Bobcats Charlotte Bobcats @ Cleveland 10/31/09
More of the same tonight at the Q as the Charlotte Bobcats follow up a solid first half effort with only 13 third quarter points and lose to the Cavs 90-79. Box score here.
1. Find somebody who can score by December 1st and the Bobcats make the Playoffs
The Bobcats played very well in the first half, negating Lebron James and held Cleveland to just 45 points per half. In the second half, Lebron, Mo Williams and Delonte “Have You Seen This Boy?” West got hot and the Bobcats started playing Hot Potato again, unsure as to who should be shooting the ball and when. This has to stop in order for the Bobcats to be taken seriously. Charlotte did a great job of forcing turnovers (17) but committed just as many themselves by taking errant shots or passing the ball two or three too many times. Cleveland’s Mo Williams led the way for the Cavs with 24 points (including 5-8 from downtown) while the ‘Cats were lead by Vladimir Radmanovic off the bench. He scored 12 points.
The Bobcats had a very good chance of stealing this game in the third quarter when both teams started slow and if they’d had someone whom they could have gone to consistently for offense they probably would have. I’m starting a list right now of scorers who could be available to help now. Thus far: Rip Hamilton, Monta Ellis, Michael Redd. Please send me anymore that you could think of.
2. Silver Linings?
Gerald Henderson played well tonight. He played 18 minutes and guarded Anthony Parker and Delonte tight on defense but his best play was during a second quarter Cleveland fast break when the rookie raced down the court and pulled a ’05-’07 era Gerald Wallace monster stuff on 6’9″ J.J. Hickson. The Sequel came out of nowhere and just threw it back. Play of the game for the Bobcats. Henderson’s shot selection was mixed (went 2-4 from downtown but 1-4 from in close) but he finished with 11pts and 3rbs. Not a bad third game in the NBA.
After a shaky start, the Radman finally resurfaced as Vlade dropped 2 of 3 from beyond the arc and played his sneaky good defense mostly against Anderson Varejao. Speaking of Varejao, the Cleveland broadcast color man calls him “Andy” but does so in such a voice that he basically mimics Morgan Freeman’s “Redd” character from The Shawshank Redemption. I kept waiting for him to go all sentimental and reflective, “My friend Andy never had the most skill or the most athleticism but devil-be-damned he hustled and that’s what kept him in the League.”
3. On Second Thought, Maybe Raymond Isn’t The Man
After two quality starts to begin the season, Raymond struggled against the Cavs turning the ball over 8 times against just three assists and the team played visibly better when D.J. Augustin came in and took over late in the third and into the final frame. I’m not “hating” here. If Raymond could develop a consistent three pointer, he’d be every bit as good as Mo Williams, especially if he was on a team like the Cavs. For the time being however, the lack of respect the opposing teams have for his jumper makes him a liability in the half-court set.
IN CONCLUSION:
Nothing new here. Bobcats play comparatively stellar Defense but can’t score on offense which leads to turnovers which leads to easy buckets by the other team which leads to Charlotte being forced to shoot itself back into the game which is something that they are currently not configured to do.
Cross your fingers Bobcats fans, let’s hope that MJ and Ron Higgidy Higgins got the memo and are working on bringing in reinforcements before it’s too late.
Next up is Brook Lopez and the Nets at the Cable Box on Monday night. Dr E will tweet you there.
Jeremy,
its nothing to do with Wallace as a player. trust me, i love me some 22-20 Gerald, but how many times in a season can we get that from him (or anybody else for that matter).
Gerald is personally my favorite player, and id hate to see him go, but right now, hes our only legit bait at a bigger fish.
also, as ASChin added, he is a high-risk/high-reward player, and we are gambling big time with him.
so with 3 years left on his contract, a concussion in three of the last four years, and now surgery on his lungs, you have to ask when his durability will run out. sure, we have him right NOW, but what about two years from now?
by adding Iggy, we get a certified scorer and another highlight reel–but at a lower risk/reward ratio. it would be AMAZING to have Gerald, Boris, and Iggy on the same team, but talent-wise, that would be either (a) stupid for Philly, or (b) a straight up MAGNIFICENT move my MJ and co.
so its all about talent. gotta give some to get some.
BEST CASE SCENERIO:
we give up Raja and Nazr for Iggy and maybe a pick. but like i said, Philly would be a laughing stock in the NBA.
i wonder how many more times we will see a Boston-type move again (bringing in Garnett and Allen). they gave up a LOTTT in terms of the future (KD, Jeff Green).
so Jeremy, if you find a GM that will pull the Raja/Nazr for Iggy trade, i will personally drive to your house, shake your hand, and pay for your dinner. i mean, yea, its a massive salary dump for Philly, but seriously, thats a shot in the foot.
well i give up, but it had us sending Raja and Gerald for Andre Igudala.
it showed that it worked too.
OR,
the cats could get real fancy annndddd:
Cats get:
Andre Igudala
Warriors get:
Gerald Wallace
Philly gets:
Stephen Jackson
Raja Bell
that will pout Jackson in a better position than he was in at Golden State. Cats get a scorer. Washington gets another dynamic player that could play alongside Monte and Cuttino. Philly gets a defender in Bell and a scorer in Jackson.
this trade would work FYI. and i dont think we would have to give up any incentives (picks/cash) i would think.
why does everyone want to give up gerald wallace. He is easily our best scorer and a better rebounder than diaw and chandler COMBINED. i would rather trade vlad and diop since vlad sucks and diop doesn’t even play.
Kings would probably take them for like kevin martin
by the way Wallace stats- 22 points 20 REBOUNDS
jeremy-
“Kings would probably take [Radmanovic & Diop] for like kevin martin”
How do we get you promoted to Kings GM? Geoff Petrie’s heir apparent, right here folks!
Why is Delonte West still playing for the Cavs? They aren't even trying to pretend that they're above showcasing a wife beating thug. I mean, bipolar disorder is only gonna get you so many passes. On one polar end of the spectrum he went all mad max with a full arsenal on a motorcycle – luckily the cops stopped him from carrying out whatever was on his mind. Oh, and on the other end of the spectrum his wife had to file charges against him. The Cavs organization is really hoping that Shaq and Lebron will distract everyone from the way they've embraced West and his thug act. Poor guy, bipolar disorder must be tough – on his wife's face.
How can Shaq play deputy if he's sharing a locker room with a wanted man?
Excellent post with some good info, think i’ll share this on my twitter if you don’t mind and maybe even blogroll it depending on the feedback, thanks for sharing
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