretty soon we will have to give up our pick to Chicago, and it would have been pretty ideal to start pushing for the playoffs, and giving up our pick after we get our star. Why Cho and co. decided to end the tank right before this spectacular draft, I will never know.

Some may try to argue that we wont be a treadmill team because Biz, Kemba, and MKG are not close to reaching their ceiling, but lets be realistic, non of them will ever be good enough to be our franchise player, and carry our team to a title. This signing is just a horrible move.

You and I are on the same page. I don't think people understand what a rebuild is honestly. It takes more than 3 years to turn a team around when your only way of obtaining talent is through the draft. We aren't the Celtics or Bulls, etc and cannot sign great players like they can. Unless we sign a player to a ridiculous contract (Al Jefferson). I just don't understand why the BOOBcats picked this year to end a rebuild, with the best draft in 4 years ahead of us. I honestly can't wrap my head around it. **** like this is why we're always going to be the laughing stock of the NBA world.

Your average fan does not understand what it takes to try and build a winner. We caved to pressure and yelled we are fine with mediocrity. They heard people say we want to win not understanding a few down years is fine as long as you have a plan and stick to it. Now we have wasted the plan and we might as well have kept the guys we had and made a run or two at the lowest playoff seed. We are now a mediocre team with 0 direction. What a giant FAIL this offseason this has been.

[KingCat]

I guess instead of following the OKC model, we will be following the Detroit Pistons model. Mediocrity here we come

[RichBoy923]

Oh treadmill welcome back, how I've missed you so!

Not ecstatic about this move but not sure how this makes us a treadmill team. Why does this put us back on the treadmill?

This move has pretty much guaranteed us missing out on a top 5 pick in this stellar draft, meaning it's time to start drafting back from say, 8, 9 maybe even 10 (or perhaps we wont even have a draft pick next year) and you know how uncommon it is to find a franchise player that far in the draft?

Also pretty soon we will have to give up our pick to Chicago, and it would have been pretty ideal to start pushing for the playoffs, and giving up our pick after we get our star. Why Cho and co. decided to end the tank right before this spectacular draft, I will never know.

Some may try to argue that we wont be a treadmill team because Biz, Kemba, and MKG are not close to reaching their ceiling, but lets be realistic, non of them will ever be good enough to be our franchise player, and carry our team to a title. This signing is just a horrible move.

You act as if next years' draft (one in which nothing is confirmed) is the only time in which we can get a young player that will put us over the hump. At some point we were going to have to sign a FA that could help this team. No team is built strictly off the draft. Even if we were guaranteed Wiggins, we wouldn't be a high playoff seed the following year.

I just don't see how this sets us back several years or keeps us in this perpetual cycle of being in the 7-10 seed in the East. It's not like we are going to be strapped for cash or we have a team full of ridiculous contracts. Teams can improve from an 8 seed to a top 4 seed in a matter of a year.

It sucks that this hurts our chances of landing a top draft pick but to say that we are a treadmill team is off base. Unless your definition isn't like mine.

[Ozymandias]

Eh this move does not make us a treadmill team at all. We're still a very young team with little experience. There's no reason to believe the direction this team is going is exactly like the 2010 squad which was a roster full of expensive veterans with limited upside.

With that said, this move doesn't really excite me at all. I just feel meh about it. I am worried about where our pick will land in the 2014 draft, but I guess I'll have to get over it. It's not like we won't have a chance to grab another great player in future drafts with all the picks we have acquired. Perhaps we can draft a future stud who is flying under the radar.

[BeesWax]

You are right they will be like the 9th or 10th team in the east. So now fans whine about not making the playoffs and we get a bad pick in the draft and maybe our pick goes to Chicago. This could not have been a worse move.

Do you really think Jefferson/Zeller are a 10+win improvement? Keep in mind teams with Jefferson as the best player, usually have been pretty bad.

Not only do they only slightly improve our team but it will set back our young guys development years.

[debo23]

[Eoghan]

Hopefully Big Al will be traded in December (I doubt it, nobody really wants him) or he'll succumb to a mysterious illness after the All-Star break.

[BeesWax]

Lol. Starting Biyombo over Jefferson. There is a lot Biyombo can learn from Jefferson as far as post moves go that's for sure.

Sure he can. He can learn to be LAZY. He can learn how NOT to play defense. He can learn how to get paid a lot of money to SCREW up what was a solid plan. I want Biyombo as FAR FAR FAR away from Lazy Al as he can get. A barely career 50% from the field big man who plays no defense is not who Biyombo needs to imitate.