Charlotte Bobcats

When Michael Jordan officially announced the Bobcats name change on Tuesday, it marked a brief respite from the unending horror of being a Charlotte basketball fan. At least for me. I’ve always hated the Bobcats name, and not just for its narcissistic origins with former majority owner Bob Johnson. I’ve hated it because an actual [...]

With the NBA Draft Lottery in the rearview mirror, we Cats fans saw another example of why banking on draft luck is just not a efficient strategy to build a winning NBA team in any orderly fashion. Even with a great group of prospects set to possibly be available in the 2014 draft (Wiggins, Parker, Randle, Smart) it remains to be seen whether those mentioned are indeed available and if our set of picks will be ours and lucky enough to hit the jackpot. That said, I present an idea for an immediate turnaround attempt that I am a fan of. Cho has worked diligently over the last couple years to assemble some growing players and assets. Here is our "James Harden" trade to bring in what we hope will be a superstar and leader of a contending team in the near future. Charlotte trades: 2013 #4 pick, future POR 1st, future DET 1st, Byron Mullens (s&t about $3 mil), Ramon Sessions ($5 mil) Minnesota trades: Kevin Love ($14 mil), Luke Ridnour ($4 mil), 2013 #9 pick, 2013 #52 pick Why does Minnesota do this? Well...are they sure KLove is their superstar for titles? The Wolves FO says the right things...but I'm not so sure they wouldn't indeed ship out Love for the right package. He is great, but they recognize his injury issues and his past dislike/drama with the organization. Just maybe they think about a change...and this would be a great way to do it! They dump Love's huge $$$ and reap a trove of future 1st's and the #4 pick this year. They also keep their other late 1st this year. And add a KLove ver 0.6 in Mullens on the cheap(er). Sessions adds some scoring and toughness at the backup PG (he would be perfect behind Rubio!). Possible lineup: PG: Rubio - Sessions - Barea SG: McLemore/Oladipo - Shved - Lee SF: AK47 - Budinger - Gelabale PF: DWill - Mullens - Cunningham C: Pekovic - Stiemsma - Johnson Add in the #26 pick and #59, they could add something like (C-Withey, PF- Mitchell, PF-Leslie, SF-Saric) and (PG-Siva, PF-Mbakwe, SF-Hill). The freed $$ from Love allows for ease in signing Pekovic and allows for a bit of future room. Then we have effectively handed over our chips in the Wiggins/Parker/Smart/Randle lotto to the Wolves. They get to dream about lady luck and the thought of a Rubio-McLemore(Oladipo)-Wiggins-DWill-Pek lineup to beast on fools. Why do the Bobcats do this? We bring in a (hopefully) healthy and 100% motivated Kevin Love to be our franchise guy. What are some of our biggest weaknesses? Rebounding, 3-pt shooting, post play, veteran leaders, and good passers. Well, we get one of the best rebounders ever....a 3-pt shooting contest champ...proven big body...and maybe the best outlet passer in the game. We have players in Kemba and MKG who thrive off the break and transition. The outlet passing of Love would heap opportunities on these guys. Bz would have an awesome help rebounder to compliment his post D and aggression. Love stretches the floor from the PF position and would be a great option for Kemba to learn to find open when he penetrates. Can become a beast in the P&R with Kemba, MKG, and Hendo. We would have to amnesty TT and use the space from Diop leaving to afford it...but let's do it!. We could still possibly sign Hendo and McBob (hopefully affordably) and have a real monster in the making. The probability of losing our 1st round pick to CHI is great in this scenario, but it sets a clean slate after 2014 moving into the future (as far as draft picks). Also, Gordon's salary clears (about $13 mil) after next season so we could add another nice piece for (hopefully then) a serious playoff run. Possible lineup: PG: Kemba - Ridnour SG: Hendo - Gordon SF: MKG - Taylor PF: KLove - McBob - Adrien C: Biz - Haywood With the #9 pick this draft there are options at both SG and C that would fit nicely (C-Len, SG-KCP, SG/SF-Muhammad, C-Zeller, C-Adams) and with the #52 pick some depth (PG-Wolters, PG-Kabongo, PF-Howell, PF-Mbakwe, SG-Paul).

As we all probably know, the soon to be Charlotte Hornets will make the 4th pick in this year's draft. With that said, I would like to present what I think will happen on June 27. Cleveland - Nerlens Noel Orlando - Trey Burke Washington - Otto Porter Charlotte - Ben Mclemore This in my opinion would benefit the Hornets a lot obviously because of the explosiveness and immediate impact Mclemore would bring. He can shoot the three just as good or better than anyone in the draft, and he flies in transition. He had a 42" vertical leap at the combine and showed in his lone season at Kansas that he can finish strong at the rim. While at Kansas, his team ran several plays where Mclemore was given the chance to dunk an alley oop. He has everything we would want in a two guard. Another Possible Situation: Cleveland - Nerlens Noel Orlando - Ben Mclemore Washington - Otto Porter Charlotte - Anthony Bennett Anthony Bennett is a player that has an incredible offensive skill set. He can work in the post, step out for a mid range jumper, and even hit the three. He also plays the pick and roll very well and would work very well with Kemba Walker. I've heard that he needs to work on his defense but clearly, with his athleticism he will blossom into a solid defender. Another guy that I would love to see Charlotte get is Victor Oladipo. He is the best wing defender in the draft and has no ceiling to his athleticism. His pairing with MKG on the wings would be one of the best duos in the league. Oladipo showed that he can be a dependable shooter as well. It's looking like Henderson won't be back for next year so filling the shooting guard position is a priority. Charlotte should draft Mclemore or Bennett, whoever is there for the taking. If neither of the are available, Oladipo is the obvious choice. I don't think drafting a big is the right thing to do in this draft although a lot of people have said that Alex Len would be a good fit in Charlotte and could be the best player out of this draft. The only trade I would like to see is a trade with the Timberwolves Charlotte gets: Derrick Williams, Minnesota's 9th and 26th picks in the first round of this years draft Minnesota gets: Charlotte's 4th pick In this case Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the ideal selection at the ninth pick. He can score from anywhere on the floor and has an explosive side to him. He has a huge range from behind the arc. Derrick Williams can score from anywhere on the floor as well and can defend a 4. He would be a great backup forward for the future. With Wiggins, Parker, Randle, and many other franchise players in next years draft, Charlotte is in a position to make some easy decisions and become a team to fear in years to come. As we all probably know, the soon to be Charlotte Hornets will make the 4th pick in this year's draft. With that said, I would like to present what I think will happen on June 27. Cleveland - Nerlens Noel Orlando - Trey Burke Washington - Otto Porter Charlotte - Ben Mclemore This in my opinion would benefit the Hornets a lot obviously because of the explosiveness and immediate impact Mclemore would bring. He can shoot the three just as good or better than anyone in the draft, and he flies in transition. He had a 42" vertical leap at the combine and showed in his lone season at Kansas that he can finish strong at the rim. While at Kansas, his team ran several plays where Mclemore was given the chance to dunk an alley oop. He has everything we would want in a two guard. Another Possible Situation: Cleveland - Nerlens Noel Orlando - Ben Mclemore Washington - Otto Porter Charlotte - Anthony Bennett Anthony Bennett is a player that has an incredible offensive skill set. He can work in the post, step out for a mid range jumper, and even hit the three. He also plays the pick and roll very well and would work very well with Kemba Walker. I've heard that he needs to work on his defense but clearly, with his athleticism he will blos

The Charlotte Bobcats will have the fourth selection in the 2013 NBA Draft, which will be held Thursday, June 27, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Congratulations are in store for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who somehow landed the top pick in the NBA Draft for the second time in three seasons (rigged!). While that should leave a warm, fuzzy feeling in the heart’s of many a Cavaliers fan, Charlotte Bobcats fans are left disappointed and disgusted. Once again, despite having one [...]

Amin Elhassan breaks down the Charlotte Bobcats' draft profile, needs and potential 2013 picks.

I remember the 2011 draft very fondly, but one article stood out above all the others that has helped create the lenses in which I evaluate prospects at the top of the draft. It was this article by Chad Ford and I'd like to use that as a reference so we can quickly establish what "Tiers" are. I talk with NBA scouts and executives to get a sense of: A. Which teams like which players (mock draft). B. What the consensus is among all 30 NBA teams about who the best players in the draft are (Top 100). I use the word "consensus" lightly. Often, even GMs and scouts employed by the same team can't agree on rankings of players. Obviously, I can't do that kind of thing, as I have no NBA connections and therefore no way to get any sort of consensus. One thing I can do however, is make up these tiers all by myself! So, let's get started shall we? The First Tier: Franchise Pieces - I hesitate to put Noel here. I'm not going to get into any sort of length, as it's pretty irrelevant to Bobcat fans now, but I will relent and place him here for no reason other than convenience. I guess we can consider this tier graded on a curve, as this draft (appears) weak when compared to its predecessors. Anyway, he's here because he's the clear head-honcho of the draft. Despite some naysayers (like Jay Bilas) who like Ben McLemore, the overwhelming consensus is Noel will be the No1 pick in the draft. So, he fits the bill. The Second Tier: The Next Best - These are the guys who, for whatever reason, have some glaring weakness that keeps them from being percieved as a true "franchise piece" and are as thus relegated to this tier. My person ranking (in this tier): 2) Ben McLemore - There are enough people who hold the belief that McLemore has the highest upside of this bunch, so I don't see why he shouldn't be given 2nd billing to Noel. He has something all Tier 2 prospects have, an elite tool. That tool is shooting; shooting so good that I've seen comparisons as lofty as Ray Allen. He's got plenty to work on, but you have to love kids that have an elite tool. 3) Anthony Bennett - If you know anything about me on here, you know I'm a sucker for Bennett. He's got elite athleticism (the best of this PF crop), which ticks off that box. He's got SF speed with the power of a PF, making him the ideal offensive prospect, only matched by McLemore in this crew. However, his fatal flaw is his size, in which he is undersized (PG Micheal Carter Williams is close to him in height) and that, matched with subpar defensive effort during his freshman season at UNLV), that generates a lot of questions about his defense. 4) Victor Oladipo - A defensive tour-du-force. While not having the height to actually play SF, he has the outstanding defensive ability to matchup with anyone from 1 through 3 (and his strength isn't bad either; he could probably handle some 4s). His intangibles are so outstanding that it led to incredibly outlandish comparisons to our very own Micheal Jordan, but you don't get people talking about you without doing something right. That elite defensive tool lands him on this second tier, because his offense is nothing to write home about. He's almost the exact offensive player as Bobcat Gerald Henderson's senior year at Duke, which is to say he's an above-average slasher but below average everything else. 5) Cody Zeller - I'm strongly considering him as a Tier 3 prospect, but statements from resident commenter PoAshton made me reconsider my stance that Cody Zeller is not an elite athlete (you can get a good here in the comment section). Among C prospects, his eye-popping combine numbers show that he has elite athleticism for a C. Here's the rub though, his ranking on this Tier in contingent on him predominately playing Center at the next level. I see him more as a PF personally, but I don't like pidgeonholing players before seeing how they play. The Third Tier: Significant Upside - These guys have a good

Charlotte was given a small dose of disappointing news tonight when we found out that the team will select 4th next month in the NBA draft. There’s good and bad news here. The bad news first — well, it’s rather self-explanatory. Once again, the Bobcats had an opportunity to land it’s first #1 overall selection ever. The good news is that this summers draft is presumably filled with role players on the next level. There will obviously be some very good players in the NBA from this draft, but it’s very unclear who that’ll be and cannot be said that Charlotte won’t find that diamond in the rough at #4. This will be the teams 4th pick in the top-4 in their 9 year existence. A few names that quickly pop into my mind are Victor Oladipo, Alex Len and Anthony Bennett. Out of these three players, only one worked out in the draft combine in Chicago last weekend – Oladipo, and he dazzled. I wrote a month ago about why I think Charlotte should draft Olapdipo. Victor is one of the most elite athletes in this draft, impacts the game in as many ways as anyone on the board and has as good of a character as you will find. On top of that, Oladipo has arguably one of the biggest upsides of any player in this draft due to the way he impacts the game on both ends — an excellent/energetic defender that scores with his above average jump shot + elite finisher at the rim. The obvious upsides of Len and Noel, due to their size, is well documented.

Though the lowest the Bobcats could pick in the first round of the upcoming draft could have been fifth overall, they outperformed that percentage by receiving the fourth overall pick. Though many expect Nerlens Noel to go first, the talent level is fairly consistent after that, much like last year with a number of prospects in the mix for the top spots. The Bobcats tried to reclaim some magic today by also announcing the team would be renamed the Hornets beginning in the 2014-15 season. Unfortunately for them, a connection to past draft luck (see: Mourning, Alonzo; Johnson, Larry) could not return results for the Bobcats. Alas, luck again was not on their side like last year, and they'll be slated to draft behind three teams unless they trade up or down. Anything can happen during the draft and trades go down fairly often, so you can't exactly count on the team holding pat at this time.

Bobcats Sports & Entertainment Chairman Michael Jordan announced today that the organization has submitted its application to change the team’s name to the Charlotte Hornets starting with the 2014-15 season.