Charlotte Bobcats = Championship Caliber?

An equation sure to make a lot of people laugh, but there may be a perfect storm brewing for the Bobs to make the ultimate playoff debut.

The Charlotte Bobcats have never been to the playoffs. Although they've been in existence only a few years, they still have to carry the tag along with the also young NFL  franchise Houston Texans, as the only two teams in professional sports to never experience the thrill of a playoff game. They appeared to be headed for the same fate this season when the team started 3-9, but have made a great improvement since the November 17 trade for Stephen Jackson to head into the all-star break with sole possession of 6th place in the East and above .500 with a record of (26-25). Although we're not there yet, I truly feel this is the year that we leave Gary Kubiak's squad as the team in America to carry that title. And I also think we can make a huge splash while doing it.

Before you call me the craziest mofo on earth, take a second to reason with me. I'm going to give you a completely hypothetical way of it happening, and why we may already have the pieces in place to make a run.

1. The Team- The Charlotte Bobcats are mostly made up of a bunch of good players, but not really any great players. However, taking a closer look at the roster, you may think the playoffs should've been a part of the past by now. Why? Let's start at the PG. Raymond Felton is the floor general. Coming off a national championship at UNC, he was the third PG selected in the draft behind two potential HOF'ers (Chris Paul, Derron Williams). That has been a very dark cloud over his career (especially considering we could've traded the picks we used on Felton and May for Paul), but he's still been a very consistent starter in the league, and could probably start on a championship team like L.A.. So, let's just say we're good there. At the SG, we have Stephen Jackson, who has already won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs and was a part of one of the most thrilling playoff upsets in history when number 8 seed Golden State defeated the number 1 seed Mavericks. He was also a huge part of the success the Indiana Pacers had before the infamous Palace Brawl. So, let's just say the position is not a weakness. At the 3, Gerald Wallace is finally getting his credit and has been named to the All-Star team. He is one of the top players in the league at his position and has developed a decent jump shot. So, he's not really a weakness. Boris Diaw consumes the 4 spot and is a very unique player. He was a big part of the Suns' success over the years, and is a big who can stretch the floor like very few can. And at the 5, we have Tyson Chandler and Nazr Mohammed, one who has proven to be effective on a playoff team in New Orleans, and the other who is coming off a 21 point, 20 rebound effort). Off the bench , we have D.J. Augustin (our most talented youngster), Ronald Murray (big time scorer off the bench), DeSagana Diop (enjoyed playoff success with the Mavericks), and Stephen Graham, Gerald Henderson, and Derek Brown, three youngsters who have shown potential. So, basically, I'm asking, what is the big weakness? Sure, we don't have a Kobe  Bryant or Lebron James, but who is to say that you need a player of that caliber to win a championship? Detroit had almost the very same makeup (and coach) as us and pulled it off.

Charlotte Bobcats roster

2. The Coach- Larry Brown is the only coach in history to win both a NCAA championship and an NBA championship. Throughout Larry's professional career, he has shown a consistent record with doing a lot of tinkering with a team in his first year and reaching the playoffs in the second year. I feel he ran into a perfect situation in Charlotte, teaming up with his buddy Michael Jordan, because he really has the freedom to make the moves he wants to get the players he wants on his team to fit his system. There aren't really too many coaches that can say "I want that guy" and have the GM on their side every time for it. That's what's going on in Charlotte (how many trades have we had the past year), and it's worked out for the best for our franchise.

3. The Scenario- Ok, let's be fair to everyone else and leave the standings as they are now for the playoffs. 1. Cleveland 2. Orlando 3. Atlanta 4. Boston 5. Toronto 6. Charlotte 7. Miami 8. Chicago. Our first round match-up would be the Atlanta Hawks. Now, the way they beat us the last time we played, I'm afraid of them. However, I still really don't feel like Atlanta is a team ready to take the next step. So let's just say we slip pass them in the first round of the playoffs (all hypothetical remember) in a 7 game thriller. As my imagination continues, we meet the Cavs in the second round. Let's just say that team implodes again in the playoffs and has a meltdown and most of the series turns out just like the 2 games we've won over them this year and Lebron walks off the court refusing to shake hands with anybody like he did in Orlando last year (months later, he heads to the Knicks).

And let's just assume again that we run into the Orlando Magic or Boston Celtics in the conference finals. Orlando is iffy with Vince Carter and Boston is weak without KG (and now even with him). So, let's just assume that defense and coaching wins in the playoffs and Larry's boys somehow overcome the weaknesses of the other teams in the East (Orlando-new squad without Hedo), (Cleveland-still not sure of themselves with Shaq despite record), (Boston-old and fading fast), (Atlanta-young), and (Toronto-maybe trades Bosh by then) and we meet L.A. in the finals. I'm telling you, if there is any year for us to do it, it's now. We have to do something before the team gets bought and Larry is forced to leave.

So, what do you think? I mean, for me, it's really not that much about how strong the Bobcats are, but by how weak the rest of the East is. Cleveland is the best team in the conference, and they still are looking at Shaq as an experiment (he's been rumored to be on the block), so I don't feel like they are really a championship team. Orlando basically traded away their whole team for Vince Carter and really haven't been doing as well as hoped. Rashard Lewis has even come out and publicly said they're games don't go good together. And, even though Atlanta has tasted playoff success and may have a better roster, they're pretty much in the same boat as we are as being an outside contender rather than on the radars of the public.

Charlotte Bobcats