2011 Free Agency and the Charlotte Bobcats

but I still want decent talent in return. In those trades I feel like we would be trading a very good player (jax) and an okay player (Diaw) for sh** sandwiches. I don’t see it as particularly fruitful when I see melo either staying with Denver or going to the Knicks (depending on the Nugs upcoming season and the Knicks surrounding talent). I wouldn’t particularly want Duncan either because he’s getting old and while he is still great, we probably wouldn’t get many good seasons with enough minutes to justify our salary dumps. Z-Bo has a lot of problems that I wouldn’t care to take on, TJ Ford wouldn’t be too expensive, etc etc. I just don’t think we need to get rid of good players for crappy ones just for a chance at some good free agents.

1. Diaw is nobody’s key ingredient to a championship run.
2. We brought Jackson in for very specific reasons and one of the direct cause and effect results was that it gave Gerald Wallace the freedom and space he needed to excel. Trade Jackson and Wallace goes right back to the frustrations that were hampering him 2 seasons ago. IMO Jackson is every bit as essential to the Bobcats as Predator.
3. I love Timmy Duncan. I knew both him and his dad when he was playing college ball. I’m loath to admit it because it reflects my own advancing years, but the truth is that Duncan has very few good seasons left in him. His clock is ticking. Bringing him into Charlotte will increase hometown love for the squad, but it won’t improve the team record.
4. At this point Collins is a training camp hopeful. He may be of great value to us but he’s every bit as big a question mark as Henderson.
5. Henderson has shown me nothing. Granted, he hasn’t been given a fair chance to either shine with what he has or develop into what he has the potential to be. But he’s just as big a roster question mark as Collins. We cannot assume that he’s going to be a part of our future in either the short or long term. Personally, I’ve all but given up on him. Some will blame Coach Brown for not giving him a chance and they might well be right. I maintain that Brown saw something lacking in Henderson’s performance during practices and sat him accordingly. Derrick Brown didn’t get a million minutes last season, but LB used him enough that we were all able to see that he has skills AND potential. DB played, GH jr sat. I think there’s a reason and can’t pin any hopes on Henderson. I’m trying to keep an open mind until summer ball is over and training camp has begun because a lot can happen between seasons, but I expect that if LB doesn’t doesn’t see positive change, Henderson will be gone before the midpoint of the season.

I feel Diaw is expendable because he’s inconsistent, has hands like bricks, ignores open shots, and shows no passion for the game. He’s a mid-level talent and the team won’t improve with him taking up space on the court 7 out of every 10 games. The 30% of the time he actually shows up to play are fun, but too rare to make him worth keeping. The problems facing this team we love will only be rectified with patience and time. It will take 3 seasons for the mistakes of the past to disappear completely. I personally don’t think we need to trade away the positive moves the Bobcats have made nor do I think doing so will hasten the process of making us into contenders. After this season (CBA lunacy notwithstanding) the team can make steady progress because we’ll begin shedding some seriously bloated contracts. The goal right now is to get through the current season without a significant loss of standing.

The one thing that I don’t really see anyone considering at this point is that the team came together rather nicely toward the end of last season. I’m not saying we’re contenders, far from it. But what AM saying is that it was February before the team began to benefit from the chemistry of playing together as a unit and the late addition of Tyrus Thomas bumped us further along the road. We have a problem at the one that needs immediate attention. We also have a related problem with poor outside shooting from the majority of our guards. We need to fix that. It’s not an easy task given our financial limitations at present but it can be done. I personally believe treading water is our best option right now unless something falls in our laps. There are going to be more than a few disappointed free agents after the feeding frenzy ends and the odds are good we can pick someone up then. I like the way our present team looks and I love how it could look in another season or two. I think if we can maintain our core of Jax/Wallace/Thomas the supporting cast will be largely incidental. We may not improve much, but we won’t lose ground either. Jordan seems to be thinking along the same lines. Given MJ’s track record that doesn’t mean much and I certainly understand why the mileage of many other fans may vary. This post is nothing more than my take on the situations that exist in Charlotte basketball at present. It’s not right or wrong, it just is.

Regardless, I still love our team and I believe with the existing core (and Ajinca and Brown developing well) we can make it to the playoffs again next season and even give a somewhat better accounting of ourselves than the quick exit we made in ’09/10.

Add Dirk to the Free Agent list…

LeBron James will be playing for the New Jersey Nets next year