By Brian McKitish, TalentedMrRoto.com
October 2, 2006 - 9:54 a.m.

2005-06 OVERVIEW

One word can sum up the Bobcats entire 2005-06 season: Injuries. The team started off with high hopes, returning the 2005 Rookie of the Year in Emeka Okafor and adding two standouts from North Carolina’s NCAA Championship team in Raymond Felton and Sean May. Things spiraled out of control early, however, as both Okafor and May went down with injuries and the Bobcats lost player after player to the injury bug as the season progressed. With the majority of their lineup on the shelf – particularly in their depleted frontcourt - the ‘Cats stumbled to a 26-56 record but showed signs of promise along the way.

Raymond Felton is expected to be one of the top sleepers this fantasy season. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images)

Two players stood out above the rest in the wake of all the injuries: Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton. Both took their games to new levels, showing the ability to be dominant forces in the NBA. Wallace, who had some injury issues himself, was a total stud when on the court. His exponential growth as a player was evident as he went on to average 15.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.1 blocks in 55 games. His performance was so dominating that many fantasy experts have tabbed Wallace as a first round pick in 2006 fantasy drafts. That, of course, was before the injuries started popping up. Meanwhile, Felton proved to be one of fantasy’s top pickups in the second half of the season due to his ability to contribute in multiple categories.

Delaying Felton’s breakthrough performance was the surprising effort turned in by the oft-injured Brevin Knight. Knight became the steal of fantasy drafts staying relatively healthy for much of the season and posting 12.6 points, 8.8 assists and 2.3 steals in 69 games for the ‘Cats. After the All-Star break, Charlotte decided to run with both Felton and Knight in the backcourt at the same time, a strategy you can expect to see at times during the 2006-07 season.

During the off-season, the Bobcats addressed their depth issues by adding two serviceable big men in Jake Voskuhl and Othella Harrington. Melvin Ely’s contract status is still up in the air, but Charlotte seems to have enough depth in their frontcourt now that both Okafor and May are expected to return at full strength. Their biggest off-season acquisition came through the draft when they selected forward Adam Morrison with the third overall pick. Morrison is expected to step in and start right away after posting 28.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 threes per game at Gonzaga.

ADDITIONS:
Adam Morrison, SF
Ryan Hollins, C
Walter Hermann, F
Othella Harrington, PF
Jake Voskuhl, C

LOSSES:
Jumaine Jones, SF
Kareem Rush, SG
Lonny Baxter, PF

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP:
C- Primoz Brezec
PF- Emeka Okafor
SF- Adam Morrison
SG- Gerald Wallace
PG- Raymond Felton

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2006

Health permitting, the Bobcats will have a nice squad entering the 2006-07 season. The return of Emeka Okafor will do wonders for their interior defense as Charlotte was one of the league’s worst in rebounding differential (-4.2). Okafor will join starting center Primoz Brezec in the frontcourt. Brezec had somewhat of a disappointing season in 2005-06 averaging just 12.6 points and 5.6 rebounds with only 0.4 blocks per game despite being the Bobcats only force down low. With Okafor and May returning, plus the additions of Harrington and Voskuhl, Brezec will need to impress early to keep his gig as the starting center. Coach Bernie Bickerstaff has even hinted at playing Okafor at the five and going with a smaller lineup, especially with so many other teams employing the run-and-gun offense this season.

The addition of Adam Morrison should allow the Bobcats to spread the court, as Morrison will be able to create his own shot and dial it up from long distance. Morrison is expected to start at the three, with Gerald Wallace sliding into the starting shooting guard slot. Wallace is poised for yet another breakout season (again, health permitting) and will benefit from the crisp passing abilities of both Raymond Felton and Brevin Knight.

KEY BENCH POSITIONS / POSITION BATTLES

Brevin Knight - Always learn from your mistakes. Everyone slept on the oft-injured Knight last season. Those that didn’t were rewarded with a truly dominating performance in assists (8.8) and steals (2.3). Though Knight is expected to play second fiddle to Raymond Felton this season, do not completely write him off in fantasy drafts. When on the court, there’s no one better for assists and steals, and Knight played too well last season to be relegated to a bench role for the Bobcats. Sure, he’ll always have injury issues, and he’ll be coming off the bench, but Bernie Bickerstaff will find a way to get Knight’s playmaking and defensive skills in the lineup. Be sure not to sleep on Knight again this season.

Sean May - Though he is somewhat undersized for an NBA power forward, May has a high basketball IQ to go along with great body positioning skills. Using his strength under the basket, May has solid low post moves and can position his body for easy offensive and defensive rebounds. Although he missed three quarters of the season due to knee surgery, when he was on the court, he displayed flashes of brilliance in his rookie year. In just 17.3 minutes per game, May averaged 8.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. Those numbers, however, do not tell the whole story. When May saw more than 20 minutes of action, he posted 13.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. A high-energy player with an intense work ethic, May will find plenty of opportunities to earn minutes in Charlotte this season. Perhaps realizing his lack of size, May has worked hard to improve his range and ball-handling skills during the off-season. His hard work was evident at the Pepsi Pro Summer League as May scored 18.6 points per game on 60.5 percent shooting and nailed a bunch of 18-footers, even connected on a few three balls. Look for May to be a key component in the Bobcats’ lineup this season, often times being the first big man off the bench.

PLAYERS WE LOVE

Emeka Okafor - Fantasy owners are an unforgiving bunch, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Okafor’s stock free-fall in drafts this year after burning too many folks in an injury plagued 2005-06 season. Reportedly healthy and looking good during preseason workouts, Emeka could be in line for a huge year in 2006-07. Throw out last year’s stats and take a look at what he put up during his rookie year: 15.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. If those numbers interest you (and they should), Okafor should be a top priority after all the big power forwards are off the board.

Raymond Felton - Had Brevin Knight not been around to delay his breakout, Raymond Felton may have actually challenged Chris Paul for Rookie of the Year honors. Yes, he was that good, averaging 16.7 points, 7.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.0 threes per game after the All-Star break. So what if Knight is still around, he was there when Felton posted those ridiculous numbers after the All-Star break last year, wasn’t he?

Gerald Wallace - Who was the only player in the NBA to average two-plus steals and two-plus blocks per game? None other than the ultra-athletic Gerald Wallace. With dominating numbers in two of fantasy’s most scarce categories, Wallace has propelled himself into fantasy stardom with his high-flying dunks, tenacious defensive pressure and unmatched intensity on a night-to-night basis. The only thing to worry about with Wallace is that his intense style of play often leads to injuries. The fact that he missed 27 games to injury last season will likely depress his value in fantasy drafts but don’t let him fall too far. You’ll regret it when he’s putting up sick numbers night after night.

PLAYERS TO AVOID

Adam Morrison - Sure, Adam Morrison is a skilled scorer with the ability to create his own shot and do things many others can’t on the offensive end…but that’s about all he can do for the fantasy inclined. Morrison will be a nice option for points, threes and free throw percentage, but will offer very little in any other category. Players like that are a dime a dozen in fantasy drafts, so if someone wants to reach for Morrison in your draft, let them.

BOTTOM LINE

If they can stay out of the trainer’s room, 2006-07 will be an exciting year for the Charlotte Bobcats. With many performers that will most likely exceed their draft value, the Bobcats will have plenty of players to choose from on draft day. With Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton primed to build on breakthrough performances and Emeka Okafor returning to the paint, the ‘Cats should be one of the sleeper teams in the NBA this season.

The views expressed by TalentedMrRoto.com represent only the views of the writers; they do not represent the views of the NBA or any NBA team.

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