Well, this is the final blog for a while. Maybe you will hear from me during the draft or summer league, but that is a totally different discussion. In this blog I want to focus on what we learned as a coaching staff, team and organization.

The year started with a lot of promise. We came out and won two of our first three games and had an opportunity to be 3-0 after losing a game to Chicago on opening night in which we had a 20-point lead going into the fourth quarter. We found out early that with all of our pieces healthy, we had a chance to be competitive.

If you go down the list of our team and look player-for-player when everyone is a 100 percent, although we may be younger and less experienced, we have definitely put together a group of guys that can hold their own.

After starting out very competitively, we also learned how fragile and how easily things can go awry because of injuries. Imagine if Kobe Bryant or Steve Nash missed almost 70 percent of their team’s games, where would they be? Every team has a horse and rides that horse. That’s the guy that carries you night in and night out.

At the beginning of the year, our thought process was that we would ride the back of Emeka Okafor, the 2004-05 Rookie of the Year, and help him progress from where he was as a rookie with pieces around him that we felt had all improved. So when Emeka went down, we had to search for other ways to get it done.

We knew what to expect from Brevin Knight. We all knew he was close to being a double-double (assist-points) guy every night. That consistency is something as a coach that you really appreciate. With Brevin healthy nearly every night you knew what he was going to give you leadership, and an overall floor game that is comparable to any point guard in the league.

The next thing was to find someone we could give the ball to on the floor every night and could get a basket or make some sort of play to get others involved. Enter the emergence of Gerald Wallace. There was a point in time this season where the only guy we had over 6-6 was Primoz Brezec. All of our bigs were hurt, so we were forced to play Gerald at the power forward. We needed some sort of inside scoring, so one game we featured him on the block and he did the rest, proving that he could score on the block against anyone. He wasn't limited to just posting up players his own size, but he could score against bigger and stronger guys by using his speed, quickness and athleticism to go over, around, through -- you name it, he could do it.

With that confidence came “G-Force” -- the alter ego of the mild-mannered Wallace. The difference between good players with potential and great players is that swagger that can only come with success. Gerald found that level and has put himself in a position to become a very special player, and at only 23 years old, he has a lot of time to do plenty of things.

Then it was even more injuries and the immergence of another big-time player. It seemed with every negative or apparent setback came a positive or a step forward for this organization.

The next step was the steady improvement of rookie guard Raymond Felton, who took home three consecutive Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards to end the season. There is a defining moment in every great player’s career -- Michael Jordan was cut from his high school team, Kobe Bryant was shooting airballs in the playoffs early in his career. All the great players to ever play this game seem to have a point in their careers where their ability was questioned. For Raymond, I believe that point was during 2006 All-Star Weekend.

All the other highly touted rookies were in Houston enjoying the festivities while Raymond was in Myrtle Beach relaxing, focusing and preparing for the rest of his rookie season. Oh wait, let’s not forget to throw in the fact that he was hit by a drunk driver, suffered an abdominal strain that would keep most people out weeks and then came back and proceeded to average about 17 points and eight assists the rest of the season. You talk about a guy who has the toughness and courage to get knocked down and then get up again and again. That's what is important.

There is a commercial out right now with the Heat’s Dwyane Wade that says if you fall down seven times, you get up eight, and Raymond is the personification of that. Not only did he improve as a basketball player, but he showed the ability and the desire to not only take big shots, but to make big shots as well.

This year we had players emerge and also had players solidify their games -- guys like Primoz, Jake (Voskuhl), Jumaine (Jones) who have been in this league for a while but might not have had the opportunities they got here in Charlotte -- and all proved worthy.

To be able to get a seven-footer like Primoz who can shoot, pass, has a great understanding of the game and a work ethic that is second to none in an Expansion Draft, you are truly lucky. This guy is a starting center for a long time to come that is a great fit with what we’re trying to do here.

There were also some great moments for our other young guys. Bernard Robinson showed he has the ability to do a lot of different things for this team. He is a guy who is probably one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the league and -- once again because of injuries -- was forced to play four different positions for us and did more than hold his own. He is a great playmaker and can get to the basket and finish, but the most important thing about Bernard is his unselfishness. No matter what is happening for him, good or bad, for two years he has been one of the biggest supporters of his teammates. You can’t ask for anything better than that from one of your players.

Alan Anderson is another guy who showed after going undrafted that he is going to be a better basketball player than a lot of people who went ahead of him. He mixes an understanding of the game with a mean first step and explosive finishes.

With all this put together and one more lottery pick coming, all I can say is watch out league, here come the BOBCATS.

This Ride Is Just Going To Get Better

What is it they say -- absence makes the heart grow fonder?

I don’t think that really applies here, but I guess I’ve been a little lax on my blogging -- or maybe I’ve just been keeping everyone in suspense like waiting for the next Harry Potter -- or maybe not.

Yeah it’s been a while since I have written, and it’s interesting because this is the time when I am truly able to evaluate everything that is going on. During the season, the games come so fast that you have very little time to think about what has happened. You always have to think about what is going to happen. You normally have one day between games and you have to figure out a way to prepare the team for the upcoming game. Depending on the two teams, you could have two totally contrasting styles and mindsets of how you are going to play the game.

For example, on Sunday we played against LeBron James, where your focus is having to stop a perimeter force -- today we have to play Kevin Garnett, an inside force, and have had just one day to change the mindset of your players. This is why in the past when I have talked about basketball IQ, it is so important that you have players that can not just play the game but can think it as well.

I once heard a quote from a friend of mine while his team was preparing for a game against the University of Kansas, and his coach told the team “These guys are basketball players, you guys just play basketball.” Now is that a good coaching strategy? Probably not. But it does speak volumes from a coach’s perspective about the type of players that coaches love? It’s not just about the physical things. Some guys are just blessed with physical ability and natural skills that will make your jaw drop, but they don’t have the ability to think the game, and that makes it hard on a coach. If, as a coach, you can’t count on your players to make instinctive decisions on the floor, be it on a switch, pass or a different read of a defense, you will go gray or bald awfully quick.

Along with the ability to think the game is the ability to learn the game, which as a coach is probably the most enjoyable thing to watch. You get a player and point A, and to watch him grow is something special.

Take a guy like Raymond Felton for example and the struggles he had early in the year just trying to figure out ways to finish in the paint over big guys through contact and around traffic. Look where he is now -- coming off back-to-back Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards. On more than one occasion I have heard people saying that if the season were another month or so longer that Raymond would have a chance to catch Chris Paul, who most people thought was running away with the Rookie of the Year award. Let’s not forget, this was a guy who was left off of the Rookie Team on All-Star Weekend. I guess this is a lesson for the future -- be careful when you spark the fuse of Raymond Felton because he might just blow up. That’s great news for the Bobcats and all our fans.

We’ve accomplished some good things as a team the past few weeks as well. I think we have continued to get better as a basketball team and have played some pretty tough teams down to the wire. We had a heartbreaking loss in Cleveland but have still managed to surpass our win total from last year without being at full strength for most of the year.

In building this team, a great plan has been laid. We understand that it is going to take time and patience but understand that everyday we have to make improvements. That inevitably shows up in the wins and losses. If we improve in the win column every year, then our plan is taking place as we wished. That means it’s not only our young players who are growing, but the team as well, and that’s what it most important in this process.

I have no doubts in my mind that we are headed in the right direction -- from our ownership, to our front office, to the coaches and players -- everyone has invested a lot of time, thought and work and are all committed to the same thing -- making the Bobcats a championship organization. So as a friend to you and a fan of the Bobcats, I would get on board and prepare myself for a heck of a ride.

Catching Up With Coach J.B.

Well it’s been a while since I have checked in, and a whole lot has happened since the last time I wrote. Let’s see, where should I start?

How about with the All-Star Break. I was honestly a little more than disappointed in the fact the Raymond (Felton) was not able to participate in the rookie-sophomore game. I think he has more than proven that he is one of the best rookies in the league. The only good thing that comes from this is that it gives a guy who does not need any more motivation added motivation to prove people wrong.

Raymond is one of the most competitive people I have ever been around. He is also the type of person who can channel that competitiveness and the desire to prove people wrong in the right direction. A lot of people can get upset or want to prove you wrong, but they may end up trying too hard and forcing the issue. Instead of helping themselves, they end up hurting themselves and their teammates.

Raymond’s desire showed as soon as he came to Charlotte. We were in a summer league game playing against the Seattle SuperSonics, and I believe, and we were down by seven or eight points and having a hard time scoring. We called a timeout and Raymond told me not to worry about it, that we would go ahead and get it done. Well, by the end of the half Raymond had 17 or 18 pts and four or five assists and we had a double-figure lead, or close to it.

As a coach, those are the things that stand out in your mind. Can a guy not only recognize the time to step up, but does he have the ability to do it as well? I Think Ray will prove all the doubters wrong. I think the players in this league have respect for him, especially coming off the best offensive night of his young career where he scored 31 points against one of the best teams in the league (the Suns).

Other than that, All-Star Weekend was what was to be expected, although I think the Andre Iguodala was robbed in the dunk contest. I was impressed with Nate Robinson, and he did his thing, but I just think Andre got the short end of the stick on some of his dunks.

Coming out of the All-Star Break, we headed out on our longest road trip of the season. The road is a little bit tougher than some may think. It’s not just playing in a town where there are 20,000 people are cheering against you that can throw you, but your routine, which is so important, is completely changed. You no longer get to eat at your favorite game day restaurant or have that specialty meal you’re used to, so it makes it hard to be consistent off the court. As a coach, consistency is what is important in this league. I think that’s when you know a player has the ability to be good -- when they can give you consistency no matter where they are or whatever the circumstances may be.

We finally had to use the inactive list on this road trip by choice and not by force, and that meant the return of Gerald Wallace, which is a blessing no matter how you look at it.

Gerald is able to do things that probably 95 percent of other human beings just are not capable of. His desire to win and compete is second to none. He is one of the guys who you would have to say had a breakout season. I think Gerald has found who he is at this level and what separates him from everyone else. All the great ones have a unique game. Gerald's game is unique and he is starting to become comfortable with himself.

As a coaching staff, we have realized where his strengths are and are allowing him to play to those strengths. You would have to be crazy not to enjoy watching him play. He gives body, heart and soul every time he is on the court, and we are so pleased to have him back there where he belongs.

Once again, sorry for the absence, I wont let it happen again. I'll be back next week -- hopefully with some more wins to talk about.

J.B. Bickerstaff

February 8, 2006

Fast Starts Fueling Our Guys

Well, I think we have been here before. We’ve done a nice job putting together two pretty good performances.

It all started with a victory over Los Angeles, that even though they probably won’t admit it, I believe our guys took personally. The game against the Lakers was a game that we felt was very important. If there was a statement game for this team, I believe that was it. Everyone on our team heard all of the noise about Kobe Bryant coming into that game. Especially after he scored his 81 points and people asked if he could score 100. The answer always seemed to be, “Yes because he has to play the Bobcats later in the month.” That was a game of respect for us, and I believe that is the way our guys approached it.

If you ask them, to a man they will probably say that it was just another game, but I believe they felt disrespected by all the talk and took a concerted effort to slow down -- and yes I said slow down, not stop -- Kobe Bryant. When playing a guy like Kobe, it is important that you make sure you limit his shot attempts. He’s the kind of guy who wants to get close to 30 shots a night, and when he is feeling it, that can lead to huge numbers. So our plan was to get the ball out of his hands as often as we could.

We are lucky to have two guards who are cat-quick and could contain the dribble penetration of Kobe Bryant. A lot of teams will try to double team him with big guys, but we felt that he is too good at attacking the big guys in those situations, so we would attack him with two small guards. Our plan was pretty effective. We limited him to 18 shots and forced him into seven turnovers. Turnovers were a big key for us that game, as we forced their starting backcourt into 15 turnovers. That allows us to get more opportunities at the basket, and because we were shooting the ball so well, it turned out to be a very good thing for us.

In the last two games, a common theme has been that we have gotten off to good starts. In the Lakers game, we were paced by Primoz (Brezec) and Jumaine (Jones) -- who might have had a little bit extra to prove that night against his old team. They both were knocking down shots, and when you’re able to knock down shots, that gives you a distinct advantage on the other end of the floor. There is just something about hearing and seeing that ball go through the net that takes your energy to a completely different level.

Jumaine shined in that Lakers game, and normally when guys have one good game, it tends to turn into two or three or four. He followed that game up with a good game against the Sonics.

As a team, we came out of the blocks well. Melvin Ely led us in the first half with 21 points. The Seattle big men had a hard time trying to figure out a way to stop Big Mel on the block. He has so many different weapons on that block that it makes it hard to come up with one way to stop him.

The emphasis now is getting off to a good start. That seems to be the key to our success. If we can get out and control the game from the beginning and not have to play catch-up, we believe we have what it takes in the end to hold our opponents off.

We have another opportunity tonight to take another step in the right direction. It’s never easy, especially when you have a guy like Allen Iverson coming into town, but that’s what you love about it. It’s always a challenge and as a competitor you love that moment and that feeling. That one specific moment in time is the time that you are able to separate yourself from everything else and rise to another level. That’s the beauty of competition and why we love to do what we do.

February 1, 2006

Players And Fans Deserve A Win

Well, as all of you well know, it’s about time for a "W." There is nothing more that our guys deserve than getting off of this snide. We have been shorthanded for who knows how long and our guys continue to give maximum effort.

We play the Hawks tonight at home, and hopefully this will be our night. We are in the beginning stages of a really nice home stand and hope to use that to our advantage and get some victories in front of our home crowd. Our fans deserve it, as well.

We have been pleased with not only the attendance at the games, but even more so by the support shown to all of us even when times are not as good as we would all like. I have been around this game for my entire life and know how easy it is to cheer when things are good, but it’s much harder when times are tough. Our fans have been there through it all with us, and I just wanted to take a little bit of time on behalf of all parities involved and say thank you for that.

This game is a game of adjustments and we have had to make many this season, not just because of game situations, but also because of all the injuries. We went from having a promising young front line to having to play small ball. Then, once we started to get good at that, we had some bigs come back and our smalls went out. Now you have to change things up and can not afford to be as disruptive as you would like to be. This not only an adjustment for the players, but for the coaching staff as well.

We know have to condense our defense so that our big guys don’t have to have to go as far in their rotations. That’s why our forced turnovers have fallen, because we can’t stretch our defense like we have in the past.

It’s only a matter of time when before get all our pieces together and can be the team that we thought we would be this year. It starts tonight. We have an opportunity, as we do every night, to change our fortunes.

January 19, 2006

Learning More Every Day

Well, where do I begin? I guess I will start with trying to explain how good the NBA is and how hard it is to compete in this league without all your pieces. It seems like this is a reoccurring theme in this blog.

The New Orleans game was one of those games that just happens. You never know when it is going to happen or how it is going to happen, but it just does. Even the best teams in the NBA have them when things just aren’t going your way and it just seems like you are out there playing in quick sand. The crazy thing about it is that it doesn’t have to be a whole game or a whole half.

We had one quarter where everything went wrong for us and everything went right for the Hornets. We gave up 41 points in the second quarter to a team who was only averaging close to 90 points for an entire game, but that is the NBA, and I guess welcome to it. To take a positive out of this situation -- what you have to focus on as a coach -- I think we are seeing the emergence of one of the future stars in the NBA.

Gerald Wallace has put together a stretch here that is comparable to all of the All-Star performers. So far this month, he is averaging 17.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 3.1 blocks. I don’t think there is a guy in the league who is stuffing a stat sheet like that.

It has been by necessity that the coaching staff has learned a lot about Gerald and where he can be most effective. He is a very good post up player against anyone. He has been matched up with seven footers to guys his own size, and they have all had a hard time guarding him because of his quickness, ability to finish and athleticism.

One of the things that truly validated this was his play against the Detroit Pistons. They have arguably the best defensive front court in the league and Gerald had pretty good success against those guys on the post. If you can score on Big Ben on the post, I don’t think there are too many people that can stop you one-on-one. So if there are some positives coming out of all these injuries, Gerald is definitely one.

I also think that the experience that guys are getting playing a lot more minutes than they are used to will help them in the long run. Our young guys are getting a lot of experience, and we are starting to see what they are capable of as well. Alan Anderson has had some pretty good games considering his minutes. He is a very intelligent basketball player and always seems to make the right decision.

Basketball intelligence is one of those things that at this point is a blessing, and I don’t know if you can put your finger on what exactly gives players that understanding of the game. There are guys who contribute in this league every night but who have low basketball I.Q.'s, so it is possible to function in this league that way. But as a coach, you truly appreciate a player that can think the game and makes your job easier.

It is something that can be argued many different ways. People blame it on coaching, but there are players that come from great high school and college programs that don’t truly understand the game. It is a very interesting debate -- one that I couldn’t solve alone and in these few a words, but its something to think about as a fan of the game and someone who is so engulfed in basketball.

January 11, 2006

Taking The Good With The Bad

I guess we have to take the good with the bad sometimes.

On Tuesday, we won a tough double overtime victory over the Rockets, but in it we lost Emeka (Okafor) for at least a couple more games. It is a shame too, because he really started rolling tonight. He looked a lot like his Rookie of the Year form.

We have to have some of the toughest guys in the league on our basketball team. Brevin Knight for starters has to be mentioned up there with Allen Iverson as far as toughness goes on guys under six feet tall. He is a special competitor and every night, no matter what his personal situation is, he gives you all that he has. He has been struggling with lower back pain, but that hasn’t stopped him from fighting to the very end. He ended the game with 18 assists -- we had 28 as a team.

His running mate Gerald Wallace is another guy that is a flat-out warrior. He ends up all over the place. He is in the stands, on top of the camera men, on the floor and anywhere else in the arena he can find a spot to land. He has been forced to play out of position because of all the injuries that we have sustained as a team and has showed to be very fit to play with any of the bigs in this league. We joke as a staff and say that he is a center stuck in a wing player’s body.

Not only is he a pretty good post up player, but his weak side defense and rebounding is phenomenal. His ability to fly from out of nowhere and block a shot is amazing. He is able to do things in that slim 6-7 frame that a lot of seven footers are incapable of doing.

The Rockets made some amazing shots at the right time. John Lucas and Luther Head both hit tough shots to send the game into overtime and double overtime. It takes nothing away from our guys, though. We were there and contested the shots, and we still don’t know how they went in. I am willing to bet that Lucas couldn’t even see the rim when he shot it because Gerald was so close to him, but that’s the way the ball bounces. Fortunately, we were able to over come all of those things and notch another victory. In this business, that is what matters. It doesn’t matter how they come, just as long as they come.

We truly believe that we are improving as a team. We just have to continue to scrap and fight until the cavalry comes. There’s no time to rest. We turn around tonight and play a Toronto team that has been playing well as of late, winning five of their last seven. They have found a nice mix of veterans and young guys that compliment each other quite well. We had a hard time with Chris Bosh the last time we faced them, so now we are going to have to figure out a way to keep the ball out of his hands. When he does get it, we have to find a quicker way to get it out without it going into the basket.

That is the great thing about this job -- if it’s not one challenge it’s another. It keeps your mind constantly moving and working. One night you have to stop great guards, the next you have to stop great bigs. As a coach, it is a lot of fun to strategize and try to outfox your opponent. Especially when you turn out to be the fox and not the hound.

December 28, 2005

Scrapping Our Way To Wins

I’ll be honest – it’s a lot easier writing these blogs after a victory.

For a while there I was having a hard time coming up with things to say, but after our victory tonight I could probably go on for a long time.

First things first and most importantly, we have to take our hats off to our guys one more time. To go into a game with a short bench and only two players over 6-6 and scrap the way we did was amazing and a credit to the character of our guys. The fact that we’re playing so small right now, I believe makes us a scrappier basketball team. We just have a bunch of little guys flying around the floor trying to make things happen, and for the most part, it has worked.

We have guys that are very versatile defenders. We call them smalls, but Bernard Robinson, Gerald Wallace and Keith Bogans do a wonderful job of being able to guard perimeter players and post-up players, as well. This gives us as a coaching staff a lot of range in the things that we can do defensively. When we go to this lineup, we can switch and trap and get teams out of what they want to do offensively. In our coaches meetings we call this messing the game up.

Teams are very good at doing what they do. Every team has a system they spend a lot of time practicing and working on trying to perfect. Well, not that many teams are good at a second or third option, and that’s what we are able to do by messing the game up. It takes our opponents out of their first option, making them have to play a style that they are not used to. It was no more evident than at the end of the game in Atlanta.

We were able to switch every screen and not be effected by mismatches or things like that, and the Hawks were unable to get the shot that they wanted. Offensively, they were not able to get comfortable. They made a quick push, but that was off of our long shots and turnovers. Once we collected ourselves and got back to who we were, they had a hard time scoring. They only scored one free throw the last 3:30 seconds of the basketball game, and that allowed us to make our run and end up winning the basketball game.

Offensively, we are finding different ways to get it done, as well. I think that Brevin (Knight) is really enjoying having Raymond (Felton) on the floor. It frees him up to do some more things without the ball and get shots on offense.

We also got a good push from off the bench. Bernard, Keith and Matt (Carroll) all came into the game and did a good job of scoring at different points in the game. Each of them hit shots when we needed a big shot and it looked as if we were sputtering offensively a little bit. It is a good feeling as a coach when you know you can go to your bench and get some productivity.

We are going to continue to scrap, play small ball and hold down the fort until we can get some guys healthy and come at teams with our full arsenal of weapons. No resting on our laurels though -- we have Chicago tonight. The Bulls probably have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder because of the way we beat them last time, so we have to be ready once again.

December 21, 2005

Tomorrow Looking Good Today

The last time I wrote, we needed a win in the worst way. We had just lost eight games in a row and were on the road getting ready to play the Nets. I talked about how there is always tomorrow – well, tomorrow has come and we have found some success in its arrival.

We beat the Nets for the first time in team history. It was a good game for us in all aspects. We did a good job defensively, especially having to figure out a way to contain the best perimeter threesome in the league in Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd.

We then came home and found ourselves on the tracks in front of the train that is the Detroit Pistons -- and we all know what happens when something is caught on the tracks. The Pistons have the best record in basketball and are the best team that I have seen so far this year. I spoke with Flip Saunders before the game. He and I share the same alma mater and spent time together when I worked for the Timberwolves, and he made the comment on how fortunate he was that he had five guys on the floor who at anytime could become a go-to guy. You may wonder about Big Ben (Wallace) on the offensive end, but in our scouting process we watch a lot of tape and you would be surprised how many times they find a weakness on the opposing team that is matching up with Ben. They give him the ball on the block and he has some success. I think Flip and the Pistons is a perfect match. He is one of the best offensive coaches in the NBA, and they were already one of the best defensive teams in the league with plenty of offensive fire power.

We came back on Monday and regrouped against Mike Bibby, Brad Miller and the Sacramento Kings. We came out and played well early. I think the key for our basketball team is to come out early in the game and keep it close. So many times this year we have dug a hole and had to dig our way out. As a coaching staff, we have put an emphasis on how we start games, and we believe that has had an impact on the end result. We lost a lot of bodies that night. Kareem (Rush) is still battling that finger problem and Emeka (Okafor) went down with an ankle injury. Let’s not forget that Brevin (Knight) was hurt in the Detroit game and was in street clothes. By the end of the night, we were trying to figure out if we would have enough guys to finish the game. As a credit to our guys, they continued to fight behind the performance of the big fella in the middle, Primoz Brezec.

He was aggressive in this game from the tip. We think that Primoz has the ability to be a very good basketball player -- he just has to maintain his offensive aggressiveness. He is one of those guys who does exactly what you ask him to do defensively, so we matched him up with Miller, who is the orchestrator of the Kings high-post offense. We asked Primoz to not let Brad touch the ball, and he did just that. Hats off to the big fella for his effort Monday night.

Next it was on to Chicago, and it looked as if that “always tomorrow” thing was going to catch up with us. We went into this game without some of our major pieces, but because of the fight that our guys have, we knew we wouldn’t be shorthanded. The NBA is still a game of matchups, and our thought process for the Bulls was to go small and see if we could get the answer to the debate that has rang throughout the history of the game -- size and strength vs. speed and quickness. Last night, speed and quickness won.

Chicago had a hard time matching up with our smalls because we have some small guys that can play pretty big in Bernard Robinson and Gerald Wallace. Because of their athleticism, length and intelligence, they figured out a way to make it hard for Chicago’s big guys to be effective, but on the offensive end of the floor, the Chicago big guys just couldn’t keep up.

Winning three out of four isn’t bad, and we are looking to do something on Friday against the Clippers that’s never been done with the Bobcats -- winning three in a row. See you Friday night.

December 14, 2005

There's Always Tomorrow

The one thing about the NBA is that there is always tomorrow. You play so many games that you have to be able to move on from one game to the next. That is sometimes easier said than done. It seems like when things are going well for you and you are winning games, which carries over to the next night and then on to the next night.

Right now we are trying to find that one play or that one win that turns the corner for us.

We haven’t been fully healthy in a while. It seems like once we get one piece back, another one goes down. Our strength right now is our pieces and our total team play, and if we do not have our entire team or all of our pieces, we struggle to find ways to win. We are in most games, but it ends up being one or two plays that go in the other team’s favor that we have a hard time overcoming.

We lost to the Nuggets on Tuesday, but there were some positives in the game. Emeka played really well in limited minutes because of foul trouble. He was very active on the offensive glass and made some key plays where he could come up with the ball but tipped it out long to one of his teammates. He also did a good job on the defensive end of the floor guarding one of the best power forwards in the game in Kenyon Martin. He blocked three shots, as well, and did a good job with his defensive rotations. He also was much more aggressive attacking the basket finishing with those thunderous dunks that we are used to seeing out of him.

At this point in the season, trying to battle out of this skid, it is important for us as a coaching staff to be very positive. When guys are down, it is important they feel some support, and it is more important that they feel that support from the people that are closest to them -- the coaching staff and their teammates. It is easy when things are going well, but it says a lot about people who continue to fight even when things are going in their favor.

I can say one thing for sure about the group of guys that we have here -- they have never surrendered and never will. Even when things don’t go our way, these guys continue to fight and scrap. Tonight we’ve got New Jersey and are looking forward to the opportunity to fight and scrap our way to a victory and turn the corner to success and wins.

December 7, 2005

Happy To Be Back Home

After a road trip like we just had, you have a great understanding for the phrase "home at last."

We had a tough trip out West, but for the most part were competitive in each of our outings. Our first game in Sacramento was a tough night. We caught a team that was backed into a corner, and they came out firing. Mike Bibby led the way, making his first eight shots. After that, momentum just took over, and the Kings went on to win the game going away.

The next night, we rolled into Seattle looking to bounce back from defeat and caught another team that had been sitting at home with a couple of days to practice waiting on us to come to town. We played pretty well in the second half of this game. We made a run and cut the lead to three, but when you have great players like Ray Allen, when you get that lead, it always seems like that guy is there when you need to make a shot or a play.

This is what we preach to our young guys, and that’s why this game is always a learning process. You have to remember - all the great players that make those shots now didn’t always make those shots early in their careers. We all remember the struggles that Kobe had in the playoffs his first couple of years and even Michael Jordan missed game-winning shots. It’s all a matter of building your confidence and understanding the game and exactly what is needed. It is also a mental thing about overcoming obstacles and just being mentally tough.

We believe that for a man, we have some very mentally tough basketball players. They prove it every night by going out and competing they way they do, no matter the previous outcome. For that, you truly have to admire our guys.

We finished up the trip in Los Angeles with a true heartbreaker. It just goes to show how close we really are. It seems as if we are two or three winning plays away from being a very good basketball team.

Well, we are home now and face a team that in the past we have had a difficult time matching up with, and in the NBA it’s a game of matchups. The New Jersey Nets come into town after losing a tough game at home to the Raptors, so they will be fired up and ready to play. We will have to match their intensity early and maintain the pace of the game we want to play at. We’ll also be looking forward to playing in front of our own fans, where the cheers are always louder than the jeers, and for that we are appreciative.

See you tonight.

November 30, 2005

Things Starting To Come Together

First off, I would like to take this time to congratulate Gerald Wallace on becoming the first Bobcats player ever to receive the NBA's Player of the Week award. Last week when I wrote, I talked about how thankful we were to be healthy and have all of our bodies back together again. I spoke of the energy and the spark that Gerald Wallace would bring back to our basketball team, but I will be honest - I did not think that he would come out of the gate like he did.

Gerald led us to a 2-1 week, which could have very easily been a 3-0 week without that last-second play by Paul Pierce. Gerald’s game against the Washington Wizards was one of those individual performances that people will talk about for a long time to come. Some of the things that Gerald did were unbelievable. The numbers themselves were amazing - 26 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 steals - but the manner in which the numbers came was even more spectacular. Play after play we were all in awe. You try not to get caught up in those things during the game and save the reflection for afterwards, but we were all very fortunate to witness what we saw.

It goes to show how important it is in this league to have all of your pieces going in the same direction. We have a lot of good pieces here on this basketball team that fit well together. Take a look at our starting five, and you can see how well they compliment each other.

On the wings we have Gerald and Kareem Rush. Gerald is the ultimate slasher and high flier, always on the attack. Kareem, on the other hand, is a silky-smooth player with a sweet touch from deep. They go well together because Kareem spaces the defense and gives Gerald room to drive the ball, while Gerald's ability to get to the basket puts pressure on the defense and they can’t key all of their attention on Kareem.

On the inside we’ve got Emeka Okafor and Primoz Brezec. Emeka is powerful, strong and aggressive and very good on the inside. Primoz is a guy who can step outside and knock down shots and is a very good passer from the high post, which creates space on the block for Mek to work.

Then there is our point guard, Brevin Knight, who brings it all together. He gets guys the ball when they need it and distributes it to the right guy at the right time. He is the orchestrator of it all.

The success that we had last week and the success that most good teams have is because they have all of their pieces together. Health is very important in this league, and right now in this season of thanks, we are more than thankful to have our health. Tonight we play the second game of a four-game road trip out here on the West Coast in Seattle. We play some pretty good teams in some pretty good environments on this trip, so it will not only be a good test to see where we are now, but it will also be a good learning experience that will help us develop as a team and progress for the rest of the season.

There are a lot of questions that can be answered while you’re out on the road for a lengthy period of time. It shows how tough your basketball team is - not only physically, but mentally as well. There will come some difficult times, no doubt, and how you respond as a team is the key to how good you can be.

This team has never had a problem dealing with adversity and could easily be one of the most mentally tough teams in the league. Going in to every game, we feel as if we have something to prove. We are no longer and expansion team but a team looking to leave its mark, and wins on the road will begin to make those marks.

November 23, 2005

Good To Have These Guys Back

On Tuesday, there was a very good site on the Bobcats practice court. For the first time in a long time, we were able to look at all 15 members of our basketball team - healthy and allowed to participate at full speed.

It was a welcomed site to see Gerald Wallace flying from coast to coast and jump hooks coming left and right from Melvin Ely. It’s very difficult to gauge your basketball team when you don't have all the members at full strength - especially a guy like Gerald.

His natural instincts and athleticism can change a game at any given point. His energy alone can lead to three or four easy baskets and one or two blocked shots. Those are things that could have made the difference in all of the games that he has missed.

Right now we sit atop the NBA in two defensive categories - steals and forced turnovers - and that is without two of our best defensive players. It is easy to see what Gerald brings to a defense, because it normally ends up as one of those oooh and awww plays. It’s a little different with Melvin's efforts though.

Melvin is one of those guys who is always in the right place at the right time. He may not be the one who gets the steal or the block, but he is the reason it occurs. That’s a very underrated skill in the NBA, and one that he stands out in. His understanding of team defense is probably among the top of all big guys in the NBA. He is one of those big guys who takes charges, and we use him a lot in our trap defenses because he has such a great understanding of rotations and being a help guy.

We are looking forward to having these guys back and maintaining what we have developed so far on the defensive end of the floor. We just wrapped up another rough stretch, but we believe that we are starting to play at a level that can help us win more games. The Indiana game at home last week is what we are now using as a measuring stick for us. In that game, our guys saw what we are capable of, and this is where we think we need to be consistently. They understand what the accomplished in that game was just one game, but now it’s our goal to play at that level from here on out.

We have had two solid practices with great effort and intensity this week and are prepared for Larry Brown and the New York Knicks. They have some new faces - adding Eddy Curry on the inside - but the key to their success is still Stephon Marbury. He is one of those guys who’s hard to stop one-on-one, so it is important that you play good team defense and make him make plays in traffic. If we can control him and force him into tough decisions, I like our chances.

Since I won't talk to you again until after the holiday, make sure you have a happy Thanksgiving and cheer for those Bobcats.

November 16, 2005

Bobcats Will Work Through This

After getting off to a fast start, we’ve had a difficult run as of late. We have not been able to find that spark early in basketball games and have had to play from behind a lot. We were able to make a late surge against the Celtics and pull out a victory, and even made a run against later in the game against the Jazz but were unable to get that victory.

During these rough spells, as a coach, you have to use all of your powers collectively to find answers for your basketball team. When you are winning it’s easier because it seems like everything is going your way, but when you’re on the other side of that, it seems like everything from loose balls to shots to inexplicable turns of events are fighting against you.

It is now our job as assistant coaches to make sure that we continue to see the positives in what we are doing and make sure that the players still maintain their level of confidence, because with the way we play and the effort that the guys put forth, good things are just around the corner. We just have to make sure that we continue to support them until we get there.

Also, it’s fair to mention that we have played some very good teams as of late, including the world champion San Antonio Spurs.

Another battle that we have been fighting is the fact that we have played a lot of games in a short period of time. We played our first seven games in 11 days and are in the midst of playing four more games in five nights in four different cities. What that does is limit the amount of practices that you can have. If there’s one thing I have noticed being around the NBA, it’s that without the practice you have some slippage with some of the details of the game. This is much more obvious with a young and relatively new team.

During this stretch, we have also been hit with a little bit of an injury bug. We lost Gerald (Wallace) and Melvin (Ely) for a few games, which shortens our rotation at those positions. You also miss what those guys bring to the floor – Gerald’s fire and ability to make game-changing plays and Melvin’s ability to score on the block and that great defensive intelligence. But this has also been an opportunity for some of the younger guys to get more minutes than they might have in the past. At the end of the Miami game we saw a flash of what some of those young guys can bring to the table. Kevin Burleson had a great night along with Sean (May), Raymond (Felton) and Alan Anderson - guys who haven’t logged many NBA minutes.

After the practice time that we have had and the efforts that all of our guys have put in - players and coaches alike - we feel like we are ready to turn that corner and head for some success.

November 9, 2005

Anything's Possible In This Game

Well, we've been off to an interesting start. The games have all been very entertaining for the fans but a heart attack waiting to happen for a coach.

You have to take our hats off to our players though, because as is our reputation, they have continued to fight. We have put ourselves in situations to win basketball games, and that’s what you ask for as a coach. We are learning to make the plays at the end of basketball games to make those close games into wins for the Bobcats. Having three out of four games go into overtime with the chance to win all four games is a start.

Let’s start in Chicago, where I honestly have to say I have never seen or been a part of anything like that. It seemed like everything that could go wrong for us did and everything that needed to go right for the Bulls did. They made some unbelievable plays down the stretch - even Darius Songaila's first career three-pointer to tie the game and send it into overtime. In that situation as a coach, you are looking for one play to stop the bleeding, and we couldn't come up with that play. It doesn't have to be a basket - it could be a loose ball, a rebound or defensive stop that stops the rush, but we just couldn't come up with those plays. We had plenty of opportunities but just couldn't get it done.

It’s a credit to our guys that they were able to respond to a devastating loss like that and bounce back a couple of nights later and beat a team with two legitimate superstars (Allen Iverson and Chris Webber) on their home floor in Philadelphia. Late in the game, we were in the same position of having a large lead and needing to protect it to finish, and we did. That is a good sign for a young team that knows how to learn from its mistakes.

From there we returned home to open Charlotte Bobcats Arena and pulled out a memorable 107-105 overtime win over Boston. To come home on a back-to-back facing a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter and be able to make the stops and have the determination to continue to fight down the stretch – that shows the kind of guys we have assembled on this team.

I think that it’s easy for everyone around the NBA to see how much we have improved over the summer. We have a long way to go, but I like the way we have started this season. With a couple of bounces our way, we could very easily be 4-0, but I think those losses keep you grounded and let you know where you can continue to improve.

One thing this first week of the season has definitely shown our guys is that on any given night, anything can happen in the NBA. We have experienced both extremes. We have the base of a good basketball team - now we must continue to build through the season and continue to grow as a team.

November 2, 2005

Moves Were Made With This In Mind

It’s been a long time coming, and we are glad that we can begin our second season tonight in Chicago. We have been preparing for this moment ever since our last game versus the Detroit Pistons back on April 20, 2005.

A lot of work has led to these final moments leading up to the season opener.

First came the draft. We were fortunate enough to have two lottery picks and were comfortable in the fact that we would get two players that would be long lasting in our organization. It starts with the pre-draft camp in Chicago and then moves on to the individual workouts, where we were able to see every player from Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Martell Webster to our two selections - Raymond Felton and Sean May.

The draft is a long process of watching talent all season long, and as a coaching staff, it is a hard task on top of preparing for 82 games, so you rely on the opinions and ability of your scouting staff. We are fortunate that our scouting team is known throughout the league as one of the best, led by Kenny “Egg Man” Williamson. They do an outstanding job of following talent not only on the collegiate level, but overseas as well. The Chicago pre-draft camp is where another one of our future Bobcats began to turn heads. Alan Anderson was one of the best players in the camp, and we were lucky to be able to capture him after the draft in free agency.

We moved from the draft to summer league, where we were able to start implementing our system with all of the young guys and also give some of the returning players the chance to gain some more experience playing against NBA players and others trying to make it at this level. This is another way in which you can judge players who may be close to being NBA ready but just haven’t had the chance - enter another one of our newcomers Kevin Burleson.

As assistant coaches, we were in charge of the summer program. Bernie took his head-coaching hat off and put his GM hat on and had a busy summer.

We had a number of our players become free agents at the end of last season - Kareem Rush, Brevin Knight, Gerald Wallace, Keith Bogans and Matt Carroll to name a few. It was our decision as an organization to maintain the core of what we had and continue building for the future. Bernie had his work cut out for him, and to all of our delights, one by one he was able to get these guys back so we could all continue to grow together.

With the offseason work done, we entered training camp and were finally able to see the product of the work we had put in over the summer together on one court. Honestly, after a couple days of work, we were very pleased with the results. We are certain that we have the makings of a good team.

Preseason is where you work the kinks out and see exactly where you stand from the top to the bottom of your roster. During preseason, it was our thought that we could use one more guy who could knock down jump shots, so we made a deal with the L.A. Lakers and acquired Jumaine Jones. He was the final move of the early season and brings his lethal .391 shooting percentage from three-point range to our team.

After all that, we are now your 2005-06 Charlotte Bobcats and are ready for tipoff. We hope to see you all at the game against Boston on Saturday night to open up the New Charlotte Bobcats Arena the right way.

October 25, 2005

Start Of Something Special

This is the first of my weekly blogs, so I guess it will serve as an introduction, as well.

My name is J.B. Bickerstaff, and I am an assistant coach for your Charlotte Bobcats. I think this is a great way for our fans to get an inside view of who the Bobcats really are. Hopefully I can offer a little different perspective on things that will help your relationship with our team grow.

I think it is important that you get to know us as a basketball team and as an organization. Our mantra here is "Stay After It," which is something that I think is fitting for the group of guys that we have assembled.

Last year, we laid the foundation of who we wanted to be as a basketball team. We wanted to put together a group that never quit and, no matter the circumstances, continued to fight, and we feel as if we've been successful in that.

This summer it was important to make sure that we brought that foundation back and added pieces to build with. The re-signing of guys like Brevin Knight, Gerald Wallace and Kareem Rush, along with the additions of Sean May and Raymond Felton, show our commitment strengthening the foundation that was laid.

It has been a whirlwind of a preseason so far. Everything began in Wilmington, N.C. for training camp as we embarked upon our second season.

This was the first time we had gone to another city for training camp to prepare ourselves for the upcoming season. As a coaching staff, we believed that it was a good idea to get away for training camp to start the bonding process.

Training camp went rather well even though we only had a small amount of time to implement a whole lot of new things. The biggest difference this year was that we brought back the majority of the players from last year's roster, and they were able to retain most of what we like to do as a team.

It doesn't take long for questions to start getting answered in training camp because this is the first time you get to see how your new pieces are going to fit with the other guys on the court.

There were a few pieces that we were looking forward to seeing in Sean May and Alan Anderson, but because of injuries (both had knee surgery before camp opened), we weren't able to see what they could do. They are both doing well and are ahead of their healing schedule. There is even a good chance that Sean will be able to play in our final preseason game.

Overall, training camp was good because of the group of guys we have on our team. They are willing to work and are all about the right thing. After training camp, we were sure that this group fit well together and that we have the right pieces that can be good together for a long time.

Our preseason has moved fast, and we've gotten a lot done. We haven't been at full strength too often, but when we have been, we have proven to be very competitive.

The preseason has been highlighted by our first win on the road at Miami, and we've had fun traveling from Alabama to all over Southern California. We have one preseason game left in the old Charlotte Coliseum against the Pacers (on Wednesday), and then we move into the New Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

(Monday) is actually the first day that I have worked in this building, and I must say, it is a beautiful thing. I have been in NBA arenas all my life, and I can honestly say that this is the best that I have seen.

From top to bottom, it offers things that I haven't seen in any other arena. It's the most fan-friendly arena - from the seating to the amenities - that I have ever seen. No matter where you are in the arena, it provides you with a great view of the game and an enjoyable experience.

As the season gets ready to start, we are looking forward to all of the new beginnings for our team along with you, our fans, and can't wait to get things underway.