Gameday Preview Charlotte Bobcats vs. Orlando Magic

by David A. Arnott on Jan 23, 2010 9:16 AM EST

Pump Up Music: Ryan Adams -- "This Is It"

The Big Picture: The Orlando Magic are still probably a Finals contender, even though going from Hedo Turkoglu to Vince Carter hasn't really worked out as well as they'd hoped. I mean, Vince is shooting a horrifying 39% from the field this year.

However, they're always going to be a dangerous team as long as they've got Big Bad Dwight Howard. Without Tyson Chandler, the Cats are in the nearly untenable position of trying to contain him with only two real centers, Nazr Mohammed and DeSagana Diop, one of whom isn't that great a defender and the other a black hole on offense. Oh, and Boris Diaw, who is always going to surprise bigger guys with his defensive abilities, but can only go so far.

Even though it's a home game, this will be another test for the Cats, given Raymond Felton's possible absence, but especially given Gerald Wallace's possible absence, per Rick Bonnell. However, as noted here before, the season isn't screwed even if the Cats go on a disastrous run during their West Coast swing. Patience. Get healthy first, guys.

Key to Victory: The Cats are well-equipped to rotate and close out on perimeter shooters, but they simply don't have the weapons to battle Howard unless someone steps up and plays beyond his proven abilities. We're going to need lots of veteran savvy -- barrels of it -- to contain the big man and keep the shooters from getting open looks, since he's developed a knack for kicking it out just as defenses collapse.

Detail That May Interest .08% of You: Allegedly, Dwight Howard was his high school team's backup point guard, and only started developing his post game once he got to the NBA, where he was forced to become a center, rather than a swingman, like he thought he might be.

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we need to shake off last night

and show up big time at home for this one. A win here would really give the Cats the confidence they need to make a good road trip. Doing it without a key player like Felton could be a big deal. Just like I said about Gerald had he not played wed. against Miami. We’ll see. Naz is getting a lot more confident with his inside scoring and ability to move around, so maybe his D will pick up soon too.

"Smokey this isn't 'Nam this is bowling. There are rules!"

by HAWKEYESBABY on Jan 23, 2010 10:41 AM EST reply actions

Our best defense for Dwight

is the magic’s tendency to forget about him and not get him the ball because they’re too busy jacking up 3’s. It is beyond me why he doesn’t touch the ball at least once every time down the court.

by drapht00 on Jan 23, 2010 10:54 AM EST reply actions

oh and if you haven't been

go to the Bellacino’s Pizza that’s down past the Bobcats store outside. That place is great.

"Smokey this isn't 'Nam this is bowling. There are rules!"

by HAWKEYESBABY on Jan 23, 2010 10:58 AM EST reply actions

Sit Wallace and Felton PLEASE!

Looking over the week, tonight’s game is the toughest challenge – whether we’re at home or not. When healthy, we can beat Orlando on our home court. We’re not healthy.

You never deliberately lose. Ever. It’s etched in stone somewhere. But sometimes it’s more important to play smart than it is to worry about any single game.

Apparently it’s sprains for both Raymond and the Predator (damned skippy I’m using that name instead of Crash. The cool factor is much higher and it’s a better description of how deadly he is.)

A day’s rest makes a big difference for a sprained ankle. If we sit them both tonight they’ll get 2 days rest instead of just one and they won’t risk worsening things by running around tonight.

By all realistic assessments sitting 2/3 of our Gang of Three is going to cost us any chance at a win tonight. I don’t care. I’d rather we lose one game that was going to be tough to carry under the best of conditions if it means we’re better prepared to start our Westward swing with a couple of road wins. Sometimes it’s better to play it smart rather than play all out.

by Ourdaywillcome on Jan 23, 2010 3:40 PM EST reply actions

i agree with sitting them tonight so they can be ready for the trip

I wish that LB would start Derrick Brown in Wallace’s place tonight but then I dont know who would be backup power forward. I assume this is the lineup.
Augustin
Murray
Jackson
Diaw
Mohammed

Either way, we are going to see a lot of Brown, Augustin, and Graham tonight. Im hopeful that Augustin can perform well in the starting role like he did last season. Also, I expect Brown to have a double digit performance and I still dont expect to see Henderson for more than garbage time.

by MR. MANN on Jan 23, 2010 4:49 PM EST up reply actions