In his latest “Inside the NBA” blog entry, Charlotte Observer beat writer Rick Bonnell takes a massive dump on Bobcats fans playoff hopes by stating that the team’s minimal upgrades and coaching change will have negligible effects on their record considering the high-profile moves made by other Eastern Conference contenders.  I’m not sure that we here at Bobcats Baseline agree.

For one, Bonnell isn’t taking into account the potential trades between now and training camp.  We all know that the ‘Cats have a glaring hole at the 4-spot and there have been some long-standing rumors of the team making a move that could bring in a high quality player like Rasheed Wallace.

Secondly, I’m not sure Bonnell’s assessment of Larry Brown equaling “maybe 4 more wins” is remotely accurate.  You really need to go back and review Sam Vincent’s disastrous handling of the team from training camp on to get an idea of how crippling his presence was.  In particular Matt Carroll, Ray Felton, and Emeka Okafor should have huge upgrades in their productivity.

Third, the roster (outside of PF) is pretty rock solid.  The team is at least two-deep at the Center, PG, and SG positions and can go up to three-deep at the SF position with Morrison making a decent comeback.  PF is a bit of a mess if Sean May can’t come in and play 50+ games but maybe one of the three projects (Ajinca, Hollins, or Davidson) can elevate their game in the meantime to provide quality minutes.

-ASChin