• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Sports Bank

News. Sports. Arts & Entertainment. Politics

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Archives
  • Media
  • The Sports Bank in Book Form
  • Premier League Book

NBA Power Rankings: #24 Charlotte Bobcats

September 22, 2009 By paulmbanks 1 Comment

Share

charlotte_bobcats

by: David Kay

2008-09 Season Summary:
The Bobcats were a playoff contender for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference until they lost seven of their final eight games. Still, Charlotte showed some signs of life, finishing with their best record in their short five-year history. They made some aggressive moves during the season to try and improve their roster, trading for veterans Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, Vladimir Radmanovic, and Nazr Mohammed while at the same limiting whatever cap space they may have this off-season. First year head coach Larry Brown brought the best out of this group and leaves a positive outlook for the future.

Depth Chart:
C: Tyson Chandler/DeSagana Diop/Nazr Mohammed
PF: Boris Diaw/Alexis Ajinca
SF: Gerald Wallace/Vladimir Radmanovic/Derrick Brown
SG: Raja Bell/Gerald Henderson
PG: Raymond Felton/D.J. Augustin

Head Coach: Larry Brown (2nd year)

2009-2010 Team Salary: $59.8 million
Projected 2010-2011 Team Salary: approximately $58.0 million

Off-Season Grade: Failed

When the Charlotte franchise was given new life, they went about building their roster the right way; not over-paying veterans and building a team of talented youngsters.  Along the way to their current position a couple things happened to stunt the growth of their franchise.

1- Their young players never fully reached their potential or ended up being busts (see Sean May and Adam Morrison.)
2- They took on some terrible contracts and made some bad signings.

With little cap flexibility this off-season, the ‘Cats were very quiet until they pulled the trigger on a trade that seemingly came from nowhere.  Charlotte dealt their rock down low, Emeka Okafor to the Hornets for Tyson Chandler in hopes of saving some money in the long-run; a strange move for an offensively handicapped team to trade one of their leading scorers for a defensive minded player.

One of the biggest moves of the summer was the deal they never reached.  Raymond Felton is entering the final year of his rookie contract but the Bobcats were unable to reach a long-term extension with their point guard, meaning he will be an unrestricted free agent next summer unless a deal is made during the year.tysonchandler

Drafting Gerald Henderson seemed to be a move made more out of necessity since the Bobcats didn’t have a lot of depth in their backcourt.  I think he could be a nice player at the next level but nothing more than a role player.

2009-2010 Outlook:
Charlotte actually got worse this off-season which doesn’t put a lot of optimism into this up-coming season.  Larry Brown has worked wonders in his long coaching career and will have to wave a magical wand again this season to get the Bobcats into the post-season.  The ‘Cats finished dead last in the NBA last year in scoring and will certainly be near the bottom of the league again this year as they lack a major scoring punch.  If I was running this team, I would do everything in my power to try and un-load overpaid players like Mohammed or Diop who have pretty awful contracts.  Don’t be surprised if Felton is traded if it seems unlikely that a contract extension will be agreed upon between both sides.

Looking Ahead to the Summer of 2010:
It’s becoming common for Charlotte to end up with a lottery pick and that will likely be the case next summer.  Since they will be over the salary cap barring a trade or two during the season, the Bobcats won’t be able to spend any money in the off-season.

At some point, this franchise needs to find a superstar.  If that is to happen in the next two years, it will have to come via trade.  For an organization that is reported to have financial struggles, the likeliness of that happening doesn’t seem grim.  Plus, there are not a lot of desirable players or expiring contracts on the roster to move.

Follow paulmbanks

Related Posts via Categories

  • Most Popular Events in the US in Terms of Betting
  • Chicago Bulls Pledge to Help End the Gun Violence Epidemic
  • Max Christie: Michigan State Star, NBA Prospect Profile
  • Keegan Murray: Time to Buy NBA Draft Stock of Iowa Hawkeyes Forward
  • Jaden Ivey: Purdue Star a Top 5 Overall NBA Prospect
  • Tributes Pour in For Caleb Swanigan, Dead at 25 Due to Natural Causes
  • Third Quarter Issues Critical for Boston Celtics in NBA Finals
  • The Best NBA Picks and Predictions This Spring
  • Steve Kerr, Rep. Ro Khanna Advancing the Gun Reform Conversation (Exclusive)
  • Steve Kerr Calls Out Mitch McConnell Over Inaction on Gun Legislation

Filed Under: NBA Tagged With: Bobcats depth chart, Bobcats off-season, Bobcats roster, Bobcats salary cap, charlotte bobcats, Charlotte Bobcats predictions, Charlotte Bobcats preview, NBA predictions, NBA previews, Tyson Chandler trade

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. paulmbanks says

    September 22, 2009 at 10:05 PM

    They really are the Charlotte Bobheels, not as much anymore with the roster any
    but in regards to the guys pulling the strings upstairs. mostly a lot of UNC guys…blehhhhh

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

newsnow_f_ab
online casinos not on Gamstop

Best Paypal Casinos

Recent Posts

  • De Jong, Ronaldo Situations Destroying United’s Transfer Window
  • Manchester United Transfer Talk: Marko Arnautovic, Benjamin Sesko, Adrien Rabiot
  • Field of Dreams: Re-Analyzing the Movie Amid the 2nd Real Life MLB Game
  • Cubs and Reds at Least Bring History to Field of Dreams Game
  • Todd Boehly, Gaga Slonina, Christian Pulisic: Chelsea FC Getting More Americanized
  • Mikel Arteta Wants Arsenal to Sign More Players this Summer
  • Premier League Asks Clubs to End Gambling on Shirts
  • Man United News and Notes vs Brighton: Wayne Rooney, Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot
  • United News and Notes vs Brighton: Ronaldo, Ten Hag, Fred, McTominay
  • Manchester City Starting XI Prediction at West Ham United (Season Opener)

From Our Sponsors

OnlineBettingMD

Online Sports Betting

Best football betting sites

 

From Our Sponsors


[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2022 ·Magazine Pro · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress · Log in