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ELY SHOULD RETURN A win tonight would give Charlotte a 5-7 record in February -- the best month in its two seasons and the third five-win month in 2005-06 after not having a five-win month in its inaugural season.
ELY DOUBTFUL, ROBINSON PROBABLE Charlotte could see the return of forward Bernard Robinson to its lineup. After sitting out Wednesday's game, Robinson is listed as probable with a strained right thumb.
FELTON IN, WALLACE OUT Forward Gerald Wallace is not expected to play tonight in Denver. Wallace, who has missed the last 14 games with a medial tibia bone bruise he suffered on January 20 against Orlando, was hoping to get back in the lineup tonight. His return has been pushed back to Wednesday's game in Portland, where the Bobcats are expecting to have their leading scorer (14.5 points) return.
FELTON IN ACCIDENT Felton was driving his vehicle, which was stopped at a traffic light, when he was struck from behind by a driver who was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. Felton suffered whiplash-type injuries in the neck and soreness in his back. Felton made the trip with the team to Denver and following a Monday evening practice is listed as questionable with a mild abdominal strain for Tuesday night's game against the Nuggets. “My friends and I are blessed to escape this accident with only minor injuries and thankfully I was wearing my seat belt,” said Felton. “This is another example of how drinking alcohol and driving are a dangerous combination.”
BREZEC OUT, VOSKUHL IN With Brezec sidelined, Charlotte will get a needed lift with the return of center Jake Voskuhl, who missed Monday's game with flu-like symptoms but is expected to take Brezec's place in the starting lineup against New Jersey.
For the first time since January 20 against Orlando, forward Gerald Wallace got the green light and was back on the court for Bobcats practice on Tuesday. “(The doctors and trainers) told me he was full-bore today. They turned him loose today,” Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said after practice. “Our practice was good today -- the guys got after it, but that energy that he had just lights up the whole court.” Wallace has missed 13-straight games since suffering a left medial tibia bone bruise against the Magic and was just happy to finally have clearance to go back to being himself on the court. “It’s about time. I’ve been anxious to get back on the court, it just so happens that when I get cleared, we’ve only got one game left before the All-Star Break,” he said. “It’s just a relief. Everything held up good (today) and I have my strength back in my leg, so I’m comfortable with that.” What matters next is the level of comfort Wallace has on Wednesday. “I’m just going to wait and see what (Head Athletic Trainer) Joe (Sharpe) wants to do in this situation,” Bickerstaff said. “Now it’s, ‘What happens tomorrow when he wakes up?’” Wallace is just thrilled he should be returning to the court soon. “It’s (Sharpe and Bickerstaff’s) call,” Wallace said. “I’m ready, but they might try to give me some more time to rest and then come back after the All-Star Break.” Wallace is still listed as out on the Bobcats injury report and is expected to make his return to the court when the Bobcats head out on their six-game West Coast swing after the break.
BREZEC COULD BE SIDELINED While Gerald Wallace waits patiently to see if he can make his return, center Primoz Brezec will have to wait and see if will be available against the Nets. Brezec was pulled from Tuesday’s practice with tendinitis in his left Achilles and he is listed as day-to-day on the Bobcats injury report. “Primoz is hurting,” Bickerstaff said. “He was out this morning. We had to run him away from out here, because we just knew something was wrong with him. I don’t (how long he’ll be out). We’ll see. The Achilles is something you don’t mess with.” And as for how long this has been plaguing Brezec? “Probably a while,” Bickerstaff said. “He won’t tell you anything, but you can see how he runs up and down the court. Out here you have to force him out. You could see he was in pain, and we had to go over there and almost physically remove him from the court. This is the best thing to happen to him -- to get these days off and have the break. It’s probably the first time he’s had some time off in a long time.
HONEST DAYS WORK “All I care about -- I want to win, but I care about effort,” he said. “I want an honest day’s work. That’s all I care about, and that’s what I told the guys. If you give an honest days work, good things are going to happen for you.”
KNIGHT AND FELTON TO RETURN “We’re going to put them out there,” Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said after shootaround. “I think we’re going to have to monitor (their playing time). They claim they’re feeling pretty good, so we’ll see.” For Felton, it’s simply a case of he can’t stay away from the court. He has played in 51 of Charlotte’s 52 games this season -- tied with center Primoz Brezec for the most games played on the team. “I’ve just got to play,” Felton said. “Basically, it’s just something I’m going to have to fight through until the All-Star Break. I’m going to play in these last two games and then be able to get four days of rest, so I’ll be alright.” There was talk that the Bobcats might sit Felton down these last two games heading into the break, but apparently he was having none of it. “I’m not hearing that at all,” he said. “I’ll get the four days of rest after that, because I’m not going to Houston.” Felton won’t be headed to Houston, because he was omitted from the rookie squad in the 2006 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge -- a move that drew national media attention. “Nobody should be at all surprised if 5-9 Nate Robinson trumps Josh Smith, Andre Iguodala and Hakim Warrick in the All-Star Jamboree. But his freaky jumping ability and long range jumper (45.6 from three) don’t add up to him getting picked ahead of Raymond Felton for the rookie-sophomore challenge,” New York Post columnist Peter Vescey wrote. “Except for the disparity in their shooting percentages (advantage Nate), turnovers and steals (advantage Raymond) their statistics are very similar. The thing is, Robinson’s a bogus playmaker and Felton is the real deal… Is there any doubt which player will be more integral in the ultimate success of their respective teams?” Felton hasn’t vocalized his disappointment in being left off the rookie team, but has let his play do the talking instead. In five games since being snubbed, Felton has averaged 17.8 points, 7.4 assists and 5.6 rebounds.
VOSKUHL OUT WITH FLU
INSIDE ADVANTAGE “If we can take advantage of it with Melvin (Ely) in the block (it could be an advantage),” Bickerstaff said. “We’ve got to pack it in. I know (Portland Head Coach) Nate (McMillan) is going to have them ready. They’ve been down and had two or three really tough basketball games. My concern is with us having our second wind. That’s what happens when you have that day off -- you’re a little lethargic to start the basketball game. I want to make sure that hopefully we don’t dig a hole we’re fighting out of to start.”
The Bobcats will be without veteran point guard Brevin Knight when they look to extend their winning streak to four games against Toronto tonight. Knight is sidelined with a left knee contusion he suffered when he ran into a cameraman along the baseline in Wednesday’s win over Philadelphia. “Brevin is definitely out – his knee is swollen,” Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said after Friday’s shootaround. “I don’t know (how long he’ll be out). He’s got the swelling and said he can’t get any flex. It’s like a day-to-day thing, so in his situation, we’ll leave it up to him.” Knight isn’t the only Charlotte point guard hurting. Rookie Raymond Felton is nursing a right big toe sprain and is questionable against the Raptors. “It feels good. I’m going to go downstairs now and get some treatment on it and see how it feels,” Felton said after shootaround. “The way it’s looking, I might play.” Bickerstaff wasn’t as optimistic. “I don’t know whether he’s a go or not because he hasn’t done anything full speed,” he said. “All the stuff he did out here was half. I’m sure in his mind, he wants to go. Joe’s concern is what happens if he goes and is set back and misses two or three games because of it.” If Felton does go, he’ll be wearing a custom-made shoe to protect the toe. “It’s a bigger shoe – a size 13,” he explained. “It’s got a steel plate in it (for protection), but it shouldn’t be uncomfortable.” And if he doesn’t go, who will run the point for the Bobcats? “If Raymond can’t go, we’ll go with (Kevin) Burleson,” Bickerstaff said. Burleson is averaging 1.7 points, 1.3 assists in 8.2 minutes, while playing in 24 games this season. If necessary, this would be his first NBA start.
BAXTER READY TO GO Still, just being there allowed for Baxter to start soaking in some information about the way things are run here in Charlotte, and he’s excited to get on the court for the Bobcats tonight. “ I feel comfortable trying to get a feel for what we’re doing out there on the court and have already started learning,” he said. “I’m ready to go. I’m going to come in and just do what I do – play hard, try to rebound and do all the things necessary to help us win.”
RUSH NOT GOING ANYWHERE “The one thing I want to clean up so you guys can clean it up is that everything is way off base with Kareem (possibly being traded),” he said. “It’s way off base. There has not even been any conversation about Kareem. It’s just way off base right now. If there is an avenue, I would suggest to you not to pursue it, don’t go down that street.” With Rush having received a vote of confidence from Bickerstaff and rookie Raymond Felton firmly entrenched as part of Charlotte’s nucleus for years to come, that really only leaves the Bobcats two options of whom they could deal at the two spot in an attempt to get a big man -- as Bickerstaff has said more than one time he is looking to do. Those options are Keith Bogans and Matt Carroll. Earlier in the week there was some talk that Bogans could return to Charlotte’s lineup this week, but he was again inactive with a knee injury against Philadelphia. “(Activating Bogans) won’t be tonight,” Bickerstaff said pregame. “There could be a lot of things happening, there could be nothing happening. I think if anything is going to happen with us, it’s going to happen within the week. We all have to make decisions and move on. With our roster, without a few exceptions everything is open, we’re listening.”
Bobcats guard Raymond Felton has looked more comfortable in the offense as of late. He is coming off a career-high 24 points against the Sonics on Wednesday night. He connected on 8-11 shots from the field in Charlotte’s 119-106 win and got to the free throw line a team-high six times, converting all six shots. “I’m just being more aggressive right now,” he said after Wednesday’s shootaround. “Earlier in the season, I was looking to get a foul that they just weren’t giving me at the time because it’s my first year -- I’m a rookie. I guess I have to earn that, but at the same time I just have to go in and finish no matter what. I might get knocked on the ground, but whatever happens, I’m still trying to finish.”
FAST TIMES AT CHARLOTTE BOBCATS ARENA In Charlotte’s wins over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday and Seattle on Monday, the Bobcats 40-25 and 34-22 leads, respectively, in the first quarters. Those fast starts allowed Charlotte to pick up its two lone wire-to-wire wins in franchise history. “Basically, we got off to a great start and maintained our lead,” Felton said. “The game of basketball is about runs. The other team is going to make its run; all we had to do was hold that and stand our ground -- just keep the lead and pull it out at the end. That’s what we did against the Lakers and Seattle.” Jumping out to those early leads has also given the Bobcats newfound confidence heading into tonight’s game against the 76ers. “It gives us a lot. We’re going to go into tonight with the same game plan,” forward Melvin Ely said. “We’re going to make little minor adjustments for Allen Iverson because he’s one of the fastest guards in the league. We’re going to play him like we did Kobe -- this time we can run two people at him and make other people beat us. Iverson and Chris Webber -- somehow we hope to contain them and have the remaining three (starters) start taking shots that they’re not used to taking.”
FELTON PROUD OF THE TAR HEELS “I think they did a great job,” he said. “They’re a young team, but at the same time they play extremely well. They made some minor mistakes at the end that kind of hurt them a little bit. That’s stuff is going to happen with a young team. I’ve made those same mistakes before, so I understand where they’re coming from. Overall, I feel they did a great job though and I really enjoyed the game.” Felton also knows how important it was that he and May returned for the game to cheer on some of their former teammates and the newest Tar Heels. “It just lets them know that the Carolina family is not just a rumor. It’s the truth. We all come back; we’re still a family,” he said. “We come back to support and to just hang around with the guys. We take them out to eat; we do different little things like that just to show that love.”
BOGANS PROGRESSING “He’s okay. He went through practice today,” Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said after Tuesday’s practice. “We didn’t have but one contact session, so he’s making progress. Gerald (Wallace) got angry at us because we wouldn’t let him (practice). We’ll wait until tomorrow and we’ll have to see what Joe says (about Bogans). I think we’re more inclined to lean towards Friday.”
BOBCATS COULD STILL MAKE A MOVE “There could be some movement before the trade deadline,” Bickerstaff said Tuesday. “We’ve had some success with the shorter rotation, but this is still a situation where we have to evaluate where we are going forward, also.”
SHOCKER -- MAY’S PICKING TAR HEELS “There’s no surprise who I’m picking,” May laughed. “I’d never pick Duke -- ever in my life. I’m with the Heels, and we’re at the Dean Dome too, so we have a good chance. Sometimes when teams come into the Dean Dome, they get hypnotized with all that blue. Hopefully we’ll get the refs on our side and get a couple calls down the stretch and the freshmen won’t play like freshmen tonight.” While Duke has dominated the series of late, taking 15 of the last 18 meetings, North Carolina has won five of the last seven at the Smith Center. Sean May “(North Carolina has) been playing a lot better this year,” May said. Nobody expected them to be 14-5. They beat a lot of teams. What they’re doing well is protecting their home court and going on the road and getting some wins. That’s how you become good and get a good seed in the tournament. As long as they continue to do that, they’ll be alright.”
BOGANS CLOSE TO RETURN Guard Keith Bogans was on the practice court working out at shootaround on Monday and Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said it is possible Bogans could be back in the Bobcats lineup on Wednesday against the 76ers. Bogans has missed the last seven games with a Grade 1 right medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain he suffered on January 21 at Milwaukee. He was averaging 8.7 points in 39 games this season before the injury.
DEFENDING KOBE A TEAM EFFORT According to the starting lineup, rookie Raymond Felton will have the first shot at containing Bryant, but according to Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff, that isn’t necessarily the case. “Well I think the Bobcats (as a team) are going to match up against him -- I haven’t seen a guy who could individually take him,” Bickerstaff said after Friday’s shootaround. “(Felton) is going to need plenty of help. We’re going to try to get the ball out of (Bryant’s) hands and limit his touches, but what happens is he plays in so many different positions. They can even let him bring the ball down the court on some possessions. We just have to make him pass the basketball.” A number of Bobcats could see time against Bryant on the defensive side of the ball. Bickerstaff said Kareem Rush, Alan Anderson, Bernard Robinson and Felton could all have a shot at keeping him in check. “We probably want to be smaller on him, because of his ability to handle the basketball,” Bickerstaff said. “Even on your double teams, smaller guys are better because they’re down there where he really controls the basketball. “Individually, it’s the responsibility of our guys to show up tonight and bring their “A game” when they get to the arena.”
ROBINSON EXPECTED TO GO “(Robinson) was here and apparently he’s able to go,” Bickerstaff said after shootaround, “but we’ll play it from there.” Forward Melvin Ely moves back into the starting lineup at power forward after coming off the bench against Atlanta.
WALLACE WORKING OUT “No (he’s not ready for full contact). He should’ve sat his butt down the other day,” Bickerstaff said. “He tried to do too much. (The knee) is a little sore, but the word is he’s closer, and he’s chomping at the bit to get back on the court. He’s just got to be really cautious.”
FELTON EXPECTS TO PLAY “I’ve got a pretty bad bruise, but I’m good though,” he said after shootaround. “I’ll be alright. I wouldn’t say (it’s feeling good), but I’ll fight through it. I’m definitely going.” Felton is the only player on the Bobcats roster to play in all 46 games this season.
ELY EXPECTS TO BE EFFECTIVE OFF BENCH “Everybody knows I roll with Bernie,” Ely said after shootaround. “I know I’m going to play, and that’s all I want. I’m a big believer that it doesn’t matter if you start or if you come off the bench, it’s how you play in the game. It doesn’t have any effect on me. I’m just going to go in and play the same and hopefully I can play even better going against some of their second-unit guys.” Ely has averaged 11.4 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field (24-48), while adding 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in his five games back from an ankle sprain that sidelined him. |
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