Another award for Big Al and other Bobcat notes

The honors continue to pile up for Al Jefferson. The Bobcats center was named the Eastern Conference's Player of the Week for games played from March 31 to April 6th. It was the second time in four weeks Jefferson has won the award. He also was the conference's player of the month for March.

Jefferson averaged 24.3 points and 13 rebounds last week as the Bobcats went 4-0 and clinched the second playoff berth in franchise history. He ranked second in the Eastern Conference in rebounding for the week and fourth in scoring.

-- Josh McRoberts has a nagging ankle injury but hopes to return for Wednesday night's game at Washington, which will go a long way toward determining whether Charlotte is the No.6 or No.7 playoff seed. McRoberts practiced Monday but had to skip the contact work. "He said he feels good," Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said. "So hopefully if he can get through practice [Tuesday], he'll be able to play."

-- It was funny listening to the Bobcats' Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist joust for the cameras after practice Monday. Both played for national champions recently and each had an opinion about Monday night's title game pitting their colleges. Walker predicted Connecticut to win by 20. MKG predicted Kentucky to win by "8 to 10."

-- I have written a column for Tuesday's paper and online on the Bobcats' reserve sharpshooter Anthony Tolliver. This didn't make it into the column, but Tolliver has guarded most of the small and power forwards in the NBA in his travels. I asked him who the toughest player to guard in the NBA was. He said he goes back and forth in his mind between LeBron James and Kevin Durant, but that right now he would have to go with KD.