The Bobcats just can’t get it together outside of Charlotte. They contributed to their impressive road loss talley by falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder 91-98. AP story here, box score here.
We should not lose to the Thunder. The Cats lacked control in most of their possessions resulting in 12 turnovers. When they managed hold on to the ball, execution was a challenge. The most embarrassing moves came from Stephen Graham’s “Assists to Nowhere”. He threw the ball away two times during must-score opportunities near the end of the game
Congrats to the Thunder who pass the .500 mark before the All Star break reaching 15-14 for the season. Russell Westbrook looked fantastic and ruled the court with his 22 points, 6 assists and 0 turnovers. Durant got his 30 which never hurts.
Observations from the Game and the Broadcast
- The OKC Arena sounds like Charlotte Coliseum circa 1989. I wonder if they have that in-house volume meter that measures the crowd noise and gets everyone pumped up.
- Coach Brown ran a crazy play at the end of the half; long inbound Lob to Diaw who passed it cross-court to Felton for the 3pt attempt. Too bad he couldn’t make it drop. I enjoyed it regardless.
- Diop! Wow…6 minutes. I wonder what he did to earn that. Good to see you, brah.
- Steve Martin was all about some Kevin Durant, but it was Stephanie Ready who delivered the best Durant fun fact of the evening: He’s 6’9″ with a 7’3″ wingspan. Freak-o-naturrrre.
- Where are the Nazr jerseys in the team store?
- Diaw down low is just not working. At one point, he was even playing center. He managed to drain a 3 in the second half and it reminded me of how much of a threat he can be beyond the arc.
- April 12th is Stephen Jackson Day in San Francisco. I’m going next year.
The next game versus the Bucks is tomorrow night at the Cable Box. No TV coverage so get your tickets now.
I didn't see the game; only caught a few highlights here and there. Looking at the box score, I was very surprised/disappointed that Derrick Brown never made it off the bench, even as Diaw played well below his potential yet again. What is the story behind Larry's phobia of playing rookies on the road? I see Henderson had a nice permanent spot on the bench, also.
Trade:
Charlotte Gets-
Yi Jianlian (Power Forward)
Beno Udrih (Point Guard)
New Jersey Gets-
Boris Diaw (Power Forward)
Sacramento Gets-
D.J Augustine (Point Guard)
Trenton Hassell (Small Forward)
i like that trade
I was supposed to recap this game and I apologize to my fellow Baseliners for being tardy with my post.
Why was I late? Let's just say that this game angered and depressed me beyond my normally high threshold for Bobcat-related PAIN.
1. The OKC Thunder arena (as noted in the recap above) is an uncanny replica of the Charlotte Coliseum in its heyday. Sellout crowd, fans on their feet cheering a young hungry squad, a real, honest connection between the team and the fans. Absolutely wonderful.
The same thing that Charlotte had for almost 10 years before a Bible Thumping Midget Assaulted his Sexy Stews.
2. When the Sonics relocated to Oklahoma, General Manager Sam Presti inherited a roster with few assets and lots of dead cap weight. Within three seasons, he's built the team into THE Western Conference Power for the next decade. Kevin Durant is or will be a top 5 player in the League. Russell Westbrook is a legitimate Number two. Jeff Green, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Eric Maynor, and Nenad Kristic will be a better 3-7 than Michael Jordan ever had with the Bulls. Did I mention that they'll be a Major Player in this summer's Free Agency Bonanza???
Meanwhile, Bob Johnson started with a complete blank slate six years ago and has basically nothing to show for it except for a bloated cap and a slew of aging, overpaid players. (This is why ownership is so important. Clay Bennett might be a scumbag but he's an intelligent scumbag. Hiring Presti and investing in the front office was all that Bennett had to do in order to turn this club into a perennial contender.)
3. Tyson Chandler. Chandler was almost traded to the Thunder last season for OKC's table scraps but the Thunder nixed the deal in the 11th hour due to some worries concerning Tyson's surgically repaired toe. He had been injury prone in other areas and the Thunder rightfully rescinded the trade and kept their cap space for later use.
The Bobcats traded their best low-post player and career double-double man Emeka Okafor for Chandler straight up and have since lost the Center to injury — a stress fracture in his foot. Fortunately for Charlotte, this injury has made them stronger as Tyson is arguably the worst, most overpaid center on the roster. This coming from a squad that pays Gana Diop $7 million a year.
IN CONCLUSION:
While the Thunder played their kids and beat up on the Bobcats at home, Charlotte stuck with such young starlets as Nazr Mohammed, Stephen Graham and Flip Murray.
PRAY – PRAY for an ownership change this offseason Bobcats fans, it's the only way this team is ever really going to mean something.
I'm definitely willing to host a crowd for Stephen Jackson Day. Only Lovefest and the Folsom St. Fair are bigger parties. Oh, and I'm going to be picking up some $2 tix for that Warriors/Bobcats game in January. Warriors Arena–where the BART ride costs more than the ballgame.
Did I mention that at Warriors Arena, a Metallica concert costs more than season tickets?
Hey Jason, is there a shakedown street at Warriors games?
The sunny side of the street is dark.
Whoa…I think Jason just busted out some secret Oaksterdam lingo.
Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart…..
How many dispensaries are located on the same block as the Oracle Arena?
Maybe they'll give free six-packs and a Coach Nelson coozie to the first 3,000 fans.
$2.00 tickets – Ouch
I think this team has 2 options to improve.
1. Play more Zone Defense
Tyson Chandler is similar to somewhat Marcus Camby. Moves well, jumps, blocks, agile but not a banger. But plays well next to a banger similar to Camby. Camby played next to Kurt Thomas, Chris Kaman, Chris Anderson.
Tyson was effective when he played next to a big body named David West.
Playing next to Boris Diaw doesn't help either players. They are both better at swooping in from the weakside. Diaw grew up playing soccer, not playing macho street ball in the US. Tough rugged is not in his genes.
Both are long, anticipates plays, agile and I am sure can play passing lanes. They are better suited for zone defenses. Plus, they can't guard anybody man to man anyways.
My bet is that Larry Brown won't let them do that since he's too stubborn.
2. Move Diaw to the point, play Mohammed in the 4 spot.
I am serious. Felton won the NCAA tournament by blitizing to the basket in lighting speed. Ask what Larry Brown thinks about that offense.
Diaw can run the point and become a poor man's Magic Johnson. Trust me, he is a key playmaker for the French national team and does bring the ball up.
This will also shore up the rebounding whole they have right now and enable Wallace to fill the lanes more on the break and will improve Chandler's play.
Also when the offense is stagnant, just have Boris back his way to the rim for a height advantage post up or a kick out from the double team.
He won't do any magic on the fast break, but Larry Brown doesn't let you run so much so what's the difference.
This lineup also does wonders for the zone defense. Imagine a 2-3 zone with Diaw and Jackson up front. I'm sure they can cover a lot of space and rebound effectively as well.
It also does Felton good too.
When they need a change of pace, when they need to run, it's time for Felton. He'll know what's expected from him and he can play to his strengths.
In short, Larry Brown has to coach according to his personell, not have the players adjust to his style.
He blew it in NY that way. Don't do it again.
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