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Bobcats' strong finish sets tone for next season
RICK BONNELL
rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com
New York City is a hassle, but it's also a place where you're welcome to dream big.
So cut the Charlotte Bobcats some slack for sounding loopy optimistic after they beat the New York Knicks on Monday in
Madison Square Garden. That game represented three wins in a row and five victories in seven games. It was hope that something
good might happen next season, after all the injuries finally heal.
"Thirty to 35 wins, for sure,'' next season, Primoz Brezec told a reporter in one corner. "We're heading in
the right direction."
Fifteen feet away, Jake Voskuhl was explaining the carryover value of finishing strong.
"It's huge because it sets a tone for next season," Voskuhl said. "And a mindset that we can win games,
that we can be a playoff team."
For all the reality checks to the contrary -- the Bobcats' 26-56 final record tied Atlanta for third-worst in the league
-- it's true that some good came of this injury-ravaged second season.
It's also true that if Brezec is right (and 35 victories would be a big jump), the Bobcats would spend much of next season
in a playoff race. Recall that a 40-42 record (Milwaukee) got in this season.
Coach-general manager Bernie Bickerstaff likes how this sounds.
"I don't have any problem with guys feeling that way," Bickerstaff said of the playoff talk. "We're not
afraid to have expectations.''
Just don't fast-forward too quickly. Rather, stop and reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly of Bobcats season No.
2.
THE GOOD
Wallace's emergence: It's striking how thoroughly Gerald Wallace has improved since he showed up here in the expansion
draft.
He had great natural skills as a defender, but by his own admission, he didn't understand the game or how to blend what
he did well with what others did. Now he's one of the league's best help defenders, grabbing steals and blocking shots, and
he understands how to score without taking shots that are beyond his ability.
It's interesting how much you learn from hard times. The Bobcats had no choice but to move Wallace from small forward
to power forward, after Emeka Okafor, Sean May and Melvin Ely were hurt (Ely less seriously). Then Wallace demonstrated a
better post-up game than coach Bernie Bickerstaff ever anticipated. They'll keep posting him up as a small forward, count
on it.
THE BAD
Okafor's endless ankle sprain: Once Okafor missed extended games with that sprained right ankle, any hope of 30 or more
wins was shot. As they're currently configured, the Bobcats aren't nearly good enough shooters to win regularly without their
best rebounder and post defender.
Also, without Okafor as goalie, the Bobcats couldn't be nearly as aggressive playing takeaway defense.
Wallace will happily hand the post defense chores back to Okafor.
"I'm banged and bruised,'' Wallace said. "He's in the weight room; he's built for it. He can have his keys back.''
THE UGLY
Rush's departure, part I: Bickerstaff's candor can be downright shocking sometimes. When he cut Rush, he included a line
in the announcement linking the decision to concerns about "hard work and maximum effort.''
Harsh? Perhaps, but it sent a message to the players about accountability that co-captain Brevin Knight applauded. Voskuhl
says this is one of the healthiest work environments in the NBA:
"He sets the tone for how we play,'' Voskuhl said of Bickerstaff. "It starts with him.''
Bobcats won't draft worse than 6th in June
Charlotte wins draw with Hawks to end tie
RICK BONNELL
rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com
As of Friday morning, the Charlotte Bobcats can lock in on their six favorites in the 2006 draft.
Sixth is the worst the Bobcats can pick in the June 28 draft, after they won a blind draw with the Atlanta Hawks to break
a tie. The Bobcats and Hawks each finished 26-56, the third-worst record in the NBA.
The first three picks are determined by a weighted lottery held May 23 among the teams missing the playoffs. The Bobcats
will have 138 out of 1,000 chances in that lottery, one more chance than the Hawks. If the top three picks go to teams other
than the Bobcats, Portland Trail Blazers (21-61) and New York Knicks (23-59), then the Bobcats will choose sixth.
The Knicks have already promised their pick to the Chicago Bulls as part of the trade for center Eddy Curry.
These tiebreakers can be significant. Last season the Bobcats lost a tiebreaker with the New Orleans Hornets that allowed
the Hornets to draft likely rookie of the year Chris Paul.
The Bobcats have no second-round pick. They owe that pick to the Los Angeles Clippers.
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