New Journey Begins For Bobcats
October 2, 2006

Season one -- a time of opportunity for some inexperienced and unproven players.

Season two -- one of modest improvement that produced 26 victories, eight more than their NBA expansion debut effort and a somewhat remarkable achievement considering the bizarre, never-ending string of injuries that crippled an already-limited roster.

Now as they approach season three with Tuesday’s opening of training camp in Wilmington, what are the Charlotte Bobcats talking about?

Why, the playoffs, of course.

That was the theme Monday as they gathered at their uptown Charlotte arena for Media Day interviews that preceded a cross-state trip to Wilmington. And while the players acknowledge their aspirations may bring smirks around the league, they are serious in their conversation and make no apologies for aiming high.

“If we had been healthy, we could have made a playoff run last season,” said Gerald Wallace, the small forward who took a beating but excelled nonetheless much of last season while filling in at power forward and center.

“We’re improving every season,” said center Primoz Brezec. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. I just know we’re trying to get better and better. We’ve got to believe that the playoffs are a realistic goal. If we don’t, why are we here? What are we competing for?”

Third-year expansion teams don’t usually find themselves playing past the close of the NBA’s regular season, of course. And this team shouldn’t be judged by its success or failure in qualifying for post-season play.

But head coach and general manager Bernie Bickerstaff has no problems with his players feeling frisky as they head out to play, even if perhaps the most outspoken Bobcats player happens to be one of the least experienced players -- second-year point guard Raymond Felton.

“He seems to be the spokesman, which I’m not opposed to,” Bickerstaff said. “I like that. That’s why we drafted those kinds of guys, guys who have been in a winning environment and want to win.

“You know, there are areas I think we have to improve. First of all we’ve got to sustain the (hard) way we play. And I think we’ve got to get a little more consistent in our skills. And our younger guys have to get confidence. I think we’ve got to improve defensively as a basketball team. And we’ve got to improve our rebounding.

“But we’re not afraid to reach out and compete. So I think we should improve as a basketball team. That’s the goal, to get better.”

Is it crazy to think about the playoffs?

“I don’t see anything crazy about believing. The fact that we’re an expansion team is no longer an impediment. We’re continuing to make progress, and we expect to make progress this year. And I’m happy the guys feel they want to reach out for the playoffs. I think that’s good.”

The Bobcats do have legitimate reasons to believe they will be better, to whatever degree. Among them:

Good health as they start out
Almost everyone on the roster missed significant time due to injuries last season and a few of them – 2004-05 NBA Rookie of the Year Emeka Okafor, promising rookie Sean May, leading scorer Gerald Wallace and backup center Jake Voskuhl – missed huge chunks of the season. Okafor (ankle) appeared in only 26 of the 82 games and May (knee) only 23.

Health is the league’s great unknown, for every team, and the Bobcats have no guarantees that they will be spared this season. With apologies to the superstitious, however, let’s just say that by the odds it’s unlikely they will be plagued to the same extent.

“They’re OK right now,” Bickerstaff said. “But don’t jinx us…You know, we started last year talking about the bigs and saying we had too many and it still wasn’t enough (to offset injuries)…We have no control over staying healthy.”

Okafor and May say they are feeling good with no lingering effects of the 2005-06 injuries, and they reported for camp appearing noticeably lighter and anxious to get going. Okafor hopes to find the form that made him the top rookie two seasons ago. May, frustrated by his inability to play after fulfilling a goal of reaching the NBA, is determined to show he belongs.

The return of the big men
This is a blessing for Wallace, who is anxious to be rematched against guys his own size after laboring much of last season against the league’s behemoths. He surprised everyone, including his coaches, with his explosive play inside but will be much more comfortable in his normal role.

The late-season emergence of Felton
It’s a sign of more good things to come, say his teammates. He thrived in a small-but-productive starting backcourt pairing with veteran point guard/mentor Brevin Knight, and Bickerstaff says Felton has “added a lot to his game. It’s just time that’s going to make him better, because he wants it and he’ll put the effort in. And he’s got a pretty good mentor in terms of being able to go every day against Brevin.”

The addition of first-round draft pick Adam Morrison
Adding Morrison will, in time if not immediately, help ease the perimeter shooting woes of last season and repeatedly hurt the Bobcats as they tried to close out tight games.

Known for his scoring as an All-American at Gonzaga, Morrison brings more than a shooter’s touch and mentality to the Bobcats, say some teammates who have worked out informally with him.

“He’s better than I thought he would be,” Wallace said. “I like his will and his passion for the game. He has the mentality that no one can stop him from scoring and that’s what we need. And he’s a lot quicker than I thought he was. He’s not just a one-dimensional player.”

Where will it lead?

To more improvement, almost certainly. To the playoffs?

Well, let’s let Felton have the last word:

“I know we’re going to make it this year if we stay healthy,” he said. “We have a lot of talent. We’re young but we just don’t have the respect yet. We have respect as a team that plays hard but to get more respect we have to win more games and make the playoffs.”

Let the journey begin.