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The Charlotte Bobcats got cold feet and didn’t pull the trigger on the Jose Calderon for Boris Diaw and Tyson Chandler deal.  Instead, they sent Chandler and Alexis Ajinca to Dallas, and they received Erick Dampier, Matt Carroll, and Eduardo Najera in return.  We get three blue collar veterans.  Well, Najera is one.  You also know what Carroll is going to give us – outside shooting.  The headliner of the deal, Dampier, may be the weakest link – Shaq used to call him “Ericka.”  This trade, however, isn’t about acquiring blue collar guys.  This deal was all about salary cap implications, and it was likely done to set us future moves.  At least I hope it was, because I do not like our roster as it currently stands.  We have holes at PG and C, and we have two washed-up centers from the Mavs Finals chokejob against the Heat (although the refs had something to do with that). 

I would not be surprised to see the guys we just acquired in this trade (especially Dampier) along with Diaw involved in a future trade.  If the Bobs can’t make anything happen, they can simply cut Dampier and save $13million outright, or they can use that money to sign other players.  The problem is that most of the notable free agents are gone.  So, the Bobs will likely have to pull off another deal.

End of the Ajinca Experiment:  The trade does spell the end of the Alexis Ajinca era in Charlotte.  Talk about a trade done awry.  Ajinca is a first round pick who has a total of 30 made field goals in his two year career.  He’s still young and he can still make something of his career, but it wasn’t going to happen in Charlotte.  Once Larry Brown gives up on you, he’s done with you and there is no turning back.

T-Rex is staying in the QC.

The Bobs ended up not making any moves on draft night.  No trades, not even for a 2nd round pick.  In hindsight, I can’t say I’m upset.  Sure, it’s great to have a little excitement during the draft.  There is nothing like the hope and optimism created on draft night when your team picks up a young player, but the truth is that the Bobcats suck at drafting.  There is no use chronicling all our draft failures, and we have only been around for six years.  I have no problem with us sitting out of something we’re not very good at and focusing on something that we have done well in the past, which is to make trades and improve our roster in ways that don’t involve the draft.  There was no use in being hasty and trading a proven player for an unknown commodity.  As Queen City Hoops said, remember what the Alexis Ajinca trade got us a few years ago:  nothing.

The Bobs didn’t exactly start off free agency with a bang either.  Despite Scott Fowler’s illogical rant (why is this guy always obsessed with overpaying for overrated free agents?), they really didn’t have the cap room to do anything (since Michael Jordan does not want to pay luxury tax).  However, they made their first moves today.  They locked up Tyrus Thomas to a five-year deal and bulked up the far end of the bench by adding Dominic McGuire.  However, it looks like Raymond Felton is gone.  

I like what the Bobs are doing.  There was no way they could justify overpaying for Felton.  I like Felton, but the guy turned down the money when it was offered to him last season and sucked in the playoffs.  Don’t feel bad for Raymond, he got the Knicks, who were forced to overreact and make a splash after losing out on the LeBron sweepstakes, to overpay for him.  The Bobs have a hole to fill at PG, but all indications are that they are not done with their offseason moves.  They didn’t pay Thomas $8 million a year for him to be a backup.  It was pretty clear during the playoffs that Thomas should be starting over Boris Diaw, and that may happen.  Diaw is the one guy the Bobs could likely part with to clear some cap room and acquire help at PG (he is the only guy that we would be willing to give up and that others teams would actually be willing to take). 

I like it when my teams make moves that make sense.  Thomas played great since he arrived in Charlotte.  Larry Brown’s coaching has really improved his game, and it should only get better.  By the end of the season, he was outplaying Diaw.  So, we lock him up and he very well may open the season as the starting PF.  On the other hand, Jameer Nelson schooled Felton, and we let him walk.

I’m not going to get delusional about the Bobs.  A 6 seed in the East is the ceiling for them.  Yet, I don’t buy all the talk around town about how they have not done anything to improve this team.  Keep in mind that half of this team wasn’t even on the roster when last season started.  The Bobs record improved significantly after the Stephen Jackson trade.  The Bobs finished last season with a 44-38 record, but they played better than 44-win basketball after the Jack trade.  For once, we may have some continuity.  Give these guys an offseason and training camp together, and we should be able equal or slightly improve upon last season’s record.

If there is one thing we have learned about Larry Brown in his two seasons in Charlotte is that the guy isn’t very subtle.  He says what he is thinking, and everything he says has a purpose.  Unlike the other pro coach in town, John Fox, Brown does not try to hide much.  So far, whenever Brown has mentioned a possible trade involving the Bobs, they usually pull the trigger on a deal soon afterwards.  Well, Brown has hinted that the Bobs may trade into the draft.  Rick Bonnell has reported that the word around the league is that the Bobs are looking to make a move, and he has repeatedly mentioned the possibility of us making a trade.  Ownership is even willing to increase the payroll significantly to improve on the court.  Sounds like something is up.  All of a sudden, Bobcats fans have to tune in Thursday night even if they don’t care about the other 29 teams in the NBA.

The problem with all of these rumors are that they might be true, but the Bobs may still not make much of a splash.  They seem interested in a late first round or second round pick.  That won’t exactly blow anyone’s hair back.  They may not even trade for a pick.  Bonnell reports that the T.J. Ford trade is still a possibility and Jarrett Jack is also on the trading block.  It seems as if Brown may just try to get the kind of backup point guard he covets.  Nothing really major.  Yet, there is still a chance we do something big.  Larry Bird is willing to trade the 10 pick for a point guard.  Oh yeah, CP3 seems to be available too.  I know these are long shots, but for once, we have the risk-taking owner who isn’t afraid to open up his wallet to build a winner.  It’s pretty clear that Michael Jordan will do anything to win a championship.

Game 4:  I think that we had all accepted the reality that the Magic were just plain better than the Bobs by the time Game 4 rolled around.  A week late, though, I still have some thoughts.  Gerald Wallace missed two free throws and Jameer Nelson hit a three on the other end.  Five point swing, and it perfectly summarized my previous post about this series.  If there was any positive, it was the crowd.  I was sitting there about midway through the game, and all I could think about was “this reminds me of the Hornets days.”  We’ve had the Bobcats for six years now, and it was the first time I had that thought.  The enthusiasm by the crowd was especially impressive considering we were down 3-0 and our elimination was a foregone conclusion. 

Larry Brown:  I certainly hope he returns next season, and the more I read about him and Jordan in the Observer, I become more assured that he will in fact stay in Charlotte.  That being said, it’s Larry Brown.  You are almost being dishonest with yourself if you don’t think there is at least a 50% chance that he leaves.  That’s just what Larry does, and you can’t be offended by it.  I don’t think we’ll really know his final answer until around draft time in June.

Next Season’s Roster:  There is a consensus that we can’t really do much to improve/change the roster for next season due to the fact that we really don’t have much room under the cap, and that MJ is not willing to pay the luxury tax.  That is true and we won’t make a splash in free agency, but it doesn’t mean that MJ won’t pull off some trades.  I’m not going to pretend that I fully understand the salary implications of making various trades work, but I think that just about anyone on our roster other than Gerald Wallace can be had by another team.  Guys like Boris Diaw, D.J. Augustin, and Tyson Chandler are all candidates to be traded if it will improve our team.  Stephen Jackson will likely be back, but even he can be had for the right price.  I have no idea what will happen with the Raymond Felton situation after his disastrous playoff performance.  Will the Bobs let him walk for free?  Will they make a low offer?  Will they sign and trade?  It should be an interesting offseason – the first with MJ as the principal owner.

Game 4:  I think that we had all accepted the reality that the Magic were just plain better than the Bobs by the time Game 4 rolled around.  A week late, though, I still have some thoughts.  Gerald Wallace missed two free throws and Jameer Nelson hit a three on the other end.  Five point swing, and it perfectly summarized my previous post about this series.  If there was any positive, it was the crowd.  I was sitting there about midway through the game, and all I could think about was “this reminds me of the Hornets days.”  We’ve had the Bobcats for six years now, and it was the first time I had that thought.  The enthusiasm by the crowd was especially impressive considering we were down 3-0 and our elimination was a foregone conclusion. 

Larry Brown:  I certainly hope he returns next season, and the more I read about him and Jordan in the Observer, I become more assured that he will in fact stay in Charlotte.  That being said, it’s Larry Brown.  You are almost being dishonest with yourself if you don’t think there is at least a 50% chance that he leaves.  That’s just what Larry does, and you can’t be offended by it.  I don’t think we’ll really know his final answer until around draft time in June.

Next Season’s Roster:  There is a consensus that we can’t really do much to improve/change the roster for next season due to the fact that we really don’t have much room under the cap, and that MJ is not willing to pay the luxury tax.  That is true and we won’t make a splash in free agency, but it doesn’t mean that MJ won’t pull off some trades.  I’m not going to pretend that I fully understand the salary implications of making various trades work, but I think that just about anyone on our roster other than Gerald Wallace can be had by another team.  Guys like Boris Diaw, D.J. Augustin, and Tyson Chandler are all candidates to be traded if it will improve our team.  Stephen Jackson will likely be back, but even he can be had for the right price.  I have no idea what will happen with the Raymond Felton situation after his disastrous playoff performance.  Will the Bobs let him walk for free?  Will they make a low offer?  Will they sign and trade?  It should be an interesting offseason – the first with MJ as the principal owner.

Game 4:  I think that we had all accepted the reality that the Magic were just plain better than the Bobs by the time Game 4 rolled around.  A week late, though, I still have some thoughts.  Gerald Wallace missed two free throws and Jameer Nelson hit a three on the other end.  Five point swing, and it perfectly summarized my previous post about this series.  If there was any positive, it was the crowd.  I was sitting there about midway through the game, and all I could think about was “this reminds me of the Hornets days.”  We’ve had the Bobcats for six years now, and it was the first time I had that thought.  The enthusiasm by the crowd was especially impressive considering we were down 3-0 and our elimination was a foregone conclusion. 

Larry Brown:  I certainly hope he returns next season, and the more I read about him and Jordan in the Observer, I become more assured that he will in fact stay in Charlotte.  That being said, it’s Larry Brown.  You are almost being dishonest with yourself if you don’t think there is at least a 50% chance that he leaves.  That’s just what Larry does, and you can’t be offended by it.  I don’t think we’ll really know his final answer until around draft time in June.

Next Season’s Roster:  There is a consensus that we can’t really do much to improve/change the roster for next season due to the fact that we really don’t have much room under the cap, and that MJ is not willing to pay the luxury tax.  That is true and we won’t make a splash in free agency, but it doesn’t mean that MJ won’t pull off some trades.  I’m not going to pretend that I fully understand the salary implications of making various trades work, but I think that just about anyone on our roster other than Gerald Wallace can be had by another team.  Guys like Boris Diaw, D.J. Augustin, and Tyson Chandler are all candidates to be traded if it will improve our team.  Stephen Jackson will likely be back, but even he can be had for the right price.  I have no idea what will happen with the Raymond Felton situation after his disastrous playoff performance.  Will the Bobs let him walk for free?  Will they make a low offer?  Will they sign and trade?  It should be an interesting offseason – the first with MJ as the principal owner.

Game 4:  I think that we had all accepted the reality that the Magic were just plain better than the Bobs by the time Game 4 rolled around.  A week late, though, I still have some thoughts.  Gerald Wallace missed two free throws and Jameer Nelson hit a three on the other end.  Five point swing, and it perfectly summarized my previous post about this series.  If there was any positive, it was the crowd.  I was sitting there about midway through the game, and all I could think about was “this reminds me of the Hornets days.”  We’ve had the Bobcats for six years now, and it was the first time I had that thought.  The enthusiasm by the crowd was especially impressive considering we were down 3-0 and our elimination was a foregone conclusion. 

Larry Brown:  I certainly hope he returns next season, and the more I read about him and Jordan in the Observer, I become more assured that he will in fact stay in Charlotte.  That being said, it’s Larry Brown.  You are almost being dishonest with yourself if you don’t think there is at least a 50% chance that he leaves.  That’s just what Larry does, and you can’t be offended by it.  I don’t think we’ll really know his final answer until around draft time in June.

Next Season’s Roster:  There is a consensus that we can’t really do much to improve/change the roster for next season due to the fact that we really don’t have much room under the cap, and that MJ is not willing to pay the luxury tax.  That is true and we won’t make a splash in free agency, but it doesn’t mean that MJ won’t pull off some trades.  I’m not going to pretend that I fully understand the salary implications of making various trades work, but I think that just about anyone on our roster other than Gerald Wallace can be had by another team.  Guys like Boris Diaw, D.J. Augustin, and Tyson Chandler are all candidates to be traded if it will improve our team.  Stephen Jackson will likely be back, but even he can be had for the right price.  I have no idea what will happen with the Raymond Felton situation after his disastrous playoff performance.  Will the Bobs let him walk for free?  Will they make a low offer?  Will they sign and trade?  It should be an interesting offseason – the first with MJ as the principal owner.

The Charlotte Bobcats almost stole Game 1 in Orlando, but they Magic were able to hang on late for the win.  If the Bobs had won, I don’t know if they would have deserved it.  At times, the played like crap.  At other times, they were absolutely unbelievable.  Total polar opposites not just in the two halves, but almost every other possession (or at least so it seemed). 

Great job by TNT picking up Larry Brown’s pep talk in the huddle.  It was the story of the game.  After that timeout (I think it was early in the 3rd quarter), the Bobs started punching the Magic in the nose.  It was almost enough to come back from 22 down and win, and that’s a huge testament to Larry Brown.  It’s amazing how much NBA players respect him.  That’s really saying something considering that most of these guys are known for their disrespect.  The Bobs were down 22, but they held their heads up and fought their hearts out for Brown.  The Magic, on the other hand, were blowing us out but they were still so mentally fragile.  Vince Carter pouted about ticky-tacky fouls that were irrelevant at the time. 

America, meet Gerald Wallace.  Brown’s influence is most evident with Gerald Wallace.  There is a story floating around Charlotte about how Brown is the first real coach Wallace has ever had.  After two years of Brown’s coaching, Gerald Wallace was clearly the best player on the court in the NBA Playoffs.  Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, and Stephen Jackson were on the same court.  Brown just has a way with these guys; they want to listen to him, and he makes them better.  He made Wallace an All-Star.

I can deal with this loss.  It’s the playoffs; we weren’t going to sweep these guys.  The goal is to get one out of two in Orlando, and we still have a great chance to do that.  That being said, I don’t think game 2 is a must-win.  I don’t think all those 3s will fall for the Magic on the road.  However, I do expect us to play better Monday night.  While a good bulk of our roster has playoff experience, it was the first time Wallace and Raymond Felton have gotten some game time in the playoffs.  Those are two key players, and the inexperience really showed with Felton in the first half.  Jameer Nelson absolutely ate his lunch.  Felton and the Bobs regrouped in the second half, but I expect a full 48 minutes from us in game 2. 

I’m also looking forward to seeing what kind of adjustments Brown will make for game 2.  Bill Simmons was right on (he also shows some Steph Curry love).  The Magic were the better team, but Brown’s coaching kept us in it tonight.  He now has two nights to play some chess with Stan Van Gundy.  Hopefully Jack will feel better by Wednesday as well.  Go Bobs!

The Charlotte Bobcats almost stole Game 1 in Orlando, but they Magic were able to hang on late for the win.  If the Bobs had won, I don’t know if they would have deserved it.  At times, the played like crap.  At other times, they were absolutely unbelievable.  Total polar opposites not just in the two halves, but almost every other possession (or at least so it seemed). 

Great job by TNT picking up Larry Brown’s pep talk in the huddle.  It was the story of the game.  After that timeout (I think it was early in the 3rd quarter), the Bobs started punching the Magic in the nose.  It was almost enough to come back from 22 down and win, and that’s a huge testament to Larry Brown.  It’s amazing how much NBA players respect him.  That’s really saying something considering that most of these guys are known for their disrespect.  The Bobs were down 22, but they held their heads up and fought their hearts out for Brown.  The Magic, on the other hand, were blowing us out but they were still so mentally fragile.  Vince Carter pouted about ticky-tacky fouls that were irrelevant at the time. 

America, meet Gerald Wallace.  Brown’s influence is most evident with Gerald Wallace.  There is a story floating around Charlotte about how Brown is the first real coach Wallace has ever had.  After two years of Brown’s coaching, Gerald Wallace was clearly the best player on the court in the NBA Playoffs.  Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, and Stephen Jackson were on the same court.  Brown just has a way with these guys; they want to listen to him, and he makes them better.  He made Wallace an All-Star.

I can deal with this loss.  It’s the playoffs; we weren’t going to sweep these guys.  The goal is to get one out of two in Orlando, and we still have a great chance to do that.  That being said, I don’t think game 2 is a must-win.  I don’t think all those 3s will fall for the Magic on the road.  However, I do expect us to play better Monday night.  While a good bulk of our roster has playoff experience, it was the first time Wallace and Raymond Felton have gotten some game time in the playoffs.  Those are two key players, and the inexperience really showed with Felton in the first half.  Jameer Nelson absolutely ate his lunch.  Felton and the Bobs regrouped in the second half, but I expect a full 48 minutes from us in game 2. 

I’m also looking forward to seeing what kind of adjustments Brown will make for game 2.  Bill Simmons was right on (he also shows some Steph Curry love).  The Magic were the better team, but Brown’s coaching kept us in it tonight.  He now has two nights to play some chess with Stan Van Gundy.  Hopefully Jack will feel better by Wednesday as well.  Go Bobs!