New Bobcats general manager Rich Cho said at his inaugural news conference earlier this month that the worst place to be in the NBA was the middle of the road.
Well, the Bobcats certainly aren't there anymore. As ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy pointed out a couple of times during the network's coverage of the NBA draft Thursday night, the Bobcats have gone from mediocre to horrible in the short term.
They have now traded away their two best players in the past few months -- Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson -- and gotten much younger in the interim.
They have, as the sports cliche goes, blown up the team.
Was this a good idea? Ultimately, I think so. I believe the risk was worth taking. My colleague Tom Sorensen agrees and said as much in this column.
Much depends on whether the team's two new lottery picks -- big man Bismack Biyombo and little man Kemba Walker -- pan out. But let's be realistic. The Bobcats probably weren't going anywhere anyway in 2011-12, and probably won't go anywhere great for awhile. It makes sense if you're going to go young to go all the way -- Jackson was one of the few tradeable assets the Bobcats had left.
I'm not as sold on the acquisition of Corey Maggette, who to me isn't as good as Jackson. That was one of those things you had to do to make the trade work, though. I'm interested to hear what Maggette has to say about the trade, as he's been noticeably silent so far.
So the Bobcats' new slogan of "Prepare Today, Own Tomorrow" is not just talk. I don't know about the "owning" part -- that depends on whether these youngsters pan out and whether veterans Tyrus Thomas , Maggette, Boris Diaw and D.J. Augustin can be decent leaders -- but they certainly are preparing in a different way than they used to in the Larry Brown era.
I'm sorry the NBA lockout is looming, though -- it may be a long time before we see what tomorrow really looks like given a labor-management dispute that could make the NFL's lockout look like a walk in the park.
POSTSCRIPT: On a totally unrelated note, congrats to Jones Angell, the 32-year-old replacement for the retired and deservedly legendary Woody Durham as the new Voice of the UNC Tar Heels. Jones is a fantastic hire and will do a great job. Here's a good take on the hiring from Adam Lucas.
We're moving!
9 years ago
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35 comments:
Gross. Just gross.
i suppose you are not considering boris diaw/DJ as veteran or as team leaders. it seems everyone forgets that that have been now been in the team the longest
Dump Diaw, get the second biggest whiner/crybaby off the team after Jackson. Frankly, I like the Bobcats' moves thus far - they knew that no matter what they did next year probably wouldn't be competitive, so why not plan for the future? I'm not sold on Walker and Bismack could be another bust, but they could also both be fantastic, too.
Only time will tell on whether these moves were brilliant or terrible.
One word describes this team. Mediocre. They have, in there short history not been one millimeter north of mediocre. Sad really. But true. I'm a fan, but I also pay attention, which probably hurts more than helps as a fan.
Did you just mention Maggette and Leadership in the same sentence? LOL, that is rich Scott, you should take that act on the road.
Anonymous 12:36: that's a good point re: Diaw and DJ as possible leaders. Both need to step up with this group, for sure, and I've edited the post slightly to include their names in that sentence. Thanks for the feedback.
I have been listening to all this nonsense about how the bobcats have made bad moves this offseason. I think its laughable to hear a failure like Jeff Van Gundy pass judgement on any decision anyone makes. To listen to these experts who grade a draft the night of or soonafter is just as comical. If you really want a laugh review draft nights of the past. The experts get it right about the same amount of times Shaq would make a blindfolded free throw. You can say what you want about the bobcats organization. One thing that is definitely clear and thats the fact that they care and they are trying there best to build something special.
RIGHT ON MIKE J!
what are your credentials Scott?
While blowing up the team may make sense, good luck to the Bobcats selling tickets to games THIS season for a team that MAY win 20 games.
If they thought ticket sales were slow last season, they have seen anything yet....
@MikeJ,
Actually Jeff Van Gundy was very complimentary of the Bobcats' draft day moves. Van Gundy's point was that Charlotte took a big step backwards in the short term by trading Jackson but it was a necessary step to building a contender in the future. I think Van Gundy's exact words were in the NBA you have to "get bad in order to get good." Seattle/Oklahoma City was terrible when Cho began building the roster there. The Bobcats will probably be just as bad until the Cho-era players - Biyombo, Walker, and whoever the 'Cats land in the lottery next Summer - develop and learn how to win in the NBA.
** CORRECTION: make that "HAVEN'T seen anything yet...."
Who cares about ticket sales? This further proves MJ wants to rebuild this thing the right way. Congrats to MJ and the Bobcats for trying to build a winner!
I personally like the move of "move way back before you can move to the top". What I am affraid of with the luck of this city in sports, is that there is a full season lock out and next year they draft all over again with the same order. It does us no good to pick 9th again next year if we are indeed this young and bad. For this to work we have to be picking 1 or 2 next year and then grab a young star free agent or two.
Panther Luck was No Luck in this draft. Bobcat luck is no season and we pick 9th next year
They need to stay healthy for once.
To much injuries ripped of this team.
And let them play a much more faster system.
Preparation for tomorrow, starts with a name change. The Bobcat name is hated by the majority of their fans. Why not prove there is substance behind "Preparation for Tomorrow". Dump the old name and let's start completely anew!
Bobcats new slogan:
"We don't suck, we swallow!"
MJ, Cho, whomever made the decision, did it right. Bismack is a work in progress, Walker has heart and talent. AS far as Walker's size goes, I think I remember a smaller fellow by the name of Mugsy that had a pretty good career here in Charlotte. All of the complainers out there, "yes" they will be bad next year but they should be fun to watch too. With a bad season they will have a chance at a number 1 or 2 pick in a very talented draft. We will have a lot of cap room to pick up a free agent as well. Give that team one year to gel and then watch out for the Bobcats. MJ and Cho will have a great nucleus that will contend.
Waiting two years is better than watching mediocrity year in, year out. I'm excited about what they are doing. A job well done so far under Cho.
May not happen, but I would actually like to see the bobcats pick up Vince Carter after the Suns waive him. He would bring a great leadership role to the team.
The Bobcats weren't interesting before. These new guys make the team interesting. Walker is an outstanding pick and he has leadership skills which the team was sorely missing. He has Chris Paul-type abilities with the basketball and B-Mack is going to make things interesting in the paint.
The youth movement sounds good,...but I ain't gettin' any younger. The Bobcats and the Panthers had better start delivering on the field of play. I'd like to see that while I can still jump up and cheer.
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I think Van Gundy's exact words were in the NBA you have to "get bad in order to get good." Seattle/Oklahoma City was terrible when Cho began building the roster there
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