Rufus on Fire: FanPosts

SB Nation Survey + Chance to donate $500 to a charity of this community's choice

2010-03-20T00:48:02Z

>> Take SB Nation Survey

Hello sports fans! We're always striving to provide you with the best experience possible and it's been quite some time since we checked in with you.

So we're rolling out this survey to learn more about you and your sports world. It should only take about 10 minutes to complete.

We really appreciate your time and this is also going to help make a donation to a good cause.

By next Thursday (3/25) at 11:59pm PST the site that has the highest percentage of their community filling out the attached survey about their sports interests and consumption will win $500 to donate to a charity of their choice. We will leave it up to the discretion of the community manager(s) of the winning blog to decide how to choose the particular charity.

You can take the survey HERE

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WYR2WQT

Thanks for your support!

Michael Jordan Press Conference

2010-03-18T23:25:46Z

OK...SO I'm sitting here watching this press conference...listening to the Qs...Listening to the As....

You know...In a way, you really got to stop and think...MJ just bought a team with a 150Mil debt...

They are breaking history this year with every win from here on out. MJ has just bought a team going to the playoffs(that's right...we're going and I'm going to set some tax refund aside to go to a playoff game...hell or high water)

At any rate...What he has done...he has bought something that he has a bunch to live up to. He has a team that everyone is going to expect to only go up from here. We have improved vastly from last year. This year has been a rocky one, but for the most part, I think we have a solid team that will only be better next year. With everyone healthy and the rookies that will be better next year, I would say that next year we will be a top 4 seed in the playoffs.

Certain personnel will have to be here next year, and I think you'll see that happen. I honestly believe that we will be into the second round AT LEAST. perhaps further...

Everyone has a high expectation of MJ and what happens with this team. Listening to him talk makes me want to go to every game. I believe in what he is saying. I can feel the excitement that I felt back when the Hornets were our marquee team. I can feel it. I hope all of our old Hornets fans can get over themselves and embrace this team...our team...our Bobcats.

I got faith. I got more than most may have. I know I'll write and complain...but...I'm telling you now...if I got a call today to come work for the Bobcats...I'm there. I believe in this team, I believe in the franchise, and I'd put my faith and my family into working for them if a job came about. Do I nee a job? No. I've been at my current one for almost 15 years and it isn't a bad one at all. I just want everyone to understand and share the passion I have for this team, and the faith that we all need to give to Michael Jordan and this team.

Come on everyone! Let's go Bobcats! Put this team on your shoulders and show them that we love them

WE LOVE THEM!!!

I LOVE THEM....

Come on Charlotte MAKE SOME NOISE!!!!

Let's Hear theat GROWL!!!!

5 Teams With Very Bleak Futures In the NBA

2010-03-15T21:15:06Z

ESPN's number one Bobcat hater John Hollinger along with a colleague posted an article on their website a few weeks ago about which teams had the best futures in the NBA. Though Hollinger recognized that Charlotte was a good team in the playoffs this year, he still listed them as the team with the worst future in the NBA. His way of ranking the teams came from an overall perspective of the franchise. Everything from marketing, to the team, to salary cap flexibility, to the draft and front office came into play in his formula.

Well, I've chosen to give the readers a list of what the worst teams will be based on the product on the court right now and their room to make moves for next year to improve their team. In no particular order, here are the top 5 teams that I predict will be league bottom feeders for another year or two at the least.

Philadelphia 76'ers

via www.reclinergm.com

The 76'ers are a team mixed of young talent and old ~~talent~~ that find themselves on the outskirts of the playoffs this year. At the time of this article, they were 23-43. Andre Igoudala is a phenomenal second tier talent that hasn't been able to restore the glory the had back in the day with AlIen Iverson. Speaking of A.I., who's glad now that we didn't sign him this year? I was actually pushing for the Bobcats to sign him, but once again, Larry's good judgment prevailed in the end. His return to the city really did nothing for the team, or the fans. Meanwhile, there won't be much room for help coming this year via free agency. Their only real hope is to do well in the draft, as they already have over 65 million committed in salary cap for next year. Samuel Dalembert will be in the last year of his deal and could be a trade piece, but Elton Brand and his albatross of a contract will hold the Sixers down for a few more seasons. They have some good, young role players to surround Iggy with in Louis Williams, Thaddeus Young, and Jrue Holiday, however, they need to cut the fat and get a true number 1 player on the team.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers have never really been able to rebound from the whole Palace brawl incident. They had a VERY dangerous core on the team with Stephen Jackson, Ron Artest, and a young, dominant Jermaine Oneal, but the good ol' folks at Indiana, mainly Larry Bird, refused to put up with the madness and quickly disbanded the team. Now, they're made up of overpriced vets who have failed to capitalize on having the amazing talent known as Danny Granger as a teammate. They already have over 64 million committed next year, with Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy, Jamal Tinsley, and T.J. Ford being the primary responsible parties. They are off the hook for all of those contracts after next year, so I'm highly doubting Larry is going to move any of them in exchange for a long term star player. He's probably better off taking his chances the year after. They can always look to the draft for next year. Currently, the Pacers sit at 21-45.

Detroit Pistons

via cdn1.sbnation.com

Joe Dumars was once held as probably the best general manager in the game. Now....................?????? His moves ever since the infamous drafting of Darko Milicic have been mediocre at best. I get that he traded Chauncey Billups to Denver not to acquire Iverson, but his contract. But you use all of that space that you just gained to sign Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to long term contracts? Why? You've already been desperately trying to get rid of one overpaid SG (Richard Hamilton), and now all you do is sign another who isn't even good enough to start for you? Shame shame shame Joe. They only have 51 million committed for next season, however, no free agent out there is going to sign for that. Well, not at least one that's going to be able to help these guys. They are also 23-43, and far removed from the playoff picture.

New Orleans Hornets

via 305fins.files.wordpress.com

The worst thing for the Hornets is they aren't in the Eastern Conference. (Why isn't Memphis an Eastern Conference team?) If they were, they're record would be good enough to have them in playoff contention. Unfortunately, they are in the West where the semi-respectful record of 32-35 that they possess already has them far removed from the race. I've never rooted against them. Even though I was bitter as hell when they left, I still cheered for Baron Davis, Jamal Mashburn, and David Wesley whenever I seen them on t.v. Over the years, it's like any association I had with the Hornets had never existed. They're a completely different team, and it feels good to let go. They have a hall of fame caliber talent in Chris Paul, and a perennial all-star in David West, but the biggest thing hindering their organization came gift wrapped with a big orange bow right out of Charlotte. It's name. Emeka Okafor. Don't get me wrong, I like Okafor. He's a class act and a solid player. However, signing him to that huge contract was a panic move by the Bobcats that I'm glad we are out of. The team has a whopping total of 73 million already committed towards next season, and probably will pass on signing any free agents at all. They've been trying for months to get away from the luxury tax. Competition isn't a priority in New Orleans. Although, I do think they've got another very valuable piece on the team named Darren Collison.

Toronto Raptors

via lookliker.com

Sometimes it's best to let go of good things while they're good. Like a girl you've been in love with and dating for years. And you thought about breaking up with her, but the relationship is going good, so why mess up a bad thing? Turns out, that one night at a party, she got drunk and slept with 4 guys. Lol. Didn't mean to go too far off track, but that's what is going to happen to Toronto this year. The team got on a little winning streak, had themselves positioned as a sure favorite to lock up the 5 seed in the East, and went through the deadline without trading the predator reincarnated, Chris Bosh. By not moving him, the Raptors essentially took an already high risk by not getting a good return for him. With the team going through a slump, those risks get even higher. The best option floating out there is a sign and trade for David Lee of the Knicks. But the Raptors are in trouble as a team beyond that. They have Hedo Turkoglu, Jarrett Jack, Jose Calderon, and Andrea Bargnani locked down for a good while, but that just has mediocrity written all over it.

Poll

Which one of these teams will make the first recovery?

A little love for the haters

2010-03-15T12:45:47Z

Hello there. Remember me? Y'all met me way back when at the very start of the season. I started making some predictions about the chances for the Charlotte Bobcats this season. I was innocent, nay even naive some would say. Ignorant, stupid, a dreamer, and an idiot were far more common terms used to welcome me to ROF. I was frequently laughed at and berated with untrue statistics and bad math as I was shouted down. It was tough to be a newbie back in those days. I had to drive uphill in the snow 15 miles both ways in my wife's Jeep Cherokee to even get to the blogsite. The heater took a solid 5 miles to warm the interior of the car to a climate-controlled 70 degrees and I was only getting 19 miles to the gallon. I had to listen to hand-made mix tapes in the car because there was no built-in CD player. But I was lucky! There were others that only had the unibody model without the body on frame chasis that came standard with our Grand Cherokee model. Sure I was forced to wear Air Balance sneaks, but there were less fortunate souls still sporting old Rebok Pumps! I (sniff, sniff) still played NBA 2008 and unlike you kids today, I still had to actually PLUG my joypad into my game system.

But what a difference a season makes.

You remember, don't you? You were the ones making statements like:

"there's no WAY the Bobcats will make the playoffs until at least 2012-2013."

"those idots in the front office have destroyed the future of the team for another 3 seasons at least."

"You're crazy. In order to make it to .500 the Bobcats will have to play 10 games over .500 for the rest of the season and that's just impossible."

"there is no way this team is making the playoffs. They'll be lucky to get 30 wins and there is no way in hell they will win 35, let alone the 40 they'll need for the 8 seed."

"it will be a miracle if they even win 25."

"The team sucks and the rest of the East would have to collapse in order for the Bobcats to avoid the lottery."

"There's no way the team will fill more than the 6-8 thousand seats in that building."

"As long as the team has Jordan running the show, they will suck."

"Nobody will support this team because without Okafor they don't have a prayer."

"even if they DO get to the playoffs, they lose their draft pick only to get their butts kicked in the first round and the team will be even worse because of it."

"the Bobcats should just all go eat worms and DIE!" (okay, I made that one up.)

Well, the season isn't quite over yet and although most of the above statements (or something almost exactly like them) came from one individual, there were many others making similar comments. There were Felton haters, Chandler haters, Jordan haters, and many a person still worshipping at the Tomb of the Unknown Hornet. There were threads giving game-by-game breakdowns of Okafor and Chandler that were regularly updated to show just how hapless the Bobcats decision-makers were.

Oh, I met some optimists. We would gather together at unknown locations to lick our wounds and promise that some day we'd show them all. We'd come back battered, bruised, and broken and some day we'd by-God make the playoffs and show them all! On that great and glorious day we'd make them all pay!

Hey guys? Some day is now.

The Charlotte Bobcats are 3 games over .500 for the first time ever and riding a 6 game win streak.

Not only is the team sitting in the 6 slot as I type this, but the members of ROF are now debating WHICH of the top contenders the Cats have the best chance of knocking off on our way to the 2nd round of the playoffs.

The debate is no longer about who we'll have to get to replace Felton or if we can get someone decent for Augustin. It's about how deep we'll have to dig in the wallet to have the honor of KEEPING RayRay in Charlotte.

The Charlotte Bobcats only need 1 win to make the 35 win plateau. Oh yeah - there are 17 games left for them to "luck up" and win that 1 game y'all said we'd never see this year.

They also need only win 7 out of those 17 games to have the .500 season that was declared a pipe dream and an impossibility.

We've also helped our situation by winning the tie-breakers against some of the teams vying for the same playoff positions we are.

The haters are now reduced to saying that we had to mortgage our future draft picks to achieve these heights and we better enjoy our short ride because we'll be in the cellar for the forseeable future after this. What's that you say? Some day you'll be back and the Bobcats will suck again and THEN we'll all be sorry and you'll make us all pay? Could be, could be.

But right now the Bobcats definitely do NOT suck and you guys are rarely, if ever, posting here. Oh, we know you're out there lurking and hoping against all hope that the team folds up and collapses so you can commence to gloating and crowing about the shortcomings again. It's okay. Come back and enjoy what's happening here in Charlotte. There's an entire post-season to talk trash about so don't give up now. You can still smear ashes in Cinderella's face. It's just likely you'll have to wait until she comes back from the dance to do it.

For the real fans of the Charlotte Bobcats, THESE are the good old days!

Bobcats Sign Larry Hughes

2010-03-13T17:59:30Z

Well, what kind of feedback is there for this? I guess we can use him? I find it odd in some ways, and in other ways I guess it is best to fill the roster spot. We'll need all the veteran help we can get. It also is fairly obvious to me that we not only aren't 100% with Hendo...we aren't 100% with Graham either.

I know that Hughes is more PG than anything, but has to be a welcome addition. DJ is coming into his own, but it is also nice to have another ball handler at 6'5" with us. We'll just have to see where LB fits him in.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-bobcats-hughes&prov=ap&type=lgns

DA -- An awful, awful, decision on so many levels. Hughes is a barely passable "point" guard and probably no better than Henderson, in sum, at the two. This doesn't improve the team much today, and it doesn't do anything for the young players' development. If they wanted to get a third string ball handler on the roster with some upside and who could guard twos, Dontell Jefferson is available, was last season's Ridiculous Upside Defensive Player of the Year, and should be familiar with LB, having been on the team last year. This calls for the obligatory link:

http://heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com/

Stephen Jackson Future with team?

2010-03-13T07:14:13Z

I'll admit I don' t follow Bobcats extremly well(due to geographical reasons partly) but what do you guys think about Stephen Jackson and his role on this team for the future?

I know in the past he had some issues with bouncing around from teams, the infamous running into stands and whatnot, and his shooting percentage is rather attrocious historically, he's probably too much of a gunner from what I can see and too streaky, a la J.R. Smith type, but more well arounded(steals, assists etc).

Who do you think Charlotte needs or wants in any trade type deals? Seems like a winger scorer replacement that can shoot the 3 better and maybe let Gforce get more shots(he needs more, guy can score 25/game).

Anyone in the draft could come in and make immediate impact? You guys keep winning like this you probably will be too high to find someone.

Ever wonder why ROF is the best NBA blog on SB Nation?

2010-03-11T16:08:04Z

Well, wonder no more! I'll warn you right up front that this is gonna be one of my famous long posts. But I think it'll be worth reading.

I've been spending some time away lately due to medical reasons, but I've been reading - not just here at ROF, but I've also haunted some of the other blogs, usually before and after the Cats play the team associated with a particular blogsite.

Sure ROF has some issues. What open blog doesn't? There are issues unique to the Queen City, like the endless (and often nauseating) Duke/UNC rivalry that has people hating on certain players just because of their alma mater. We're also a city in transition. Charlotte is growing rapidly and much of it is because of a steady influx of yankee transplants. On any given night the cheers for the opposing team can equal the cheers for the hometown squad and that's an unsettling experience if you attend a game. Our own bossman moderator type has commented quite a bit of late regarding Charlotte's emergence as a melting pot city and the impact this has had on fan loyalty. We've also our share of posters that never have anything positive to offer. There is nothing the Bobcats (or their front office) can do that will earn praise from these folks. The odd thing is, these individuals consider themselves fans and take great offense when anyone accuses them of being haters. If you'll notice, I'm not naming names here. That's partly because of Cherokee custom, but mostly because I don't want this to be yet another attack party. The trolls live for that sort of thing and I'm not buying into their games, or their baiting.

All that being said, the good at ROF is so very good that it makes the stuff I mentioned above easy to forget.

As I stated, I've been to most of the other SB Nation hoop sites multiple times this season. I never really appreciated Steve, Del and Stephanie and the way they cover the game broadcasts until I started listening to some of the broadcasters for other teams around the league. Likewise, visiting other blogs has shown me just how special what we've all built here at ROF is.

Just as a quick example, my post-game visit to Liberty Ballers, SB Nation's blog for the Sixers was a revelation. Everything over there is focused on losing. While we're all looking at playoff standings and analysing David's latest breakdown of the schedule and the wins we'll need to best position ourselves, the charts and statistics over at Liberty Ballers are all about the chase for the best lottery position. People were actually grateful for the drubbing their team took last night because it helped the team prepare for the draft. They are laying odds on how soon Jordan will be fired and how the shakeup will affect the way the team picks in the lottery. The inmates are in charge of the asylum and any positive comments are quickly drowned.

While there is some hating between bloggers here at ROF, at a lot of the other SBN sites, it's open warfare. On three of the sites I've visited in recent weeks, the gameday threads were consumed with discussions of American Idol and Lost. You would hardly know it was a basketball site.

So here are some reasons why you are involved with one of the best hoop blogsites in the country:

1. David Arnott. No, I'm not kissing butt here. There are plenty of things David says and does here that leave me scratching my head. When you agree to moderate a site like this, getting second-guessed and criticised comes with the territory. But at some of the other sites, the head man (or men) are just going through the motions. Days go by without the moderator even bothering to check in, let alone participate. At ROF, David comes up with discussion topics on the off days - not just the required pre-game articles and post-game recaps. He cooks up contests and scenarios to keep things interesting. Just last night he had us all scrambling for a photo containing a monkey AND a shark in the same shot. Why? Who the hell knows. But it was fun. In short, David (and his cast of "official" family and friends) put more TLC into this joint than almost any other site I've visited.

2. The "MST3K" ingame threads. I'll take a bit of the credit for this because I'm very involved with them. If you haven't taken the time to read them, or log in during the games, you should make it a point to do so. There are people posting pics and photoshop mashups throughout the game that are hysterical. There are people like myself adding captions and comments to the pics to make them even funnier. There are movie references, and hundreds of comments both praising and dissing team performance. There's even an ongoing effort to make Greg Oden's anatomy more famous than Pamela Anderson's cleavage. It's ALL basketball related. Where the other SBN sites are lucky to even have participants in their ingame threads, the number of posts at ROF often exceeds 100 per quarter. Because of health reasons I had to miss a game thread recently and watching the game without the MST3K thread was just plain boring. Next game, log in. Feel free to join in or just lurk. You won't be bored. As far as I can tell this odd group of misfits and madmen are unique to the blogosphere and visiting this site without checking out the game threads is like living in Paris and never looking at the EIffel Tower.

3. The haters. Every site has 'em, but at ROF even the guys that show up trying to pick a fight are educated about the game and the team. They use real debating techniques and aren't afraid to use statistics to bolster their opinions. Sure, half of them are MADE UP stats or have no relevance to the topic under discussion, but so what? The best teachers are the ones that make you think. No matter how big a pain in the butt the ROF troll squad can be, they WILL make you think. If you post something at ROF you had best be ready to back it up or you're gonna get eaten alive. This is a good thing. it forces everyone here to actually be students of the game and elevates the discussion above the stuff you see elsewhere. I've learned more about basketball, trades, collective bargaining, strategy, and a dozen other topics in one season at ROF than I did as a "mere" fan in the previous 40 years. In return, I hope my knowledge of the business side of things has helped a few others increase their NBA smarts as well.

4. Any blogsite lives or dies by its regular participants and the ROF regulars are a great bunch of guys. They want the site to be fun and devote a lot of time to keep it that way. Some work as hard as David at coming up with topics and ideas to keep the discussion alive. They scour the web and try to be the first to "scoop" the site with a fresh piece of team-related info. Because of this I've often learned about a trade or some front office activity here days before it shows up at the "pro" sites like NBA.com and Ball Don't Lie.

The proof is in the pudding and there are fans of other teams that have dropped by to comment when their own team plays the Cats. But unlike the other SBN blogsites, the people that come by ROF to gloat usually wind up staying. Yeah, I know this has become another monster long post of mine, but I felt we needed to take a few minutes and appreciate what David started and the rest of us have built here in our little corner of SB Nation. I've made some good friends here and will be attending a game with one later this month. I don't know how much I'm going to be around in the coming days. On Friday I have back surgery. It's not a major deal - in fact it's just a "trial" surgery - but it's likely to mess me up quite a bit for a while. I'm having wires inserted into my spinal cord that will be attached to an small generator strapped to my torso. The generator will send shocks into my central nervous system. It's a bit like a heart pacemaker, but this will send the jolts on up into my brain. If it works, it will "short circuit" the pain impulses from my back and legs and reduce the amount of pain medication I take every day. If it doesn't, I'm told I can look forward to some real agony. I'll have this for a week. If it doesn't work, it's back to the drugs. If it does, I'll have permanent surgery where all the wiring and the generator will be installed inside my body where it will be attached to the back of my hip for the rest of my life. Since I don't know what's going to happen, I wanted to take a minute and thank everyone for the best season of basketball I've ever enjoyed. Thanks for being here, thanks for reading this hella-long post, and most of all, be thankful we have a joint like this to have some fun with and forget the hassles of the day. We have a good thing going here and I hope I'll be back and doing my part sooner rather than later.

Blazer fan here, just curious about...

2010-03-10T19:52:02Z

Howdy folks, as the headline says I'm a Blazer and have been since I was a kid. I think '87 was the first time I watched the Blazers and I remember asking my mother, "why won't anyone stop that guy?" she responded, "That's Clyde Drexler, they can't"

Well, that started me off watching the Blazers, but truth be told, I was born in Greenville, NC and half my family is still out there. As I grew up watching basketball, I watched the Blazers, because their the only team we have in the state, but I also watched NC college ball. Obviously North Carolina is and has always been a big basketball state, particularly in college play.

When the Hornets came around there seemed to be a fair amount of excitement, then it faded (just an observation among my family) Then when the Bobcats started it seemed very quiet indeed. My main question is do you think people are really starting to embrace your team and the fact that the state has a team?

I rarely get to go to games here in Portland, but the last few years I have been able to catch the Bobcats, the reasons being: I genuinely like the Bobcats and also they are some of the few games I can afford to catch. Your team has some real exciting potential and I hope you guys continue to rise.

The Official Bobcats Run to the Playoffs Thread

2010-03-04T17:05:15Z

This thread will be periodically updated with the results of the wins and losses from other teams that's effecting the Bobcat's playoff hopes. It's a 5 team race, but only 4 will make it.

via s3.ibeatyou.com

Thursday, March 4th

The Bobcats take another loss, this time at the hands of the Boston Celtics. I mean, losing to a team like Boston has never really been bad news considering how good they've been, but I can't help but feel a sense of anxiety after watching that game. I honestly felt like Boston is one of those teams I'd want us to meet in the first round, however, they've dominated us this year. I don't want any part of them. The loss drops us to 28-31, and leaves us all alone in 9th place. Tonight, we've got two favorable games coming up with the Chicago Bulls hosting the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Miami Heat playing Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. The craziest thing is despite how bad we've been over the past 10 or so games, and all the wins it seems like everyone else is getting, Miami actually still has the same number of losses as us, and Chicago only are two games up in that column. Add that with the fact that Joakim Noah is going to be out for 10 or more games, and things could turn around quickly as long as we win a few here and there.

Friday, March 5th

The Heat won, and the Bulls lost last night, so we're in still pretty good shape. At the moment, Toronto is still in 5th place with only 28 losses, while the Bucks have 29, the Bulls have 30, and us and Miami have 31 (that tie breaker game is going to be huge). Tonight, the Bucks will visit the Wizards (where I predict they'll win again) and the Knicks will play the Raptors (I think the Knicks will pull it off). Also on deck tonight, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers are in Charlotte. The thing going for us right now is that all of the other teams have played more games than us, so, we're in the position, at least at the moment, to control our own destiny. A win tonight will be big for the morale of both the team and the fan base. Gerald Wallace spoke to the Observer about how worried he is to miss the playoffs the other day. Let's hope the rest of the team is just as worried, and plays with some fire.

Saturday, March 6th

The Bobcats, last night, continued their unlikely dominance over probably the best team in the league, the LA Lakers. And boy oh boy, was I happy watching that game. D.J. Augustin seems like he's starting to break out of the funk he's been in almost the whole year, we got a special cameo from ROF favorite Gerald Henderson, and Tyrus Thomas continues to make a huge impact on the defensive side of the ball, and on a few plays, saves us on offense with his unlikely jumpshooting and athletic dunks. I spoke yesterday about a win being a huge boost for team and fan morale, and it was. I know I'm happy. Other than that though, we didn't receive any help from the Knicks as they lost by 6 to the Raptors, or the Wizards, who were crushed at the hands of the Bucks. Right now, it looks as though our biggest competition is Miami and Chicago, who have 31 and 30 losses respectively. We've got a great chance tonight to jump into a higher seed because Chicago is playing Dallas, Atlanta is playing MIami, and Cleveland is playing Milwaukee. The Bobcats can't afford a let down against the Warriors tonight.

via www.jordandepot.com

Sunday, March 7th

Well, we did what we had to do against the Warriors. And I can pretty much include all of the same praises that I included yesterday. D.J. once again played VERY well scoring 19 off the bench, Henderson looks to have himself inserted in the rotation from here on out, and our big men have continued to play stellar defense. Hell, even Boris himself was only 1 assist shy of finishing with the first triple double in franchise history. Kudos to the Cats for a great game. Meanwhile, we didn't get too much help from Atlanta or Cleveland as they got beat by Miami and Milwaukee. However, Chicago did do us a favor in losing to the Mavericks, which now gives them 31 losses on the year, the same as us. And now, for some really great news for Bobcats fans, the Bulls could easily lose 6 more straight to up there losing streak to 10. They've got Utah, Orlando, Miami, Memphis, Dallas, and Cleveland all coming up before a bunny against the 76'ers. Personally, I feel like Chicago is the one team that tried to cheat itself this year, and doesn't deserve a playoff spot. Meanwhile, I have to give props to the Milwaukee Bucks for their inspired play as of late. They look like a number 5 seed team right now. We're idle today, but, more good news, the Raptors lost again today, giving them 29 losses on the year. A few days ago I thought we were about done in the playoff race, but with everyone else losing, we have a good chance to be a top 6 team in a few days.

Tuesday, March 9th

Monday was pretty meaningless to the Bobcats playoff hopes, so I didn't bother to post anything. Looking ahead tonight, the Bobcats, with a win, can probably take a huge step forward? Why? Because they would own the tie breaker with Miami and overtake them for a playoff spot, the Bulls play the Jazz in a game they will probably lose, the Celtics can maybe bring the Bucks back down to earth, and I don't see the Lakers losing 4 straight, they got the Raptors tonight. A loss by the Bucks and would be huge for the Bobcats, as it would drop all teams in the race to 30 or more losses on the year and really even the playing field going into the stretch run.

Saturday, March 13th

It's been a few days since I've updated the post. I viewed it as kind of pointless to update it on a daily basis. However, haven't things been GREAT!!! for us? In the time it's taken for me to update the post from the last time, we've won 3 straight games, starting with that huge tiebreaker I spoke about over Miami, continuing with an impressive effort over Philadelphia, and ending with a big win over the Clippers. Meanwhile, Toronto and Chicago have continued to lose on a nightly basis to give us back the 6th spot. Again, the only negative that's come out of this week has been all the winning Milwaukee has been doing. But, I've been keeping up with the team since the playoff race started, and they're looking like a legitimate 5 seed. However, I'm at peace with knowing they've probably already made it. As a matter of fact, we're getting closer and closer to the point where we can pencil everyone in outside of the Chicago Bulls, who have extended their losing streak to 7. As long as that continues, we can rest easy with the position we're in. Remember, getting to the dance is the first test. We still haven't accomplished it yet.

Poll

Will the Charlotte Bobcats make the playoffs?

Yes

58 votes

No

5 votes

63 votes | Poll has closed

Should the Bobcats change their name?

2010-03-01T03:28:21Z

Although I don't agree that the Bobcats should change their name, apparently a good number of Charlotteans do. In this Charlotteobserver.com poll, 76 percent of site visitors think the Bobcats should change their name. So what do you think? Please write your suggestions for names in the comments.

Now as I said before, I wouldn't agree with a name change from the Bobcats. According to Rick Bonnell, it would cost between $3 million and $10 million to change the name. Just think about all of the jerseys and other retail that would instantly lose value. However, if a name was needed, I'd suggest the Charlotte Flying Biscuits. It includes "flying" which would satisfy those who get a jolly over the name "Flight" and it ties to Charlotte's love of comfort food. The logo would be the following:

via farm5.static.flickr.com

Now tell me you wouldn't buy a shirt with that on it!

Poll

Should the Michael Jordan change the name of the Bobcats?

Yes

53 votes

No

39 votes

92 votes | Poll has closed

Ladies and Gentleman, Your New Owner of the Charlotte Bobcats

2010-02-27T15:37:22Z

Michael Jordan strikes deal to become owner of his home-state Bobcats.

via www.vivagoal.com

According to ESPN.com, the sale of the Charlotte Bobcats has been finalized, and the winner of the Bobcats sweepstakes is none other than Michael Jordan. How do you feel about the move? Will it have a positive or negative impact on the team? Does this make the franchise more profitable and will it have an impact on a free agent's decision to come to the Queen City? Over the day, I will update the thread with what I view as the pros and cons of the move.

Comments?

Sorry to get back to you guys so late, but, was a little busy. But, here are my primary concerns, and joys, of this transaction.

THE GOOD

-We have the greatest player in the history of the league as the owner of our franchise. I mean, just think about it, Michael Jordan! I mean, sure, he was already here and everything, but maybe, with the shift to him being the head man in charge, he'll not only attract more sponsorship and that sort of thing to the franchise, but he'll be a whole lot more involved. I read something the other day talking about Jordan can have 19,000 fans in the building on a nightly basis. And he can. His mere presence is enough to draw fans and celebrities to the games. You really think Charlie Sheen wouldn't come to Charlotte to just sit with MJ? I think he'll begin inviting more people to the games as well, which is definitely a draw for fans. Basically, in a nutshell, he is going to have to take this as serious as possible because his money is where his mouth is on this one. I'm sure Jordan realizes that, and won't spend as much time on the golf course.

-Larry Brown is almost a lock to return next year. He came to Charlotte for Michael, and he'll probably stay around for Michael. I was fearing the prospect of losing everything we've built because a new owner came in and decided to just clean house. Just like in the NFL, continuity does wonders. We don't see that very often in the NBA, other than with Jerry Sloan in Utah and Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, but having a stable coaching staff in place does wonders. Teams in flux year after year seem to be the ones always making the coaching changes. I couldn't imagine a coach I wouldn't want out there to coach the Bobcats next year to replace Larry (other than maybe Coach K) so a return by him is a great thing all around.

- Charlotte may finally become somewhat of a destination for free agents after this. I mean, realistically, I can't imagine too much of a shift from what we've been accustomed to seeing. However, I can see a few players saying, hey, forget going to Boston or L.A. to chase a championship, or Miami or New York for the beach and fame, I'm going to go play for Mike. Again, I said, not too many players will do that. But maybe when a player like Antonio McDyess is choosing between teams to go to, he may choose Charlotte instead of San Antonio.

THE BAD

-I'm worried that Mike might be tight with the money. I have really no clue who George Postolos is other than the basic facts that were given, but I've been operating under the impression that this dude may have a real team put together to try to do some good things for this team. I mean, why else would they buy it? It's lost millions and millions and the economy isn't in the greatest condition, so, it just makes it hard for me to believe that another Bob Johnson, or a Donald Sterling type individual would be in charge. Meanwhile, Mike was working to get more partners at the last minute because he didn't want to really use his own money. That alone may be a sign of us trying to operate like the Clippers do in the future. That's not a good thing.

- Mike has even more power than he did. I'm glad he's given the control of the roster to Larry and Rod, but he may just try to get players that he loves now. An owner involved in trying to build the roster to their own liking has never worked in sports. Look at Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders. I'm hoping that Jordan can hire a staff that he trusts to get things done and let them do what the do with having minimal influence. As long as Larry is here, I think we won't have to worry about that. But there may be a cause for concern whenever Larry does decide to leave.

Poll

Are you happy Michael Jordan is the new owner of the Bobcats, or would you had rather seen George Postolos take control of the team?

Michael Jordan

52 votes

George Postolos

9 votes

Neither

4 votes

65 votes | Poll has closed

Who you got?

2010-02-21T20:01:26Z

I saw this post on mavsmoneyball and I am going around sbnation to see who sbnation thinks is better.

http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2010/2/20/1319763/who-you-got

"We have all heard this question before LeBron or Kobe. Obviously both are great and I think the general public is split on who is better, similar to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. But we are not the general public, since we know more about the NBA. I want to see which side the hard core fans are on. Which hall of fame player do you want on your team, King James or The Black Mamba?"

Cast your vote.

Mad at the Bobcats for trading away another draft pick? Here's why you shouldn't worry.

2010-02-20T05:21:33Z

The trade that brought Tyrus Thomas to Charlotte cost the Bobcats another first round pick, but how much did the team really lose?

I'd like to first open this thread with a review of the Bobcat's drafting over the years.

via cache3.asset-cache.net

2004-Emeka Okafor, Bernard Robinson

2005-Raymond Felton, Sean May

2006-Adam Morrison, Ryan Hollins

2007-Brandon Wright (Jason Richardson trade) Jared Dudley

2008-D.J. Augustin, Alexis Ajincia, Kyle Weaver

2009-Gerald Henderson, Derek Brown, Robert Vaden (Oklahoma City trade)

As you can see, out of 6 years of drafting, we only have 5 players on our roster who we have drafted. 4, who have come in the past 2 years. We've had some of the most terrible draft luck. We lost out on drafting Dwight Howard in our expansion season, we declined a trade that would've landed us the rights to draft Chris Paul, and we selected "The Stache" over Trailblazer cornerstone Brandon Roy. Things just haven't gone right for one reason or another, but we've been very unfortunate.

The good news is that the Bobcats probably won't be having any more opportunities to screw up for a while, because they've finally found the way to building a contender, through the trade. Wait, you say, teams build through the draft, it's a need to hold onto your draft picks. Well, I have to respectfully disagree. Here's why we shouldn't worry about "sacrificing our future".

1. The Bobcats are a playoff caliber team- which also means, that the draft pick won't carry too much value. For teams who don't qualify for the playoffs, they are placed into a lottery in which the teams with the lowest wins have the highest chance of earning the top pick. Like Powerball. The Bobcats, right now, would finish with the lowest seed in the playoffs, and thus have the 15th pick in the NBA Draft.

via thesituationist.files.wordpress.com

A review of the last #15 picks of the past 10 years show that Austin Daye (Detroit), Robin Lopez (Phoenix), Rodney Stuckey (Detroit), Cedric Simmons (New Orleans), Antoine Wright (New Jersey), Al Jefferson (Boston), Reece Gaines (Orlando), Bostjan Nochbar (New Jersey), Steven Hunter (Orlando), and Jason Collier (Milwaukee) were selected. Of all of the picks on the list, I would say that only Al Jefferson and Rodney Stuckey are big names. So, essentially, the Bobcats would probably only have a 20% realistic chance of landing a player that could really change their franchise. And given the Bobcats' penchant for drafting poor, I'll probably knock that down to 10%. Our biggest loss in the trade for Thomas wasn't our draft pick. It was Flip Murray, who was average 10 ppg on a team that needed offense desperately coming into the season.

via www.vx50.com

2. Winning teams don't build through the draft= The age of free agency has really made it difficult for franchises to keep a lot of the players they draft. There is always going to be another team out there willing to offer equal or more to what the home team is. And with ESPN and other networks paying so much attention to certain franchises (Boston, L.A., Miami), players are now more intrigued with the appeal of playing for a big market team. I mean, look at what drafting Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh has gotten the Cavaliers, Heat, and Raptors? A season where all those teams are doing whatever they can to make sure they don't leave. Meanwhile, teams like L.A. and Boston, who have won championships, have been built through trades. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen were all obtained through trades. There are certain teams that have found success in building almost completely through the draft (Spurs), but what has that gotten every other team that's trying to take the wait and develop approach? Nothing, but years and years of waiting. Some of those teams have had to blow up and rebuild again along the way (Memphis, Philadelphia, Minnesota), while others seem to be doomed to mediocrity for years to come (Detroit, New Orleans), and no championship. You can draft cornerstones and build around them, but more than likely you're going to get those type of players with top 5 picks.

via cdn.picapp.com

3. Same as one, we are a playoff caliber team- I don't really think we have any room to complain when we've improved every year. This appears to be our first year in the playoffs, and now all of the sudden people are concerned about picking up the next Cedric Simmons three years from now? Charlotte's problem has always been they weren't too bad, but they weren't too good. That is a very dangerous cycle you can get caught up in when it comes to drafting, because if you are drafting pick number 12, or 14, you're probably really trying to build a championship with role players, which isn't going to really happen. The trades that we've made have landed the Bobcats a VERY dangerous team. I never imagined that we'd be able to call ourselves that this year. Coming into the season, the playoffs were my goal. After the Stephen Jackson trade, a couple of first round wins was my goal. After this trade for Tyrus Thomas, I truly feel the sky is the limit, because the team plays smart, they are young and athletic, they are long, and they have one of the best coaching minds in the game. I've always felt bad for teams tanking it in and waiting for things to get better the next year (New York Knicks). But I really don't see what's the difference between putting a full team together on 1 year contracts and waiting on picks to turn into something for you in the future. I think you go for the win, and believe in yourself and your franchise. The Bobcats can do that, and I'm happy with it. So while you guys are upset about us trading away our draft picks, I would rather enjoy this ride that we're about to be on for the rest of the year.

Poll

Would you had rather kept the pick?

No, we should acquire all the talent we can

83 votes

Yes, you can't mortgage the future for mediocrity

8 votes

91 votes | Poll has closed

Tyrus Thomas' New Bobcat Nickname

2010-02-20T04:24:42Z

What should we call our new Power Forward?

via www.tremendousupsidepotential.com

Well, let's see, we've got Captain Jack (Stephen Jackson), Crash/G-Force (Gerald Wallace) and now we have Tyrus Thomas, who opened up his Bobcats debut even better than I thought he would 9 points, 12 boards, 6 very impressive blocks. I've been hearing nicknames floating around for him online. I even heard the t.v. announcers say they need to come up with a nickname, so, I thought we should create a thread to offer suggestions, and maybe one will catch on.

My Suggestion:

Titus (catches the "Ty" in Tyrus and the "Us" in Thomas)

Thoughts???

Cats vs Cavs continued

2010-02-20T02:01:24Z

Let's keep it rolling

I have to type 75 words to keep it going so I am typing as fast as I can

We don't want a lagging MSC3K Bobcats edition, so everyone come here

I like this team

I like this trade

I hope we see Hendo

I hope we see Brown

I need 20 more words so I'll keep typing until I reach 20 or so more words. Man this is annoying

Long term planning or instant playoff gratification?

2010-02-19T19:56:45Z

In the pregame thread David made his opinions pretty clear and in the response thread he also made the comment that fans that just want to make the playoffs read blogs too. I find it interesting that sides are drawn up by one opinion over the other. David takes the stance that a lot of sportswriters seem to adopt. He feels the team should take several years of preparation to ready themselves for a real championship season. To do this, we ride out our existing contracts, develop our rookies and, although he doesn't come right out and say it most do - set up our future role in the draft so we can make a real killing when the next deep draft appears on the horizon. My guess as to an example of this would be what the Bulls did several years ago that enabled them to get (if memory serves) 6 picks in the first round and create a young team with beastly potential.

The other side of the coin suggests a strategy of picking up solid veterans by trading our younger players and draft potential away. This basically turns us into perennial playoff regulars lacking the potential to ever bring home an NBA title. The team that always comes to my mind here is the Jazz. - always the bridesmaid, but never quite the bride. After the jump I'm going to comment on a couple of things that I've read lately that might add interesting slants on the discussion. But I've created this fan post so readers and bloggers at ROF can weigh in with individual opinions on what is the best direction for the Bobcats to follow:

Should we be planning for a season 3 or 4 years down the road where we can make an all-at-once push for Championsip glory? Or should we follow what appears to be the current path and forge on in to the playoffs hoping moderate talent, depth, and experience will put us into position where we might get a little lucky and make a deep drive or two into postseason activity?

Matt Taibbi is one of those columnists you either love or hate. He writes frequently about sports in several publications including Men's Journal. He also writes about Washington politics and policies as a sometime junior editor at Rolling Stone. He recently wrote an article about professional sports that not only fascinated me, but gave a lot to think about as a sports fan. In it, he said that there is no escaping the fact that in each pro league there is only 1 team per year that wins the top prize. For fans of every other team it's "wait until next year." His claim is that team owners are very aware of this and spend more energy keeping fans interested and spending money on franchises that are going nowhere fast than anything else. Teams like the Cubs and the Red Sox became masters at keeping the local fans by getting the fans to embrace legendary curses and myths to blame everything on. In these cases, the fans keep coming back just to see what quirky twist of fate will rob the team of glory THIS year. According to Taibbi, sports fans are losers -- plain and simple. They are masochists who take their punishment year after year and then open up their wallets and pay for the chance to suffer and lose for one more year. It was no fun to read that, but unfortunately, he makes one hell of a point. In the NBA there will be 1 winning city. All 29 others will walk away empty handed and fans will buy the season recap DVDs to try and find solace in what limited successes the team managed before it was over. "Hey, we won 3 more than last year!" or "If only things had gone different in game 5 we MIGHT have gone all the way" become the spoonful of sugar that helps the nasty medicine go down. Just a few short months later we start all over again with a clean slate and great expectations. Ouch.

The other thing of note is directly related to the NBA. Only 17 of the 30 teams in the NBA have ever won the championship. Almost half of the league has never gotten to wear the crown. That's a worse ratio than any of the other major league sports. Taking Matt Taibbi's comments along with this fact, it means we addicted fans of pro basketball are the biggest suckers of all.

So what "fix" do you prefer? The Arnott method which leaves us on cruise control for a couple of years while we plot a course for a big and sudden roll of the dice? Or the Jazz plan that will take the Bobcats repeatedly into the playoffs but be verly unlikely to give us the whole enchilada any time soon?

I'll make this beastly post just a bit longer by weighing in with my personal opinion. If we manage to become regular visitors to the playoffsI believe there's a good chance we'll be there to take advantage when one of the "better" contenders gets hit with an injury or some other problem that leave the door open a crack. If we plot for one big surge there are any number of things that can happen to screw things up and management has to be meticulous in planning it out. I don't know if I trust the current "brain trust" in Charlotte to pull that little maneuver off.

Bobcats Trade Deadline Moves and Analysis

2010-02-18T21:32:05Z

Bobcats and Bulls:

Bulls get:

Flip Murray- loses great shooter, penetrater

Acie Law- loses young underused player with potential

1st Round Pick- loses another draft pick(remember we still owe denver a pick [a pick for Ajnca] and now Bulls)

Bobcats get:

Tyrus Thomas

more after the jump!

----------------------------

Bobcats and Spurs:

Bobcats get Theo Ratliff

Spurs get (Future 2nd Round Pick)

---------------------------

Reasons for Trades:

1) Boost for Playoffs

2) Tyson Chandler Stinks

3) Alexis Ajinca, Tyson Chandler, Nazr Mohammad, and Desagna Diop are all hurt.

-----------------------------

Effects of Trades:

Derrick Brown would have gotten more playing time, but now he won't be.

Tyrus Thomas will start immediately(maybe at C)

Gerald Henderson and Steven Graham will get more time at SG

D.J. Augustin will get more time as well

D. J. Augustin and Raymond Felton will play together more.

Power Forwards The Bobcats Could Be Targeting Around The League

2010-02-14T23:58:29Z

(DA: From the FanPosts)

Larry Brown's Bobcats are trying to desperately acquire a backup to Diaw, but who is out there to help?

The Bobcats really don't have much room to make a huge improvement (Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire), but the Bobcats have a realistic shot at acquiring the power fowards on the list.

Ryan Gomes - Dependable forward out of Minnesota. Team is in rebuilding mode, so they will probably want to move him evenutally. Maybe Bobs take a look.

Al Harrington - Rumored to be in Mike D'antoni's doghouse. Knicks are willing to move him, but probably won't seek anything other than expiring contracts in return.

Andray Blatche - Reportedly was offered in exchange for D.J. Augustin. Bobcats turned that down quick.

Antonio McDyess - Larry Brown favorite. Unsure if Spurs are willing to move him, but things haven't gone as planned so far in San Antonio.

Drew Gooden - Would be a very solid rebounder for Charlotte. Reportedly flirted with signing with the Bobcats this off season before deciding to head back to Dallas.

Tyrus Thomas - The Bobcats have reportedly offered Ronald Murray, Acie Law, and a 1st round pick in exchange for the Bulls forward out of LSU.

Jason Thompson - Rumor floated around about a trade a few weeks ago, but he is viewed as a big part of Sacramento's future.

Brandon Bass - Like Drew Gooden, was on the Bobcats radar this off season before deciding to sign with the Magic. He's been upset about playing time though, and may be moved before the deadline.

Rasheed Wallace - Would be a great UNC reunion in Charlotte. Ainge has rejected the idea of trading Wallace in the past few days though.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis - Reportedly was headed to Charlotte in exchange for D.J. Augustin. The deal must have fell through, because Ainge has denied it.

Luis Scola - Probably not really on the trade block from the Rockets, but is on a manageable salary and should at least be looked at.

Carl Landry - The same as Scola, probably not being shopped, but would fill the Bobcats need very well.

Udonis Haslem - Chad Ford was floating a theoretical trade around on ESPN the other day in which the Bobcats landed Haslem and Dequan Cook, but we had to give up a bit too much.

Elton Brand - One of the more untradeable contracts in the NBA, Elton Brand can still get the job done. He's just not worth the money, at all.

Antawn Jamison - Charlotte native, UNC Tar Heel, Washington Wizards fire sale, what more am I missing?

Anthony Randolph - Athletic young forward from the Warriors, probably out for the year and won't be dealt this year.

Michael Beasley - Has been mentioned in every possible Miami trade rumor, but I really don't see the talented youngster landing on the Bobcats. I think him and Larry would clash on a daily basis.

Nick Collison - Good hustle player who could probably provide the spark the Bobcats need.

Ronny Turiaf - Another energy player out of the western conference who could run around and make plays when the Bobcats look lethargic, which happens at one point in almost every game.

David Anderson - Another young Rockets forward who could probably help the Bobcats. Not as untradeable as the first two.

Matt Bonner - Forward out of San Antonio who can stretch the floor and provide a little rebounding.

Jordan Hill - The Knicks are in love with D.J., and Larry needs a PF. Could maybe become a reality.

Kurt Thomas - Being shopped around the league for a 2nd round pick. Bobcats should make a move.

Jared Jeffries - Horrendous contract for his minimal offensive ability, but I could really see him flourishing in Charlotte.

Kenny Thomas - Sitting on the bench in Sacramento for the past couple of seasons, he has an expiring contract and will probably be bought out after the deadline. Is a favorite of Larry.

I Can Explain Crashes Bad Dunk Performance

2010-02-14T19:04:38Z

There is no doubt in any ones mind that last nights Slam Dunk Contest was completely lack luster. I think this is because we have been spoiled over the last couple of years. Everyone loved the David and Goliath act the Superman and Krypto-Nate put on these last few years. The biggest story line coming into this years competition was the who's who of people backing out edging out Nate the Great going for the three-peat. I know I was disappointed as much as the next person by Gerald Wallace's performance last night but I think I can explain it. If you look at the facts, it is plain as day.

Take a look at the stats. Shannon Brown averages 19.8 minutes per game, DeMar DeRozan averages 21.2 minutes per game, Nate Robinson averages 24.4 minutes per game, and Gerald Wallace averages 42.2 minutes per game. Nate is the closest to Wallace averaging 24.4 mpg but he has only played in 30 games this season. I think that should have made him the favorite to win considering he had the most time by far to practice seeing as how he wasn't playing. Wallace was simply too busy playing and leading to Bobcats to victory to practice dunking. None of the other players competing are carrying the weight of a franchise on their shoulders like Wallace. To everyone that said he did it for the money that is just stupid. The man is making 9.5 million this year so he doesn't need the money. At least Wallace took the time out of his schedule to give it a shot (granted that's about all he did) unlike LeBron, Kobe, and Howard. Wallace may not have been the best dunker in the competition last night but he is the only participant that will be in the line-up for the All-Star game tonight.

Am I the only person that doesn't care that he didn't go all out last night? As long as he can get the Bobcats into the playoff, I'm sure all will be forgiven.

Drew Gooden?

2010-02-14T17:34:52Z

The Mavs and the Wizards pulled off their blockbuster deal on Saturday. After reading John Hollinger, it makes sense that the Wizards will try to buy out Drew Gooden for the rest of the year, making him a free agent.

Should this all happen before March 1, are the Bobcats a realistic destination for Gooden? Will the Bobcats spend money despite the sale rumor?

He immediately fills a glaring need at backup power forward. I'm not sure if this makes the Bobcats substantially better, but it does provide depth at the weakest position.