Counting Down the Top 24 Bobcats of All-Time -- #20-16

One thing you must understand is that for this early part of the top 24 and considering how young the franchise still is, it's not how good these players were, it's how not bad they were.

 

EDIT:  I don't know what we were thinking at 4 a.m. when we did this list, but we had Bogans a bit too high. So I'm amending the list and putting Bogans at 22, moving the others up one. I apologize for the oversight.

22. Keith Bogans

Bogans is now most-remembered for being the weakest link in last year's strong Bulls starting five. But for the Bobcats, he was, well, fine. On the team for the inaugural 04-05 season and for nearly half of the following year, he was a mostly a defensive presence, though those early Bobcats squads were hardly defensive forces. His shooting, as has just about always been the case, was neither the most efficient nor consistent, but his defense was passable.

19. Shaun Livingston

As is the case for most one-year Bobcats players, Shaun was tough to rank. He had to shake off a fair share of rust coming into the season as knee concerns kept him out of exhibition games. But he came on strong towards the end of the season before getting injured. Often the first option off the bench, Livingston looked to score more than play the pure point guard role as the second unit had trouble putting points on the board. His poor range on his jumper was easily countered with exceptional skill in the paint and on the block. His size (6-foot-7-inches tall) also allowed him to switch on defense with anywhere from the 1 to the 3. Unfortunately, a tailbone injury sidelined him for about the last 10 games of the season.

18. Sean May

What a conflict of talent, unfortunate knee problems and lack of drive Sean May was. Stricken with knee injuries that prevented him from ever playing anywhere close to a full season, May had many flashes of why the Bobcats took him 13th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft. He was versatile, though a tad undersized for a power forward. May could score in the post and had pretty good range on his jump shot. But he never was athletic enough to defend the elite forwards. Later in his career with the Bobcats, May could not reach the 260 pound goal that then-head coach Larry Brown set for him and was relinquished to the inactive list. Coupled with his immense injuries and weak will to work himself into playing shape, May's career in Charlotte was frustrating and underwhelming.

17. Walter Herrmann

If you don't remember Walter Herrmann, alas, I'm sorry. He was eccentric. He had huge hands. He came out of nowhere to win an NBA Rookie of the Month award in March and was honored with a selection to the NBA All-Rookie second team. As a 27-year-old. Struggling to find consistent playing time with a coach that didn't know how to utilize him, Herrmann caught fire towards the middle of March, reeling off 18 games scoring in double figures in his last 20 games of his rookie season. That season, he had a true shooting percentage of 62.5%, which is outstanding. He dropped bombs from outside like he was playing NBA Jam: 46.1%. The sample size is small, but his time in Charlotte was above average. His defense, though, was below average. Regardless, we thought he qualified enough for this ranking. Fabio forever.

16. Melvin Ely

An inch or two short for a center, Ely had good touch around the basket and the bulk to get a good look on occasion. As Draft Express notes, his left hand might as well have been invisible. He wasn't a great athlete, but was simply an OK defender that tended to foul and have trouble boxing out due to mental errors. However, Ely had a fair first season and a good second season with the Bobcats, averaging about 10 and 5 on 50.8% FG, which is good enough to make this spot.