Bobcats Rock the Raptors 116-81
by David A. Arnott on Nov 25, 2009 9:43 PM EST
58 comments
Gerald Wallace submitted a signature performance tonight, leading the Bobcats to a 116-81 win. Crash scored 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and his counterpart on the Raptors, Hedo Turkoglu, only scored 5 points, had 2 assists, and 0 rebounds in more than 22 minutes.
Ultimately, the Cats didn't really have an answer for Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani, but they slowed them down enough that when they also totally shut down the Raps' backcourt, Toronto had no chance. It's a hell of an accomplishment to dominate the top-scoring team in the league, even if they are on the back of a back to back. So much went right for the Bobcats that it had to have rekindled the dying embers of hope in even the coldest of Charlotte fans.
Highlights and lowlights after the jump:
BAD
-- Flip, my man. Stop being streaky. 0-4 shooting, 2 assists, 0 rebounds,and 0 free throw attempts in 17 minutes is pretty bad, especially for the guy who's supposed to be instant offense off the bench.
-- Guys, you're still taking too many threes. 5-18 is unacceptable. At this point, you should only be taking threes to remind the opponents that you might do it at any time.
GOOD
-- The notion of Gerald Wallace as an All Star reserve is still a long shot, but it's no longer a ludicrous proposition. Tonight, he rebounded like he has all year, but this time around, he put the ball in the basket like the occasionally electric offensive player we've dreamed he'd always be.
-- Tyson Chandler played the kind of game that justifies his fans' faith in him. 9 rebounds and 6 blocks in 22 and 1/2 minutes.
-- I'm still not sold on Nazr as a starting-caliber center (and probably can't be sold on it this year), but dude's been beyond solid off the bench and continued in this game, with 11 points and 9 boards in only 18 minutes.
-- Derrick Brown! Gerald Henderson!!! Both played more than 20 minutes, and easily held their own. Henderson, specifically, put up 15 points on 9 shots, and grabbed 4 rebounds. Here's to continuing this trend of playing the young guys.
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G!!!
Look what happens when you give Henderson some playing time. Way to be G.
by notty on Nov 25, 2009 9:56 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
This.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 2:48 PM EST up reply actions
awesome game
Great game, and pretty solid contributions from most of the team. Wallace was excellent tonight, and it’s good to see Nazr playing well too.
Biggest win in franchise history!
Wow.
That’s a bit strong.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 2:49 PM EST up reply actions
GERALD
both of them played great. Here’s to the reincarnation of the good Nazr!
Gerald Wallace is the best player the Bobcats will have..... EVER
A few observations
Well, the Fightin’ Felines pulled it out in style tonight. This makes 2 games in a row where we showed a new and fierce chemistry. The main points are obvious. But…
Despite David’s skepticism regarding Nazr at center, as Roger, Roger pointed out, Nazr is playing quite well. I on the other hand will be highly unlikely to become a Chandler believer before the end of the year. While some rave about Tyson’s performance tonight (which I will freely admit is a definite step in the right direction) I’ll just point out that Nazr was one board away from a double-double off the bench tonight and scored in double digits for the second game in a row. While this doesn’t erase all doubt about his usefullness to the Cats, he’s making a damned strong case for himself. Tonight he was supposed to be utterly overmatched and he still got the job done.
Tonight one of our rookies emerged as a real force and the other should have Felton and Augustin hearing the sound of shrinking minutes
Friday’s game will say it all. If we stay with or beat the mighty Cavs, even the most dedicated naysayers are going to have to admit that this team has the potential to GLIDE into playoff contention instead of being “blown up and started over” as some here have suggested.
We’re definitely going to need a bigger bandwagon for this team. It’s starting to look like our boys are for real – not 3 seasons from now, but RIGHT now.
by Ourdaywillcome on Nov 25, 2009 10:33 PM EST reply actions
Oh, by the way...
Chandler once again racked up 5 fouls and was in foul trouble the whole game. Imagine what numbers he might have posted if he could have changed that one stat well enough to be able to play his full shifts on the court.
by Ourdaywillcome on Nov 25, 2009 10:34 PM EST up reply actions
Chandler off the Bench
No doubt Chandler is more talented than Nazr, but I like the idea of Nazr starting and Chandler coming off the bench and playing significant minutes. This would limit Chandler’s foul trouble and may increase his impact. This may be a good approach through the end of December.
Beat the Cavs!!!
by Ft.Mill Bobcat on Nov 26, 2009 8:26 AM EST up reply actions
If Chandler still plays significant minutes...
His foul trouble ain’t being limited.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 2:51 PM EST up reply actions
Mohammed is playing well, sure...
But his career suggests that he won’t produce at similar rates if we try to stretch his minutes even more. Even in his best seasons (a long time ago), he wasn’t any more than a 25 MPG palyer.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 2:51 PM EST up reply actions
For those who also went to the game,
Does anyone else wish that mini-Rufus was our only mascot? No offense David, but mini-Rufus was awesome, maybe more so than Rufus.
And did anyone else see all the B’s (for blocks) that were hung? I thought that was pretty neat.
Unfortunately, attendance was quite low. There were sections in the lower bowl that sat about 5 people. That is no joke, I actually counted about five people at one point. Also, for misers like me, you could have donated a canned good or two and gotten two free nosebleeds which was a good idea.
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Nov 25, 2009 10:46 PM EST reply actions
The good thing
about games like that. You can always sneak to a lower seat. Wait until the lights go out when they are introducing the team and go for it. Or you can keep an eye out for what looks empty below and then when the 2nd half starts go to a lower seat like it was yours all along. Ive moved up to the 12th row before and no one ever says anything.
I really wish I could go to the games. I always worked nights when I lived there so I could only go to maybe 4 a year. Now, Im living in another country but when Im home visiting in March, I am definitely going to at least 2 or 3 games.
And where was the "Let's Go Cats!" chant?
I’m disappointed in you, announcer man. You use the echo effect so much and don’t quench my desire for let’s go cats. This was my first game that I’ve gone to this season since last year and I miss a lot of the old things they used to do. Like “Fan of the Game” where they gave the winner a fan,etc. A man can dream I guess.
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Nov 26, 2009 7:42 AM EST up reply actions
"Let's Go Cats" is the worst and most annoying thing I've ever heard at a sporting event.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 2:53 PM EST up reply actions
Attendance & Rufus
Attendance is always low the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Everyone is traveling or has company visiting. If the Bobcat fan holiday host planned in advance, he/she would choose to take their out-of-town family to Friday’s Cav game over Wednesday’s Raptor game.
I still like big Rufus better.
by Ft.Mill Bobcat on Nov 26, 2009 8:32 AM EST up reply actions
Attendance is always low.
And with no kind of widespread announcement about ticket deals like that, people won’t be able to take advantage of them.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 2:52 PM EST up reply actions
So I think we can all agree that Henderson and Brown....
deserve at least 15-20 minutes a game.
Blogging at Ridiculous Upside, where my terrible writing meets people's eyes.
Larry Brown finally cracked the formula for winning
He has to continue letting the bench play more minutes.. Our bench players are very talented and deserve to earn their minutes..
Lets Go Cats..
My thoughts
First of all, the Bobcats made Time Warner arena look like the generic court from NBA Jam. The dunkfest was unreal, and Gerald Wallace took control of the entire game. He was a +27 tonight, which is just obscene.
The Bobbies controlled the half court and dominated the guard play defensively. 13 team steals took over a lot of the game.
Henderson looked amazing out there… 15 and 4 in 22 minutes. I think coach Brown needs to realize the spark he provides off the bench and how well he compliments Jackson and Wallace by giving him the majority of Flip’s minutes.
Chandler played like advertised (finally) but he still needs to work on staying on the court and not fouling out.
Derrick Brown looks like he could be really special. He looks like a young Tayshawn Prince and has the body and wingspan to be that ultra athletic 3-4 hybrid that can contribute at both ends.
Stephen Jackson’s most valuable contribution wont be his scoring, it will be the threat of his scoring. When he and G-Force are on court together the defense has to choose to play one of them and more often their focusing on Jackson allowing Wallace to get open.
Felton played well, but he had to find a way to directly contribute to more baskets. 4 assists in 27 minutes is low when you have a 31 point scorer, and a 23 point scorer in the starting 5. It’s nice to see him only shoot 10 times, but to reach the next level we’ll need him to be a better distributor of the ball.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Nov 26, 2009 12:18 PM EST reply actions
Once again I agree with you James
One of the things I really noticed last night is how crisp our ball movement is getting. Our court rotation passes are among the quickest in the league now. Once our consistency improves a bit more it’s going to be amazing to watch and barely give the defenses enough time to turn their heads – let alone shift over to the weak side in time to prevent a baseline drive or a quick jumpshot from the corner.
In the press conference after the game, Larry Brown was almost apologetic for not playing his bench more effectively in the past. He said that tracking and rotating 10-12 players was just too difficult. He then said he was getting a really good feel for what each of his utility players can do off the bench – especially since Jackson joined the team – and that he was getting a very good idea of how and where to use people like Henderson and Brown.
I think December is going to be the most exciting month for Bobcats fans in the teams young history.
by Ourdaywillcome on Nov 26, 2009 1:05 PM EST up reply actions
Trade Wallace?
I’ve never wanted to trade Wallace. You have me confused with someone else. The closest I’ve come to suggesting a Wallace trade was when someone else was talking about trades and I said that in order to get a player of high quality such as Bosh we’d have to cough up someone like Wallace or nobody would be interested. I’m all in favor of trying to buy Chandler out of his contract, but it’s my hope Wallace is still with the team for the remainder of his career. He’s too important to lose.
It also seems to be a common thought that we’ll deal Jackson before the trade deadline and when I see the difference he’s made just in opening up the lanes for Diaw and Wallace I can only hope we decide to keep him instead. We can, in my opinion, build a VERY strong franchise around Wallace and Jackson and by the time Wallace’s age starts really catching up with him we’ll be able to bring in a young draft pick to learn from him.
by Ourdaywillcome on Nov 26, 2009 4:35 PM EST up reply actions
Not gonna make a contender out of two good players.
You need at least one great one (i.e. the kind of star who consistently makes the A-S team), and probably three more good ones in the starting lineup.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 3:03 PM EST up reply actions
even when the Bobcats play great we still have people finding a way to bash Felton
Felton didn’t play spectacular last night and I for one am glad that we finally have a team where we’re not relying on Felton to play better than he is. He played within his game, didn’t force any shots, contributed to a great team defensive performance and made some good passes.
The team had 24 assists. It’s clear that Felton is not an allstar, not the guy we want trying to put the team on his shoulders every night. We finally have a team good enough that he doesn’t have to be that guy, so shouldn’t YOU stop holding him to those standards? Our starting back court had 10 assists and 33 points last night. Not bad
How did I bash Felton?
I said he played well and it was good he didn’t keep jacking up the ball. However, there’s no refuting that he had a very low number of assists.
The team had 24, Felton had 4… when a team wins big like that I think contributing 1/6th of the team’s assists is very low for a starting PG.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Nov 26, 2009 8:48 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
What you're doing is nitpicking over individual stats
The offense ran well with the starters in. Diaw and more recently Jax add great ball movement, which allows for Felton to not have to dominate the ball. For some reason, you’re wanting him to dominate the ball again. Why?
I think you’re blindly saying a point guard should have more than 4 assists without appreciating the specific context of this team. This particular team plays best when everybody passes well, not just when Felton passes well.
I’ll gladly take Felton averaging 4 assists per night if that’s how the offense works best. Felton has shown that he can give us more than that on any given night, but it’s good to know that we don’t have to rely solely on him anymore.
Maybe you were happy when Felton was the guy who HAD to take over a game. I personally like what I’m seeing in the last two games much more than that.
You’re bashing Felton because even when he plays well we still have people nitpicking over his numbers. Having better players and better team chemistry around Felton are going to allow him to stay within his game, which is much better for the team. Felton’s dip in numbers is likely leading to more team success. Having said all th
If you want to continue to nitpick the stats
Felton shot 50% (showing better shot selection resulting from a better flowing offense), had 3 steals and 0, that’s right ZERO turnovers to go with 4 assists. The other two point guards each had one assist and one turnover. Jax had 6 assists but 3 turnovers.
For perspective, here’s Queen City Hoops’ take on Felton’s game Wed. night:
“The better fastbreak was clearly evident as Raymond Felton had what was arguably his best pure point guard game by throwing the ball ahead to get easy points and not turning the ball over at all. Turnovers have been Charlotte’s Achilles heel since the season began and in all honesty was a problem last year too, but there were only 10 miscues against Toronto.”
Only one player on the Bobcats roster didn’t get an assist Wed. I’ll glad take outstanding TEAM ball movement over 10 assists from one player any night.
In comparison, Felton was better...
I still don’t think i’m ‘bashing’ Felton.
One game doesn’t make a season for me. He played well, I’ve stated that twice, but just like I’m not sold on Tyson Chandler’s performance being indicative of his future success, I’m not sold that Ray can be the distributor we need at the positon. That doesn’y mean I’m sure Augustin is a lock either, or Law for that matter however, despite his good shot selection on Wednesday he’s:
- 25th in the NBA in apg by point guards.
- 25nd in the NBA is FG % by point guards.
- 13th (tied) in the NBA in TO by point guards.
I can understand the argument that a dip in PPG by Felton can mean greater overall success, but the three areas I mentioned above all equate team success, and an area Felton needs to get better in.
Like I said again and again; he played well vs. Toronto, but I still feel his assists were too low. Stephen Jackson had more assists, and that’s indicative of a lack of court vision on Felton’s behalf. There were numerous times during the game I saw Ray fail to see an open player instead rotating the ball around the perimeter.
Of course I’m glad I don’t need to say Felton score 15 ppg, but at the same time when his ppg, FG% and apg all dip by your starting PG then it’s clear improvement has to be made.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Nov 27, 2009 8:56 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Win a team wins by 35 and the startung PG only has 4 assists...
…i’m not sure that there is ANY, “distributor we need at the position.”
Like Android is saying, the Cats obviously play their best when there is NOT a PG out there dribbling and making plays for everybody else. This team is not like most in that besides the PG there are two other starters capable of distributing the ball to the open player.
Wednesday, Felton had 10 pts, 3 rebs, 4 assists, 3 steals, and ZERO turnovers in only 26 minutes. It’s hard to complain about that, unless you are looking for something to complain about. (And at least a couple of Felton’s assists that night were sweet!)
I don’t care how many assists the PG has if the Cats win by 35 points!
One game never tells the story.
You can overcome poor play from one of your starters some nights, but not most.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 3:07 PM EST up reply actions
This line is utter BS
“Stephen Jackson had more assists, and that’s indicative of a lack of court vision on Felton’s behalf.”
It is certainly NOT indicative of such a thing! It is indicative of the fact that now more than ever, the Bobcats do not run their offense solely through their PG. It says nothing to Raymond’s “court vision.” Ridiculous! ha! When Felton has 13 assists in a game i hardly can imagine you blogging that, “Felton’s 13 assists were indicative of his outstanding court vision.” Yeah right. Quit hatin’. haha
Jackson had 6 assists and 3 TOs
Feton had 4 assists and ZERO TOs
If Felton ever gets 13 assists I’ll say it. I’m saying I watched that game on Wednesday, twice and there were passes available that Felton missed instead rotating the ball around the perimeter.
The whole reason Brown drafted Augustin was because he was not confident Felton could become the kind of PG that he wanted. So, you can saay ‘Quit hatin’’ all you want. I cheered for Felton and May and McCants and the rest of the crew as a UNC fan, but thus far he’s been unimpressive.
So, people can hang on his ASTOUNDING zero turnover performance until the cows come home, but I’m not buying that any NBA team, let alone the low offense cats (with the exception of Wednesday) are miraculously better without a true passing PG. I’m glad he didn’t turn the ball over, and his shot selection is better, but I’m not ready to drink the Kool Aid just yet.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Nov 27, 2009 2:28 PM EST up reply actions
I think you're missing the point James
Felton has always been a solid passer, and in my opinion, a solid PG. I’m arguing that his assists for a single game were down because the team played extremely efficient ball and didn’t need to rely on any one player to create shots.
Felton and the entire team played poorly over that 7 game loosing streak. The offense sucked to open the season, another reason his average is down. I’m not judging Felton’s abilities based on one game. I’m saying give credit where credit is due. For the game Wed. and the game tonight as a matter of fact, Felton did exactly what he needed to do to contribute to a win and he didn’t need huge assist numbers to do so.
Like I said before,
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Nov 27, 2009 9:44 PM EST up reply actions
Didn't post the whole thing.
I said before that he played well on Wednesday, and he played well last night.
His assists for the entire season have been down despite having more scoring talent around him. The team is winning, which is good, but there’s always room for improvement.
I gave credit where credit was due saying multiple times that he played well. That being said:
Felton was credited for 4 assists vs. Toronto when the team made 43 field goals. He was directly responsible for under 10% of the shots made.
Against Cleveland he has 7 assists when the team made 35 field goals, being directly responsible for 20% of shots made.
It’s the games like Cleveland that I want to be the rule, rather than the exception for Felton.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Nov 28, 2009 3:12 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
This.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 3:09 PM EST up reply actions
When's the last time Felton had 13 assists?
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 3:08 PM EST up reply actions
He doesn't want him to dominate the ball.
He wants him to produce, given he gets a ton of minutes and is a member of the starting five. He didn’t play well. The team did.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 3:06 PM EST up reply actions
On Henderson...
He’s good, but I don’t think he’d produce like that with any regularity, even if given minutes. His and Murray’s roles are different. Murray is supposed to be the guy who can come off the bench and give us an offensive spark when things aren’t going well. Henderson, on the other hand, is in there mostly to do the little things (defense, rebounding, etc.) right and get his points as they come.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 3:02 PM EST up reply actions
Sorry for the confusion
I didn’t mean you ourdaywillcome I meant James. In a thread he just recently posted he suggested a trade idea that would result in us getting Bogut for Wallace essentially. Although James is a good friend of mine and he and I usually agree quite a bit, I couldn’t disagree more with that move. I think we could use a solid center (Although the combo of Mohammed and Chandler has been steadily improving all year) but I think giving up Wallace for just about anybody is unreasonable. Hes always been very solid, near all-star caliber. And even when his stats don’t always reflect that, his heart and hustle does. And Bogut is another Chandler. Gotta lot up side, but hes injury prone and might not be able to have an immediate impact.
I’m with you. I think Wallace and Jackson have given us a VERY solid foundation. I like the roseter we have now and if it keeps improving we’ll be in good shape. We still gotta few holes, but the past couple games have given me a lot to be thankful for!
I never said specifically that I 'wanted' to trade Gerald Wallace
But I’m still not sold that Chandler is the answer at the 5. He played well last night, no doubt, but if anything it highlighted the team’s potential when there is someone playing at at high level in the paint.
I think the talent on the team now is a 7-9 seed in the East, if we found a way of bringing in a legitimate stud at center I think we move to a 5-6 seed. After seeing that Bogut was injured again he may not be the best choice, but to make a cake you gotta break some eggs, and Wallace (and now Jackson who can’t be packaged for 2 months) are the only truly desirable pieces we have who could net a star caliber C.
Last season I suggested getting Chris Kaman, who’s blossomed into a 20 and (near) 10 guy thus far in 2009. Wallace and Jackson are a great pairing at the wings, but after seeing Henderson’s ability more I’m more inclined to say moving him to starter, pulling the trigger and getting a true threat in the paint evolves this team into a monster.
Right now though, I say we stand pat… because I’ll admit I thought the Pacers game was a fluke, but maybe I was wrong and this team is gelling; only time will tell.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Nov 26, 2009 8:46 PM EST up reply actions
this is wrong:
“Wallace and Jackson are a great pairing at the wings, but after seeing Henderson’s ability more I’m more inclined to say moving him to starter, pulling the trigger and getting a true threat in the paint evolves this team into a monster.”
How is this wrong?
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Nov 27, 2009 2:28 PM EST up reply actions
Because the almighty dudemanhey says so.
Duh.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 3:10 PM EST up reply actions
But now you're catching on!
“Right now though, I say we stand pat…”
Could the Cats use a better center? Obviously. (Should have drafted Lopez last year imo). Is the Cats’ need for a center so bad that they should blow up the team they’ve just made and try to get one? Hell no!
Stand pat and try to draft a good big man. That’s the better alternative.
Problem is though if we somehow manage to make the playoffs our 1st round pick goes to Minnesota (through Denver) from the Ajinca deal.
As for Lopez, like I said, hindsight is 20/20. Felton was wholly unimpressive and Augustin was NBA ready when Larry took the team over. He’s stuggled thus far this season and is having a sophmore slump but I do believe when it’s all said and done he’ll be the better PG.
We have a good team right now, we can stand pat for now, and for now I mean a couple of months, but if we’re sitting in the 10 spot around the deadline I think we have to make another deal.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Nov 27, 2009 2:32 PM EST up reply actions
And we know we won't spend any real money to get an impact FA, either.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 3:11 PM EST up reply actions
Amazing game...
Amazing 2 games actually, but let’s not jinx the next one. 2 games with 20+ point blowouts…the Cats are not…or are they.
Let’s hope they are, but Friday will be a test for us. Not “THE TEST”
but it will be a test to play against an expected playoff team this year…when everything seems to be clicking..finally.
Too soon.
To say everything’s clicking fine. We’ve seen flashes of what we can potentially be, but I need a few more games until I’m convinced. That said, it is looking promising.
by CharginChuck on Nov 26, 2009 10:28 PM EST up reply actions
I'm not sold yet either but...
I don’t know that we will EVER gel, if we keep trading people every 10-20 games. I agree, a 20 10 guy at the 5 would be great, but the past two games have shown that what we have talent wise can win and win well. Will Chandler ever be an all-star double double guy? Probably not. But between him and Mohammed if they can COLLECTIVELY get done what a Bogut or Kaman can do, then whats the difference? That way we can keep Wallace and Jackson. The combo of those two guys is REALLY starting to gel, and I’d hate to see that chemistry be ruined before its even really had time to reach its potential.
I’m not saying this is the roster thats going to make it to the playoffs or whatever. I’m just saying after watching the past couple games, I don’t think Charlotte should be considering moving Wallace or Jackson. But thats just me.
It's really a trio
The Wallace/Jackson combo chemistry is formidable, but let’s not forget that Boris Diaw has played with Jackson in the past and was the quickest to adapt when Jacks joined the team. I think the three of them will be deadly sooner rather than later.
As for the Chandler/Mohammed pair, I really think we’re better off using Nazr as the starter and for more than one reason.
1. It prevents Chandler from first quarter foul trouble. That may not seem like a big deal, swapping his quick 2 fouls out of the first quarter and tossing them into the second, but it changes the dynamics in a big way. On the one hand, Chandler will be coming in to play against the opponents bench center who will almost never be as quick or as strong as the first stringer, so he’s less likely to be in a position to foul the man. Using that same logic, he should be able to use his offensive skills to pick up a few extra points and even a couple of offensive boards against the weaker second squad.
2, By having Chandler’s strong defensive presence on the court with our smaller second squad, we add height, supposed speed and level-headedness, and give an inside presence for our guards so that Augustin isn’t under so much pressure on the outer perimeter.
3. Let Nazr bump and work the first string center a bit to wear him down. That way, even if we bring in Chandler early – say the midpoint of the first quarter, the starting center is already somewhat winded and preparing to come out of the game and Chandler may be able to use that to his advantage better than Nazr would. With Nazr coming in fairly often as early as the 4 minute mark of the first quarter, he’s entering the game when the center for the opponent is just getting loose and in the flow, making Mohammed’s job that much tougher coming off the bench.
I just think it provides us with more pluses than minuses to use Chandler off the bench this way. It also shouldn’t cut into Chandler’s minutes at all because presumably he’ll be able to play most of the second quarter instead of riding the pine with 2 quick fouls on him from the first.
Umm...
Chandler doesn’t have any offensive skills. Unless it’s a dunk, he’s not getting points.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 1, 2009 3:12 PM EST up reply actions
Stephen Jackson
Still no mention of the number one reason the Bobcats are playing well. The Bobcats are now 4-1 against the spread since Jack joined the team. Coincidence?
Murray is nice when he's on...
But streaky is what you’re gonna get when you go dumpster diving mere weeks before the season starts for rotation players.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
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