No Market for Allen Iverson? Are the Charlotte Bobcats Insane?

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Ah basketball free agent season. You smell money shifting hands, athletes moving their oversized suits from one city to another, and brings new hope to struggling franchises. 

Some key moves have already been made to help their respective teams: Hedo to the Blazers (unless you are Rudy Fenandez), Charlie Villenueva and Ben Gordon to the Pistons, Ron Artest to the Lakers, and Trevor Ariza to the Rockets.

Others are on the verge of making signings like Sheed to the Celtics. Then there are other teams who are confusing.

One of these teams is the Bobcats. Now I'm not a huge Bobcat fan or follower, but I feel I can shed some words of wisdom on this issue. 

The Bobcats seem on the verge of a breakout season. They have some good talent, Emeka Okeafor, Gerald Wallace, DJ Augestine, and Raymond Felton. They also have some quality role players, who have already reached their peak Boris Diaw and Raja Bell.

They were the only team to figure the Lakers last year, inexplicably (I guess Raja is still in Kobe's head) and are team that could easily make the playoffs in the East. 

It seems they are one piece away from doing this. What do they lack? As I scroll through the standings last year I notice this 93.6, what is that?

No, it's not the Cavs points allowed per game, that would be somewhere in the 91 range, it was the Bobcats points per game last year. 93.6! The Warriors got that in the third quarter consistently last year. Alaska has seen hotter days than 93.6. 

So with this lack of scoring it seems the Bobcats would be poised to get a scorer this offseason. Now this offseason isn't filled with as much talent as next year, and it seems the best players have already signed, or on the verge of signing.

So who does this leave in the free agent pool? Only the second leading scorer, average wise, in ALL of basketball, EVER.

Now, he is 33 this year, but showed no signs of slowing down. He can still hit tough jump shots, he still is one of the fastest players in the league, and will probably give you 25 points a game, six assists, 2.5 steals, and 30-40 minutes a game.

Not to mention the Bobcats could use someone that creates shots, and can take big shots at the end of games. 

Even though the Bobcats have nice pieces they don't have people who create. Wallace needs someone to set him up, Okafor is a nice piece down low but can't carry a team. Clearly. 

Because his market is so slim they can probably get him for a reduced price. He and Larry Brown work well together, he won't be taking anyone's spot really. There would be less minutes for Felton, Augestine, and Bell but that's not asking that much I do not believe. 

He would be the best pickup Charlotte could get to help their team for the upcoming year. And would be the best fit for AI, who still thinks he can play and contribute to a team as a starter and a star. Much better than the Grizzlies, which I don't get why he wants to go there. 

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