Published: June 20, 2008
While the rest of the world is busy celebrating the fact that Bill Russell doesn’t have to lend out any of his hard-earned man jewellery, I decided to take the general theme of “team success, winning and overall fan satisfaction” and work backwards. As a result, I present to you, The Life and Times of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Though technically the Atlanta Hawks claim ownership of the worst record in the NBA’s six-division era, they lose points for a) abandoning the disgusting ketchup-and-mustard jersey theme of yesteryear (prompting at least some, albeit superficial, interest in the lowly franchise) and b) making the playoffs this season, despite finishing four games below .500.
With promising big man Al Horford set to come back even more dominant than last season, and the continued improvement of Josh Smith inevitable, calling out the historically-lousy franchise is nowhere near as chic as it used to be.
Even though the Hawks managed just 106 wins over the past four seasons, all eyes are on Charlotte as they continue to fight their way out of the league’s basement. On a side note, does it make anybody else’s stomach hurt that the two worst teams over the past four seasons weren’t even the worst team in their own division this season? That distinction would belong to the Miami Heat. The Southeast Division is a mess.
Back to Charlotte. Picture yourself in North Carolina, the Mecca of college basketball. Is there any other State in America that can say with utmost confidence that a combination of their all-time state college teams would easily demolish an all-time state NBA team? Think about it, between UNC, Duke, Wake Forest and NC State, residents of Upper Carolina are by no means short of basketball heritage, they just lack the professional track record that makes the NBA so enjoyable.
In four years the Bobcats have hosted but a child’s share of decent basketball players, namely Emeka Okafor, Gerald Wallace and Jason Richardson. Throw Raymond Felton and 2004-05 Primoz Brezec in there as well. Heck, not even Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson and Glen Rice could save this team from the inevitable doom they would face if they were to ever find themselves up against a UNC/Duke hybrid alumni team. Add in Chris Paul and Tim Duncan from Wake Forest and anybody else that played NCAA basketball in state and you’ve got yourself a massacre.
So what’s wrong here? Aside from Okafor and Felton, the Cats have had a modest few rookie disappointments (Adam Morrison and Sean May, I’m looking at you), a non-existent presence on the free agent market and – aside from the draft day trade that brought in Jason Richardson last summer – an incredibly unambitious trade resume featuring little more than Nazr Mohammed, Keith Bogans and Melvin Ely as acquired assets.
It’s early, I know, and in terms of expansion teams they’re really doing alright, but it doesn’t change the fact that, in a world where the Atlanta Hawks can go from a 13-win team to a playoff team, four years in the basement can get old pretty fast. How long will the expansion team label be considered an excuse? Was it three years? Will it be five? More?
With just the ninth pick in the 2008 Draft, the ‘Cats have little reason to believe that next season will be leaps and bounds better than the last, but with recently hired Larry Brown at the helm and rumours swirling about a potential deal that could bring in Rasheed Wallace from the Detroit Pistons, a chance does exists that this team sneaks into the playoffs.
It’s hard to sympathize with a collection of fans privy to the best college basketball in the country, but as far as the NBA is concerned, you have to be crossing your fingers for a Bobcat revolution.
So what happens next? No one really knows for sure, maybe they run off with a steal in the June 26 Draft, trade for Rasheed Wallace and then follow Larry Brown’s guidance to the top of the Southeast Division (emphasis on Southeast Division, the Eastern Conference of the Eastern Conference), or maybe they just nestle down for another year’s worth of mediocrity. If nothing else, at least it’s something to talk about other than the Boston Celtics.
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Photo Credit: Icon Sports Media
