Veteran guard Brevin Knight knows if not for the Bobcats, his NBA career might have ended two years ago. He’s been paying them back in full ever since, putting together what may be his best two years in the league while in the Queen City.

The 5-10, 170-pound guard is still in the league because Bobcats General Manager and Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff gave something to Knight that every other team wouldn’t – a chance.

"(The Bobcats) were committed to me when no other team was committed to me," Knight said. "Two summers ago, a lot of teams said I was done in this league and that I couldn't play here. Bernie gave me a chance."

Knight took advantage of the opportunity Bickerstaff and the Bobcats gave him in the Bobcats inaugural season, posting a then-career high 10.1 points in 66 games and ranking second in the league with 9.0 assists.

With his career revitalized and the opportunity to sign wherever he wanted as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2005, Knight entertained offers, but admittedly never gave any other team a second look besides Charlotte.

"I was sitting there and begging for somebody to give me an opportunity so I could still play," Knight said of his experience two summers ago. "Last summer, people wanted me to be a part of their different organizations, but I was going to be as loyal to Bernie and this organization as they were to me when they gave me an opportunity."

He opted to return to the Bobcats and knew an encore to the 2004-05 season was expected, especially with 2005 first round draft pick Raymond Felton – the fifth overall pick and point guard on the National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels – waiting in the wings.

Knight delivered for Charlotte in 2005-06 and finished the season ranked second in the NBA behind teammate Gerald Wallace with 2.28 steals and third in the league with 8.8 assists.

“Those are things that I am known for,” Knight said. “You want to get better in those areas -- you can’t let the areas that you are pretty good in diminish. I wanted to continue to do those things and add something new to my game.”

What Knight added was an even greater scoring touch. He averaged a career-best 12.6 points, while scoring over 20 points 10 times, including a season-best 28 on February 15 against New Jersey.

“I think becoming a scorer was one of those roles that I started to get used to the more I was called upon to contribute in that way, especially with all the injuries we had,” he said. “It was something I really worked on all summer, and with our need to have another scorer, I think the two really come together. I felt like I was more aggressive this season -- the most aggressive I’ve probably ever been, but it was fun playing that way. I’m going to work on it and hope to come back next year with just as much confidence to do some of the things.”

Knight also had the benefit of playing in the most games he had since his rookie season, when he saw the court in 80 contests for the Cavaliers. This season, he seemed to put to rest any questions about his durability, as he played in 69 games and might have played in more if not having been shut down with five games remaining in the season with a strained groin.

“That was probably one of the big positives for me,” he said. “My body felt good all year, other than the normal bumps and bruises you take from this game. It was a good season for me physically. That’s why I want to go do the same thing this summer that I did last summer, so I can come back and physically be ready to go again.

“Personally, I did a lot of the things I wanted to do this year. I still wanted to try to get us some more wins and try to get to the playoffs, but I think I got better individually. I think with another summer's work I’ll get a little bit better, and we’ll go from there.”

With Knight and Felton paired up successfully in the backcourt midway through the season, the two provide a difficult matchup for opponents. Add to that a healthy Emeka Okafor and Sean May (who both missed significant time with injuries) alongside “G-Force” Gerald Wallace and Primoz Brezec, and Knight sees how bright the future can be for this Bobcats squad.

“I just want to compete for the playoffs,” he said. “We’ll have our guys back healthy, and with the experience that a lot of our younger guys were able to get this season –Raymond (Felton), Alan (Anderson) and even Gerald (Wallace) -- I look forward to being a lot better next season. I can’t wait to see what comes next.”