30 Teams in 30 Days: Charlotte Bobcats

2007-2008 in Review

 Record: 32-50
Eastern Conference Seed: 12

Summer Of 2008

Key Additions: Larry Brown (via coaching change), D.J. Augustin (via draft), Alexis Ajinca (via draft), Shannon Brown (via free agency).

Key Losses: Sam Vincent (via coaching change), Earl Boykins (via free agency – left for Europe).

After four years of harping in the basement of the NBA, with both Bernie Bickerstaff and Sam Vincent on the sidelines, the Charlotte Bobcats organization has finally said “enough is enough.” Replacing Vincent as the team’s new head coach is none other than “Mr. Quick Fix” himself—Larry Brown, who signed a four-year contract with the club in late April.

Brown, who has coached championships at both the NBA and NCAA level, will bring an entirely new dimension and attitude to this four-year-old franchise. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not Brown’s no-nonsense, “my way or the highway” style will mesh with such a young nucleus...Or better yet, whether or not Brown will be able to handle it.

In addition, Michael Jordan and company made some promising additions to the roster itself. With the ninth-overall pick in June’s NBA draft, Charlotte selected point guard D.J. Augustin, who held averages of 19.2 points and 5.8 assists per game in his sophomore year at Texas.

The pick surprised many, as Raymond Felton was thought of as the team’s point guard of the future, to go along with the fact that Brook Lopez was still on the board, but Augustin’s on-court abilities certainly aren’t in question.

11 spots later, the Bobcats nabbed center Alexis Ajinca with the pick acquired from Denver. Larry Brown admitted to “falling in love” with the seven-foot Frenchman during the workout process, on account of his size, length, and remarkable shooting touch (which is said to extend out to three-point range).

Don’t expect Ajinca to contribute a great deal right off the bat, but his long-term potential convinced the organization that the high-risk, high-reward pick was worthwhile.

To add insurance in the backcourt, Charlotte signed super-athletic combo guard Shannon Brown to a one-year, $800,000 deal.

Once a first-round draft pick (2006), Brown has failed to impress either Cleveland or Chicago enough to earn a meaningful role in the NBA, but he certainly possesses terrific athletic ability and the ball skills required to play either guard position.

Barring injury, it’s tough to envision Brown getting a consistent spot in the rotation, but with Charlotte being his third team in three years, his NBA career could be jeopardy if he doesn’t begin to prove himself.

Regardless, the low-risk signing was more than worth the flyer (especially for a team like the Bobcats, who are under the salary cap).

Depth Chart

C: Nazr Mohammed / Ryan Hollins / Alexis Ajinca
PF: Emeka Okafor / Sean May / Jermareo Davidson
SF: Gerald Wallace / Adam Morrison / Jared Dudley
SG: Jason Richardson / Matt Carroll / Shannon Brown
PG: Raymond Felton / D.J. Augustin

Biggest Strength

Perimeter Play: The Bobcats are fairly weak inside on the offensive end, but their perimeter offensive-output is certainly something to talk about. You want speed, athleticism, and slashing ability? Shannon Brown, Raymond Felton, Jason Richardson, and Gerald Wallace are there to answer your call.

You want outside shooting? Richardson, Matt Carroll, Adam Morrison, and rookie D.J. Augustin will display their beautiful shooting strokes from the arc and look to top last season’s 36.7 percent team three-point shooting clip (12th best in the NBA).

You want toughness? “Mr. Intangibles,” Jared Dudley, will earn your respect. You want ball movement? They’ll deliver a level of selflessness to establish an unselfish environment. Coach Brown will have some work to do with this group on the defensive side of the ball, but offensively, Charlotte’s perimeter core is undoubtedly one of the deepest the NBA has to offer.

Biggest Weakness

Youth & Inexperience: Charlotte possesses a great deal of talent at nearly every position, but the reason that they have yet to make any noise in the NBA is their inexperience. The ‘Cats are young, and with youth comes mistakes. In short, they haven’t lost many baby teeth since being established in 2004.

Of the team’s 14 players, only two (Mohammed, Richardson) have logged minutes in NBA playoff games. Between the two, only Mohammed has been a part of a championship club. The experience and knowledge of new head coach Larry Brown should work wonders for Charlotte’s young core, but will it be enough to pull off their first playoff berth in franchise history?

A coach can only do so much. At some point, you’ve got to start expecting your players to get the job done on the court, as well.

X-Factor

Raymond Felton: The soon-to-be fourth-year guard appears to be on the verge of a “prove your worth” kind of year. Throughout his first three seasons, both head coaches—Bernie Bickerstaff and Sam Vincent—have been wary of using Felton as a full-time point guard, and reverted to experimenting different lineups with the former North Carolina star as a combo guard.

Felton put together career-highs in scoring (14.4 PPG), assists (7.4 APG), and field-goal percentage (41.3%) last season, but he’s got the trust of yet another head coach to earn. This time, however, he’s got some legitimate competition in the background, as D.J. Augustin appears to be as savvy as any other point guard in the 2008 draft class.

It’s time for Felton to break out, and show the most heralded head coach he’s had in his professional career that he belongs in Charlotte...As a point guard.

What to Expect in 2008-2009

Charlotte is on the rise, slowly but surely. The addition of Larry Brown may not push this team into the postseason in year one, but it would be a surprising disappointment if they didn’t move up a few slots in the standings. At worst, expect a late-lottery team, with multiple flashes of brilliance, but I won’t get mad at you if you decide to select the ‘Cats as your 2008-2009 sleeper team, either.

2008-2009 Predictions
35-47
5th in Southeast Division
10th in Eastern Conference

Tomorrow: Chicago Bulls