Being that this is our inaugural foray into talking about the Charlotte Bobcats, allow me introduce myself and to tell you what my intentions are with this forum. First let me say, I am not a journalist, nor am I a broadcaster. I am not on anyone’s payroll (but if someone wants to contribute, by all means) so there is no pressure to be politically correct. Basically that is the point of this whole thing. I am a fan of the team and I wanted to get in on this Bobcats thing in the midst of what I feel is going to turn out to be very special. I am not originally from Charlotte, but I am from North Carolina (Columbus County to be exact) for what it’s worth. After graduating high school, I joined the military. For several years I had the opportunity to interact with people from all over the country and world. Many of these people were sports fans, of course, and they offered many different insights and perspectives unique to my own. What I began to realize was that, yes there are differences, but the similarities between people far outweigh them. In terms of sports, I believe it is something that brings people of different social perspectives together; at least for two to three hours. And that should say something.
Thirteen years after leaving, I returned to a different North Carolina than I left. Coming up in on one of the more rural parts of a predominately rural minded state, things growing up were figuratively and literally black and white. I must say this, I spent my summers growing up in the Washington, DC area, and consequently, this is an area I have considered like a second home. As far as North Carolina is going, it is obvious we are at a crossroads in regard to the states culture. Migration, immigration and urbanization is transforming this state and Charlotte, in many regards, stands as a microcosm of this change, still I am excited to see what the future holds.
Now, back to the Bobcats. I fondly remember when the Hornets were ‘awarded’ to Charlotte. With Charlotte being the town it was then, we felt like that was a victory for the whole state. There was sincere excitement, because having a professional team, at least on a certain level, put Carolina on par with LA, Boston, New York or any other big league city. I was not here during the divorce, but through the internet, chat rooms, blogs, forums, etc., I got a good sense of what was going on with George Shinn and the city. Now I want you to understand that A. this site is about the Charlotte NBA Bobcats, B. while certainly acknowledging the past, we will focus on the now. Now! We have a team here in Charlotte that will compete for a playoff spot next year (2007-08). There I said it, and it was not hard considering that the team has the ingredients to win 40 games this year (Orlando won 40 last year and was the 8th seed). Health is an issue. Okafor is a force when healthy and rested. He has to be spelled from time to time and the Bobcats can certainly use some frontcourt toughness. Sean May, Jake Voskuhl, Walter Hermann, Primo Brezec, Ryan Hollins, please stand up. Sean May has to find his niche because he has great hands and is a very smart player, but I question his toughness and if the team doesn’t see an improvement of mettle and physical discipline, they should explore other options, real talk, as they say. I initially likened May to a Corliss Williamson, someone who also was an inside force in college but transformed his game to fit the NBA. May has a more polished offensive repertoire than Williamson, at his age, and I think he can be a legitimate pro, much like Carlos Boozer or Elton Brand. Six-eight, six-nine guys who developed there overall game to the point where they are maxing out near an all-star level. The key is how serious is he going to take preparing his body for the long haul. As far as Voskuhl and Brezec, I like Voskuhl’s energy and his acceptance of the role the team had for him last year. Brezec, how can I put it and sound objective? Brezec is soft in the middle and gets a ridiculously low amount of rebounds (3.2 RPG in 2007) for a man who is seven feet tall. On the other hand, he has a solid offensive game that allows him to face the basket and hit 10 to 15 feet jumpers consistently. The fatigue thing? Fine, if that is what they want to call it, but I can’t help but feeling that what the Bobcats need is a more active defender who can contribute 8 to 10 points and 7 to 9 boards a game. Objective enough? The rookie from Boston College (by the way, why is Boston College in the ACC?), Dudley has shown to be a high energy overachieving guy but we have to wait and see how that translates in the taller, quicker, stronger NBA. The other rookie forward, Jermareo Davidson, the jury is out. I threw Hermann in there because he can play the four and I see something in him that aesthetically will cause problems for opponents. I see a lot of Jinoboli from the World Champion Spurs in his flow (for the ill informed, flow is a term that describes the overall characteristic of his game). I honestly feel that a different cultural approach to basketball can have both positive and negative effects. But we will leave that for another discussion. Hollins, still a project, but I think he is smart and coachable. I beg all big men to learn at least one offensive move, please.
I wanted to concentrate on the frontcourt in this initial forum because the health and productivity of our big men will coincide with the health and productivity of the team. We have great swingmen and although Gerald Wallace is a forward he has a lot of perimeter as a part of his game and he essentially could be a big two. I can’t wait until we dig into Morrison/Felton/Carroll/Anderson/Richardson scenario, and we will even have a parting shot for our boy Brevin Knight. In addition, we are going to get into the arena, the ownership, Uptown, the crowd, the fans. We are on the verge of seeing something special here and I want to be a part of it.
(since this post was written, Voskuhl has signed with the Bucks, the picture is getting clearer?)
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