Based on this "Los Angeles Lakers big men Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol: The Lakers will likely only move Bynum in a deal for Howard, sources said. The Houston Rockets still have interest in Gasol – who they nearly acquired in the offseason – but will likely have to recruit a third team that can send a point guard to the Lakers. The Rockets have shown no inclination to move their own point guard, Kyle Lowry."

What about this trade?

Why it works for the Bobcats?
We're getting a much needed scorer in Kevin Martin, who expires in two years, and getting rid of Tyrus Thomas' contract.

Why it works for the Rockets?
They really want Pau Gasol and don't want to give up Lowry. Essentially, they're giving up Martin, Hill and T-Will for Pau, which is a pretty good trade for them, and they only take on less than 2 million in salary.

Why it works for the Lakers?
They get a PG to help them win a championship this season, which they desperately need. They also get Tyrus Thomas, whose athleticism they could really use at the forward position. They also get an outstanding backup C, their weakest position right now, in Jordan Hill.

The Lakers and Rockets made need to swap draft picks for this to work, as I feel like the Lakers aren't getting enough in return for getting rid of Pau, but at the same time, the Rockets are giving up quite a bit. Based on need, I feel like the Bobcats are giving up exactly what they should for Martin.

CLICK HERE!

Charlotte sends DJ Augustin, Boris Diaw, Tyrus Thomas and 2013 first round pick

Utah sends Devin Harris, Al Jefferson

Thoughts?

I've seen that several people around here aren't high on Devin Harris. I guess ya'll have been spoiled by two decades of having the best or second best point guard in the NBA at any given time. I myself am a Jazz fan who constantly has nightmares of my (new) team's owner pushing off of Byron Russell. Anyhoo, DJ Augustin is a great little point guard who finally started coming into his own last year. This year, despite having pretty much 0 talent around him, he's still getting 6.5 assists per game and scoring relatively efficiently. He also turns the ball over quite infrequently. He's a restricted free agent, so if you guys don't like him after a half of a season, let someone else sign him. In the NC, we're still not sold that Kemba Walker can even be a point guard in the NBA, but he's far too short to be a combo guard. So having someone like Harris come in, who is taller (not by much, but plays taller than 6'3") and a better defender is what we need. Having Harris and Jefferson give Kemba and Biyombo another year to develop without the pressure of starting on a terrible team.

DJ Augustin's biggest weakness is his defense; although he has improved his perimeter defense considerably this season, taller guards can easily shoot over him. Boris Diaw you guys are going to hate, just like we hate. Every team he goes to, fans are like, he has a lot of potential and is probably the best passing big man in the NBA... unfortunately he only competes about 25% of the time, if that. He's a UFA, so he'll give you 9 million in cap space instantly. Tyrus Thomas is the reason we're also sending you a first round pick. A change of scenery would do him some good. When his head is in the game, he's a game changer. When it's not, he's bricking 15 footers. He's always good for a couple of flashy blocks, though, which Utah's fan base will appreciate.

Our season is pretty much lost. It looks like when our roster is at 100% we'll win a few games here and there, but certainly not enough to even begin thinking about playoffs or anything. Quite frankly, winning a bunch of games at this point may not be a good thing, unless it comes on the wings of Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo. If Corey Maggette starts taking games over, and we end up with an 8th pick or something, that actually hinders us in the long run. Of course, the way we've been playing, Gerald Henderson coming back isn't going to change much except perhaps giving us all the much anticipated line up of Cory Higgins, Kemba Walker, Tyrus Thomas, Bismack Biyombo and Byron Mullens.

Anyhoo, many of us have been rosterbating about trades and the upcoming free agency. However, I think some people are grossly undervaluing the players in the free agency and, more importantly, where the Bobcats stand as free agent contenders.

As it stands right now, the most we'll be on the books for next season is 43.2 million. This is with 11 players on the roster. We will have two draft picks to sign for about 5 million total, bringing us up to 48.2 million. We now have 13 players on the roster and 2 spots to fill. So, worst case scenario, we're looking at 10 million to sign us 2 free agents. (Keep in mind, in this scenario, we'll have resigned both DJ Augustin and DJ White for their qualifying offers. We all know this is very unlikely. I'm just showing that, even in the most unlikely scenario, we're doing pretty well for ourselves.)

Best case scenario, we let the DJ's go, freeing up 7.3 million and then somehow get rid of Tyrus' contract for an expiring. Or we amnesty him. Amnestying him isn't the best case scenario for the team, but it is equal in that his salary is cleared from the books. That frees up another 8 million. Now in the BEST BEST BEST case scenario, Diop and Carroll would turn down team options, but we know that's not happening, so let's just use the Tyrus only one. That gives us at a little over 25 million to sign 5 players. We get ourselves two max contract players and that leaves us 3 million to sign 3 role players. Or more, depending on how old the max contract player is. Eric Gordon and Roy Hibbert, for example, can only get 9 million apiece.

The most likely scenario, of course, is that we do nothing with Tyrus but let the DJ's go, Augustin most likely through trade of a draft pick before this season's deadline. That's 18 million to sign 4 players, with only enough for one max contract player. That's ok, too. 2013 and techincally every single player except our 2012 rookie, Tyrus and our 2012 free agents can come off the books if we wanted.

Taking these three scenarios into account - 10 million for 2 players, 25 million for 5 players and 18 million for 4 players, who would you like to see us go after. After the jump is a list of ALL the 2012 free agents and their current salaries, via HoopsHype.

Continue reading this post »

I have an extra ticket for the Bobcats vs Bulls game at 7 pm tonight. If you don't mind sitting with total strangers (myself, my brother in law and his brother), then feel free. You will also get a $5.00 coupon for concessions.

No charge, just don't want the seat to go to waste. It's a $25.00 ticket in not the greatest of spots, but is a sideline section seat. Section 208, Row Q.

If you're interested, please call my call 336 609 1680 - first come, first serve. If I am able to, I'll post on here if I have a winner lol.

Whoever it is, I do ask that they be over 18 because I don't want to be responsible for any minors.

If this belongs in a different section, I'm sorry.

Thanks,

Adam C.

This season has been woeful. It's been hard to stomach, even. Injuries, a lock-out shortened season, lack of training camp and simply having subpar talent have sent us careening to the worst record in the NBA and staring down what may be one of the all time worst seasons in NBA history. It's bad, folks. But there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

We all know the Bobcats are in rebuilding mode and most of us knew we were looking at a high lottery pick coming into the 2012 draft. We didn't know that we'd be getting blown out by twenty plus points on a regular basis. In all honesty, were it not for injuries, we probably wouldn't be.

Which brings us to our first reason to be optimistic about the Bobcats:

with a healthy roster, our lineup doesn't look so terrible on paper.

DJ Augustin/Kemba Walker/Corey Higgins

Gerald Henderson/Reggie Williams/Matt Carroll

Corey Maggette/Tyrus Thomas/Derek Brown

Boris Diaw/DJ White/Tyrus again

Bismack Biyombo, Byron Mullens, DeSagana Diop

That's a lineup that should never get blown out and could compete on a nightly basis. That's more like a 10 win team at this point, not a 3 win team. I don't know when we'll have all our players healthy again, but it certaintly can't happen soon enough. Maybe the last two months of the season will be watchable basketball.

The second reason to be optimistic is the reason most everyone is looking past this season and it's the 2012 NBA draft. We're assured a top 4 pick with the worst record, which is good, because the top 4 picks look like they might be franchise players. Really, the top 8 picks all look like future all-stars, so we're in a pretty good position. I want us to draft Anthony Davis if we pick first, but there are plenty of players we can have if we're not picking at the top of the lottery.

Why else should we be optimistic? Well, after this season, 17.5 million come off the books. Even more if we're able to amnesty someone (Tyrus!) With the new CBA rules, 17.5 million is a whole heckuva lot. 2012 and 2013 both bring a cornucopia of quality free agents and the Bobcats have a shot at several of them. After looking around at other teams cap situations, it looks like the Celtics, Nets, Pacers and Raptors will be working with 15 million under the cap. The Mavs and Spurs will probably have no problem venturing into luxury tax land and Orlando will need to go over the cap to sign a marquee player if they can't retain Howard and/or rid themselves of Hedo.

Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, Nic Batum, Danilo Gallinari, JaVale McGhee, Roy Hibbert, OJ Mayo and a few others are all players we should be looking at. Or, if Dwight and Deron both decide to excersize their options, then we can simply sign one free agent and then work on clearing even more space for the even more lucrative 2013 draft. This is actually the best situation for us because there will be so many more elite free agents, Howard and Williams included, that we'll benefit simply by the trickle down effect. Either way, outside of Dwight and Deron, none of the 2012 free agents I listed can make more than 9 million dollars unless their teams excersize their Bird rights in a sign and trade.

The biggest reason to be optimistic, though? In two years, Boris Diaw, DeSagana Diop, Matt Carroll and Eduardo Najera will no longer be Charlotte Bobcats. If that isn't reason to be hopeful about the future, I don't know what is.

Dear Mr. Jordan,

Before I begin I would like to emphasize that this season I decided not to renew my season tickets. At the time, it was more because I wasn't sure how the lockout would run its course, but man am I glad I decided not to take the refund offer you guys were shilling. I would've made one of the worst investments in my life. Perhaps the ghost of Adam Morrison's career was smiling down upon me that day.

Obviously, the point I'm making is that your team is terrible. Not just terrible, all-time terrible. Last year you sent me (all of us) a nice letter about how you're trying to make moves for our future in your half-hearted attempt to explain why you traded Gerald Wallace to save yourself a few million dollars out of pocket. Let me ask you, how has that trade worked out for us so far? We got a decent power forward with a sweet mid-range jumper, but can't seem to stay out of foul trouble or away from Boris Diaw's pre-game snack tray (read: seven course meal). We got a young, undersized combo gaurd who is pretending to play point gaurd, but doesn't have the slightest idea how to direct an offense. Finally, we got the youngest player in the NBA who is an imposing physical speciman with a high ceiling, who unfortunatley has the basketball IQ of a courtside trophy wife.

How has that trade worked out, Michael? It's gotten us two underwhelming draft picks and the league's worst record. We just got blown out by the Lakers and Gerald Wal - I mean, the Blazers, respectively. 112-68 - let that sink in for a moment. On March 28, 1990, you scored 69 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Does that put things in perspective? 13 professional basketball players couldn't manage to score more points than you put up in a single game. Believe me, this isn't about stroking your massive ego, either. I can't fathom how the greatest basketball player of all time, reknowned for being the most competitive person on the court at any given time, can be ok with a team he owns, a team he should have pride in, scoring 68 points and allowing 112.

Your fan base doesn't care about the Bobcats. Why should they? No one should care about ineptitude. You sell more tickets based on who the Bobcats are playing. Carolinians come from all over North and South Carolina to see if Lebron will drop 40 on the lowly Bobcats. If the Blazers beat the Bobcats by 40+, imagine what Chris Paul and the Clippers are going to do?

Aaah, Chris Paul. A North Carolina native. I watched him play live a few times at Wake Forest and even have attented his charity bowling tournament. He's a great guy with great ties to the community. He's a competitor, too. I hope you've had a chance to watch that game he had against Utah. The way he played in the fourth quarter was almost Jordan-esque. Everytime I think of Chris Paul, I think of how there's no reason he shouldn't be in a Bobcats uniform. Then I'm reminded of how terrible you've been as a GM and owner. As good as you were as a player, that's almost as bad as you've been in the front office.

By now you're probably wondering what is the point of this letter and why you're still reading. Maybe you're not. Hopefully you are, because this is where I finally get to the root of what I'm trying to tell you.

As bad as the Bobcats are, it is still not too late to turn things around. You just can't let your own ego get in the way. Michael, I can forgive you for trading Gerald Wallace and drafting two mediocre players who have been billed as franchise players. I can forgive you if you put aside your own arrogance, suck it up, and start over... again. Blow it up, Michael. Tear everything down.

You have the unique opportunity of being able to have a high lottery pick in one of the deepest drafts in recent memory. Supposedly, you had that oppurtunity last year, but I digress. Going into next season, we're going to have a considerable amount of cap space. If we stay the course, going into 2013 we're going to have buttloads of cap space. Michael, you need to do something drastic and you need to do it now.

First, you have to trade DJ Augustin before his value depreciates to the point where he's not worth a second rounder. Do something and do it soon. I can live with you signing him to an extension, even, just as long as he doesn't leave for absolutely nothing. How'd that turn out the FIRST time you let our starting PG leave for nothing?

Second, and maybe this will solve itself through the first if we're lucky, figure out some way to get a second first rounder this year, preferably lottery pick. I know it's not as easy as it sounds, but there has to be some team out there interested in Boris' expiring, or maybe someone is willing to take Tyrus Thomas. As much as it pains me to say this, even Gerald Henderson is worth letting go for the right pick. Hell, call up New Orleans and send them Kemba Walker for their first round draft pick. REALLY start over. You have a terriffic player evaluator in Rich Cho. Let him do his job. I simply can't imagine Rich Cho was in your ear saying let's take a young, unproven player with possibly a high ceiling with the 7th pick in the NBA draft, when you needed someone to come in and make an immediate impact, not a project. Maybe he was. If so, maybe we've all overestimated Rich Cho.

Next, make a splash, NOW. Do something immediately to keep your fanbase interested. When the looming free agency comes, no player is going to want to come to an empty arena. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are on the market. We're not going anywhere this season anyway and acquiring them will only give us more cap room at the end of the season. It doesn't have to be them, either, there are plenty of veterans out there on the last year of their contract. No one player is going to keep us out of the top of the lottery. God knows, if you're not going to send Bizmack Biyombo to the D-League, at least Kevin Garnett is competitive enough to want to show him a thing or two.

I honestly think that's the biggest problem with this team. As competitive as you were, you simply lack the vision necessary to see drive in other players. This team is content with losing. Certainly, everyone expected them to lose, but even I didn't expect them to give up. To get blown out. To lose games at tip-offs. They ignore Paul Silas, meander around on the court and collect a pay check. A pay check many of them certainly don't deserve based on skills and production.

Seriously, Michael, you have to do something. Do it now. Before it's too late.

I know some of you still had that lingering twinkle of hope that Chris Paul might land in Charlotte somehow. I even posted an fanpost recently of how it was financially within the realm of possibility to land Paul and Howard, knowing full well the rediculousness of it all.

Most recent sources have Paul most likely landing up in Golden State or LA (Clippers), not New York or Lakers. Although, technically, Paul could leave anywhere he's traded after the season anyway, sources indicate he'd be willing to sign long term deals with the Clips (to play alongside Griffin) or to the Warriors if they signed Chandler.

Boston is also still a key player, although personally I'd rather have Rondo to compete against Deron Williams night in and night out. The thing is, none of the potential teams can outright trade for Chris Paul without going over the cap. New Orleans is adamant about not taking on any bad contracts, and why should they? These teams are going to have to find a third partner with cap space, or they're going to have to amnesty someone (I'm looking at you Andres Beidrins) that they perhaps wouldn't have considered before.

How do the Bobcats fit into this? Well, frankly, we have a team with cap space and a fairly valuable expiring in Boris Diaw (who, probably knowing he'll be traded this season, has been working "hard" in France, presumably to get himself an extension). There could be some very feasible and tantalizing deals for the Bobcats. For example: This Trade

Throw in a draft pick each to NO and GS from Charlotte and this is a trade that works for all parties. Although NO has expressed interest in gaining Curry over Ellis, I imagine adding Kemba Walker would sway their opinion. If you assume Chandler's gonna get the 15 million he wants, then the Warriors have to clear up even more space (they still need 5 roster slots filled after signing their rookies.) I don't see Beidrins getting 9 million again, but for the sake of argument, let's say he does. That puts the Warriors at 60 million with those 5 slots still left. That means David Lee has to go, but they need compensation. The Warriors are a totally different team with a core of Chandler, Paul, Tyrus and two pretty good rookies. NO gets Thompson who they've coveted and another PG with franchise potential in Walker and a buttload of cap space, especially after Boris expires.

Now this is just one example of one team who is interested in Paul. The Clippers could work too, but they have shown in the past little to no regard for the luxury tax, so they may not even need a third party. Obviously, there are plenty of other teams aside from the Bobcats that could work well as a third team as well. That's the point though, this one trade of Chris Paul could have huge ripples across the NBA.

I posted this in the forums, but...

Charlotte trades - Boris Diaw, DJ Augustin, Desagana Diop, future draft pick

Orlando trades - Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu

Bobcats waive Hedo Turkgolu

2012 Bobcats Roster

C - Dwight Howard - $18,091,770

FC - Bismack Biyombo - $2,404,600

F - Tyrus Thomas - $7,305,785

SG - Gerald Henderson - $2,250,600

PG - Kemba Walker - $2,024,900

FC - Eddie Najera - $2,750,000

G - Matt Carroll - $3,900,000

F - DJ White - $2,001,167

C - Kwame Brown - $1,150,000

Payroll - $52,895.000

6 spots to fill, $5,105,000 remaining

Projected pick - 11th

2012 - 2013 Bobcats Roster - in order to keep Howard at least interested, and the players developing, an MLE is going to have to be signed, or, preferably, an expiring traded for.

C - Dwight Howard - $14,000,000

FC - Bismack Biyombo - $2,404,600

F - Tyrus Thomas - $7,305,785

SG - Gerald Henderson - $5,000,000

PG - Kemba Walker - $2,024,900

C - Kwame Brown - $1,150,000

G - Matt Carroll - $3,900,000

2012 lottery pick - $2,000,000

MLE acquistion - $5,000,000

FA acquistion - $3,000,000

Payroll - $45,796,000

5 spots to fill, $12,214,000 remaining

Projected pick - 19th

2013-2014 Bobcats roster - new cap estimate - $55,000,000

Either Biyombo has proven himself, necessitating a Tyrus trade, or he hasn't. If Tyrus is on the roster, then Biyombo would be under his last year of rookie contract. MLE acquisition is traded/expires. Chris Paul signs with Charlotte Bobcats.

C - Dwight Howard - $14,000,000

PG - Chris Paul - $14,000,000

FC - Bismack Biyombo - $6,000,000

SG - Gerald Henderson - $5,000,000

PG - Kemba Walker - $2,024,900

2012 Lottery pick - $2,000,000

2013 Lottery pick - $1,600,000

FA acquistion - $3,000,000

7 spots to fill, $7,375,000 remaining, or 6 spots to fill $3,340,000 remaining if Tyrus remains.

None of us can predict what is going to happen with the CBA, but by all accounts, the salary cap is certainly going to lower.  I cannot picture the salary cap decreasing below the 2006 mark of 53 million, however. So for this excersize, we'll us the 53 million mark as a hard cap for us, since MJ certainly isn't going over it.  Keep in mind that the rookie exceptions and the non-Bird exceptions won't count against us if we do go over.

Here is a list of 2011-2012 Free Agents.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FreeAgents-11-12

The Charlotte Bobcats are on the hook for slightly under 50 million next season.  That doesn't leave much wiggle room does it?  That also only includes a roster of 10.  (Thank you Michael Jordan).  We're most probably going to resign Kwame Brown and Dominic McGuire.  We could sign both of them for the vet's minimum, but Kwame I think earned his non-Bird exception of a 20% raise, which is a little more than the current vet's min for a 10 year player.  Since salaries are expected to come down across the board, I can only assume that vet's min contracts will as well, but for the sake of argument, we'll use this current season's salaries.  McGuire will get a little under 1 million for next season, Kwame would get about 1.5 million.  However, since we smartly used the non-Bird exception on Kwame Brown, which unlike Bird exceptions and early-Bird exceptions has no time restraints, Kwame's 1.5 million doesn't count.  That leaves us with 12 players and 2 million to sign 3 of them.

Actually, it doesn't.  It leaves us with 2 million to sign ONE player.  Why?  Because that rookie exception I mentioned doesn't count against us.  We have three draft picks, but the second rounder isn't likely to be more than an NBDL player.  Our two first rounders, though?  Well they're probably keepers.  Even if we pay them whatever next year's rookie scale is, it won't matter.  So there's two more players, rookies, to fill up spots.  That leaves us 2 million to sign one player to give us our 15 player max.

Worst case scenario, of all of the incoming free agents, who would you think we could sign for 2 million?  Unfortunately, we don't qualify for the MLE (as far as I understand it) because we won't be over the cap once the offseason begins.  Ironically, if MJ hadn't been so adamant about being under the cap this year, we would have more wiggle room next year.  Of course, that's easy to say as a fan when the money isn't coming out of my own pocket.

Starting lineup: Augustin, Henderson, Jackson, Thomas/Diaw, Diaw/Kwame - potentially small lineup, but I can't bear another season of Thomas on the bench, with what we're paying him.

I wouldn't mind seeing T-Mac come to Charlotte, just to put some butts in the seats.  He made less than 2 million this season for the Pistons.

Best case scenario?  We trade both Diaw and Jax, or Diaw decides to sign with a contender (haha that totally sounds like Diaw doesn't it?) and turns down his 9 million.  However we gotta get rid of them, their is no reason to have them around when the plan is to start young and rebuild.  That gives us 20 million to play with (Jax + Diaw + 2 million aformentioned) to sign three players.  Now things start to get fun.

Rosterbate to your heart's content, folks.

Starting lineup: Augustin, Henderson, Free Agent, Thomas, Free Agent

Most likely scenario?

Jax can offer a team out there looking for punch at the 2 or 3. (I'm looking at you New Jersey)  He has to be traded this offseason.  Even though I'd rather see Diaw gone, I don't think teams can justify paying 9 million to someone who wouldn't start on most teams in the NBA.  At least Jackson is a starter and an upgrade to a lot of teams at either of those positions.

That leaves us about 11 million (a little more actually) to spend on two free agents.  It also means we're gonna need a SF.

Starting lineup: Augustin, Hendo, Thomas/Free Agent, Diaw/Thomas, Kwame/Diaw

So taking each scenario (or maybe you're own, maybe you think we trade Augustin or something), 2 million, 20 million and 11 million, what free agents out there based on that list and our needs do you think we should/could sign?

Also, if I made any mistakes in my salary cap language/rules, please let me know. 

I didn't see this posted elsewhere, so here goes.  After the jump, a link to the video interview.  Transcript of the meeting with ticket holders will be coming soon.

 

April 14, 2011
Dear Bobcats Fan,
Thank you.
I hope you hear that from us all the time. I also hope you know we mean it every time we say it. Without your support, this franchise does not exist. So thank you for your loyalty and patience as we put together a team that is worthy of your support.
Thank you for your feedback over the past 13 months. Your questions and comments ensure that we're on the right track towards building something of which we can all be proud.
Thank you for your insight. We've changed our community focus to the things that are most important to you, and the launch of our Cats Care initiative back in March is the beginning of our commitment to making a difference in the areas of education, wellness and the fight against hunger.
Thank you for your understanding as we made changes to the roster. We made some tough decisions this past season. The trades in particular were not easy to contemplate, but they were the right decisions for the future of this team. With the young talent, draft picks and cap space we got in return we will have an opportunity to build something much greater than we had. Even after the trades I thought we had a good shot at making the Playoffs, but failure has always made me work harder and this time will be no different.
There were a lot of good questions from my sit down with bobcats.com and the town hall meeting with Season Ticket Holders last night. The link below will take you to video of that interview and a transcript from the meeting will be posted on our website tomorrow. I hope you have a moment to watch and read what my executive team and I had to say about a variety of basketball, business and community topics.
For your support this season, let me say one final thank you, on behalf of our players, coaches and staff. This team belongs to you as much as anyone, and I'm proud to be partners with you as we build something special here in Charlotte.
Sincerely,
Michael Jordan

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Got this letter in my email yesterday.  Figured I'd share it with you loyal Bobcats fans.  If I felt that Michael Jordan actually was sending it, I'd respond back and let him know what I really think!  Instead, I'll have to wait to see him at the game, lol.

Continue reading this post »

That's fine.  They can have him.  I haven't been a fan of his very much, especially his decision making.  In what is probably the Bobcats most uplifting win of the whole season, he had 9 turnovers.

Of course, they're not getting him without Diop.

Try this trade on for size, which doesn't require an extra team.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=2ewa2zy

Brewer isn't getting his starters minutes in Chicago and Stephen Jackson is a sufficient replacement defender who will eat up minutes, while also being able to spread the floor like Korver did.  Bogans and Thomas were barely playing anyway, and both would be servicable to us.  Bogans can hit a three and is a capable defneder
.  I doubt at all Chicago would get rid of Korver, he's already become a fan favorite (as he does wherever he goes) and has gotten involved in the community, but he has to be thrown in to make the numbers work.

If we need an extra trade partner, then how about the team Chicago is trying to be, the Utah Jazz.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=2e47ejj

We get rid of Jackson, Diop, Diaw and Carroll but manage to free up even more space for next season despite taking on AK-47's contract.  He is going to have to sign for less money no matter what next season, and perhaps we can entice him to come here, although I would expect him to sign with New Jersey next season, you know the Russian thing. (If anyone is going to overpay him, it's NJ.)  For the future, we get Brewer, who is one of the few SG's who is actually a BETTER defender than Jackson, although we lose a considerable amount of offense.  The fact that we get so much cap space going into the CBA while remaining competive this season can't be ignored.

Why it works for us: we lose nothing defensively and gain one of the most versatile players in the NBA in Kirilenko, who plays at his best at the 4.  Can you imagine he and Wallace on the floor at the same time?  Basically, the not lazy version of Diaw. Kurt Thomas could be servicable.

Why it works for Chicago: they want Jackson to play alongside Rose.  No matter what, I can't see us getting rid of one of our best players without making someone take Diop.  They can afford to take on that albatross because nearly their entire team is locked up for awhile.

Why it works for Utah: despite the emergence of CJ Miles as a consistent 3 point threat they really miss Korver to spread the floor and I don't want to get into the racial implications as well.  Carroll would work perfectly in Sloan's heavy screen offense.   Luol Deng is one of my personal favorite players in the NBA and is incredibly versatile, and Diaw, well, if any coach in the NBA could make him lose weight and play 100%, it's Jerry Sloan.  Plus they'll be happy to get rid of Kirilenko's contract for Deng's, who is worth every penny of his 11 million.

Thoughts?  Why I'm crazy? Why I'm a genious?

Or, rather, I think they should keep their core of players.  It seemed pretty obvious to me that Larry Brown gave up after the first week of the season when he started all of the convoluted line ups and odd playing times.  But I personally think, with the right coach and the right strategy the current roster we have could be very good.

Paul Silas has the right idea, to speed things up.  You have DJ Augustin, Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson in your starting lineup.  All four have played for high octane offenses in the past (Augustin in college) and probably aren't suited BEST for half court offensive sets.

Our reserve players are all bursting with potential and giving Derek Brown and Gerald Henderson more minutes has to be a focus as well.  Sean Livingston and Kwame Brown continue to improve every game and I would think both would eventually be full time starters before season's end, bringing DJ and Nazr off the bench for scoring punch in the second unit.

Then there's Matt Carroll.  In his first run with the Bobcats he was utilized perfectly.  Now, for whatever reason, he's been constantly forced to try and create his own shots.  He's a spot jump shooter, that is WHY he's in the NBA.  Why not use him for that purpose?  For 10-18 minutes a game, Carroll should be on the floor for the sole purpose of clearing the lane for Gerald and DJ to penetrate.  Give him one rotation open look per game, hopefully he hits it, and instantly the defenses have to be honest.

Do I think the current Bobcats are a championship team? Absolutely not.  But playoff bound? Definately.  And if properly utilized they can you know, NOT be swept by Orlando in the first round.

Now don't get me wrong, if the right trade presents itself, then we should take the bait, but I do NOT think blowing up the team is the best option.  Diop has played well this year sans turnovers and his contract is an albatross.  Maybe we're better off keeping him and giving him more minutes, subbing him for Kwame and putting in Nazr when we need as I said before, some second unit punch.

And keep Tyrus in the second unit.  Give him more minutes, of course, but keep him there to keep the game exciting and more importantly to get his blocks and rebounds to start the fast break for the reserves.

At least, that's how I'd do it.

Scottie Pippen joined Triad morning radio show Two Guys Named Chris this morning, somewhat unexpectedly.  There was no announcement about this whatsoever, and apparently the interview was impromptu, arranged by one of the co-hosts, Deidre James.  "Darth" Pippen entertained several questions from the two hosts (Chris Kelly and Chris Demm) including Lebron-gate, his new product, and, somewhat uncomfortably, questions about his finances.

Paraphrased:

CK: "We've seen a lot of athletes, especially NBA players, have trouble with their finances following their careers.  Is money a concern for you?"

SP: "Not really.  I know first hand what kind of situations can arise, but  think I'm doing well enough now."

This was ironic because Pippen was promoting Prime joint support formula from Market America.  Pippen goes on to say that it's important to have someone you trust managing your money, but even someone you trust can turn on you.  I assume that he's blaming someone else for his past money problems and bad investments.  But I don't know the backstory.

CK: "What advice would you give an NBA rookie, say John Wall?  What ONE THING would you tell him before his career started?"

SP: "Watch your own money and put all of your money in a savings account."

CK: "I remember Charles Barkley said the same exact thing."

They then go on to talk more about the Prime formula, with Kelly saying he needs some for his heels, which isn't even a joint, and Dem saying he needs it for his knees.  Pippen says he uses it daily.

When asked about Lebron, Pippen says he thought the whole ESPN thing was classless, but said that he had no problem with James decision to go to Miami.  He says that all players want to win a championship and said it was no different than him and Rodman coming to play with Jordan.  I found this VERY interesting.  Especially considering how so many people have said it's definately NOT like that situation. (I have personally agreed with Pippen).

Continue reading this post »

 

According to Chris Broussard, Paul wants to go to the Knicks, Magic, Mavs or Blazers.

Nothing about Charlotte. The Lakers are NOT in the mix. Blazers are his most likely destination.

So it really seems like the Bobcats are out at this point, despite our naive optimism. ESPN first take also thinks Blazers are most likely destination, Knicks (of those four) are least likely.

They can, HOWEVER, send Chris Paul to the highest bidder as Paul doesn't have a no trade clause.

 

Gerald Henderson was awarded the NBA.com/Yahoo! Dunk Of The Night for last night's game against the New Jersey Nets.

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/player/nba/19119930;_ylt=AiEHeZanE2MYJvDtRmPMyju8vLYF#nba/19119930

It's a little sad to me, though, that the YES Network's call of the dunk was much better than our own announcing team's. Steve Martin and Dell Curry had better pick it up!

Either way, though, enjoy it, folks.  This might be the last Hendo sighting we see until next year!