If the curses don’t work, well, there are always the eight games the Bobcats have left against the aforementioned six teams. If the ‘Cats can get hot, they may not even need my help. Let us pray.

Bobcats Hurting Without Okafor

-- Bobcats fan Gaither Jones | 9:20 a.m. 3/12/07

The last time I wrote the Bobcats were doing pretty well – four-game winning streak with the potential to win a franchise record fifth game in a row against a much improved Toronto Raptors team. Since that time, things have gone south. After being relatively healthy for the entire season, Emeka Okafor went out in the third quarter against Toronto with a strained left calf. The Bobcats have lost eight straight and without Okafor I can’t honestly say when the bleeding will stop. The power forward/center is the force behind this team’s defense.

In saying that, I mean no offense to what Gerald Wallace brings to the table because he brings A LOT, but Okafor is a threat down low that people should fear driving on. His ability to block shots is among the best in the league with 2.8 per game. If he doesn’t manage to block the shot, then a lot of times his defense is still able to disrupt it. Basically guards and forwards on the team can put pressure on their men, and should they happen to get beat out on the perimeter, then they know they have Okafor behind them to clean up their mistake. Without this aspect, teams can attack more often and they know it. In addition, the Bobcats miss Okafor’s great hands for grabbing shots off the glass (averaging 11.7 rebounds), which prevents extended possessions for opponents. His rebounding skills also transfer over to the other end of the floor, collecting 4.1 offensive boards a game, giving the Bobcats another opportunity to run the offense. A lot of times after he crashes the glass, Okafor simply makes his own offense and ends up with a put-back slam. Since he has been out, Charlotte has faced teams trying to drive to the basket more often, given up more points, collected fewer boards and blocked fewer shots.

This is obvious, but the Bobcats aren’t as good without their stellar defensive starting big man. Saturday night against Memphis unfortunately was no different. Pau Gasol was able to take advantage of Okafor’s absence by notching 31 points and 15 rebounds, while Hakim Warrick and Rudy Gay were also able to get easy baskets down low. Usually it is a safe bet in any arena to say that some people will show up rooting for another team, so I kind of expected to maybe see a sign maybe saying “Rudeee” in support of the exciting UConn product and the Grizzlies, but that wasn’t the case. Despite the Bobcats recent losses, it was nice to see a good crowd at the arena supporting the team. For those who attended the game, they did get to see Sean May’s return (a solid 13 points on 5-10 field goals and 3-6 free throws), as well as the Bobcats put up a good fight until Memphis pulled away in the fourth.

Charlotte was able to stay close for so long due to strong performances from GW (yet again) and Raymond Felton. Wallace had 24 points, a career-high 17 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals – further proving that if he opts out of his contract this summer for free agency that the Bobcats need to resign him. He has become a heck of a player since arriving in the expansion draft from the Sacramento Kings – better than I expected he would be – and is a staple for this franchise. I really hope he plays for this team for several more years. As for Felton, he once again displayed his offensive skills beyond being a good passer as he scored 24 points in 34 minutes. He is developing his game and that’s good for the future.

As for the Bobcats immediate future, they will play Orlando next at 7 p.m. tonight. With Okafor still out, Charlotte will face the tough task of stopping Dwight Howard, the man drafted before him in 2004. Hopefully with support from their fan base, the Bobcats can get the job done and stop this losing streak.

The Wins Keep Coming

-- Bobcats fan Gaither Jones | 12:24 a.m. 2/24/07

For the second time in the Bobcats short history, fans can say that their team has won four straight. The Bobcats used a solid team effort to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 102-87 on Friday. Once again this season Charlotte proved that they could play with a lead and maintain it. At the end of the third quarter the score was 77-63 favoring the home team, but the 76ers – down most of the game – made a final push with a 7-0 run to start the fourth. In the past, the Bobcats have had the misfortune of losing games in the final period (which is understandable, given how young they are) so the next play was crucial to stop Philadelphia from doing any more damage. Brevin Knight saw an opportunity to respond as he made a quick pass down low to Emeka Okafor who then slipped between two defenders for a basket off of the glass to push the lead up to nine.

Later, with 2:23 left Raymond Felton found Okafor open for a dunk to make it 93-80. It was fitting that Emeka made these two plays, because he was such a large reason for the win. Despite having the flu, he managed to play 31 minutes off of the bench to register 16 points and 16 rebounds – his 35th double-double. His teammates – maybe inspired by Okafor’s efforts – rose to the challenge and matched what he brought to the table.

The Bobcats played good defense (they held Andre Iguodala to just 10 points on 3-12 field goals) and moved the ball around extremely well to find good open shots. Starters Matt Carroll, Gerald Wallace, and reserve Adam Morrison each contributed 19 points. GW got a lot of his points from post-ups and by slashing to the basket while Carroll (7-11 field goals) and Morrison (7-12 field goals, 3-3 from long range) continued their hot shooting. In regards to Adam, I was hoping that a solid performance in the fun and relatively stress-free Rookie-Sophomore game would allow him to just relax, gain confidence and elevate his play for the second half of the season. I’m not sure if Morrison’s performance over the All-Star break is even part of the reason for his recent improvement, but I hope he can keep this going. If he does, the Bobcats are going to continue their climb up the standings and “The Great Mustachio” (as he self-proclaims in an NBA Live commercial) may find himself with the 2006-07 Rookie of the Year award.

The Bobcats next play the Toronto Raptors at 7 p.m. tonight in an attempt to reach a new franchise record five-game winning streak so get down to the arena and show your support if you can. This team is getting better and I believe – along with what Michael Jordan said in his recent letter (I recommend reading it) – that it has a bright future ahead. Go Bobcats!

Moments To Remember From Season's First Half

-- Bobcats fan Gaither Jones | 10:15 p.m. 2/22/07

The Bobcats are currently on a three-game winning streak, and their improvement has been fueled by spectacular plays and performances from various players allowing the team to learn how to win big games and build confidence. I know that there is still a lot of room to improve, but as a fan you have to like where this team is headed. They’ve added savvy veterans to help mentor the young players, Emeka Okafor has shown his dominance on defense, Gerald Wallace has expanded his offensive arsenal, and things seem to be clicking better on the floor for Raymond Felton – just to name a few reasons for the Bobcats progress. With that said, here are my few awards/highlights for the first half.

Best Game
This might be a no-brainer, but the Bobcats 133-124 win over the Lakers on December 29 in triple overtime was pretty sweet. The teams went back and forth and the Bobcats withstood 58 points from Kobe Bryant and Okafor recorded a career-high and franchise record 25 rebounds to accompany 22 points and four blocks. Felton also played a great game as he abused the Lakers down the stretch using the pick-and-roll in addition to other post-up plays with Okafor. The second-year point guard finished the game with 22 points and 15 assists.

Best All-Around Performance
The Bobcats lost to the Wizards at home 114-107 on December 27, but Wallace put on a heck of a show. He did everything he possibly could to try to get a win and the box score (if you didn’t attend the game) proves that. G-Force had 40 points (15-27 field goals, 10-11 free throws), 14 rebounds, six steals and four blocks. Unbelievable.

Most Improved Player
Several players have gotten better, but without a doubt this goes to Matt Carroll because he has made the biggest jump. He has proven that he can really shoot the ball averaging 11.3 points (compared to 7.6 points last year) and opens up the Bobcats offense because teams have to respect his ability to hit the three. When shots are consistently falling for him, all he needs is to give his defender a pump-fake, drive to the basket, and if he gets fouled he is pretty much a guarantee to hit the free throws at 91.1 percent shooting.

Best Defensive Play
There have been some great ones thus far, but the one that has stuck in my memory belongs to GW in Denver on January 29. With 41 seconds left in the game, Wallace managed to run down Carmelo Anthony from behind then jump and hang in the air while keeping his body under control to prevent a foul call – which superstars such as Anthony are more likely to get in their favor – and blocked the shot. I have seen the replay multiple times and I’m still impressed. Had Anthony made the shot, the Bobcats would’ve been down 103-102 and possibly lost the game; instead, Wallace’s defensive heroics preserved a 105-101 win.

Best Defensive Player
Okafor. He is averaging 11.4 rebounds per game (sixth best in the NBA) and is second in the league in offensive rebounds with 3.9. Along with grabbing the ball down out of the air Okafor has repeatedly illustrated that he can swat it away from the hoop as well. He averages 2.8 blocks per contest, recording as many as 10 on January 12 against the Knicks and eight came in the first half – are you kidding me?!? Okafor’s mere presence accompanied with his rapidly growing reputation as a shot blocker is enough to disrupt shots (which sometimes even leads to Wallace blocks) and allow him to prevent baskets.

Trying To Fight Through This

-- Bobcats forward Sean May | 7:10 p.m. 2/22/07

I know all of our fans out there are wondering about my knee, but right now it’s the same old, same old. The bone bruise isn’t healing as fast I would like, but it’s getting better.

I’m still struggling with it. I’m trying to practice and afterwards it’s still sore. It’s just something we’re dealing with. The doctors said that I need to give it more time.

It stinks sitting at home every day wondering why it’s not healing. I feel like I’m doing everything humanly possible to speed this recovery along. It’s a tricky injury. It’s something you try to deal with, but I’m getting frustrated. The organization’s getting frustrated, but I’m doing everything I can do.

I stayed here (over the break). I didn’t want to do a lot of traveling. I stayed here and worked out, because I thought the first game after the All-Star break, I’d be back. I came in (Tuesday) and it didn’t feel right and I didn’t do anything.

I don’t feel great on it when I’m out there playing. I can still move around a little bit, but I’m not me. It’s always in the back of my head, and it’s afterwards when I can’t move. It’s stiff and tightens up.

Anytime you’re playing with that at 22 years old, you’re like “Whoa, you shouldn’t be feeling this right now.” At 36 after playing for 12 years, that’s one thing. At 22 and not even two years in…I only played 22 games last year, so its hard, but I’m going to fight my way through it.

Things Progressing As Second Half Starts

-- Bobcats fan Pete Reynolds | 4:00 p.m. 2/22/07

After watching the weekend of All-Star festivities and soaking up the show-pony glitz of Las Vegas, I was ready to get back to regular season basketball. There’s just something extremely comforting about watching a basketball game and knowing that there’s a zero percent chance that Wayne Newton will show up. Danke schoen, Wayne.

When we last saw the Bobcats heading into the break, they were thumping the Bulls, and they’ve since added two impressive wins over the Hornets and Timberwolves. As they lace up the sneaks for the final 28 games, what can we expect? Better yet, what can we hope for?

In a word, progress. The Bobcats are currently 21-33, which puts them on pace to win 30 or more games. Last year, the ‘Cats won 26 (a .317 winning percentage). However, since December 29 (the epic triple-overtime victory over the Lakers at the Den), the ‘Cats have gone 14-12, a significant improvement over the team’s record prior to that point. So if the Bobcats keep playing .500 ball or better, then their expected win total moves to around 34, which would be a tremendous achievement for a team playing in only its third season.

If they can continue to stay relatively healthy, it looks like the Bobcats have a real shot at getting well into the thirties in the win column. To wit: 16 of the remaining 28 games are against teams that are currently being cropped out of the proverbial playoff picture. Nineteen of the 28 games are against teams from the Eastern Conference. I’m no mathemagician, but if the Bobcats are looking for an opportunity to tally wins and climb the ladder in the conference standings, there it is. Currently, the ‘Cats are 5 1/2 games out of the 8-seed—a healthy margin, to be sure—but if they can get hot, the favorable schedule the rest of the way might be enough to give them a fighting chance at sniffing the playoffs. I’d definitely consider that progress.

Excitement Boiling Over

-- Bobcats Lady Cat Stacey | 8:30 a.m. 2/13/07

Tuesday morning! I was up all night with excitement. I actually went to bed about 10:30 (which is 1:30 Charlotte time) but at 1:00 am I woke up ready to go.

I couldn’t believe after three hours of sleep I was ready to go. I dosed in and out of sleep until 6:00 am. I think I am just so anxious.

My roommate and I are getting ready to go down to our first fitting. After that, we will be at practice and rehearsals for the rest of the day.

First Day A Busy One

-- Bobcats Lady Cat Stacey | 9:17 p.m. 2/12/07

It is the end of the first day of my trip. I finally arrived at my hotel around 6:00 pm. I met my roommate (who is from Chicago and awesome) and got ready for our welcome reception. At the reception, we were introduced to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. They were all very excited to have us here in Vegas. It was the idea of the LVCVA to have the All-Star Dance Team.

Each girl was given a bag, and of course we took a ton of pictures. Laurie Ann, our choreographer for the week, came and let us know how excited that she was. She is going to work us out!

I am going to get a good night’s sleep and get ready for a jam packed tomorrow.
Until later….

Ready To Get Started

-- Bobcats Lady Cat Stacey | 10:03 a.m. 2/12/07

Today is the big day! I woke up this morning with butterflies in my stomach. I can’t believe this experience is finally here. All-Star Week!

I tried to make this morning as normal as possible, but deep down I was so so so excited! I went to Starbucks for my usual mocha and of course to Brueggers for a bagel. I sat there with my husband talking about everything I am possibly going to experience

I heard from some of the LadyCats this morning wishing me luck. I wish they could be there with me. I also received the most thoughtful gift bag from Sonia. She gave me a card along with power bars, snacks, muscle cream (which I will need) and most of all… encouragement.

Now I am sitting in the airport with a million thoughts running through my mind!

What should I expect? What will the dances be like? What will my roommate be like? Did I bring everything I needed? Oh my goodness, I hope I didn’t forget anything.

Well, I am about to board the plane and start my journey. I can’t wait. I hope that I make everyone back in Charlotte proud!

Waiting To Make A Decision

-- Bobcats forward Sean May | 11:11 p.m. 2/9/07

I’d love to get back out on the court tomorrow (against the Rockets). We just have to wait and see when we get to Houston. I didn’t do all of shootaround today because I was a little sore after yesterday’s practice. With two games left before the All-Star break, we just want to be cautious. If we wait until after the break, it’s only going to be two more games. I’ve already missed eight, so we’ll wait and see.

Right now there’s still a little bit of soreness, and those five days of All-Star might help. It all depends on how things go after the flight and if there is any swelling or pain when I wake up tomorrow. For me, the worst thing is going, sitting and then coming back. Playing and not playing, playing and not playing – it adds so much more stress. I’d rather just let this thing heal. With a bone bruise, a lot of people don’t understand that it’s a tough injury to deal with because you can’t do anything to treat it. You just have to wait. For me, it’s just a minor bone bruise, but it’s taken a little time to heal.

I can’t wait to play though. For the last eight or nine days, they’ve told me to do absolutely nothing. The only thing I’ve been doing is lifting weights and sitting around, but the last three days I’ve been able to get on an elliptical and the exercise bike twice a day so I could have some kind of activity. I worked out before the Philly game and felt great, so I told them I wanted to try to practice. I practiced the whole practice yesterday and it felt great, but later that afternoon it just got a little sore on me. It might be a situation where I’ll play, it’ll get sore and I’ll just have to deal with it. We'll see.

Could We See Carroll Or Hollins In Las Vegas?

-- Bobcats fan Gaither Jones | 10:11 a.m. 2/5/07

I am sure you know that Emeka Okafor wasn’t named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve on Thursday night, which is frustrating since (in my opinion) he deserved to be there over a few of the players on the roster. Okafor could still be added to the team if someone gets injured and would be unable to play on February 18. You don’t wish for anyone to get hurt; however, Shaquille O’Neal has been aggravated by injury for the entire season, so if anything should flare up again and he decides to rest during the All-Star break, then the Bobcats center would be a likely candidate to replace him.

Even if this does not happen, Okafor will be on future All-Star rosters and Charlotte could possibly be represented by other players this year in addition to Raymond Felton and Adam Morrison already scheduled to participate in the Rookie-Sophomore game.

Anyone who has seen Ryan Hollins play can tell that he is pretty athletic for a guy his size – you can just recognize this in his movement. I remember reading after he was drafted out of UCLA that he had a very impressive ability to dunk the basketball (especially for a seven-footer) and can make a variety of throw-downs due to his agility and length. The NBA has had trouble getting the big name stars – such as LeBron James – to participate so they often are looking for young energetic dunkers. The players haven’t always had big reputations either – last year rookies Nate Robinson and Hakim Warrick were in the contest, with Robinson winning. Hollins, a rookie, seems like he would fit that mold. Maybe he is a long shot, especially coming from a small media market team, and hasn’t played a lot of minutes this season to show what he can do, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was included in the Slam Dunk festivities.

Another possible player that maybe could go to Vegas is Matt Carroll to compete in the Three-Point Shootout. Since Carroll began to see more playing time, he has really been able to effectively advertise his shooting ability to the NBA. He has connected on a solid 40.5 percent (62-153) of his shots from deep – good enough for the 21st best percentage. Carroll is probably a long shot, (no pun intended) but it would be cool to see him try to light it up from three. He would be a guarantee to go to All-Star weekend if the NBA had a free throw shooting contest of some kind. He has only missed 10 free throws all year, making 99-109 for a 90.8 shooting percentage that places him as the fourth best in the league.

The players for both of these contests will be announced this week (fans don’t get to vote), and if Hollins and/or Carroll receive an invite to Las Vegas, I’ll be rooting for them.

Okafor Deserves To Be An All-Star

-- Bobcats fan Gaither Jones | 4:21 p.m. 2/1/07

I’d like to start this blog off by saying congrats to Raymond Felton and Adam Morrison for being selected to the Rookie-Sophomore game. Both of them deserved it, and I am sure Felton is glad to make it in his final year of eligibility since (in my opinion) he should have made it last year. (Side note: Sean May would probably be the third player from Charlotte in this event if not for injury) Since the two Bobcats though are on different teams, one is destined to have bragging rights – I’m guessing it will be Felton and the sophomores, but I think Morrison will still play well – we’ll see.

I’m hoping that at least one other Bobcats player will be included in the All-Star weekend festivities – he most certainly deserves to be – and that player is Emeka Okafor. The third-year player is having his best season yet, which can be attributed to avoiding injury, and I know that all fans wish for the trend of health to continue. Injury prevented him from playing in both years of the Rookie-Sophomore game. Okafor is playing so well that he even is a likely candidate for the 2006-07 Defensive Player of the Year award, but that is a discussion for another blog.

Tonight the All-Star reserves as voted by the NBA head coaches will be officially announced on TNT at 7 p.m. and I am hoping that Emeka’s name will be announced. He is facing some tough competition, in addition to the fact that fans voted in Miami Heat center Shaquille O’Neal – who only played in six games due to injury and averaged 12.0 points with 6.5 rebounds, which are far from All-Star caliber numbers – as the starting center does not help. If fans had voted more on performance and not popularity then Dwight Howard would be the starter at the five position, making it easier for Charlotte’s power forward/center to make the team. That is all beyond Emeka’s control though, and all he can do is let his game dictate how good of a player he is.

In my opinion (and I am sure I am not alone) his stats this season make him worthy of an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve. Through 45 games he is averaging 14.9 points on 53.9 percent shooting from the field, 11.4 rebounds and 2.95 blocks per game thus far. As for how these numbers stand up against the rest of the league, Okafor is fifth in rebounding, but for All-Star analysis purposes he is second in the Eastern Conference behind only Dwight Howard who registers 12.1 rebounds per game. Okafor is the best offensive rebounder in the league with 4.0 per game. The Bobcats center is also one of only 14 players in the NBA to average a double-double. He is eighth in the league with 27 double-doubles at this point in the season (Kevin Garnett leads everyone with 38). His blocks per game are good enough to be tied for second overall, and it should be noted that he was tied for first along with Jermaine O’Neal and Marcus Camby with a 3.0 average before last night’s performance of zero blocks in a win against the Knicks.

The bottom line is that Emeka Okafor is having a great season and should be rewarded with a little recognition for it. Realistically, he will probably lose some votes based on the facts that the Bobcats don’t have a winning record and/or that Charlotte is a small media market; however, I hope this will not be enough to prevent him from being selected. Okafor has been a key reason for the Bobcats improvement this season and is definitely one of the best low-post players in the Eastern Conference. As far as I am concerned if his name is not announced tonight, he’s still an All-Star player and I am confident he will be in many All-Star games to come.

Time Needed To Heal

-- Bobcats forward Sean May | 11:31 a.m. 1/31/07

I just want to take the time to address the latest on my injury here in my blog, so our fans can here what it going on directly from me. When it came down to it, it was just a bone bruise that has been bothering me, and there is really nothing you can do about it. I do my exercises and the preventative treatments that I go through every day, but the only way a bone bruise can really heal is on its own. You just have to give it time.

I’ve had some soreness for a while. I thought I was okay after missing four games and then came back and played against Detroit (on January 24). It took about seven days for it to really feel good before that, so hopefully I’ll be ready to go in the next 10 days. That’s what I am thinking, but the doctors can’t really give me a timetable. It wasn’t extremely bad – a really bad one takes about six weeks (to heal). Gerald (Wallace) had one last year and it took three or four weeks. Hopefully in the next week or so it will start to get better. The good thing is that All-Star break is coming up, so that should help.

Initially I was going to try to just keep playing and have it day-to-day, but I told them I would rather sit out now and miss a few games and finish out the rest of the season playing at a high level, which right now I really couldn’t do. The thing you have to be careful with is that some bone bruises tend to turn into the micro-fracture thing that a lot of guys are dealing with now days, and that can be scary.

I’m the type of guy that if I can play through it, I’m going to play through it. I tried to, but it got to the point where it made me change my game and I wasn’t able to do what I thought I was brought here to do. I talked to (Head Athletic Trainer) Joe (Sharpe) and then I met with (team physician) Dr. (Glenn) Perry, and we decided it was time to just let this thing heal. Hopefully I’ll only miss three or four games and then I’ll be back.

It’s definitely frustrating, especially after last year where it felt like I missed the whole season, playing only 23 games, and most of those games I played injured. I’ve never had knee problems, and right now it seems like I’m just going through a little bit of a funk with this right knee. I’m sure it will all work out. I understand that this is my job, and in order for me to go out and be effective, I have to be healthy.

Injuries are part of this game. It’s all about how you deal with them. I’m staying positive and was happy to hear that I didn’t have to have surgery or anything like that. I’ll be back in full swing here soon.

United Team Impresses On The Road

-- Bobcats fan Gaither Jones | 8:15 p.m. 1/30/07

Team chemistry can account for a lot in basketball no matter what the level of talent is that you face. The Bobcats went into Denver to wrap up a tough three-game road trip facing two of the NBA’s most recognized talents, Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. I’m not sure how many people thought Charlotte would be able to beat such a formidable duo, but one thing is for sure – the Bobcats believe in themselves. They are gaining the confidence to hesitate less and make plays when they need to be made. They seem to trust one another more as the season wears on by showing faith in their teammates’ abilities, whether it is Emeka Okafor or Gerald Wallace taking the ball inside or Raymond Felton penetrating for a layup or choosing to dish to a shooter like Matt Carroll. They are finding that they can rely on one another down the stretch.

Monday night was a perfect example of this young team gelling together – doing so in a pro-Nugget environment – to win 105-101 and improve to 8-14 on the road. (I know this isn’t a winning record, but you need to realize that last season the Bobcats were 9-32 away from Charlotte so this is a very nice improvement thus far.)

Like most of the Bobcats wins, the effort against Denver was fueled by hustle and intensity. The Bobcats went after steals, hit the boards, had good positioning on offense – especially Okafor in the low-post which led to easy scores – and most importantly hit open shots. Carroll (14 points) and Adam Morrison (12 points) contributed crucial three-point baskets to help rally Charlotte from a 96-91 deficit – the Bobcats didn’t surrender the lead again after that. GW, who continues to impress me with his play even with a banged up shoulder and all of that padding on, led the team with 25 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. On offense he found his way in between defenders – some attempts more difficult than others – to convert easy lay-ins or draw contact for the foul. He hit 7-8 free throws; impressive considering that logic dictates that a shoulder injury usually restrains the shooting motion making the shot have less arch and more likely to miss. He probably would have made all eight, but my friend jinxed him by pointing out that he had yet to miss one – sorry about that Gerald. The second of his two blocks came against Anthony on a fast break attempt with 41 seconds left in the game. Had Wallace not blocked it (side note: I’m really not sure how he physically managed to run down Anthony then hang in the air for as long as he did, keep his body under control to prevent a foul and still block the shot) the Bobcats would’ve been down 103-102. So if you haven’t gotten the idea yet, the play was kind of a big deal – if you want validation, you could see it on SportsCenter.

Wallace was only one of three Bobcats to reach a double-double though. Okafor had 18 points (9-12 field goals), 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks while Felton recorded 16 points, 11 assists and five rebounds. These performances were enough to counter Iverson (31 points) as well as Anthony (25 points) and illustrated that maybe you don’t always need a “superstar” to win big games. If the Bobcats can duplicate team performances like Monday night’s then more wins are sure to follow.

See I told you we shouldn’t and didn’t need to trade for Iverson. Go Bobcats!

Wallace Blowing Up Big Man Stereotypes

-- Bobcats fan Pete Reynolds | 3:08 p.m. 1/30/07

I hate the term “tweener.” It’s often used by scouts and coaches to (negatively) label players and prospects who don’t necessarily resemble the “prototypical” player at any given position.

If you’re a good ball-handler and passer, you’re a point guard – unless you’re too tall. If you’re 6-7 and athletic, you’re a wing player. Unless you’re 6-10 and bulky, you can’t play power forward – why, you ask? Because you are going to be matched up against an opposing power forward every night who is 6-10 and bulky, and with whom you likely share a very similar skill set. It’s as though the point is to cancel out the opposition, rather than to identify and exploit its weaknesses.

Since Gerald Wallace’s return from his recent shoulder injury, however, the prototypical small forward has thrown a wrench into the proverbial machine by starting at power forward, but not playing a “classic” power forward’s game. Granted, this reassignment arises out of necessity (injuries to Bobcats centers have forced Emeka Okafor to the center spot, leaving the four to Gerald), but it has been effective nonetheless.

For instance, in Wednesday night’s loss to Detroit, GW went for 29 points and 11 boards, as he dominated Rasheed Wallace on offense, despite Rasheed’s size advantage. Gerald’s ability to play from the perimeter drew Rasheed away from the basket, opening up the offensive boards and allowing GW to beat Rasheed to the glass for several first half putbacks. In the second half, when Rasheed was tired of getting beat to the rim, he backed off, and GW made him pay by knocking down a couple of baseline jumpers. And this is not meant to disparage Rasheed (okay, it is – he looks as though he has aged about six years in the last year and a half)—GW is just much quicker.

In fact, very few power forwards in the NBA (especially the Eastern Conference) are quick enough and athletic enough to match up with Gerald’s increasingly versatile offensive game, and GW is a good enough rebounder and shot-blocker to compensate for his size disadvantage on defense.

If we survey the East, we’ll find only a few power forwards who are both quick enough to guard Gerald away from the basket and crafty enough to keep him off the glass. A quick rundown of Eastern Conference starters at the four goes as follows (in no particular order): Marvin Williams; Jermaine O’Neal; Rasheed Wallace; Drew Gooden; Al Jefferson; Chris Bosh; Stephen Hunter; Udonis Haslem; Cameron Frye; Andrew Bogut; Mikki Moore; Antawn Jamison; Tony Battie; and P.J. Brown. None on that list is quicker than GW. Of those listed, Bosh, Jamison, and Haslem (and maybe Williams) have the best chance at defending Gerald outside of 15 feet, but even then, GW has an advantage. Just ask Rasheed.

But what about injury concerns? As you might remember, Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff occasionally deployed Gerald to the post last season (perhaps inspired by Phoenix coach Mike D’Antoni’s use of Shawn Marion at the four when the Suns were Amare-less, but more than likely due to injury problems the Bobcats faced inside), and pounding against power forwards – even in limited time – took its toll on the Alabama Slammer. However, since taking over at power forward this year, Wallace has spent a lot of time drawing his opponents out of the lane, thereby decreasing the number of minutes spent banging on the blocks and absorbing meaty elbows from opposing fours.

In short, he’s making his defenders play his game instead of tailoring his game to the anachronistic notion that a power forward should stay in the post. He is effective against other power forwards precisely because he does not play like other power forwards. Hopefully it continues, because it’s beginning to open up the floor for the Bobcats offense.

Life Is Always Better When You're Winning

-- Bobcats guard Matt Carroll | 1:27 p.m. 1/29/07

Since my last blog the Bobcats have won six our of our last 11 games and have been having a good time winning. I think most people know that life is always a little better when you are winning more games than you are losing. A big difference that I have noticed about our team recently is that we have done a good job at finishing games, which is obviously why we have been winning more. We have executed our offense better and made some big shots late in the game along with coming up with crucial rebounds and blocks when we need them.

Beating the Pistons in Detroit, then getting revenge on the Knicks in the Big Apple was definitely a fun road trip for the Bobcats. I always enjoy playing in NYC because I love the playing at Madison Square Garden and my friends and family always make the trip up from Philly, to see the Bobcats play. While I was in New York I went to the NBA store and had the pleasure of co-hosting the Bobcats Insider show inside the NBA store. I have always liked being on camera, but getting a chance to co-host with Matt Devlin and Henry Williams was especially entertaining because we joked around and they made it lots of fun for me. I also did a little damage on the credit card from shopping after we filmed the show. It was amazing how much NBA memorabilia, clothes, shoes and just stuff they have there with either the NBA logo or an NBA team logo on it.

I had a lot of friends call me and say that they were excited to see us play the 76ers since the game was on local TV back in Philly, but that they might miss the second half since the Philadelphia Eagles were playing at the same time. It is always a big win and a little sweeter for me when we beat the 76ers because I know lot of friends and family are watching.

Then we had two tough losses against the Bucks and Nets. I scored 20 points in the first half against the Bucks and made five three-pointers which is the most I have scored in a half so far, but it wasn't quite enough. Before we took on the Hawks for a baseball-like two-game series, I wasn't really looking forward to playing the same team two days in a row. However, after we beat them both times, I was glad we played them twice in a row. I thought our entire team played well in both of the Hawks games. We beat Atlanta by an average of 20 points both games and that is two big wins for us.

Our next two games we didn't have a much luck as we lost to the Raptors and Pistons. I knew the Pistons were going to be ready to play us since we beat them twice already this season. The one positive thing we did during that three-day stretch was a Special Olympics Clinic, which is always a blast. The entire Bobcats team and coaches participated in the event, and I know everyone had a fun time. It is just amazing seeing all the smiles and enthusiasm every member of the Special Olympics has as we interact with them. That clinic was filled with big hugs and lots of hi-fives, which is why I enjoy it so much.

Next up was the Los Angeles Lakers, and I guess it wasn't much of a surprise that we ended up going into overtime with them again. But at least this time we finished the game in one OT rather than three. Although, I’ll do whatever it takes to get the win. I would play 10 OT's if that is what it would take to pull out a victory. I am really proud of my teammates and how they played so resilient. I think most of our team was in foul trouble, including myself, but we managed to not foul out and play some solid defense without fouling in the clutch. I couldn't believe Kobe hit a three to tie up the game and put in into overtime. That shot was kind of deflating for us, but we really stepped up in OT. I had a good feeling we might pull this one out when I banked in a three-pointer in OT. the next possession Kobe asked me if I called that bank shot and I said, "Definitely. Now we are even after the three you hit to put the game in OT.” GW and Emeka had some big rebounds and blocks and Raymond controlled the tempo and had some nice assists.

I know it was a late game, but I hope our fans were able to stay awake to check out a great win. I know there are many more to come, hopefully starting tonight in Denver.

Knee Getting Closer To 100 Percent

-- Bobcats forward Sean May | 2:04 p.m. 1/23/07

I know there is some concern out there about my situation with my knee, seeing as how I’ve missed the last four games, and I just want to let our fans know how I’m doing.

Before I went down with my (sprained) ankle (against Boston on December 16) my knee was starting to get a little sore. I told (trainer) Joe (Sharpe) about it. It was more like soreness, but that was to be expected from when I had surgery. When I came back from my ankle on December 30 in Indiana, some time within the next couple of games, I came down and agitated it. Because of where I had that cartilage taken out (last season), I don’t have as much of a shock absorber. It’s just a little tender right now.

For me to be effective, I can’t have something – especially in my knee – in the back of my mind. We’re just trying to give it a chance to calm down, and hopefully within the next couple of days, it’ll get a little bit better. The thing about it is that I can’t go and work out on the court. I need to rest it. So that’s what we’re trying to do right now. I’m still getting shots up everyday, but just trying not to put too much pressure on it.

That’s what being young in this league is about – proving yourself. You play so many games (that) you’re going to have injuries. You’re going to have pain. The key is to know what is smart to play through and what’s not. If you’ve got a bruise or your ankle is tweaked just a little bit, those are things you can play through. Dislocated fingers, they tape it up. You can play though things like that. But when you get to stuff like the knees or back, those are things that can be detrimental to your career.

I’m the type of guy that had one knee surgery that put me out for a whole season. I’d been taking some anti-inflammatories to help with the pain and get some of the swelling out. I go home every night and I have this thing called a “Game Ready” that I put on every night. Getting out of bed, it started to hurt over the last couple of weeks. Every game, going out there before the game and not knowing really how it felt. Every game you see me, I have heat packs on just to make sure I stay loose. It just got a point when we got to New York and we came back here when we played Philly (on January 13) that I didn’t feel good. I wasn’t comfortable with the way I was playing. Even though (against) Philly, I still had a double-double, I wasn’t as productive. That’s a game, if you watch the tape, I should have had 20 (points) and 12 (rebounds). I missed so many easy layups and a lot of things I normally make. I just didn’t feel like I had my legs and I was worried about my knees. That’s why I decided that I needed to let Joe know that it was really starting to bother me more than what I was trying to portray.

I knew against Philly that I needed to have it checked out. At the end of the Philly game, I had three or four possessions in a row when Ray dropped me off and I wasn’t able to finish, enough to the point where I wasn’t able to jump. After the game I told Joe that I need to get this looked at to make sure there’s nothing underlying that is causing me to play this way. The MRI came back negative and it’s just really sore. For me, they told me this might happen within my first year, and unfortunately it has happened. Now I’m getting to be smart about it. Everybody knows that I wasn’t disclosing anything to anybody. I just came back from an ankle within a week and a half and this happened. We played six games, and I tried to come back quick because I want to be out on that court more than anybody, so I’m trying to get this thing out of the way and under wraps.

I really would have liked to play against the Hawks and (former UNC teammate) Marvin (Williams). Every time I’ve played, he’s been out, but we’re going to have many, many years that we’ll be able to play against each other. I was kind of disappointed because I find out that we’re playing him at the four. It would have been good for him to guard me and someone else to guard him. I told him that. It’s a little disappointing, but at the same time, this is my career, this is my job. This franchise, I feel like they need me, and they feel like they need me for this team to be successful. I want to be here a long time, and I can’t help this team win games if I’m out there and I’m not a 100 percent or close to it. But don’t worry, I’ll get to where I need to be and be back better than ever.

Get Out and See Your Bobcats as the Winning Continues

-- Bobcats fan Gaither Jones | 10:29 p.m. 1/21/07

Since I last wrote, the Bobcats got revenge on the Knicks, had a three-game winning streak, and rookie Ryan Hollins (I like his potential as an athletic big man) made his NBA debut. Now the Bobcats have a two game winning streak and are 7-4 over the last 11 games.

Both wins this past weekend were without starters Raymond Felton, Primoz Brezec and key reserve Sean May. With Felton absent and Brevin Knight already injured, Jeff McInnis played heavy minutes, allowing him to get more comfortable with the Bobcats – and it showed. He had 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists on Friday and a night later registered 17 points, four rebounds, and nine assists. Good thing we traded for him.

Gerald Wallace also returned – instantly adding back the exciting possibility of a steal leading to a break-away throw-down to Bobcats games. Wallace also brought back low-post scoring and rebounding as he contributed 18 points and 15 rebounds (one off his career-high) in his first game since the shoulder injury. Matt Carroll – most recently scoring 22 points on 9-12 field goals – continues to play well, and at this pace he’ll get my vote for the NBA’s Most Improved award, although I don’t actually have a vote.

I can’t leave out Emeka Okafor and Adam Morrison, as they turned in solid back-to-back performances as well. In addition to all of this, the Bobcats illustrated the ability to maintain a lead in both matchups against the Hawks and bucked their tendency of not finishing off teams – allowing opponents in the past to come back and win. Hopefully the experience gained this weekend will carry over for the future.

The Bobcats have obviously shown improvement this season with some very memorable and spectacular performances up to this point as they continue to collect wins. If you want to support the team in person, here are eight games that I recommend attending:

Wednesday, January 24 vs. Detroit

Wednesday, February 14 vs. Chicago

Tuesday, February 20 vs. New Orleans

Monday, March 12 vs. Orlando

Tuesday, March 20 vs. Cleveland

Saturday, March 24 vs. New Jersey

Tuesday, April 3 vs. Washington

Tuesday, April 10 vs. Miami

Three "Little Things" Stand Out in Win

-- Bobcats fan Pete Reynolds | 1:11 p.m. 1/12/07

As any basketball pundit will tell you, in order to win basketball games, teams need to “do the little things.” However, most pundits conveniently forget to identify these mysterious “things,” leaving the rest of us nodding our heads in agreement, but no wiser than when they began their lecture. While I’ve always been a big proponent of “doing the big things,” such as scoring points (a key component of game-winning), I noticed three “little things” during the Bobcats’ last win in Detroit that helped the ‘Cats on their road to victory. They are as follows:

Okay, that’s enough armchair punditry for now. Beginning Friday, the Bobcats are entering a crucial stretch of seven consecutive games against teams with losing records, so now is the time to rack up some wins. I’ll see you at the Den.

Rooting for Carroll and Bobcats Continued Success

-- Bobcats fan Gaither Jones | 8:22 p.m. 1/9/07

The Bobcats play the Pistons for the third time this season at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Detroit. Charlotte lost the first matchup in Detroit 104-95 but took the second meeting at home 97-89 with an impressively balanced attack (five players, and almost seven, scored in double figures) led by Emeka Okafor’s 18 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Even with the loss of Ben Wallace to the Chicago Bulls in the summer, the Pistons are still one of the most solid defensive and strong chemistry driven teams. The Bobcats will need to play smart and well-executed basketball to win. Scheduling might work in Charlotte’s favor as they have time to rest up and heal before Wednesday, while the Pistons played in Philadelphia on Tuesday night (and won 98-89). Despite rest, the Bobcats will still not have the services of Gerald Wallace and Brevin Knight, but Detroit has also been hit by injury. Starting point guard, and 2004 NBA Finals MVP, Chauncey Billups has been out the last four games with a strained right calf. He is a good shooter (hits big shots when the pressure is on, hence the nickname “Big Shot”), passer and a critical part of Detroit’s offense and their defensive schemes, so if he doesn’t play then it would obviously help the Bobcats.

It will also be interesting to see if Matt Carroll can continue his hot shooting of late against such a good defensive team. The last time he faced them, he scored 16 points (5-8 field goals, two-four three pointers) in 20:48 minutes off of the bench. I liked the signing of him from the NBDL’s Roanoke Dazzle back in 2004, and he is turning into the player I hoped he could be – good for him, his teammates and for Bobcats fans. From his blogs and TV interviews he seems like a nice guy, so hopefully he’ll continue his recent play – and Matt, should you read this, I hope you don’t get cut up by Richard Hamilton’s nails this time against the Pistons. Maybe offering him a clipper in pregame warmups would help.

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year. Go Bobcats!

Adding McInnis a Good Call

-- Bobcats fan Gaither Jones | 7:10 p.m. 1/8/07

The Bobcats made another roster move last Wednesday, and I must say I like it for several reasons. Most notably, Jeff McInnis adds another true point guard option to this roster with Brevin Knight out for a while. Raymond Felton is young, but continuing to log such heavy minutes in every game is only going to wear him down. Charlotte also runs into problems if Felton should get into foul trouble, forcing someone else less experienced or qualified to play the position in critical moments. This isn’t to suggest that no one other than Felton, such as Derek Anderson, can play the point even in limited action. They just aren’t true point guards and shouldn’t have to direct the offense for extended periods of time.

By trading Bernard Robinson for McInnis, the Bobcats fill an immediate need without giving up an essential player. In his third season out of Michigan, Robinson was averaging just 2.4 points and 2.0 rebounds and never developed into more than a reserve for the Bobcats. It was thought that when Kevin Burleson was cut before the start of the regular season that the 6-8 Robinson could log some minutes as the third option at the point, but he never proved to the coaching staff that he could handle the position. The addition of McInnis brings an experienced nine-year veteran who can provide leadership and advice, as well as another Tar Heel presence, to back up Felton. At 6-4 the Charlotte native can also play alongside Felton (or Knight when he returns) in the shooting guard spot. He did this effectively in Cleveland while playing in a backcourt with Eric Snow and/or LeBron James. McInnis is averaging 10.3 points and 4.5 assists for his career, so statistics dictate that he should be able to (and I think he will) contribute more to the team than Robinson.

McInnis played in his first NBA regular season game since the 2005-06 season against Orlando on Friday and a little rust was expected. He looked hesitant at times – probably from not knowing the plays yet – scoring two points (0-4 field goals, 2-2 free throws) and had one assist in 16 minutes. Nothing impressive, however his transition to the Bobcats should be made easier (than if he had gone elsewhere) since he lives in Charlotte, reportedly has a long lasting relationship with Bernie Bickerstaff and mentioned he has played with everyone on the roster except Adam Morrison. All of these factors can only help.

In regards to some fans that may be opposed to the trade due to hearing about McInnis’ past track record, I do not think he will be a problem. He seems to have grown up and attributed having a son as a big reason for this transition. He was also quoted as saying “I have brought some stuff on myself, I’ll admit that. I did stuff early in my career. I talked back to coaches, and I won’t deny it. Now I grew through it, and why is it coming back to haunt me now? Can’t a person move on? It’s kind of unfair, but I know I have to deal with it. I’ve been through it. Ultimately, I’m happy to be here. There’s no better feeling I have than to try and end my career here.”

I don’t know if he will retire with the Bobcats, but I am confident he will make an impact on this team.

A Memorable Week on the Court

-- Bobcats guard Matt Carroll | 8:17 p.m. 1/7/07

The Lakers game was probably the greatest and most exciting NBA game I have played in – three overtimes, the largest crowd in Bobcats history in attendance and we won. Now that's a night to remember.

We have actually had some success against the Lakers at home in the past. We beat them last year and the year before we lost at the buzzer by an unbelievable shot by #24, who at the time was #8.

I was very proud of our team for the effort it put forth during that game. It seemed like every possession someone on our team was making a big play on the offensive and defensive end. However each time the Bobcats hit a crucial shot, Kobe came down and found a way to match it. Once the game went into overtime, I could tell we were all thinking we cannot let this game slip away – we can win this. I know I was thinking about the Knicks game that we lost at the buzzer, so we were determined not let that happen again. At the start of the third overtime, I looked up into the crowd and the arena still packed with Bobcats fans and said to myself, "Wow, we might be playing all night and our fans are staying here to help us bring home the win.”

When the game finally ended, I was so excited but not just for our team but for our entire organization and our Bobcats fans. My grandparents, relatives and close friends were also in attendance, which was cool, and scoring my career-high with 27 points and Emeka grabbing his career-high with 25 boards was the icing on the cake.

After the game we jumped on a plane and headed to Indy to take on the Pacers. We knew the Pacers game was going to be a war because any back-to-back is tough, especially after a triple-OT game. Our team competed hard the entire game, and Adam (Morrison) set his career high with 30 points and we all played well to start our first win streak of the season, which is a nice feeling. Plane rides home are always much more fun following a win since everybody is in good spirits and excited about the win. Unfortunately, G-Force (Gerald Wallace) injured his shoulder, but hopefully he and BK (Brevin Knight) will be back in the lineup soon.

Our next game against the Timberwolves was a game where we all came out firing. During the first half it felt like every shot we took was going in. We jumped on the Wolves early and had a 20-point lead during the first half. But any team that has an all-star like KG (Kevin Garnett), can comeback from a first half lead of 20 points. Unfortunately, that is what happen and we kept fighting but just didn't have enough left in our tanks to pull the win out in the end. Ricky Davis and KG like to talk a lot of trash, and I'm not the biggest motor mouth but since we were winning and I was busting some jumpers, I had to yap back at them. Five games in 7 days is a tough stretch but I will say that the Bobcats left it all on the court and gave everything we had despite coming up short in a few games, including a tough loss in Orlando on Friday.

Until the next time we play, I wish all our fans health and happiness in 2007 and look forward to seeing you all at our upcoming games this year.

Happy to be Back in Action

-- Bobcats forward Sean May | 9:21 p.m. 1/4/07

After missing six games over the last two weeks, I was excited to get back in action in Indiana. I probably could have waited a couple more days because it’s still a little sore, but I just wanted to get out there. I felt I was ready, and it took me a little while to shake some rust off – I missed a few shots, missed a couple rebounds and traveled right at the beginning of the game, but it felt pretty good. Then, when Gerald (Wallace) went down (in the fourth quarter), I knew I had to make some plays. I didn’t necessarily think it would be scoring, but the opportunities were there, stepped up and made some big plays and we got a great win out of it.

It was great to get back to Indiana, but my family was actually down here (in Charlotte) because of the home games and the holidays, but I had a lot of friends from high school and family friends come up and watch me play.

Going back to Indiana is always good, but it was nice to get back here for the New Year and play in front of the home crowd. It was a tough loss. Right now I’m still fighting a little rust, a little fatigue and am still a little bit sore and am just trying to get used to games again.

My body is slowly coming along – my ankle is slowly coming along, and now with this rest I feel like my body is really reacting and coming back into the form it was in before the injury. The break came at a good time, then right after Friday’s game (in Orlando), we have another four-day break before we play in Detroit. It’s a great time for us to heal up because we have a lot of guys – Emeka (Okafor) and Raymond (Felton) especially – who are logging a lot of minutes and getting beat up, and we’re without Gerald for who knows how long.

I’m willing to step up and get those extra minutes if (Head) Coach (Bernie Bickerstaff) is going to give them to me. I think Matt (Carroll) and I have started to find out where we fit into this rotation and have started to find our niche coming off the bench to provide a spark. Every game I want to go out there, be that spark and try to change the game in some way.

Another guy we’ll have coming off the bench now is Jeff McInnis. Jeff is a great dude. I’ve known him for a couple years, ever since I went to North Carolina. He’s always been around the program and always came back in the summertime to play pickup games. He’s from the Charlotte area, so I saw him quite a bit around here last year. He’s just a good guy. He gave his three years at Carolina and did some nice things.