The Charlotte Bobcats (32-31) are currently in 7th 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 1st 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 1st 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 4th 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 7th 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.
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 7th spot in the playoff race. Keep it up Raymond.
Happy New Year! I believe that the way the New Year comes in is the way that the year will go for you. I will admit that perhaps that is simply superstition. Let’s call is positive thinking. The Charlotte Bobcats (14-18) defeated the Miami Heat (16-15) by 10 on Saturday Night and beat LeBron James the Cleveland Caveliers on Sunday Night.
This is a great way to start the year. After starting the season with losing 12 of 13 on the road this particular win was a nice start to the New Year. Stephen Jackson and DJ Augustine really pulled some magic out of their hat when needed. I was nervous that the same ole scenario was going to ensue. Wade with a buzzer beater to win. That didn’t happen. Whew! I don’t even know how to react when this type of thing happens. Jackson scored 35 points, 8 boards and 2 steals. I think that Jackson will be the new leader and not Gerald. I am going to wait until the end of the season to tackle that discuss again. DJ had 13, 1 and 1 but those points were clutch in the 4th quarter. At the end of the 3rd the Bobcats only had 72 points and have been averaging only 25 points per quarter. That forecasted 97 points which would not have been enough. However the Bobcats beat the projection and dropped in 34 points in the fourth quarter to beat Dwyane Wade and the heat. 107-97.
The Sunday game against the Cavs marked thier first win at the Q. This was a special win. They rebounded the ball and did not fall behind at any point and made clutch free throws. Happy New Year!
Happy Holidays! We haven’t talked since the Nets game. I have to admit that I was really disappointed that the Charlotte Bobcats (11-17) allowed the Nets to break their losing streak and that was the lead story that night. Since then the Bobcats went 4-6. The losses to the Spurs, Mavs and Jazz were sort of expected as I am always honest about who the Bobcats are. But the losses to the Pacers, Knicks and Thunder (yes, 14-15 OKC Thunder) were not OK. Plus 4 out of 6 of those teams exceeded 100 points on the Bobcats defense.
First the bad news: If you haven’t figured it out by now, the Bobcats can’t win on the road. Let me change that, haven’t won on the road. I don’t want to be accused of telling someone that they can’t do something. This is a problem. This will actually prevent them from getting to .500 this season. This has to get figured out. They have already lost 3 at home. Most would say that winning 11 of 14 at home is good. I would agree but losing 12 of 13 on the road is completely unacceptable and unimaginable so I can’t.
I have challenged Gerald Wallace’s leadership. Some think that he is the leader of this team. Some would argue that he does the intangibles and that are not measured on paper. I think that he has definitely stepped up and improved his ppg from 12.1 to 18.2. I think that his rebounding this season is tops in the league. But the expectation that Gerald Wallace can lead this team to the playoffs is too grand a request.
The good news is that Nazr Mohammed is absolutely doing his thing. I actually think that Nazr should start over the injured Tyson Chandler. Chandler has been a real disappointment this season. Yes he missed camp, yes he is starting finally get his legs under him and yes he is out AGAIN with a toe injury. I wouldn’t have traded number 50 for Chandler but I don’t make those decisions. I know you are saying that it is easy to evaluate a trade after the fact but that’s how I felt then. We will see. Mohammed has really stepped up off the bench. Saturday night in Oklahoma City Nazr had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 2 very nice assists. Nazr has been consistent and that is what is needed. Chandler might simply be a product of Chris Paul making him better. Hmmmm.
Breaking News: It looks like the Charlotte Bobcats (26-26) have traded Ronald Flip Murray, Acie Law and a 1st 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 1st 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 4th season in the NBA. Let’s hope this is works out well.
