Back in late October I wrote “New Season, Same Prediction”. I envisioned 35-47 as the season ending record and that they would be stuck in the vestibule between the first pick and the playoffs. I said if a miracle happened they would win 40 games and capture the 8^th spot. I predicted that Tyson Chandler would miss 40% of the games. I did think that the rookies Gerald Henderson and Alexis Ajinca would not really contribute anything. I thought that the Eastern Conference was going to be better all the way around. I questioned if MJ could motivate vs. intimidate his team. I wondered if Bob Johnson would or could ever regain the trust of the community again especially since putting them up for sale. I later questioned Gerald Wallace’s leadership and was critical of their road prowess or lack thereof.

Well let’s see how the Bobcats did. The first thing that happened is Gerald Wallace began to play like a beast. I have no idea what got into him. He all of a sudden decided that on the court he was going to lead by example. In the locker room he is using the white board to explain his point to the team. He eventually gets appointed to the All-Star reserves and nominated to the Slam Dunk Contest. That did go so well but that’s ok at least he represented.

They finished up 44-38. 12 games better than the year before and 9 games better than I predicted. Now I will disclaim that my prediction was before the acquisition of Stephen Jackson. Jackson in my opinion is the heart of this team. Gerald is the All-Star and Jackson is the leader. I will not open the political can of worms wrapped around Jackson not making the All-Star team. Jackson has really brought the toughness and the will to win. His famous quote this season is “I make love to pressure!” incredible.

Tyson Chandler was a bust not a push in my opinion. I would rather go up against Dwight Howard in the first round of the playoffs with Emeka Okafor than Chandler. Chandler was hurt 40% of the time as I predicted and he took forever to acclimate to the team. He is long but is not contributing like he did in New Orleans. Yes I agree that Raymond Felton is not Chris Paul and that may have something to do with why Chandler is not Tyson Chandler this year.

The rookies didn’t do squat this season. I mean nothing. Henderson lost the coaches confidence even with all of this athleticism. We’ll see if he can play up to a rookie next year. Ajinca, please. He was demoted to the D league earlier in the season. C’Mon Man!

The Ownership. Well, I did not see MJ buying the team from Johnson. That caught me by surprise. A pleasant surprise indeed. This keeps Johnson from putting his foot in his mouth and the team out of the community doghouse. Charlotte won’t put up with another arrogant owner as it did with George Shinn. MJ still has the challenge of motivating and not intimidating but I think he is aware of that based on some of his statements.

I would grade them an B+ overall. The hope is that they continue this forward movement in the years to come and not rest on any of these laurels.

Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Fame Member, Majority Owner, Charlotte Bobcats (35-31).

The interesting thing is that MJ has had the basketball reigns for the last few years. He has had full autonomy with the basketball decisions. Now that he is Majority Owner what’s going to be different? Well let’s see, maybe his position on him being used for dog and pony purposes. He adamantly did not want to be paraded around town or the arena to sell seats. Now he acknowledges that as a majority owner his role will need to be different. He still sees it from the perspective that he needs to be present for the players. He also acknowledges that the team responds differently when he is around. “Wouldn’t you ask differently if your boss was staring at you?” stated MJ at his press conference. He spoke of corporate events and charity events and giving speeches. He’s done all of those things and mentioned that Fred Whitfield President of the team is going ask him to do all of those things in the next six months. So if MJ can use his charm to woo folks to support the team, both tickets and sponsors that is good. I have met him here in Charlotte at a press conference and I tell the first time you shake his hand it’s like whoa, this is Michael Jordan. He them asked me how I was doing. OK he’s a nice guy as well. I’m buying.

Now that his charm and overall ultra sports icon aura will give the numbers and automatic uptick with both insane sports fans and the ‘I hate sports but love Michael Jordan’ folks. He brings the national media. Stuart Scott from ESPN was here to interview MJ for Sunday Conversation. That will help with the television ratings for Fox Sports South with those that live in the state but far enough away that a 3-4 trip to Charlotte isn’t worth it. Perhaps the corporate sponsors who really want the same magic that Nike has with the Jordan Brand. Maybe the decision makers for the corporate sponsors simply just love MJ.

What about the business side? What is going to be different? Bob Johnson did all of the hard work already. He won the franchise bid. He built an arena in Uptown Charlotte. He picked the name. He hired the Executive Team. He got the television deal with Fox Sports South and adjusted the ticket prices. He took a significant loss year after year. That debt had to go somewhere and sold the team for $25M less that he paid for it. He hired the coaches and paid them whatever they wanted. He brought in Michael Jordan. To me the hard work is done.

Now MJ has the luxury of staying focuses on the basketball side. What is he going to do about the accounting practices and benefits and HR concerns? What is MJ going to do when there is a harassment claim against his staff? Does he know about the legalities of running a corporation of this size? That is the concern for me. Are his subordinates going to take advantage of his business acumen? I hope not. All fan facing issues that come up I am going to think MJ what are you doing? OK, maybe I won’t. The Jumpman Collection is running very well as he has surrounded himself with good people.

If he were smart he would hire a basketball manager to replace him. Hire a business manager who has a law degree and can help him really do this thing.

I wish him luck, I want him and the Bobcats to succeed. I’ve always been an MJ fan, I guess I still am.

The Charlotte Bobcats (32-31) are currently in 7^th place in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and currently and face what I will call a heavy lift. 4 out of the next 5 are games on the road. The road can be debilitating for the Bobcats. They have ORL, IND, OKC, ATL, MIA over the next five games. OKC is the only home game. Gerald Wallace will be out tonight at Orlando. That increases the challenge. Dwight Howard usually dominates the Bobcats in the middle. With Nazr Mohammed still down with back issues and Tyson Chandler not being Tyson Chandler and newly acquired Larry Hughes has a broken finger and won’t be ready for at least another week, this will be a mountain to climb. At Indiana may be doable but we are AT Indiana so that may even things up. I know that the Bobcats have won 5 straight pretty impressively. The win on the road vs. the 76ers was strong and was a rare ’should win’ win. OKC here at Time Warner Cable Arena is another one hard to call. They are playing out of their minds, specifically Kevin Durant who MJ was fined for commenting on when Durant was still in college playing at Texas. So maybe MJ can identify talent. The Bobcats usual strong performance at home may be enough to compete with the ease that Durant seems to play with. Next is at Atlanta. I don’t think we can win this one. Pray I’m wrong. Lastly is at Miami. Now that the Bobcats own the tie breaker with Miami, the Heat must end up a game ahead of the Bobcats. This means that that game is that much more important for both teams. If they go 3-2 of the next 5 I would call that maintenance. If they go 4-1 I would call that a huge success. If they go 5-0 I would call that divine intervention.

Breaking News: It looks like the Charlotte Bobcats (26-26) have traded Ronald Flip Murray, Acie Law and a 1^st round draft pick to the Chicago Bulls for PF Tyrus Thomas (8.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 1.7 bpg). The Bulls are excited to acquire 2 expiring contracts and get a 1^st round draft pick for Thomas to position themselves for next year’s draft class. The Bobcats get a PF that can compliment Boris Diaw. This is unofficial until all involved pass the upcoming physicals. This is another trade that I am not too sure about. I need some time. Yes we need another big man since all 3 of ours are out with injuries. Sagana Diop has a knee issue, Tyson Chandler’s ankle is still not right because he missed practice, now Nzar Mohammed is having back spasms causing him to also miss practice. I don’t like the fact that the Bobcats gave up Murray our only pure shooter. Thomas is a 6-10 23 year old from LSU is in his 4^th season in the NBA. Let’s hope this is works out well.

Congratulations to Gerald Wallace. His improvement has been remarkable this season. Stephen Jackson has opened things up for GW to really be consistently better than he has. He has always shown flashes of brilliance. It’s nice to see it pay off. This is of course more significant than Wallace being named to the dunk contest because this will allow him to participate in the game and to really show of his skills against the best. I hope that this is the first of many.

Reposted from Bobcats.com

Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace today was named to the Eastern Conference team for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, which will be held on Sunday, Feb. 14, at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. Wallace, who will also participate in the Sprite Slam Dunk Competition at NBA All-Star Saturday Night the night before, becomes the first Bobcats player selected to play in the All-Star Game.

“It’s truly an honor to be named to the All-Star Team,” Wallace said. “This is an amazing moment for me and for the Bobcats franchise, and I’m excited to be the first player to represent this team in the All-Star Game. I want to thank all the fans who voted for me and the coaches who selected me to play in the game.”

The 28-year-old is averaging 18.6 points and 11.0 rebounds on the season, which ranks 27th and seventh, respectively, in the league. Wallace has scored in double figures in 40 of 43 games in which he has played this season, including 20 games of 20 points or more, and has posted 22 double-doubles. He is also tied for first in the NBA in minutes played (42.0) and ranked 15th in steals (1.60) and 23rd in blocks (1.21).

Wallace was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 30 after averaging 25.3 points, 13.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.3 assists and 1.0 block. He also shot .543 from the field (25-46), .385 from beyond the three-point line (5-13) and .808 from the free-throw line (21-26) in a perfect 3-0 week with wins over Toronto, Cleveland and Washington. Wallace tallied 31 points and 13 rebounds against Toronto and had 31 points and 14 rebounds against Cleveland to become the first player in Bobcats history to post consecutive games of 30 points and 10 rebounds.

“We’re very happy for Gerald,” said Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins. “We’re glad that he is gaining widespread recognition of what we already know, that he is one of the elite players in the league.”

Wallace, who entered the season with a career average of 5.4 rebounds per game and an average of 6.8 rebounds in five previous seasons in Charlotte, has grabbed at least six rebounds in 42 of 43 games and has tallied at least nine rebounds 30 times, either leading or tying for the team lead in rebounds 35 times. He recorded the first 20-20 game of his career and fourth in Bobcats history with 24 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in the Nov. 2 win over New Jersey.

The Charlotte Bobcats (22-22) put the brakes on 3-game slide that had cooled them off from being the Hottest Team in the NBA. They are not that anymore. The Denver Nuggets took that crown. Tonight the Bobcats defeated the Phoenix Suns on the road 114-109 F-OT. This was a very tense game. The Suns hit 15 threes.

"I make love to pressure" -Stephen Jackson

The key to tonight was Stephen Jackson. Jack scored 30 points and scored 9 of the first 11 points in overtime. Jackson was quoted in a postgame interview this season saying “I make love to pressure.” You have to admit that is a catchy line. We’ll he made pressure smoke a cigarette tonight. (I wanted to use a more colorful metaphor but didn’t) Jackson, who tied the game at 98 on a 3-pointer with 19.9 seconds remaining, hit a 20-foot jump shot on the Bobcats’ first possession of overtime to give Charlotte only its second lead of the game. It seemed like all of the breaks were bouncing the Suns way. Raymond Felton chipped in 6 of his 17 points in OT.

Yeah, I said it. The Charlotte Bobcats (21-19) defeated Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat 104-65 with their most lopsided victory in team history. The Bobcats improved to an NBA-best 9-1 since the start of the New Year with ease. They shot a franchise-best 82 percent in the first quarter, led by 27 at halftime and by as many as 41 in the fourth quarter in their ninth straight home win. They are not only winning games, they are smashing them. They are the NBA’s #1 defensive team with 92.3 points allowed. They scored 125 on PHX on Saturday and they beat the Heat by 39.

They are doing this all without the Tyson Chandler who was traded to Charlotte for Emeka Okafor. Gerald Wallace is FINALLY playing up to his potential. I would credit this to the REAL team leader Stephen Jackson; he has been a straight beast. Jackson averaging almost 20ppg is drawing enough attention to allow Wallace to do what he does. Raymond Felton is really coming into his own. I thought that DJ Augustine was going to compete for the starting point guard position. Nope. Nazr Mohammed might be my favorite player on the team. He has filled in magnificently for Chandler. Derrick Brown who is being mentored by Wallace is working hard. Lastly, Flip Murray is trying to be that shooter that we need. There is a buzz in Charlotte. People are beginning to show up at the arena. I even heard a local radio show Prime Time with the Pac Man actually speak positively about the Bobcats.

The Bobcats have the best record in the NBA 9-1 since the beginning of 2010. Gerald Wallace has been named to the All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest. This will actually draw some more attention to the Bobcats.

Now the next test is the road… The Bobcats are 3-15 on the road. They are @ATL then vs. ORL, @DEN, PHX, GS, SAC, POR, LAL. That is 7 of the next 8 on the road. If they play like they are playing right now they could win 5 of 8. No scratch that, if they play like they are playing right now they can give the Lakers a run.

The Charlotte Bobcats are young team that not only is learning how to win, not only have a state of the art arena, not only have MJ as an owner, but they offer a live online chat. This is allows fans who are or are not at the game to have some dialog and basically root for the team together. This chat has a moderator and is safe and clean for the kids. http://Bobcats.com the official website for our NBA team is the place when the game is on. They have provided a TV companion that provides live stats, play by play and box scores. This chat is growing. There are links posted on the team’s Facebook and Twitter pages. If you follow them then you will be notified with an exclusive link.

chat on Bobcats.com

I have made some friends on the chat and I am going to shout them out. Big up to gobobcats, AdamMorrisonsMoustache, UK Bobcats, Cats fan, Zack Bowring, bosnian-bobcats fan, Tj, BlockParty and TuscanDave you know what I’m talking about.

The Charlotte Bobcats (18-19) finally beat the San Antonio Spurs at home for the first time in team history. This was a feel good win for a few reasons. They hold the 7^th place in the Eastern Conference keeping them playoff eligible. Yes we have a long way to go. I know. The second reason is that the Bobcats have improved to 15-4 at home. But for me the real nugget in this is that Boris Diaw played like this game was important. He has not played like himself this season. Maybe he was hurt. Maybe he misses Raja Bell, maybe he starting to enjoy playing in Charlotte. Who knows! Whatever it is, keep it going. Diaw had 26 points, 11 boards and 2 assists.

Charlotte is 7-3 in there last 10 and have won 3 straight. Stephen Jackson had 16, 7 and 3 and Gerald Wallace had 20, 7 and 3. Flip Murray tossed in 11. Flip could be that shooter that the Bobcats really need. I think LB or MJ is starting to have an effect. I really this is all being driven by Stephen Jackson. This guy has galvanized this team.

Next up Phoenix on Saturday! Get some rest boys.

The Charlotte Bobcats (16-19) defeated the Memphis Grizzlies (18-18) 87-89 at Time Warner Cable Arena in the heart of Charlotte. This locally untelevised game (I digress) was a heart skipper.

Raymond Felton who averages 12.9 ppg, 5.3 apg and 1.9 spg this season had 19 points 5 assists and 5 rebounds tonight and was the team leader. Yes he missed two clutch free throws in the last minute and yes his game winning shot wasn’t, Gerald Wallace had to tip it off of the iron. That’s what teammates are for. The Bobcats improve to 13-4 at home. Nice. Raymond’s confidence and generalship is on high. He has really commanded the starting role over DJ Augustine who I think will be a star one day. Today is not that day.

I think that Stephen “Jack” Jackson has been the true leader here. I know that Gerald Wallace is seen as the leader. Uh Uh. Nope it’s Jack. As stated himself. He makes love to pressure. He has been clutch. But Raymond has really started to step his consistency up. The quarterbacking of Felton has led them to their fourth win in five games.

He has led the Bobcats to the 7^th spot in the playoff race. Keep it up Raymond.