Sources: Cody Zeller is destined to be a Spur, and also, How We Got Mozgoved

It’s been a while since my last post. Please allow me to explain.

Being a Hornets fan is really hard.

I spent the latter weeks of the regular season clinging onto the slim hope that the Hornets could get the 8-seed in the East. And then on March 8th, they lost to the vastly inferior Brooklyn Nets by 14, and a few days later, they lost to the Knicks by 23. Neither game was as close as the score indicates. That is when I threw a white flag up on 2018.

If you read any of my earlier posts, you know that I held two things to be true: 1) Steve Clifford’s time as an effective coach was over (though I knew he would be hired by the Magic, check that Twitter feed to the left!), and 2) Dwight Howard was a black hole on offense.

Both of these situations have now been remedied. By all accounts, an effective replacement for Clifford has been hired in James Borrego. And today’s trade (that will become official after July 6th) of Dwight Howard for Timofey Mozgov, two second round draft picks and cash concerns is a classic case of addition by subtraction.

The Dwight Howard move was terrible. It was never going to work out. Every team he has ever played for claims that he is a cancer in the locker room. He is a notorious goofball. He is a child abuser, which was never going to fly longterm in Charlotte (this is the city that chased the original Hornets franchise out of town because the owner–George Shinn–had an affair with a cheerleader). He is a center in a league where the center position–as Dwight Howard plays it–is no longer important. Atlanta took on the terrible Plumlee contract just to get rid of him. I could go on and on.

Timofey Mozgov may never play meaningful minutes for the Hornets. He may not even be on the roster by Friday. But if this trade results in Kemba Walker staying and/or the shooters on the team getting actual opportunities to shoot and develop a rhythm, this will go down as one of the most important trades in franchise history.

***

In other news: Cody Zeller is destined to be a San Antonio Spur.

Have you ever seen the sweet third passes that the CZA makes on the regular? Those passes have ‘Popovich’ written all over them. Sources say that Cody Zeller is the next Boris Diaw.

Kawhi wants out of San Antonio. The Hornets are in a good spot to make a trade or be a third team facilitator for a draft day trade. My gut says these sources are correct.

***

As for me, I’m in that pre-draft sweet spot as a fan. Anything is possible. Optimism reigns supreme. The Dwight trade has me jazzed. If the Hornets have to go down, I’d rather see them go down missing open threes and running an actual offense than see Kemba pass the ball in to Dwight and then stand around and watch until Dwight shoots just before the shot clock expires. But the Hornets don’t have to go down. The 8-seed is in sight. The time is now.

(Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated)

Stephen Jackson Wins Game On Buzzer Beater, Downs Hawks 88-86

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Box Score | Recap

At the time of writing this recap, it’s been over an hour since end of the Bobcats-Hawks game, and I still can’t believe what I saw.

Stephen Jackson, while double-teamed and with the clock winding down, faded away and caught nothing but net on a shot that won the game at the buzzer.

But that wasn’t the only thing that absolutely boggles my mind. Try these on for size: the Bobcats came back from a 22 point deficit; the Bobcats had a reserve score 22 points; AND Stephen Jackson scored efficiently.

And all on the tail end of a back-to-back.

The end result was a Bobcats win over the Hawks, 88 to 86.

But the whole game was an extremely difficult fight. Even in the first quarter, the Bobcats found themselves down by ten points early. Luckily they recovered, with the help of Livingston, who had eight points in the first quarter. They went into the second quarter tied at 27.

The second quarter for the Bobcats was a disaster of epic proportions. Charlotte was down by 22 points and allowed an 18-0 run by the Hawks at times during the quarter. It wasn’t until 2:26 left in the quarter until a Bobcat made a field goal. And by that time, it seemed like the only thing separating the Bobcats from their 32^nd loss was about 24 minutes of game time. The starters, outside of Gerald Wallace and Jackson, were completely awful. And Livingston was pretty much the only redeemable thing about the game, scoring 12 points by halftime. Meanwhile, Atlanta was hitting their shots from all over. In the first quarter they attacked the paint, but in the second, they hit shots from all over the court.

(CLICHÉ ALERT)

But there’s a reason they play 48 minutes, right?

(CLICHÉ ALERT OVER)

In the third quarter, you could see the Bobcats beginning to right the ship. An ineffective, poorly-shooting Augustin was replaced with Shaun Livingston, who played out of his mind. The defense tightened up, allowing only three Hawks attempts in the paint. Gerald Wallace even did un-Gerald Wallace-y things, like hitting three treys. Livingston picked up where he left off, dropping 6 points and two dishes. And Stephen Jackson came to life, playing more efficiently on offense, even drawing a few fouls. The game came into reach as the quarter ended, Hawks up 72-68.

As the final period of play began, one could feel the Bobcats taking complete control. They were getting shots that they wanted and more importantly, the Hawks weren’t able to attack Charlotte’s main weakness: defense in the post. Even D.J. and Gerald Henderson added some points, despite their rough nights. More importantly, Jackson was rolling. Whenever Stephen Jackson can get to the free throw line, it’s going to be a good night for him. And boy, was it for him tonight. Despite the Bobcats’ desire to pull away, the Hawks wouldn’t let that happen. While their offense wasn’t getting much of anything, their defense helped force the Bobcats into bad shots, making the game struggle at times when both teams took time off from scoring. But after a pair of Jackson free throws to tie up the game, the Bobcats stifled the Hawks on their next possession and Stack Jack a long, tough mid-range jumper to put Charlotte up by two. But Atlanta struck back with an Al Horford score and getting possession after Livingston missed a jump shot.

And then it was crunch time. Tie game at 86. Atlanta squeezed as much time from the clock but couldn’t also get a good shot, with Joe Johnson bricking a 21-foot shot. Bobcats ball with a little over five seconds left. Coach Paul Silas called for a time out, which moved the ball up court. Eduardo Najera inbounded the ball to Jackson from the sideline. And he just stood there. No one else even moved. Then Jackson took a single dribble back, towards Najera’s defender! Then, with about .8 seconds left, he jumped and faded away from the two defenders, hitting the bottom of the net and winning the game.

I was dumb-founded. I’m still dumb-founded. The Bobcats have never been really effective using isolation plays. And over a double team? I could have sworn we were headed to overtime. And it’s not just that. Shaun Livingston had 22 points! The Bobcats haven’t had a reserve score that many points since November! I’m just in awe over all of this.

Odds and Ends

When is D.J. Augustin going to find his shot? We need his offense quite badly.
Boris Diaw was pretty bad tonight too, just so it doesn’t go unsaid.
Gerald Wallace was really good. I didn’t want anyone to think I missed that.
Good defense by Jackson and Henderson on Joe Johnson (4-14 FG, 11 PTS) and Jamal Crawford (1-9 FG, 2 PTS).
I hate you, Mike Bibby. Eduardo Najera, I don’t like you much either, but you’re better than Bibby, I guess.
The Bobcats are now 23-31 and face the Lakers on Monday, in Charlotte. Watch out for the bandwagon fans if you go.
Josh Smith destroyed Eduardo Najera with a single dunk.

Stats Leaders:

Bobcats

Stephen Jackson: 12-24 FG, 7-8 FT, 32 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO

Shaun Livingston: 8-13 FG, 6-6 FT, 22 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, 1 BLK, 2 TO

Gerald Wallace: 6-15 FG, 4-6 3P, 16 PTS, 13 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 2 TO

Hawks

Josh Smith: 11-17 FG, 4-7 FT, 28 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL

Al Horford: 8-15 FG, 16 PTS, 10 REBS, 3 AST

Play of the Night

Well, I guess they can’t always be Shaun Livingston plays, haha.

Stephen Jackson’s game-winning shot

– Cardboard Gerald

You can follow Cardboard Gerald, Dr. E, and ASChin on Twitter at @CardboardGerald, @BaselineDrE, and @BobcatsBaseline. You can find more of Cardboard Gerald’s writing at Bobcats Break and now at Stacheketball.

Bobcats Disappoint, Lose to Vengeful Hawks

Just a rough night. Sigh... (AP Photo)

Recap | Box Score

The Bobcats put up another letdown of a game on Saturday night, losing to the Atlanta Hawks (who were without starters Al Horford and Marvin Williams) 103-87. This came as a very disappointing loss, considering the Hawks had just incurred a 41-point loss the previous night. I expected a much hungrier team to come into the Cable Box, but I thought the Bobcats could gut out a win against the team without their starting center and small forward. I was wrong. The game was back-and-forth for much of the first half, with the Bobcats leading by five going into the break. Then the Bobcats once again encountered their immortal enemy, the third quarter. While the Bobcats scored around the same points as the previous quarters, their defense was thoroughly torn apart as the Hawks ran away to the 16-point win.

On the night, the Bobcats were led by D.J. Augustin who dropped 20 points and 7 dimes with zero turnovers. Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace both put up clunkers, combining for 5-23 shooting from the field, though Gerald Wallace was better because he rebounded and helped keep his man below his scoring average. Defensively, Jackson was destroyed by Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw had problems with über-athletic Josh Smith.

In the first half, the Bobcats were playing very well, shooting the ball at a decent clip (50% FG, 40% 3P) and they out-rebounded Atlanta by a small margin. With a five-point lead and only three turnovers at the half, Charlotte was playing as good basketball as they could with Gerald Wallace struggling and Stephen Jackson ending the half poorly after a nice first quarter. The bench also played well, centering around Shaun Livingston and Nazr Mohammed who combined for 9 points in the second quarter.

From there it went to Hell in a handbasket. The Bobcats got progressively worse in the third, shooting 37% from the field, getting fewer assists and rebounds, and more turnovers than the first two quarters. Stephen Jackson missed all six of his shots and Gerald Wallace was basically just a non-factor. And that was just offensively. On defense, the Hawks got pretty much whatever they wanted, scoring 32 points on 58% from the field and 57% from behind the arc, while grabbing 5 more rebounds, two more assists and without turning the ball over once. Though Augustin was great on offense in the third was rightfully left in for all of the quarter, he had trouble defending MIKE BIBBY, who scored 14 points on the night.

From there it was basically over. The team had no momentum, Jackson was shooting the team in the foot both with his offense and his inability to slow down Joe Johnson (though you have to give J.J. credit – he was basically unconscious the whole game), and the Bobcats just didn’t have the firepower to make a comeback attempt.

Tids & Bits

Dammit, give it up for Shaun Livingston. I watched him check into the game to neither deafening cheers nor applause (or anything close to that). The man deserves better. I love having him on the Bobcats and I would rather he never leave. He’s a good influence in the locker room and has great athletic gifts on the court. But if he’s not going to get the respect he deserves, I think I’d rather he leave and go somewhere else. He was exceptional tonight, shooting 4-6 from the field with three rebounds (one offensive), four assists and two steals for 9 points. Plus he had a couple highlights, including some smooth post moves and this put-back dunk.
As far as other guys who performed pretty well on the night, there was Gerald Henderson (4-7 FG, 2 REB, 1 AST, 8 PTS), Nazr Mohammed (5-9 FG, 7 REB, 1 AST, 2 BLK, 1o PTS) and Boris Diaw (5-7 FG, 2-2 FT, 7 REB, 4 AST, 2STL, 1 BLK, 12 PTS). Those are excellent, efficient stat lines right there. Kwame Brown wasn’t bad either, but I expect him to rebound better against the Hawks’ backup center, Zaza Pachulia.
Since Paul Silas arrived as the interim head coach, I’ve been waffling on whether I think the Bobcats should blow the team up or not. There have been nights when they just look fantastic but then there are nights when they just look like the doo-doo I just stepped in on my front lawn. I think I’m coming closer to my decision. In my mind, the Bobcats should definitely try to trade Stephen Jackson at all costs. He’s incredibly inefficient on offense, which kills the team since he consistently take about 15 shots per game. As for who to keep, I have three different categories: must keeps – Augustin, Tyrus Thomas, Henderson; should keeps – Derrick Brown, Livingston; and like-to-keeps (those who I’d prefer to keep, but ultimately would understand if we traded them, permitting we get value in return) – Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw. It’s a youth movement folks; don’t trade for cap space. Trade for young talent or draft picks, not just expiring contracts. Cap space doesn’t win championships for a small market team, end of story.
Next on the schedule is Tuesday’s game at the Sacramento Kings at 10:00 p.m. EST, as the Bobcats begin a six-game road trip (Kings, Suns, Warriors, Clippers, Jazz, Pistons).

(all stats via the ESPN box score and the awesome website, Popcorn Machine)

– Cardboard Gerald

You can follow Cardboard Gerald, Dr. E, and ASChin on Twitter at @CardboardGerald, @BaselineDrE, and @BobcatsBaseline. You can find more of Cardboard Gerald’s writing at Bobcats Break and now at Stacheketball.

Bobcats Hold Off Shorthanded Hawks for 41st Victory

Charlotte Bobcats vs Hawks, 4/6/10

The Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Atlanta Hawks 109-100 at the Cable Box on Tuesday night. The win ensures that the Cats will finish no worse than .500 for the season; however, the Cats remained mired in the 7th spot in the East as the Bogut-less Bucks also won again.

AP recap here | Box score here

The Hawks started Jeff Teague and Mo Evans in place of Mike Bibby (toe) and Joe Johnson (thumb) and did not get off to a good start. The Bobcats throttled them 34-14 in the opening quarter, with Gerald Wallace slashing to the basket on Evans at will. Wallace finished with a game-high 28 points (10-18 FG, 8-8 FT) and 6 rebounds.

The Cats continued to shoot well (51% on the game) and went into halftime with a 23-point lead. Things were looking good for banged up stars of the Bobcats to possibly have an easy night. Gerald Wallace played the game with some sort of mini-shoulder pad thing on his left shoulder, while Stephen Jackson wore a wrap around his left hamstring that he readjusted frequently throughout the night.

But alas, it’s the NBA and everyone makes a run. Atlanta was able to chip away at the Cats lead in the third quarter behind Jamal Crawford and Mo Evans. The persistent Hawks were eventually able to cut the Bobcats lead to 9 points with 8 minutes left, forcing Larry Brown to keep the starters in for the bulk of the fourth quarter.

The move worked, as the Hawks were never able to get the lead below 9. After Raymond Felton weaved through the Hawks backcourt pressure to get a driving layup to put the Cats up by 13 with two minutes left, the Hawks conceded by subbing Randolph Morris and Mario West into the game. But with 3 more games remaining this week and an outside chance of overtaking the Bucks for the 6th spot, it would have been ideal night to have been able to give the starters some rest in the fourth quarter.

Tidbits

Boris Diaw came thisclose again to notching the Bobcats first triple-double: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists.
The Cats were the aggressors all night, finishing with 32 free throw attempts to the Hawks 13. Both teams were lights out from the line: Cats 28-32, Hawks 12-13.
DJ Augustin was perfect from the field in 13 strong minutes off the bench: 4-4 FG including 3-3 3PT for 11 points.
The Bobcats hit the road for a quick 2-game trip. They’ll face New Orleans Wednesday night at 8 PM ET, then Houston Friday night at 8:30 PM ET.

-Dr. E

Bell, Bobcats Solve Offensive Woes Against Hawks

Charlotte Bobcats vs. Hawks, 11/6/09

Who Says We Need to Make a Trade?

The Bobcats get well with a solid victory over the visiting Hawks, 103-83 on Friday night at the Cable Box to go to 3-2 on the season (3-0 at home). AP recap here, box score here, Bonnell story here. Raja Bell started fast for the Cats and never let up, easily taking player-of-the-game honors with 25 pts (9-12 FG, 5-6 3PT), 4 assists and a +24 +/-. Good decision to not have that wrist surgery.

After Marc Stein’s report that the Cats were still pursuing a Stephen Jackson trade added fuel to the fire of angst-ridden/fantasy-trade-happy Bobcats fans on Thursday, an easy win over the playoff-bound Hawks was just what Dr. E ordered. Granted, the Hawks were rather listless, but the Cats looked like they were unwinding on the offensive end after running LB’s system too anxiously over the first week of the season. Things looked smooth, passes were crisp, shots were falling, turnovers were minimal… the Bobcats looked comfortable, and it showed in the final score. A team that had averaged a league-worst 80-some points per game previously eclipsed 100 tonight rather easily.

The Cats opened up a double-digit lead in during the second quarter, and the road-weary Hawks never seriously challenged after that. Nice performances all around for the Bobcats. Gerald Wallace had a rough night from the field (3-14 FG), but continued his ravenous rebounding with 18 more tonight. Tyson Chandler continued to play himself into shape (and learn LB’s system on the fly) and ended with his best game yet: 10 pts on 5-5 FG (with two monster ‘oops) and 10 rebounds.

Perhaps the second most noteworthy performance (other than Raja’s) was Flip Murray’s. Flip sat out the first few games to rest his bionic tibia, but debuted tonight in strong fashion. He entered the game late in the first quarter and began firing away soon thereafter. He ended with 15 pts (5-12 FG, 3-5 3PT) in 18 minutes off the bench. That’s a pretty high ratio of shots:minutes… which is exactly what we need from him.

Being the designated gunner off the bench for an otherwise offensively puny team is just a perfect role for Flip. While he’s probably not enough to make us stop talking about fantasy trades for Rip Hamilton, Rudy Gay, Martell Webster or Anthony Morrow, he was good enough tonight to maintain the Bobcats double-digit cushion with some effortless buckets.

Tidbits

Both Chandler (smacked in the nose) and Wallace (twisted or banged knee) both briefly left the game in the first half due to injuries. Both returned to the game.
Gana Diop and Alexis Ajinca were inactive.
No Michael Jordan or Bob Johnson tonight. Presumably, they’ve returned to $5K/hole golf outings and equestrian fandom, respectively.
The Cats outshot the Hawks 47% to 39.8% and outrebounded the Hawks 56-35. No Hawks player scored over 13 points.
If the playoffs started today, the Bobcats would be the #6 seed (facing #3 Orlando) and the Lebrons would miss the playoffs.
Quick turnaround for the next game. The Cats visit the Bulls Saturday night in Chicago, 8:00 PM ET. ASChin will take the honors for post-game posting. Follow both of us on Twitter for in-game thoughts: Dr. E / ASChin.