It was tough to watch the Bobcats lose to the Wizards on January 28th. However, it was worth the price of admission to see Kemba Walker get a triple double, Byron Mullens score a career high 23 points, and watch the worst free throw in the history of the NBA.

DeSagana Diop worst free throw ever! (Jan 28, 2012) (via thehoopscene)

The title of the article was borrowed from a Tom Sorensen Charlotte Observer article that missed one point.
(Tom Sorensen Charlotte Observer Article published 4/20/11)

Lose the last game of the 2004-2005 season and Chris Paul was there for the taking for the Bobcats.

via sportsillustrated.cnn.com

During the 2004-2005 season, New Orleans and Charlotte tied with the 2nd worst records in the NBA with 18-64 records.  It didn't have to be that way.  The Detroit Pistons with the 2nd best record in the conference were in town for the last game of the season.  The Bobcats went all out and scored a 9 point victory against the Pistons.  This left the Bobcats in a tie with New Orleans. Before the draft lottery, New Orleans and Charlotte had a coin flip to determine draft order should both miss out on the first three picks.  New Orleans won the flip.  Odds are that at least one of us would win one of the first three picks.  After all Charlotte and New Orleans were tied for the 2nd worst records in the NBA.  Atlanta was worst with a record of 13-69.

As the lottery balls were drawn, Milwaukee with the 6th worst overall record moved up and won the 1st pick in the draft.  The 2nd pick went to Atlanta.  Then Utah with the 4th worst record scored the #3 pick.  This left New Orleans with the 4th pick and Charlotte with the 5th pick.  The rest is history.

#1 Milwaukee - Andrew Bogut
#2 Atlanta - Marvin Williams
#3 Utah - Deron Williams
#4 New Orleans - Chris Paul
#5 Charlotte - Raymond Felton
#6 Portland - Martell Webster
#7 Toronto - Charlie Villanueva
#8 New York - Channing Frye
#9 Golden State - Ike Diogu
#10 LA Lakers - Andrew Bynum
#11 Orlando - Fran Vazquez
#12 LA Clips - Yaroslav Korolev
#13 Charlotte - Sean May
#14 Minnesota - Rashad McCants

Looking at 2005 draft, there were a few prizes and plenty of busts.  Picking Raymond Felton at #5 appears to have been a smart move at the time and even now.  If the Bobcats won the #2 pick we could have ended up with Marvin Williams.  Even the Sean May pick doesn't look as stupid considering the other NBA busts that were drafted around him.  There were rumors that New Orleans offered pick #4 for our picks #5 and #13.  Chis Paul was rated slightly ahead of Raymond Felton and the Bobcats wanted him.  However, the Bobcats weren't about to give up two high first round picks to take a chance that Chris Paul may become a better NBA player.

It's all over for the Bobcats, but we can still win a championship.  The Lady Cats won the Eastern Conference Finals and have one final match-up to win the Championship.  The Lady Cats are currently neck to neck with the Kings Dance Team.  We beat the Heat, the Bucks, and the Knicks, now lets keep the Kings from our throne.  Your vote will make the difference.  Vote Today at www.nba.com/dancecontest/2011/

Things didn't go so well for the Bobcats this year, but our LadyCats are in the playoffs.  The Charlotte Bobcats Dance Team / Cheerleaders are battling in the first round of the 2011 Dance Contest.  We need to beat the Heat.  Rufus On Fire members can lead our LadyCats to victory.  The Lady Cats are currently behind the Heat Dancers 53% to 47%.  We can't get beat by LeBron's cheerleaders.  Your multiple votes can make the difference. 

Vote Today at  www.nba.com/dancecontest/2011

[From the FanPosts]

Three professional basketball teams have called Charlotte home.  They are the Carolina Cougars (1969-1974), the Charlotte Hornets (1988-2002), and the Charlotte Bobcats (2004-present).  The Carolina Cougars played roughly a third of their season's home games in Charlotte from 1969 to 1974.

Continue reading this post »

Larry Brown isn't going to be content to let this season ride out in the same manner it began.  He also isn't going to be content throwing in the towel and watch the Bobcats go into a rebuilding mode.  This could be Larry Brown's last year of coaching.  He doesn't want to end his coaching career that way.  Both Larry Brown and Michael Jordan want to win, not to rebuild.

via www.abc-mi.org

Last year the season started with a 3 & 9 record.  The Bobcats are now 1 & 6 with upcoming games at Toronto; at Washington; Utah at home; and Minnesota at home.  All four are within reach.  After Bobcats play at Miami, which is a little more challenging.   If the Bobcats only win two of the games within grasp, they will end up with a 3 & 9 record.  If this happens, Larry Brown will be demanding a blockbuster trade.  More than likely Michael Jordan will agree and set the wheels in motion.  If the Bobcats turn this season around and win the next 4 games their record could be 5 & 7 after the Miami game.  With a better record the Larry Brown may have in store a mid-December tweak instead of a Thanksgiving Blockbuster.

To make a blockbuster trade the Bobcats need to offer talent to get talent.  The primary players involved won't be the deep bench and the ones with bloated contracts.  The primary players involved have to be talented and coveted by other teams.  Everyone is on the table except Gerald Wallace.  Losing the heart of the team would sink the season.  Trading partners could be teams with similar starts and are ready to rebuild or reload =  Nets, 76ers, Raptors, Pacers, Bucks, Pistons, Wizards, Timberwolves, Clippers, and Rockets.  Or the trading partners could be a team on the fringe that needs that extra player at a given position to get them over the hump.  So the question is, if the Bobcats end up 3 & 9 and are looking for a Thanksgiving Blockbuster what would they be willing to give up and what would they get in return?

Trivia to satisfy the 75 characters needed.

Toronto was the site of the league's very first game on Nov. 1, 1946, with the Huskies hosting the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens. The contest drew 7,090, a good crowd considering that virtually every youngster in Canada grew up playing hockey and basketball was hardly a well-known sport at the time.

During that first regular season, the Washington Capitols, coached by Red Auerbach, ran away with the Eastern Division championship, finishing with a 49-11 record, 14 victories more than Philadelphia and 10 more than Chicago, the West leader. However, it was the Warriors, owned and coached by Eddie Gottlieb, who won the first championship, beating Chicago 4-1 in the best-of-7 title round.

Use this post as your Open Game Thread.  This was borrowed from the Miami SB Nation page in its entirety.  Thanks to David Dwork for providing the content.

After a nice long layoff, the Heat get back to work tonight with preseason game number 6 of 8.  They'll host the Charlotte Bobcats who boast a 1-4 preseason record and are battling to grab some attention in a division full of power.  They have a couple of very talented players on their roster in Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson, but I think the wild card could be DJ Augustin. 

The 3rd year point guard is looking to embrace the starters role and has done a decent job distributing the ball during the preseason thus far.  Meanwhile, tonight's game will be the first in the ‘home stretch' of the preseason for Miami.  They play the final three games on their schedule this week, all of which are against division opponents. 

Tonight will be the final opportunity for fans to see the Heat play at the AAA until the home opener next Friday (the 29th).  They'll wrap up the preseason with back-to-back games on Thursday at Atlanta and Friday against Orlando, but that one will be played in St. Petersburg at the St. Pete Times Forum.

GAME NOTES

• LeBron James will return to the starting lineup for the Heat tonight after missing their last game nursing a sore hamstring. 
• Heat fans could get a good look at James and Chris Bosh tonight.  Erik Spoelstra is hoping to get them both a good amount of minutes, but it ultimately depends on "the flow of the game."
• Dwyane Wade though will not be in Miami for the game tonight.  He's still in Chicago dealing with custody issues involving his two children and ex-wife.  Even if he were here he wouldn't be able to play but is still on target to return for the season opener in Boston next Tuesday.
• Mario Chalmers practiced fully on Sunday and will hopefully be in the lineup tonight, though he's officially listed as questionable. 
• Coach Spo is also hoping to get Carlos Arroyo and Eddie House some game action this week.  Both practiced on Sunday, and while Arroyo has played some in the preseason it will be House's first action in a Heat uniform since 2003.  Eddie has said to be targeting Thursday's game in Atlanta as a return date.
  
• The Heat went 1-3 against the Bobcats last season, failing to crack 80 points in 3 of the games.  One of the losses included a 104-65 embarrassment in Charlotte on January
  
  Tipoff from the AAA is set for 7:30. 

UPDATE

Mario Chalmers will not play tonight.  Carlos Arroyo will start but won't play a lot of minutes, so that means more time for Patrick Beverly and Kenny Hasbrouck.

I thought all this discussion about new members was funny so I clicked on the archives link to see when RoF began and who really was an Oldtimer.  The first RoF article was June 23, 2008.  David added new articles regularly, but usually didn't get any comments.  These were good articles.  The most comments made on any article in 2008 was 6.  Most of the comments in 2008 were by "Anonymous" or by David replying.

RoF hit a high point on January 12, 2009 when 26 people commented on "Recognizing True Talent".  This is the first post where I recognized someone who still posts today.  It was southtunnel.  Congrats to southtunnel for being the true oldtimer.  We are all newbies compared to southtunnel.

via sf0.org         [Gotta love the photo of Noob above.  Have we all been him at some point in our lives?]

Another high point was reached on June 11, 2009 when 65 people commented on "Felton will get Qualifying Offer".  The first article to reach triple digit comments was the "Chandler Okafor Trade" on July 29, 2009 with a whopping 359 comments.  This was the exception.  Only 4 other articles had triple digit comments in 2009.  Most had less than 10 comments.  I joined in November 2009.  We were smaller in number, but there was plenty of entertainment.

The gameday threads really took off in 2010 and the recent discussions have been outstanding.  It is great to have so many new members.  Be sure to join the gameday threads when the season starts.  They are a riot.

The first fan post was posted on January 12, 2009 by "Tattoo".  The fan posts now total 266 and the fan shots 229.  Quite an accomplishment in 2 years.

2010 Lady Cats Auditions

According to my secret source in a bunker deep underground below the Bus Station in downtown Charlotte, the 2010 Lady Cats auditions will be held on July 17 at Time Warner Cable Arena.  Do you or someone you know have what it takes to become one of the next Lady Cats?

via i2.cdn.turner.com

Watching these auditions would be better than the Summer League games in Orlando.

Big questions remain...

Who will be back for next year? 

Will the Lady Cats repeat in 2011 and win the NBA Dance Team Bracket? 

Do any Lady Cats read or post to RoF?

After losing a third playoff game, Bobcats fans are beginning to worry about next season.  If the Bobcats can't beat the Magic, all hope is lost.  Not so fast.  How would the Bobcats and other NBA playoff teams have fared this season if all NBA teams had their current roster for the entire season?  The best indication of this is to look at the win/loss record of the games played after many of the key roster adjustments were made.

How would the season have ended if only the games played on or after January 1, 2010 counted?  While the number of games played in 2010 onward varied by team, the fewest games played by any one team in 2010 was 48.  Therefore I set 48 games as the base.  I counted the first 48 games played in 2010 for each playoff team to see how they would compare with each other.

• 35-13 Cleveland
• 33-15 Orlando
• 32-16 Milwaukee
• 30-18 Charlotte
• 29-19 Atlanta
• 28-20 Miami
• 26-22 Boston
• 25-23 Chicago

Charlotte would have the #4 seed and home court advantage against the Atlanta Hawks.  With the scenario above, the Bobcats would be favored to knock off the Hawks and then likely face the Cavaliers in the 2nd round.  With a 3-1 record against the Cavs this year, the Bobcats would have a legitimate shot at reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.  Orlando would face Boston and then either Milwaukee or Miami to play in the finals.  Do the modified 2010 standings above predict how the Bobcats might finish next year if they maintain their current roster?  If not, at least It is a good sign.  As evidenced by their playoff performance after 3 games, it is clear the Bobcats need another offensive weapon if they hope to take down the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals next year.  We'll be waiting to hear from Larry Brown and Michael Jordan during the off-season. 

The Bobcats ended up with possibly the worst possible scenario during the 2010 playoffs.  The #7 seed pitted the Bobcats against the Orlando Magic, who are possibly the best team in the NBA.

How would the West stack up?  I used the same 48 game formula above.  For tiebreakers I only looked at games played after January 1, 2010.  Utah would much prefer the #1 seed to the #5 seed.  Can the Lakers beat the Thunder without the home court advantage?  Maybe next season we will know.

• 34-14 Utah
• 32-16 Phoenix (wins tiebreaker)
• 32-16 Denver
• 31-17 OK City (wins tiebreaker)
• 31-17 LA Lakers (2nd in tiebreaker)
• 31-17 Dallas
• 29-19 Portland
• 29-19 San Antonio

Nazrtradamus enthusiasts have credited him with predicting a copious number of events in world history, including the French Revolution, the atom bomb, the rise of Adolf Hitler and the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.  The following quatrain establishes that the Bobcats will lose the first 3 games and come back to beat the Magic in 7 games.

via ambasketball.com

Century II, Quatrain 42
Cats will be satiated with blood
And from the wound the magic will be dispelled
The first three moons will bring darkness to the jordan
Brown will lead the cats to the land after seven have past.

The Lady Cats dominated the competition from start to finish to win the 2010 Dance Brackets Championship.  The closest match was in round 1 against the 76er Dancers with a 54% to 46% win.  By the time the Lady Cats reached the finals the Lady Cats gave the Suns Dancers a heat stroke with a 67% to 33% trouncing.  Congratulations to the Lady Cats !  For more photos and stats see http://www.nba.com/dancebracket/2010/ .

The Lady Cats win can only mean one thing.  The Bobcats are next.  NBA Finals here we come.

via i2.cdn.turner.com

The Charlotte Bobcats Dance Team / Cheerleaders won the Eastern Conference Finals and have one last match-up against the Phoenix Suns Dancers to win it all.  Let's hope the Bobcats can do as well as the Lady Cats.  Rufus On Fire members can lead the Lady Cats to our first Championship.  The Lady Cats are currently neck to neck with Phoenix.  We beat the Heat, now lets knock the light out the Suns.  Your vote will make the difference.  Vote Today at www.nba.com/dancebracket/2010/

via i2.cdn.turner.com

The Charlotte Bobcats Dance Team / Cheerleaders have made it to the Final Four.  Let's hope the Bobcats can do the same.  Rufus On Fire members can lead them to victory with our votes.  With your help they can win it all.  The Lady Cats currently trail the Heat Dancers 51% to 49%.  We can't get beat by the dreaded Heat.  Your vote can make the difference.  Vote Today at www.nba.com/dancebracket/2010/

via i2.cdn.turner.com

Charlotte suburb, Fort Mill, SC, has a poor excuse for a cable company called Comporium.  Comporium carries a version of Fox Sports Net South and Sports South.  However, the feed they chose is intended for someone from Hilton Head, Atlanta, Mongolia or some other distant land.  These channels never carry the Bobcats games.  However, there is an occasional Hawks game (which is an extra irritation to Fort Mill Bobcats fans).

The other problem is the Bobcats choice of local radio coverage.  The signal for Sports Radio WFNZ 610 or their sister station WBCN 1660 can not be picked up after 6:00pm in Fort Mill and in many parts of the local area including large parts of Mecklenburg County.  What a stupid decision to choose a radio station that can not be heard as you are driving around the Charlotte beltway, I-485.  The signal is too weak for Ballantyne, Pineville, Carowinds, Fort Mill, Rock Hill, etc.  I haven't tested the coverage in the north part of Charlotte.  I'd like to hear from others about their experience in other parts of the Charlotte area.  Why do the Bobcats leave a significant part of the local fan base without radio access to the Bobcats games? 

Bobcats Executive Vice President and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Pete Guelli took questions from a group of season ticket holders at an event held before a Bobcats game in February.  I also spoke with him after the presentation about the same issues.  He blames the lack of Fort Mill cable TV coverage on the local cable company in Fort Mill.  Comporium chooses what Fox Sports feeds to pick up and currently has decided to not pick up the Fox Sports feed that televises the Bobcats.  My thought is that maybe Comporium is jealous of Time Warner for having the Arena naming rights.  Mr. Guelli also stated that the Bobcats like partnering with a Sports Radio station because the station will chat up the Bobcats during the day and provide a little more promotion than an non-sports radio station.  He acknowledges that the signal at WFNZ 610 is weak.  Mr. Guelli said he is hoping that other nearby radio stations will pick up the games to fill the void.

Why would a second Charlotte station carry the games when WFNZ 610 already provides the game signal to central Charlotte?  A remote possibility would be for the Rock Hill radio station WRHI to pick up the feed.  However, the signal from WRHI still does not reach south Charlotte and offers weak reception in Fort Mill.  Unless WFNZ 610 finds a way to boost their signal, the Bobcats need to dump them for a Charlotte radio station with a strong signal, such as an FM station.  It would only be fair as WFNZ 610 regularly dumps the Bobcats to their weaker sister station WBCN 1660 when they are carrying a college game.

Another beef is the lack of a post-game show.  For the first four Bobcats seasons and all previous Hornets seasons, after you attended and game, walked to the parking lot, and cranked up your car, you could turn on the radio to hear the recap.  The recap had a post-game interview with the coach/player, extra stats, injury updates, and some audio replay of key plays.  This season we get nothing.  You turn on WFNZ 610 in the parking lot and get to hear about tennis, a football team from Iowa, or somebody whining about some irrelevant topic.  This is simply crap.  If WFNZ 610 can't increase their signal and won't provide a post-game show there is no reason the Bobcats should partner with them next year.  This is another area where Michael Jordan can take the Bobcats to the next level.

Three professional basketball teams have called Charlotte home.  They are the Carolina Cougars (1969-1974), the Charlotte Hornets (1988-2002), and the Charlotte Bobcats (2004-present).  The Carolina Cougars played roughly a third of their season's home games in Charlotte from 1969 to 1974.

During the 1969-1970 season, Doug Moe and Bob Verga became Charlotte’s first All-Stars.  Doug Moe, a 6’5" guard/forward, played for the Cougars for one season and served as assistant coach to Larry Brown for the Cougars from 1972 to 1974.  Bob Verga, a 6’1" guard, played two seasons for the Cougars.  During the 1969-70 season he was second in the league in scoring with 27.5 points per game.

The next season the Carolina Cougars hosted the ABA All-Star game at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Pogo Joe Caldwell, a 6’ 5" guard/forward, played for the Cougars from 1970 to 1974.  He started the 1970-1971 All-Star game and led the East squad with 21 points.  He is one of a few players to have been named an All-Star in both the ABA and the NBA.

For the 1971-1972 season, Jim McDaniels represented the Cougars at the All-Star game.  McDaniels, a 6’11" center, was averaging 26.8 points and 14 rebounds a game in 1972 when he quit the team to sign with Seattle of the NBA.  During the All-Star game he pulled down 11 rebounds and led the team with 24 points.

The Cougars boasted three All-Stars at the 1972-1973 venue, Joe Caldwell, Mack Calvin, and Billy Cunningham.  The Cougar’s coach, Larry Brown, coached the ABA East team.  Mack Calvin, a 6’0" guard, and Billy Cunningham, a 6’6" forward, were Cougars for two seasons.  During the 1972-1973 season, Cunningham averaged 24.1 points, 12 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game for the Cougars.   He finished fourth in the league in scoring, led the league in steals, was fifth in rebounds, third in assists, and was named the MVP of the ABA.

During the 1973-1974, Mack Calvin and Ted "Hound Dog" McClain were the Cougar’s All-Stars.  Mack led the NBA in free throws made during the 1973-1974 season.  Ted McClain, a 6’1" defensive minded guard, was playing his third season for the Cougars.  McClain led the ABA in steals during this season.  

The Charlotte Hornets did not have an All-Star selection during their first five years as a franchise.  However, the team hosted the 1991 All-Star game at the Charlotte Coliseum.

During the 1992-1993 season, the Charlotte Hornets boasted their first All-Star when Larry Johnson  was selected as a starter.  Johnson, a 6’6" forward, was named rookie of the year the previous season.  During the 1992-1993 season, he averaged 22.1 points per game while leading the NBA in minutes played.  He finished 7th in the league in rebounds. 

For the 1994-1995 season, Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning represented the Hornets at the All-Star game. Alonzo Mourning, a 6’10" center, ranked 5th in the league in blocked shots, 3rd in free throws made, and 9th in defensive rebounds.

Glen Rice represented the Hornets at the All-Star game during next three seasons.  Rice, a 6’7" forward, had scoring averages of 21.6, 26.8, and 22.3 during his three years with the Hornets.  He was named MVP of the 1996-1997 All-Star game after scoring 26 points.  During the 1996-1997 season, Glen Rice finished third in the league in points per game (26.8) behind Michael Jordan and Karl Malone.  He led the league in three point field goal percentage (47 percent), and finished third in three pointers made.

During the 1999-2000 season, Charlotte Hornet, Eddie Jones was named an All-Star.  Eddie Jones, a 6’6" guard/forward, averaged 20.1 points a game and led the league in steals during the 1999-2000 season.  He finished 10th in 3 point shots made.

During the Hornets final season in 2001-2002, Baron Davis was selected as an All-Star.  Baron Davis, a 6’3’ guard, ranked 2nd in steals, 4th in assists, and 6th in 3 point field goals made.

Charlotte will again be represented in the All-Star game during the 2009-2010 season, when Gerald Wallace takes the court on Sunday, February 14.  He will also represent the Charlotte Bobcats in the slam dunk competition on Friday February 12.  Wallace, a 6’ 8" forward, currently ranks 1st in the league in minutes played and 7th in rebounds.  If there was a category that measured the awe factor of in-game dunks and blocked shots this season, Gerald Wallace would certainly find his name at the top of the list.

A salute to Gerald Wallace.  2010 All-Star for the Charlotte Bobcats.

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via i.cdn.turner.com

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Alexis Ajinca has beefed up and greatly improved in the D-League.  The Bobcats game program lists him at 220 pounds.  The Red Claw TV broadcast lists him at 255.  Adding 35 pounds shows.  He no longer looks fragile.  His  pencil thin frame is now more solid and muscular.  Ajinca is grabbing the rebounds (7.5 reb/game) and playing good defense (3 blocks/game).

Take a look at the game logs.  http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/gamelogs.jsp?player=alexis_ajinca

Ajinca has scored 25, 16, 27, and 26 in his last 4 games.  He blocks multiple shots almost every game.  On January 22, he recorded a triple double with 10 blocks, 13 rebounds, and 26 points.

Ajinca still needs to work on two areas.  He has a handful of turnovers every game and has collected 4 or more personal fouls in most of the games he has played.

Sure the competition is D-League, but it is great to see Ajinca developing into a good player.