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Charlotte Bobcats 2009-10 outlook
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The Charlotte Bobcats, who open the regular season this Wednesday at Boston, have added three new starters since the beginning of 2008 and bettered their backcourt by adding depth.
Charlotte barely missed the playoffs last year, and should be improved this season under the guidance of second-year coach Larry Brown.
Here is a position breakdown of the Bobcats:
Point guard
Raymond Felton has one year remaining on his contract, while second-year guard D.J. Augustin averaged 11.8 points in 26.5 minutes last season.
Augustin led the Bobcats in 3-point shooting as a rookie (43.9 percent) and has the potential to be the go-to shooter this season for Charlotte.
Felton averaged 14.2 points, 6.7 assists and 1.54 steals last season, but his field goal percentage is under 40 percent for his career. Felton only shot 28.5 percent from 3-point land last season.
Charlotte refused to put pen to paper on a multi-year contract this offseason, which Felton so desperately wanted, which shows that the reins at point guard may go to Augustin in the long term.
Shooting guard
Raja Bell made an immediate impact as a starter in Charlotte after being traded from Phoenix, averaging 11.9 points, but the 33-year-old shooting guard is gradually on the decline. A calf injury slowed Bell down towards the end of last season and while he has recovered from the injury, he has looked mediocre at best during the preseason.
The Bobcats drafted Gerald Henderson from Duke and if Bell continues to show that his skills are diminishing, Brown, who has traditionally been shy with giving minutes to rookies, may start handing over more time to Henderson.
And then there is Flip Murray, who Charlotte acquired via free agency this offseason. Murray, who can play both guard positions, averaged 12.2 points last season as a key bench player for Atlanta.
Murray will miss the remainder of the preseason with a leg injury, so don’t look for Murray to be contribute heavy minutes from day one.
Small forward
Gerald Wallace, an athletic slasher, averaged 16.6 points and 7.8 rebounds last season.
The Bobcats have never had a player make the All-Star team, but Wallace is as close as they have this season. While he is not a feared shooter, few get to the basket as aggressively as Wallace.
Wallace plays with a lot of flash and a lot of energy, but that has the potential to lead to injuries. Vladimir Radmanovic will provide bench minutes and a threat from beyond the arc, but if the Bobcats have a chance to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, Wallace must stay healthy.
Power forward
Boris Diaw, who came over with Bell from Phoenix, is just what the Bobcats hoped for in a power forward — someone who can do it all.
Diaw averaged 13.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season while shooting 41.4 percent from 3-point percentage – good for second best on the team behind Augustin.
Charlotte drafted Xavier forward Derrick Brown, who plays both forward positions. Brown showed promise during the summer league and preseason – providing 15 points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist in only 16 minutes of work against the Jazz on Oct. 18.
Brown has the potential to become the steal of the 2009 draft, along with San Antonio’s DeJuan Blair. Both fell into the second round after being projected as a first-rounders by many draft experts. It is not far-fetched to believe Brown can provide points if given the opportunity, but coach Brown will likely be using one of his three backup centers to back up Diaw — at least for now.
Center
Possibly the smartest move the Bobcats have ever made in their short history was to deal Emeka Okafor and his $72 million contract to the New Orleans Hornets for center Tyson Chandler.
Chandler will bolster an already top-10 defensive team, and he can still rack up the garbage points and rebounds that Okafor was credited for throughout his tenure in Charlotte.
Chandler is 7-1 and 235 pounds, compared to the 6-10, 255-pound Okafor. Playing in the Eastern Conference against elite centers like Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, Chandler’s length will give the Bobcats more of a defensive presence in the paint.
Nazr Mohammed, Alexis Ajinca and DeSagana Diop will provide depth.
Ajinca has shown improvement heading into his second season, but remains a project. With four centers on the roster, do not be surprised if the Bobcats try to dump somebody for depth at the power forward position. Both Diop and Mohammed will earn more than $6 million this season, so if anyone is in need of a big center that creates little offense, Charlotte would be willing to listen.
(Photo Credit: The Associated Press)
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