The Charlotte Bobcats lost to the Memphis Grizzlies today in battle to acquire Allen Iverson.
From Twitter:
God Chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career. I met with Mr. Heinsley, Chris Wallace and my next head coach Lionel Hollins and feel that they are committed to developing a winner and I know that I can help them to accomplish that. I feel that I can trust them.
Which means our organization is obviously NOT committed to developing a winner. We can only hope there is something else in the works for the Bobcats; otherwise, with the current roster and management team, we have another losing season ahead of us.
A better logo AND Iverson.
Ouch.
<img src="http://www.nba.com/media/grizzlies/grizzlies_logo.gif">
This is extremely disappointing.
There's a positive and negative to this situation. . .
Positive for Memphis / Negative for Charlotte.
I think this might mark the pivotal moment when the Bobcats slid below the Grizzlies down into the very bottom of the League (a place very familiar to the Clippers).
Now, the Grizzlies (who probably have the best logo) can start to improve. Hopefully, AI will help them sell some tickets.
Most importantly, we need to recognize that this had nothing to do with Bobcats management, salary cap, Bob Johnson, Larry Brown, or the roster. As, Iverson put it "God chose Memphis. . ."
whats the deal on bobcats.com on 9/14 are they finally gonna show off the new unis
It's really not that big of a deal. I supported the signing of Iverson, but was by no means under the impression that he was going to be a can't miss FA. He comes w/ baggage and a few question marks at this point in his career.
Having said that, it would have been nice to have his scoring presence.
Did anybody on this board watch the Bobcats last year? After the Diaw Bell trade we were playing good Ball. If Bell had not got Injured we would have been in the playoffs. Now just because we didnt get AI were worse than Memphis? We will be a playoff team this year without AI will not make memphis any better. quote me on that. Mccants would be a better fit for the Cats to bring scoring off the bench. As well dont count out the possibility of Brown making another big trade to improve the roster. Anyone who put the hopes of this Franchise on AIs back is very Nieve. Is this a Bobcats board or an AI fan board. Have some Faith in Brown and In the developement of this team
I agree that the Bobcats Managment team is a Joke. Cheap is an understatment. But I think a 6 foot guard who is weak on defense and doesnt shot the ball at a great percentage is not what this team needs. There is not room in the backcourt for AI and there was no way he was willing to come off the bench.(alla detroit) I dont think the Cats are done making moves though. I know Iverson was the Sexy pick but sexy dont WIN games. Brown will continue to add the right peices and we will be a playoff team.
J2.0:
I know that you have visited the Baseline before so I don’t have to tell you that this is best Bobcats blog in cyberspace; not an AI fan board.
Correct, the Diaw/Bell trade was great for the team, but the Bobcats have gotten worse in the offseason. We have 3 mediocre centers, our PG situation is unresolved and we have one dude playing the PF position.
The disappointment isn’t because Iverson didn’t join the team…it’s because the Cats management team is a joke. They’ve been in the bottom of the league in payroll in each of their five seasons and that was before Bob Johnson “lost his passion” for the team. The fact that we can’t seal-the-deal on a NBA superstar for $3.5 million is embarrassing.
The hope of the franchise was in the message of signing Allen Iverson; not in Iverson himself. A message to Bobcats fans that they’re trying to creating a great basketball team.
Disappointed that the Bobcats couldn’t pull the trigger on a bold move like Iverson. He certainly would have had a better, bigger, more important role in Charlotte, plus a better chance of rehabilitating his image under Larry Brown. But in the end, we had very little money to offer him.
So even though the situation in Memphis makes no basketball sense for either side, Iverson went with the money grab.
I love how the PR person who tweets for AI said that “God chose Memphis.” Huh, apparently AI’s God is a money-grubber with no basketball IQ and no concern for AI’s legacy.
And on the bright side, I can’t wait to see what a trainwreck Memphis is going to be this year. Somewhere, Lionel Hollins is having a panic attack…
Bobcats have less scoring punch this year than last (when they were in the League cellar).
The words “dysfunctional” and “inept” flash to mind when considering the Bobcats “leadership.”
I’m not sure what I’ll do if the team overpays Felton (especially after the Ramon Sessions $4 million/per deal) and brings on McCan’ts.