|
Written by Zach Harper
|
|
Sunday, 25 October 2009 09:30 |
|
 We’ve all seen Office Space.
We all know about the scene in which the two Bobs are interviewing workers and trying to assess whether or not they should keep their job. Other than the Michael Bolton banter, my favorite moment of these interviews is when they’re talking to the “Jump To Conclusions Mat” guy. They’re quizzing him on his daily duties with Initech and it turns out he doesn’t actually do a whole lot because there are so many go-betweens before the customer actually gets to talk to him. Well, one of the Bobs asks him at one point, “What would you say YOU DO here?” It’s a line that kills me every time. In fact, I probably use it on a daily basis. And that’s the question I have for the Bobcats regarding their existence in the NBA.
What would you say THEY’VE DONE here?
In their five seasons as an NBA franchise, they’ve won 144 games. That’s three more wins than the most historically successful run that the Bulls made from 1995 to 1997. The Bobcats have managed to not turn a single first round pick into a viable, marketable asset. Of their nine first round draft picks in team history, only four of them are still with the team and the best player is probably D.J. Augustin. They’ve decided to be frugal with their cap space except for the time they traded for Jason Richardson in a desperate and failed attempt to make a run at the eighth seed in the East. Oh by the way, the closest they’ve come to the playoffs is finishing four games out, thanks to a pathetic showing from the Pistons last year.
So again, I ask the Bobs, “What would you say YOU DO here?”
Record Last Year: 35-47
Players Welcomed: Tyson Chandler, Gerald Henderson, Derrick Brown, Flip Murray
Players Kicked to the Curb: Emeka Okafor, Sean May, Juwan Howard, Cartier Martin, Sean Singletary
Five Questions
1. Who is the go-to scorer?
I guess the go-to guy on this team is Gerald Wallace because he averages the most points and has the biggest contract. But is that really the solution at the end of games for this team when they need a bucket? Of the jump shots that Gerald Wallace took at the end of games last season (39% of his “clutch” shots), the pride of Childersburg, Alabama had an efficient field goal percentage of 8.3%. That’s not a typo. It wasn’t 83%. It was 8.3%. I don’t have the statistical data of all-time clutch shooting in front of me but I’m going to guess that 8.3% efficient field goal percentage is historically god-awful. In fact, his eFG% for all types of shots combined was just 35.5%. So where should this team go? Do they just hand Wallace the ball and hope he gets to the free throw line?
Years ago, I was certain that Raymond Felton was going to become this guy for the team. I was watching a Cavs-Bobs game and Felton was going back and forth with LeBron James. It was toe-to-toe, tête-à-tête, mano-y-mano. And with the confidence and ability that Felton showed in the fourth quarter, it seemed completely probable he would eventually be the hero at the end of most games. Now? He’s almost averagely played his way out of Queen City and the new hero in town is most likely to be D.J. Augustin. You probably run D.J. off a few screens, have him curl in towards the top of the key or away towards the corner and set him up for a jumper. He made 45.7% of those jumpers in clutch situations last year. The problem is if D.J. Augustin is your best go-to scorer with the game on the line, how many games are you going to be able to close out?
2. Is Raymond Felton’s time up here?
In a word, yes. In a few more words, I would be shocked if Raymond Felton started the 2010-2011 season in the Bobs blue and pinstripes. If you look at the short, four-year career of Raymond Felton, he actually puts up very respectable numbers. Over the last three seasons, he’s been good for 14 points and seven assists per game with 40% from the field and under three turnovers per game. The only guys that have put up numbers like that during this time period were Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Andre Miller, Baron Davis, Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups, and Tony Parker. That’s not a bad list to be on. So why hasn’t Raymond been locked up to a contract extension and been given the keys to the franchise? Because he’s never really gotten any better.
Outside of his rookie season, his numbers from year two to year four are pretty much identical. The only thing that has really changed is his three-point shooting and that has regressed. After making 200 threes (34%) his first two seasons, he’s made just 115 (28%) his last two seasons. He’s not helping them win games but he’s also not causing them to lose. He’s keeping them just on the cusp of mattering and unfortunately for Bob Johnson, that doesn’t sell tickets or merchandise. So if you were wondering whether or not it’s time to invest in a Felton jersey, I’d wait until we see where his next paycheck is coming from. Because it’s probably not going to be in Charlotte.
3. Is the defense better with Tyson Chandler?
Last season, the Bobcats and Hornets put up very similar numbers in terms of pace and defensive rating. The Bobcats averaged 88.3 possessions per game (good for 27th) and the Hornets averaged 87.8 (good for 28th). As for defensive rating, Charlotte was seventh in the NBA with a rating of 106.1 and New Orleans was ninth with 107.0. Why does any of this matter? The Bobs and Hornets hooked up for a trade this off-season by swapping centers. Emeka Okafor, the original building block for the Bobcats, was sent to ‘Nola for Tyson Chandler, a defensive/lob catching specialist. While the main part of this trade was to save money for each side (Bobcats long-term, Hornets luxury tax short-term), they still have to go out on the floor with Tyson Chandler and see what they’ve got.
By the numbers, the Bobcats have acquired a slightly lesser defender and a much worse offensive player. With two teams that are so similar in terms of pace and defensive rating, you really can get a lot out of the individual defensive rating statistic found on basketball-reference.com. Okafor’s rating last year was 103 while Chandler’s was 107. Okafor’s defensive rebounding percentage last year was 25.2% while Chandler’s was 19.2%. And the blocked shot percentage for Emeka was 4.2% with Ty-Chan’s coming in at 3.3%. So by the numbers, it seems like the Bobcats got worse defensively by acquiring a “defensive specialist.”
What will Tyson bring to this team, you ask? Well, he’s always had this reputation as a shot-blocking rebounder who flew through the air and caused havoc around the basket. But is he really a good shot blocker if he’s never had more than 150 blocks in a season one time? With Ty-Chan, it’s more about the threat his physical presence than anything. His long, slender frame and jumping ability change more shots than he’ll actually touch. The good news for Charlotte fans is that the defense definitely didn’t get worse with the center swap. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to get any better.
4. Are they playoff bound?
This was a 35-win team last season and failed to acquire a reliable scorer and/or an upgrade at center. Instead, they’re hoping for D.J. Augustin to grab the reigns of the offense, Gerald Wallace to stay healthy, and guys like Gerald Henderson and Flip Murray to provide some much needed scoring off the bench. This is probably the most athletic team they’ve ever had and will try to utilize that to some degree. The problem with this team is they don’t have a ton of talent. They have a team full of role players without a single guy who can carry them for two weeks at a time. Boris Diaw is their second best player and we’re not sure how a full season of Frenchness will work in North Carolina.
Don’t expect them to run any more because Larry Brown doesn’t really coach that way. Expect them to play great defense at a slow pace and try to squeak out some close wins in order to approach 40 wins and a possible playoff berth. Just don’t expect any games for the Bobs to play any games after the regular season. They aren’t built for it.
5. Isn’t it about time Larry Brown moved on?
On average, Larry Brown spends just under three seasons (2.7) with each team he coaches in the NBA. The longest tenure he’s ever kept with one team is his six-year run in Philadelphia. And we all remember his shortest run with a team when he was fired from the Knicks because he couldn’t find a way to make a washed-up backcourt of Stephon Marbury and something called a Steve Francis work. What an idiot!!!
LB has always been a fantastic coach (as you can tell by the Hall of Fame induction) and only had a losing season in five of his 25 years (four of those came in the first year with the team). But he gets itchy when he’s been in the same place for too long. I used to get the same way when I worked retail. You don’t want to get comfortable at all because then you actually have to commit to being around those people for longer than you would ever want. I’m kind of shocked that an NBA coach could be the same way, especially since there is so much turnover. You would think job security would be important to coaches more than anything. But not Larry Brown. He’s probably already packing up his office and looking to sneak out the back. Just leave the money on the dresser when you’re down, Larry.
Prediction: 12th in East, 5th in Southeast
Everybody really wants this team to finally evolve and progress into becoming a playoff team. The city is almost owed it after what George Shinn did in ripping the Hornets out of here. There just isn’t a lot to get excited about with this team. You love their role players and the fight they’ll put up this season. It just won’t be enough.
Now, let’s get talking about those TPS reports…
For excellent Bobcats coverage:
Queen City Hoops
Rufus on Fire
|
|
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 