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BOBCATS GOING SMALL AGAIN "It’s really asking the defense too much to carry a basketball team when you’re not making shots," Bickerstaff said after Charlotte shot 43.5 percent from the field against Cleveland. "I think the lineup that we have now, that we’ve changed to, we have to reassess it because it’s not getting it done." In an effort to shake up the roster and end the Bobcats franchise-record 12-game losing streak, Bickerstaff is going back to small ball, inserting Bernard Robinson back into the starting lineup in place of Melvin Ely. The move not only quickens Charlotte's starting five in an effort to create more energy on the court, but it allows Ely to become the primary scorer inside with the second unit.
OKAFOR OUT 5-7 WEEKS
The report read like this: With that timeline, Okafor won't be back before the All-Star break and would return March 6 at the earliest. Those timelines also put Wallace's and Bogans' availability prior to the break in doubt.
RUSH RETURNS TONIGHT “Yeah, we’ll have him back,” Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said after Monday’s shootaround. “It’s a good thing because it gives us another body and another threat. Kareem can come in and go all out because he doesn’t have to worry about saving himself. We’ve got quite a few bodies at that position now. I think the dynamics are different (because of the bodies) and the fact that everybody is playing well.” The 6-6, 198-pound shooting guard, who has been sidelined with a sprained index finger on his left (shooting) hand for the Bobcats last 13 games and 17 of the last 20 games in all, will come off the bench for Charlotte. Rush’s return means the Bobcats will no longer be without their top three scorers in the lineup -- Gerald Wallace (14.5 points), Emeka Okafor (13.2 points) and Rush have all combined to miss time the last five games. Rush ranks third on the team in scoring with 12.5 points in 24 starts. He is shooting 37.9 percent from the field, while connecting on 35.0 percent of his shots from three-point range. Rush initially injured the finger on December 2 at Golden State and missed two games before opting to return. He played in six games for Charlotte, but re-injured the finger after just seven minutes of play against Sacramento on December 19. After sitting out four games, he decided to give it another shot, but got just three more games in before going down again after playing 11 minutes on January 4 in Boston. Now sidelined with the injury for a third time, Rush took more time to let the injury heal. Thirteen games later, Rush is ready to get back on the court. “It feels alright,” he said. “It’s not 100 percent, but I’ve been out three weeks and I think it’s time for me give it another go. I think if I can keep from getting hurt the next week, I might be alright for the rest of the season. I’m just going to wrap it up and see what I can do.”
KNIGHT A GAME-TIME DECISION Knight’s status for tonight’s game remains questionable, and he is expected to be a game-time decision.
BIGS TRYING TO FIT BACK IN “My concern is over the last four games, since we inserted the bigs, we’ve been outscored 59-17 on second-chance points,” Bickerstaff said after Monday’s shootaround. “We were more competitive than that when we were small. It’s very difficult to win basketball games if you’re giving away that. That’s a major concern, and we certainly addressed it today and will address it again tonight.”
RUSH COULD BE READY “That’s an enigma. He says he’s ready to go,” Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said after Friday’s shootaround. “I didn’t want to challenge that, but I want to find out from (Head Trainer) Joe (Sharpe) what the status is on him. He wanted to workout, and he practiced with us today, so we’ll find out what the status is on him.” Does than mean Rush could be on the court when the Bobcats take the floor against Miami tonight? “I don’t want to misinterpret, but I kind of got that he wanted to give it a try,” Bickerstaff said. “But I want to substantiate that with Joe.” After some extra shooting drills at the end of practice, Rush said he expects he’ll be able to give it a try Monday against Cleveland, so Bobcats fans will have to wait and see how this develops.
LOSING THEIR LEGS “We’ve been losing, and I think what has happened is that the guys have just run out of energy in our legs,” he said after shootaround. “We had to take a day off, so the dilemma is that we need to practice but need the time off. We chose the time off and hope that can re-energize us for tonight’s game.” The Bobcats also hope the time at home will help heading into the All-Star break. Charlotte plays nine of its next 11 games at Charlotte Bobcats Arena in the next 20 days. “It’s always good to be at home, because the fans have been supportive and give us that extra energy and emotion,” Bickerstaff said. “This basketball team needs a boost right now from any entity they can get it from.”
ELY EXPECTED TO PLAY
BOGANS JOINS RANKS OF INJURED With Bogans out, the Bobcats will only have nine healthy bodies available against the Spurs. Depleted by injuries, the Bobcats have suited up 10 players or fewer in seven of the last nine games and currently have six players suffering from injuries. With Gerald Wallace (medial tibia bone bruise), Emeka Okafor (right ankle sprain), Kareem Rush (left index finger sprain), Melvin Ely (right ankle sprain) Sean May (right knee surgery) and Bogans unable to play, the team is missing a its top three scorers and a combined 66.6 points and 32.1 rebounds, which accounts for over 69.6 percent of the Bobcats’ scoring offense and 78.9 percent of their rebounding. On the season the team has 120 games missed due to injury, had 16 starting lineups and had 12 of the team's 15 players start at least one game this season.
With Emeka Okafor sidelined with and ankle injury and Kareem Rush out with an injured finger, the Bobcats were already missing two of their top three leading scorers heading into Friday’s game against Orlando. Okafor was averaging 13.2 points, while Rush was putting up 12.5 points. Now the Bobcats have lost leading their leading scorer, Gerald Wallace, to a left media tibia bone bruise that could keep him on the sidelines for several weeks. Wallace has averaged 14.5 points in 32 games, but it’s not just his scoring the Bobcats will miss. Wallace has been the Bobcats “energy guy” all season, providing a spark for a Bobcats team dealing with numerous injuries. In short, Wallace does it all. Currently, he leads the league with an average of 2.44 steals, is tied for sixth in the league in field goal shooting (.541), is 11th in the league in blocks (2.19) and is the only player in the NBA to average over two blocks and two steals this season. He is also second on the Bobcats with an average of 7.0 rebounds and third with an average of 1.8 assists. When one guy is so good at so many things, those numbers won’t be easy for the Bobcats to replace. “We’re talking about (trying to get the roster exemption),” Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said after Friday’s 104-93 loss to Orlando. “We’re going to let the heads cool a little bit and think about what we have roster-wise and if there’s anything out there even close to what Gerald (Wallace) represents. “If there’s something out there close to what Gerald represents, something’s wrong. I don’t think that player is there or else he would be in the league.” For now, the Bobcats know the pressure is on for each individual to step up his game a bit in Wallace’s absence. “Without Gerald [Wallace], everyone is going to have step up and play just a little bit harder,” swingman Keith Bogans said. “He defends the goal better than anybody I know. When you get beat, he’s back there, and we’re going to miss him back there. So I think we’re going to have to play better one-on-one defense, because we’re not going to have that presence back there.” Most importantly for the Bobcats on this three-game road swing is that everybody else remain healthy. Charlotte will play 10 games in 20 days starting January 27 against Miami and ending February 15 against New Jersey, and it simply can’t afford to have anyone else sidelined with Wallace, Okafor, Rush, Melvin Ely (ankle) and Sean May (knee) all out. “I hope that somebody else doesn’t go down injured (in Milwaukee on Saturday), because it is getting ridiculous,” center Primoz Brezec said. “We’re missing so many guys. We have to find energy somewhere for our three-game road trip, and we’ll have to play as hard as we can.”
Bobcats big men Jake Voskuhl (ankle) and Melvin Ely (ankle) might soon be making their way back to the court. Both practiced on Thursday and Voskuhl went through shootaround on Friday and could be ready to go tonight. Ely will not go against the Magic. Voskuhl has missed 22 of the Bobcats past 23 games since spraining his ankle on November 30 in Seattle. “I’ve been somewhat deceived, because they look pretty damn good to me,” Bickerstaff said. “I think with Melvin, he’s just a little tentative on cuts. I think Jake is medically cleared to go. It’s just a matter of him having the confidence that he can get out there and perform. I think it’s probably a mental thing.”
BOBCATS BACK HOME Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff believes these practices are important to have, despite the fact that the Bobcats are entering a stretch where they will play three of four games on the road in the next six days. “The significance of having practice is due to the slippage,” he said. “We haven’t had an opportunity to practice, so we just basically dry-run everything. We can’t afford to have any contact. Our execution last night was much better because we had a chance to put a little time in just working on the slippage part of it.”
PRESS CLIPPINGS “When you’re getting beat up like this and losing basketball games, you need to see something positive,” he said. “There was an article after playing Indiana (in the Indianapolis Star), and we’re going to put it on the scouting report because I thought some of the things that were said were really sincere about how hard they play. I think our guys need to see some of those things. At this point in time, we’ve just got to embrace them because they’re giving it everything they have.”
NO MOVE TO BE MADE RIGHT NOW “Obviously it’s something you contemplate, but it’s not anything we feel that is mandatory,” Bickerstaff said. “We still have a roster of 15, so that kind of makes it a moot point unless we were planning on moving someone. We will listen, and we’ll go from there.”
ANOTHER INJURY ADDED TO BOBCATS LIST “He said his back (is hurting),” Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said after Tuesday’s practice. “I think he did it on the last play (Monday) on the dunk or something -- he might have sprained his back a little bit. He came out and tried (to practice, but couldn’t).” Robinson is listed as probable for Wednesday night in Indiana. Injured big men Melvin Ely (ankle) and Jake Voskuhl (knee) also hit the practice court today, although neither one is expected to return against the Pacers. “(Ely) was back. That’s a hell of a progression right there,” Bickerstaff said. “Obviously, when you’ve been out that long, you’re a little tentative on your cuts and everything, but I thought it was positive that he was here and was trying.” So, could Ely or Voskuhl be ready for action for either Friday’s game against Orlando or Saturday’s game in Milwaukee? “I think it’s a possibility,” Bickerstaff said. “I’m going to start being an optimist -- that might help.”
BOBCATS GOING WITH 10 AGAIN “He’s got a strong back,” Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said jokingly of Wallace in his pre-game press conference, who has helped carry the Bobcats through their rash of injuries. “We sat him and Brevin both down in the Detroit game because they were hurting and we weren’t coming back. We figured we’d give them a breather, and then they had the day off (Sunday). That’s the concern is that second wind today. That happens when you have the day off -- you dig yourself a hole, but it’s out of necessity that those 10 guys needed the day off.”
WALLACE DESERVES ALL-STAR CONSIDERATION “I think that you could put them in the same wagon. He and Brevin both are having those type of years,” Bickerstaff said. “When the opportunity has presented itself, they’ve stepped up. I think Gerald’s professionalism is really increasing as a young player. Just his demeanor -- you can just see the metamorphosis of Gerald Wallace in this situation.”
Charlotte rookie point guard Raymond Felton will forever be linked to fellow rookie point guards Chris Paul of New Orleans/Oklahoma City and Deron Williams of Utah. The three were picked in succession in the 2005 NBA Draft with Williams going No. 3 overall to the Jazz, Paul No. 4 overall to the Hornets and Felton No. 5 overall to the Bobcats. Now 37 games into Charlotte’s season, Bobcats General Manager and Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff believes these three might have what it takes to be considered the best group of point guards to ever come out of one NBA draft. “This has probably been the best draft for point guards as there has been -- when you talk about Chris Paul, Raymond Felton and Deron Williams, when it’s all said and done,” Bickerstaff said. “I think they’re all different with what they bring to the table and how they get it done. “What I like about it is that rivalry there and the competitiveness between the three guys, which bodes well for the NBA in that situation.” Paul is currently the front-runner for winning the 2006 Rookie of the Year award this season, leading all rookies with averages of 15.9 points, 7.2 assists and 2.17 steals. Williams has started in 19 games for the Jazz and is averaging 10.6 points and 4.5 assists, while Felton averages 7.6 points, 3.8 assists and 1.11 steals. Felton has started in 11 games for the Bobcats and posts averages of 12.6 points, 5.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.71 steals in those 11 contests. Still, Bickerstaff knows that it isn’t just what these three rookies do this season that could rank them among the best point guard classes of all time. “With this group here, the true test will be sustaining it over a period of time,” he said. “But I think it’s potential, because they’re all quality kids, they’re all about the game. They’re good personalities and good teammates. I think they bring a lot of intangibles to the game. “Sure it is (a hard position). It’s like the quarterback in football. But what those guys have is that they have instincts -- all of them. They all have good basketball instincts and are all legitimate point guards. They have done very well in leading their collegiate teams -- that was their role, and their collegiate teams were all successful.”
KNIGHT OUT TONIGHT “No Brevin (tonight), so we got nine (healthy players),” Bickerstaff said after Friday's shootaround. “They said that back-to-backs are the problem. So this is what (Head Athletic Trainer) Joe (Sharpe) recommended, so we’ll live with it.” Bickerstaff also mentioned that he is hopeful Knight will be able to return to the court Saturday in Detroit. For now, rookie Raymond Felton will start at the point for the Bobcats, while Keith Bogans will move into the starting lineup for the eighth time this season alongside Bernard Robinson, Gerald Wallace and Primoz Brezec. It will be the 15th starting lineup the Bobcats have used in 36 games this season. The rest of the Bobcats injury front remains status quo, with Emeka Okafor (ankle), Melvin Ely (ankle), Sean May (knee), Jake Voskuhl (knee) and Kareem Rush (finger) all out. “I think they’re all getting closer, but they’re not ready,” Bickerstaff said. “Raymond was teasing them today that he’s going back in the draft and is going to play with us next year.”
Bobcats center Emeka Okafor went through shootaround on Tuesday morning and is expected to play in tonight’s contest after missing the last eight games with a right ankle sprain. However, if he does play, he will not be in the starting lineup. “As of the moment (he looks good),” Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said after shootaround. “It’s a game-time decision. “No (he won’t start). He’ll get all he wants. We’ll see as we go along, but I told him he’ll get all he wants -- and probably more.” If Okafor does play, according to him, this would be the first time in his basketball career that he remembers coming off the bench. When asked when the last time he didn’t start a basketball game was, Okafor thought for a moment, shook his head mystified and simply said, “Never.” “(The ankle) is feeling alright. I’m just going to go out there and see how it feels tonight,” he added. “I don’t want to go out there, do too much and re-aggravate it. I’ll just test it out and go with the flow.” After missing the last games, the Bobcats would welcome Okafor’s presence in any way, shape or form. “It gives us another big guy in our offensive rotation,” guard Brevin Knight said. “He’s a guy that we can go to on the block, so hopefully he’ll be ready to block some shots. He hasn’t played in a while, so he may have to shake some of that rust off. But it’s always good to get one of your key guys back.” Knight is expected to be in the starting lineup after leaving Saturday’s game in Orlando in the third quarter with back spasms.
PICKING UP THE PACE “They’re still NBA players,” Knight said. “They played very well the other night in the second half against Denver without (McGrady). We know what it’s like to have injuries and still have to play. We know that their guys will come ready to play. Their guys -- David Wesley, Rafer Alston, Stromile (Swift) -- are capable, so we have to come ready to play. We’re not at our full strength, and we know how we’ve played and scrapped when we’re not at full strength, so we expect the same thing from them.” Bickerstaff echoed Knight’s comments and knows the key might be increasing the pace on a Houston team that will be looking to slow the game down. “We understand the disruption, but we also understand that we really have to get after it because that basketball team really plays hard,” Bickerstaff said. “After McGrady went down the other night, they played Denver very tough and lost by two (92-90). They play hard and control the tempo, so we have to try to be disruptive and get the tempo up.” So how do the Bobcats intend to do that? “We want to get up and down,” Knight said. “Of course, we want to take them out of their comfort zone. We don’t want to let them take it down to 10 seconds on the shot clock and then want to get into their play, so we’ll probably get up and pressure them a little bit. Then, when we get the ball, try to push it at them and get the pace to our liking.”
BOBCATS GETTING HEALTHIER Emeka Okafor (ankle), Sean May (knee), Jake Voskuhl (knee) and Brevin Knight (back) all went through practice, although not all are expected to return to the court tomorrow against the Rockets. “We’re relatively healthy,” Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said . “Emeka’s a maybe – it’s stronger, but there are still some things that he’s apprehensive about. We basically had a non-contact practice. Brevin is still having some problems, so we didn’t want to do anything to create any problems with contact. Sean was out there, but I don’t think he’s ready to go. “I would think (the chance of Okafor and Knight playing) would be decent. The game between ourselves and Houston, that might be a battle of attrition.” That’s because the Rockets could be without their three leading scorers – Tracy McGrady (25.3 points), Yao Ming (19.9) and Derek Anderson (10.8) – when they come to Charlotte. McGrady suffered severe back spasms at the end of the first half against Denver on Sunday, leaving his status in doubt, while Yao (left big toe/osteomyelitis) and Anderson (right calf strain) are out. “We certainly know what they’re going through,” Bickerstaff said. “You have to change everything you do almost. You put guys in different positions and guys get out of character because you ask them to. So it’s tough. The things that you’re familiar with offensively and defensively have to change.”
EASING THEM BACK IN “Philosophically I’ve said that a guy never loses his position (due to injury). But I’m kind of figuring out if it’s worth it to have that one guy work his way back in as opposed to four or five guys adjusting to the one in that situation,” Bickerstaff said. “Ultimately, you’ll get your position, but you have to come back and the conditioning has to be good. Our guys have been out so long, there are some questions about some of the things that we do – the familiarity with them.” With last year’s Rookie of the Year expected to be the first one to return from an extended injury, does the same idea hold true? “Yeah, that would be a good one to start with,” Bickerstaff said. “That would set the tone for everybody.” Still, Bickerstaff left the media guessing on Monday. When asked if that means Okafor might not necessarily start even if he does play on Tuesday, Bickerstaff simply replied, “Not necessarily.”
KNIGHT EATING CROW WITH PANTHER’S WIN “Yeah, I’ve heard it,” he laughed, “but when you dish it out as bad as I do, that’s to be expected.” With his Giants eliminated, Knight has jumped on the Panthers bandwagon and will be rooting for Charlotte’s other professional sports team to advance. “We support them as much as they support us,” Knight said. “That was my lifelong team (the Panthers) ended up going against, and they played well. If we had to lose to anyone, I would rather it be the Panthers. “It was a great win. Now I’m back to being a Panthers fan, full-time.”
BOBCATS BIG BODIES GET CLOSER TO RETURN “I doubt we’ll have (Okafor) for the weekend,” Bickerstaff said. “He had a good workout today though, so it’s a start. (May) is probably not a possibility, either.” Both players are listed as questionable for the game against the Magic, depending how their bodies react tomorrow. Kareem Rush (left index finger sprain), Jake Voskuhl (right knee soreness) and Melvin Ely (right ankle sprain) all did not practice. Rush and Ely are listed as out tomorrow, and Voskuhl is doubtful.
FELTON BACK IN STARTING LINEUP “It will be both of them – Brevin and Raymond (starting),” Bickerstaff said. Felton has averaged 12.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals in his six starts this season, and the Bobcats are 5-1 in those six contests. With Felton back in the starting lineup, Bickerstaff has also made a point to let Knight know that while he might have more shots presented to him, he still needs to make sure he runs the show at the point for Charlotte. “What I was telling Brevin is that what he did the other night (in Boston) is he scored and had assists,” Bickerstaff said. “That’s important. It’s not just about the scoring with him – you have to have both.”
After Tuesday’s practice in Boston, the Bobcats travel party went for a private advance screening of "Glory Road," at Loews Boston Common. The movie is based on the 1966 basketball season at Texas Western. Assistant Coach Jeff Capel remembered the actual game vividly -- watching the game on his little television. He remembered Pat Riley jumping the opening tip against David Lattin, Lattin dunking on Riley and the final buzzer when Texas Western won, and he let out a loud cheer. Throughout the movie, players were cheering and hooting and hollering as the story went on, rooting for the Texas Western team. To a man, every player thought the movie was great. The following are some of the players’ reactions after watching the movie.
Guard Brevin Knight (On the effect it had on the team) It was a great movie. For us as basketball players, especially, it was inspiring to see what hard work and dedication can produce.
Center Primoz Brezec
Guard Matt Carroll (On going to see the movie as a team) I like that we went to see “Glory Road” as a team. It’s good for us to get together as a team, because it brings us closer together.
VOSKUHL GETTING CLOSE For now though, it appears Charlotte will continue to go with the starting group of Brevin Knight, Kareem Rush, Gerald Wallace, Bernard Robinson and Primoz Brezec.
WALLACE’S DEFENSE AMONG LEAGUE’S BEST Shawn Marion (Phoenix) averages 1.77 steals and 2.03 blocks, and Ben Wallace (Detroit) averages 1.61 steals and 2.07 blocks. Wallace and Marion are only players shorter than 6-7 to be ranked in top 50 in the league in blocks.
ELY ADDED TO LIST OF BOBCATS INJURIES With Ely out and Emeka Okafor (ankle), Sean May (knee) and Jake Voskuhl (ankle) all sidelined, Bernard Robinson will likely move into the starting lineup alongside Gerald Wallace at the three and four positions. Voskuhl did some court work on Sunday and is on the trip, but he is not yet ready to play in game action. May and Okafor remained back in Charlotte. |
