Will Bobcats' Futility In The NBA Draft End?

The Charlotte Bobcats are quagmired in abject mediocrity for yet another year. The bright lights of the playoffs seem light years away from this fourth-year franchise. With only eight players signed through the 2008-09 season and a big draft day creeping up, the Bobcats need to make some major moves to revamp the franchise and produce a winning product for the Queen City.

Adam Morrison, Sean May, Jarred Dudley, Raymond Felton, Matt Carroll, Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace and Nazr Mohammad currently make up the Bobcats' 2008 roster.

Emeka Okafor's re-signing is paramount and a crucial step in pushing the franchise in the right direction. Assuming Michael Jordan does the right thing and gets a deal done with the Bobcats' top big man, Larry Brown will have six roster spots to fill through the draft and free agency.

Therein lies the problem. The NBA Draft: Where Bobcats Futility Happens.

Of the six draft picks on the 2007-08 roster, only Felton, Okafor and Dudley were regular contributors. May and Morrison have played very sparingly due to an assortment of injuries, while Ryan Hollins has proven to be little more than six guaranteed fouls to give a game.

Though the roster is riddled with holes, there is a positive in Jason Richardson. The lone upper echelon player on the roster, he has proven to be a quality, reliable shooting guard for the 'Cats with incredible athleticism and that jaw-dropping "WOW" factor that NBA cities love.

Some would argue that Gerald Wallace is a plus, but he's become a constant liability due to the very reason he signed his $57 million contract. Wallace's "Crash" style of play makes him too injury-susceptible to be counted upon for an entire 82-game season, as evidenced by his never playing more than 72 games in his six NBA seasons.

Over the 2007-08 season, the Bobcats played considerably more consistently without the reckless stylings of Gerald Wallace. The team even recorded a franchise-record five straight wins with Wallace suffering from a concussion.

There are two clearly glaring needs for the Charlotte Bobcats an Offensive Big and a Point Guard. Regardless of how the Felton experiment turns out having one point guard on an NBA roster is unacceptable and getting at least one more quality ball handler is crucial.

Offensive Big

Okafor is a quality defensive asset (eighth in rebounds, 13th in blocks) to have on the floor, but he is incredibly limited offensively. His parochial skill level, coupled with timidity, creates instances when he becomes completely invisible offensively for quarters, halves and on multiple occasions whole games.

Nazr Mohammad is a quality NBA big with championship experience, the body and the skill to compete at a high level for several more quality years in the league. He'll do in a pinch, but he's not a go-to guy by any means. Nazr is more of a PJ Brown, Kurt Thomas or Antonio McDyess type player than a centerpiece. On the plus side, Larry Brown and Mohammad have experience together and his veteran leadership may help the young players adapt to the demanding style of Brown.

Hollins and Jermareo Davidson provide Mohammad and Okafor time to rest and give defensive assistance, though neither has the bulk needed to adequately defend NBA frontcourts. The free 12 fouls they allow is their biggest asset to the team.

Point Guard

Raymond Felton hasn't become the marquee point guard he was expected to be when he was drafted No. 5 overall, just behind All-Stars Chris Paul and Deron Williams. He's a serviceable point guard at this stage in his career who would start for about a third of the teams in the league. The questions surrounding his future will be answered this year, as Larry Brown is notoriously fastidious in relation to his point guards. 

Brown will criticize, chide and push Felton into either becoming a solid upper level NBA point guard or being relegated to the bench in favor of another option. Both become possibilities, since Felton is the only point guard under contract for the 2008 season. He'll play as the emerging team leader, or his minutes will come as a bench point guard to spell the new first-round pick.

After looking at the state of the Bobcats' current needs, they are both in remarkably bad condition. In year four of the Felton experiment, it's too early to call it quits, especially since the top point guards in the draft will be drafted well ahead of the No. 9 spot. The Bobcats can sign one or two quality veteran guards to spell Felton as he works with Larry Brown to take the reins of the franchise.

Drafting a big with offensive skill is the direction the club needs to take, especially with divisional foes Atlanta and Orlando becoming quality teams. The Bobcats need a player that forces the likes of Dwight Howard, Joe Johnson and Al Horford to work defensively and will be able to battle them inside. 

Names such as Anthony Randolph, DeAndre Jordan, Kosta Koufos, Darrell Arthur, Kevin Love and JaVale McGee are names that come to mind. Each is somewhat of a work in progress in terms of size, but they possess offensive skills and a strong upside that easily surpasses the ability of the bigs currently employed in Charlotte.