Charlotte Still An Option For Iverson

UPDATE 8.19.2009 :
ESPN has reviewed the Allen Iverson situation, tracking him on Twitter and interviewing sources from Miami, NY, and Charlotte. Chris Sheridan received these comments from Coach Larry Brown –

“There are financial factors, and there’s also the problem of the availability of minutes in our rotation with Ray [Felton, a restricted free agent], Raja [Bell] and D.J. [Augustin] — and those are a couple of major obstacles we’re trying to overcome,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown told ESPN.com Tuesday. “But at the end of the day, I want to help him, and it might be as his coach again. We’ll have to wait and see. . . I’ve spoken to a lot of people on his behalf, because last year was a difficult situation for him being put in where he was, replacing Chauncey Billups. That would have been a difficult situation for anybody. But I know he’s comfortable with me, and we’ve had a lot of discussions. When he played for me was probably when he played his best. Would I like to coach him again? Absolutely.”

Where is Allen Iverson going to play this coming season? That’s the big question about The Answer.

Earlier ~~today~~, Iverson dropped this on Twitter –

If you think that I am just going away-Think again! I am getting ready for the NBA season. Waiting for the call. Charlotte, Miami, NY.

The topic of Allen Iverson joining the Charlotte Bobcats is truly grating. Some love the idea of AI leading the offense of the new-look Cats. Some see it as a disaster in the making. Could Iverson redeem himself, and lead this faceless franchise? Do the Bobcats trust him enough to take that gamble?

When you follow a struggling small-market sports franchise like the Charlotte Bobcats, it gets somewhat embarrassing watching your home arena fill up only when superstars from opposing teams come to town. Sometimes you try to convince yourself that your team has it’s own superstar, but Gerald Wallace will be lucky to make one or two All-Star games in his entire career. Die-hard fans (like us) will always follow the squad intently, but making the team accessible to the “casual fan” has proven nearly impossible. After NFL football went away, the organization and the team got a brief, sweet taste of fan support last spring as the team’s roster began to resemble a real NBA lineup, playing a better “ball movement” style that hadn’t existed before. Can they really just settle on having a taste, or do they want to hear some noise this coming season?

If the Bobcats make the move to acquire Allen Iverson, their marketing crew will be in overload for the 2009-2010 NBA Season. New uniforms, Tyson Chandler, Allen Iverson. . . sounds like a pretty good show to watch – however it turns out.

That’s a Wrap

The NBA regular season is over, and once again the Charlotte Bobcats have clinched the fourth seed of the Southeast Division. The season’s 35-47 record helps to validate the careers of local sportswriters and Bob Johnson haters, Rick Bonnell and Scott Fowler (Charlotte Observer). Both predicted that the Bobcats had no chance of making it into the postseason this year and repeated that sentiment frequently. The Bobcats did give their supporters a little taste of what it’s like to watch a playoff race late in the season, but then left everyone unsatisfied.

The 2008-2009 season was certainly the best year for the team’s relevance amongst the sports world. Making headlines with personnel moves and upset wins helped the Cats appear newsworthy for the first time in franchise history. While Bobcats Baseline will surely provide deeper analysis and review of the past season, here’s a quick list of some of the important and encouraging events of this season.

• Sam Vincent Fired As Head Coach
• Larry Brown Selected As New Head Coach
• DJ Augustin Drafted (Alexis Ajinca also selected late in the first round)
• Training Camp Observed By NC Basketball Royalty (Dean Smith and Michael Jordan)
• Bobcats Trade Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley for Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Sean Singletary
• Juwan Howard Signed For the Season
• Cats Trade Matt Carroll for Desagana Diop
• Bobcats Defeat the Lakers in LA. . . G. Wallace Suffers Rib & Lung Injuries
• Charlotte Retains Raymond Felton Despite Trade Talks
• Bobcats Trade Adam Morrison & Shannon Brown for Vladimir Radmanovich
• Cartier Martin Signed (from D League)
• Amidst Playoff Chase, Bobcats Defeat Lakers in Charlotte
• Franchise High 35 Wins – Final Home Game (76ers)

Blow It Up

The Bobcats look horrible this season. Three Wins, Seven Losses. Only 30%-40% of the arena seats are filled. Even the cable broadcasts are screwed up this year.

There’s nothing to do but blow the whole thing up.

Larry Brown’s “system” just isn’t cutting it. Perhaps, the personnel is lacking? Perhaps, the game has changed too much for this old man? Whatever the answer may be, the Bobcats have put a sad product together and shoveled it out onto the floor this season. That much must be recognized.

The embarrassment suffered last night to the Dallas Mavericks was the last straw for this ‘Cats apologist. This team will find little success until major changes are made. Whether it be changes to the roster or the coach’s offensive philosophy, the Bobcats need a shakeup. Until then, the Playoffs are a fantasy. The Mavericks were once the laughing stock of the league (for about a decade). Then, they got it together. It’s about time for the Bobcats to cut the fans some slack and get it together. Seriously guys, I know Jason Richardson was out but no team’s starting line up should feature Matt Carroll.

Let’s review who has been Entirely Worthless vs. the players who have only been Somewhat Worthless.

ENTIRELY WORTHLESS:

Sean May (hungry, hungry hippo)
Matt Carroll (c’mon man, get it together)
Andre Brown (he played in the opening game. . . then?)
Linton Johnson (Jermareo was released to pick up this guy – for what?)

SOMEWHAT WORTHLESS:

Emeka Okafor (Not quite a top-tier big man, but his contract would fool you)
Nazr Mohammed (We’ve rarely seen this guy)
Alexis Ajinca (Such a work in progress)
Ryan Hollins (While he’s energetic, he doesn’t fill the huge hole that the Cats have)

The question must be asked – “Why are all of the Bobcats’ big men worthless?” Primarily, this is due to their inability to rebound or score in the paint. Secondly, no big man has arisen as a defensive presence this season. Okafor has been serviceable, but not quite 72 million dollars worth of service.

We should expect some sort of trade for a real big man or a change to the starting line up in the next few weeks. Maybe, this is just an overreaction? Maybe not? Stability is often important, but the Pistons and Nuggets seem to be doing okay after their recent swap. Ryan Hollins’ willingness to play ball inside the paint and run the floor with intensity might just give him a shot at starting a few times this year. Maybe a Hollins / Okafor / Wallace / Richardson / Felton lineup wouldn’t be so bad. It sure beats starting Sean May or Matt Carroll.

Additionally, don’t get fooled by the stat sheet that shows record of DJ Augustin’s big point total against the Mavericks. Augustin didn’t actually succeed as a point guard in the game, he simply racked up a lot of “garbage time” points. The entire game could be considered garbage time for the ‘Cats. Dallas was up by so much and the starters were off of the court for about 40 minutes of the match. When a team loses by such a big margin and their point guard has a big scoring night, it’s safe to surmise that he wasn’t “facilitating the offense” with any success. Maybe the Bobcats have found their identity. The Lakers used to be called “Show Time!” Now, the Bobcats can reserve – “Garbage Time!”

-Mike S.