Charlotte Bobcats / New York Knicks Recap… What the Hell just happened?

Posted by on Dec 31, 2008 in New York Knicks | 0 comments

What the Hell just happened?
 
Did the New York Knicks just come into town and whoop the Bobcats ass?  I know Ziggy and I sort of centered on Nate ”Little People, Big World” Robinson.  We held him to what like 6 points?  2 of those were on last minute free throws.  How did the Bobcats lose the game?  The Knicks are horrible.  I am going to have to be honest here, I had a lot to drink tonight pre-game, gametime, post-game, 
That was last night .  I’m up and at work finally, believe it or not and yes I have a headache and I am pissed that I have to be here, even for a half a day.  But hey I’ve got Friday off to get all jacked up for the Home and Home series against the Bucks of Milwaukee.  I’m so mad about last nights game I can’t even come up with ways to verbalize it but here’s a try:  I’m starting to believe BCP member Mustachio that Matt Carroll drags this team down when he’s in the game.  It’s painful to watch him try to cover on defense and then go stand in the corner and try to disappear on offense.  Whoever said he was better as a “secret weapon” was right.  He cannot start for this team and should be thrown out there when we have the upper hand in a lot of the matchups and he can spot up for threes or drive and spot up or get to the line.  He hasn’t had a FT attempt in like 4 games! He is averaging .6 attempts per game.  Oh and by the way Mr. Automatic from the line, the guy who grabbed a few headlines a couple years ago for being 97/98%, he’s .765 from the line this year.  The other line out there on the court is the 3 point line, supposedly the Hammer’s specialty.  MC is hitting .194 from “beyond the arc.”  Sidebar: Is anyone else sick of the 3-4 phrases overused by Sportscenter and local sports anchors for a 3 point shot?  “Beyond the arc,” ”Downtown,” “3-point land.”  It’s just not great but hey what are they going to say?  “From the area that gives you an additional point more than a usual field goal?”
 
So Matt Carroll starts, gets 2 quick, crappy looking fouls and the New York D’Antoni’s pull out to I don’t know like a 30 point lead.  Yes if i remember correctly in the first quarter it was 45-15, correct, way to have a memory BIGCat.  I don’t know who’s doing what because I have friends at the game and they are waving at me from the founders level and I’m flashing the chicks some pasty white, hairy, belly.  It’s gross but it’s who I am, don’t JUDGE ME!  Anyway, the shot clock isn’t working but the PA announcer is just fine.  “10″ “5″ shut up man.  What’s the problem?  Then for time outs and stuff they don’t have the horn working so they are blowing some kind of horrible weak sounding air horn.  It was just not going the right way.  Then the clock on the center scoreboard/Bobcats TV goes out and D’Antoni pitches a fit.  Does anyone pitch a fit better than D’Antoni?  Towards the end of the game, when the Bobcats were coming back, he starts jumping up and down and flailing his arms, his suit jacket is going everywhere, I in 216 couldn’t see his face but I am willing to bet it looked hilarious.  That mustache is awesome.  Did all these guys, my dad included, grow a mustache back in ’76-’82 and keep it for the next 30 years?  You don’t see many good mustaches on young guys.  Mine is part of the goatee but I doubt I could rock the ‘stache alone.  Man my brain is fried. 
 
Speaking of the ‘stache, Adam Morrison enters the game late/mid (shut up, I don’t remember) in the 2nd quarter and things just sort of pick up.  If Raja has a serious injury I want either Hollins, Howard or Morrison starting in his place.  Oh, and if he does have a slightly serious, painful groin pull, get the guy some heat and treatments and let him sit for a bit.  I do not want injuries to chip away at this team.  Groins and ankles can nag on you but you play through it and end up either re-injuring that or the other ankle trying to favor the injured one or something.  I just don’t think we’re on some kind of roll to keep hurt guys playing.  Back to Morrison, I’m trying really hard to concentrate I promise, Morrison comes in and plays pretty good D and gets a couple rebounds but he did throw the ball away and he was hesitant to shoot.  It took him a full 4 minutes to shoot then he missed 2 3-point attempts.  I cannot remember if the second one of those (around the 4 min left in the half mark) was the air-ball which drew BOOS and then insult to injury the baseline camera zoomed in on the back of his jersey.  That to me was pretty crappy.  Actually, Morrison had 12 minutes, 3 shot attempts (all 3s all misses), no rebounds (I was wrong), 1 assist, 1 block and 1 foul.  That is a horrible line in the box score.  Carroll, not much better with 2-6 shooting, 4 points, 3 rebounds, a turnover and a steal.  That’s out of 14 minutes.
 
I’m not lumping these 2 together but man, out of a combined 26 minutes they didn’t do anything but at least Morrison moved.  So now that we have Diaw, who got us back into the game with some really nice 3′s towards the end but ended up fouling out, Diaw makes Okafor better.  Those two guys have been playing mondo minutes the last few games.  (37 for each last night, 43 Saturday, 44 and 36 in the win last Friday)  So we’re pretty set with Okafor at the 5 and Diaw at the 4/3, Ray at 1, Wallace at the 3/4 (not the 4 but Diaw isn’t a legit 4 either).  Bell doesn’t consistently do anything: play (he’s missed pretty much 2 complete games since he’s been here); score (didn’t score in his first 3 games with the team); or defend really (I don’t think he is a true “lock-down” defender).  So he’s not the answer for our 5th starter/minute hog.  Who is?  Not Carroll he gets us off to a really bad start every time.  Morrison is obviously not Larry’s choice and ILBIT.  DJ won’t start because Larry keeps on about foul trouble for Felton and DJ on the court at the same time.  It won’t be Hollins as much as many of us would love to see.  Who is left?  Singletary, Howard, Ajinca, Brown, May and Mohammed.  I don’t see these guys seeing the court any time soon.  It’s a problem and I do NOT think it’s a quick fix through a trade or any semblance there of.
 
I really still don’t see how the Knicks won.  No one dominated, no one played defense.  They didn’t get much above 90.  So it would seem the Bobcats controlled the game even from a trailing position throughout the game.  The shots didn’t fall.  No one got to the line.  It was ugly and her-key-jerky.  No shot clock, no rhythm, no plays even.  It was ugly, sloppy, boring, exciting, infuriating and annoying all at once.  It was a tough night really.  They had like 3 chances to get the lead in the last 30 seconds and couldn’t pull it off.  That’s how I remember it anyway….

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Charlotte Bobcats / New York Knicks preview 12/30

Posted by on Dec 30, 2008 in New York Knicks | 0 comments

New Year’s Eve, Eve, sounds exciting but to a Bobcats fan, it’s not.  New York seems to have Charlotte’s number.  4 straight wins against Charlotte with the world’s biggest tiny bad attitude going for 20+ in 3 of those games.  Nate Robinson is the bane of my existence as a player in the NBA.  I don’t like the little guy plays hard and dunks attitude, because he tries to look like a bad-ass.  Mugsey Bogues and Spud Webb (both had awesome nicknames by the way) knew what they were, played hard and enjoyed it.  Nate knows he’s short, puts on this attitude of “Yeah, baller bad ass over here” and no one I know actually likes him.  

Rant against Nate “Ball-o-fire” Robinson complete.  Do you realize in the last 6 games he is coming off the bench and averaging 25+?  Did you also know that the Knicks have lost all 6 of those games?  Over the past 6 games for the Bobcats, 4-2 with Emeka Okafor putting up points, rebounds and sure he gets his blocks.  It’s the addition of Boris Diaw and his amazing passing ability from wherever he sets up on the floor and dude can also move with the ball a bit.  This frees up Mek because the other defender at least has to pay attention.  This all may be obvious but I think we need to put the spotlight on it and enjoy it.  It’s a thing of beauty when it works.   

Raja Bell is out, likely with a groin injury.  It looked nasty somehow in the NJ game at Charlotte.  He went straight down and I thought he just got junked or something.  What am I say “just” got junked?  I have never done anything horrible to my groin, well the interior muscles anyway, but I can imagine how that would hurt.  When I was in physical therapy I remember them telling me the importance of stretching the groin.  Not only is it about the legs and the actual areas you can feel but those muscles go all the way in toward your spine and it’s in your core.  No fun, so yeah Raja take your time, buddy.  

 That begs the question: “what to do with the #2?”  We know Larry Brown doesn’t want to start DJ, who may also be pretty nicked up, beside Felton because of the ability to get both or either in foul trouble early.  So, looking down the list of leading scorers, Wallace, Diaw, Okafor, Felton, Augustin, Bell and then Morrison, Shannon Brown, McMay, Carroll and Hollins.  Morrison hasn’t played more than 10 mins in a game since November.  We here at BobcatsPlanet have had a pretty hearty discussion about Rick Bonnell’s Blog and our opinions and reactions to not only his argument but the timeliness and reason-ability in making it.  Adam Morison is no Kwame Brown, Darko or even a Jay Williams.  He’s a true ballplayer, but he’s either under used or misused, hurt or heady.  Poor kid has been so over analyzed and mostly poorly.  I remember reading a blog in this spot back in the off season that stated Morrison wouldn’t be the player he could be because he was known to enjoy Rage Against the Machine and wear Che Guevara t-shirts or something.  Now Bonnell is calling him a bust.  Why?  Why is this the time and place to say that?  Nail the coffin of a guy who has only played in 105 total games, averaged 10 points per and averaged 25 minutes per game…I don’t get it.  Why not ask the coach the questions.  Get some damn quotes Bonnell.  Sidebar: I’m so tired of NBA reporting coming from “a source” and reporters going off of pure speculation.  Larry Brown will give you the quotes.  How the hell do his post game pressers go so slowly?  Are the local reporters scared of him?   

So back to the question who starts in place of Raja?  I’m guessing Carroll, who has not impressed me at all.  Dude better come strong tomorrow.  2 steals and 13 points with a couple assists in 20 mins is what I expect out of him, and he has underperformed.  DJ and Bell, 2 of the top 6 in PPG and minutes are possibly not playing.  Although DJ did not look horribly hurt towards the end of the game on Saturday.  Here is what I would like to see, assuming these two are as hurt as I assume:  DJ and Bell deactivated, get rest, get healthy.  Shannon Brown and Ryan Hollins activated in their place.  Let Carroll start, it’s his spot given his pay scale.  If he has a nice run or is just effective out on the court, let him play, if not, jerk his ass and put in Morrison.  Heavy minutes for the “b” and “c” teams.  Singletary, Howard, Hollins and Brown need about 17 mins each.  Let us find out what we’ve got in these guys.  Unless Larry knows something I don’t, which I really hope he does because ILBIT.

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The turning point?

Posted by on Dec 27, 2008 in New Jersey Nets | 0 comments

Turning Point  

Bobcats win in New Jersey on game one of a home and home series. 

The Charlotte Bobcats held Devin Harris in check, allowing possibly the hottest player not named Lebron or Kobe in the league to 14 points on 4 of 15 shooting.  This is game one of a back to back series against the New Jersey Nets; tonight the same teams face off in Charlotte.  The ‘Cats are 4-1 out of their last 5 games, scoring back-to-back victories for the 3rd time this season, but they have yet to win that 3rd straight, we’ll see how it goes tonight.  When I say we, I mean hopefully I will be included.  You see I’m still at the family home up in the Raleigh area, last night I was dying to watch some Bobcats Basketball but out of the literal 855 channels my parents get, it was not to be found.  The day after Christmas must be the prime day to watch sports on TV.  I know I was about tired of “Anytime, Any Place, the Super Sleuths are on the CASE!” coming from my niece’s new favorite toy, something to do with Winnie the Pooh, but they replaced Christopher Robin with a girl, well kind of girl named DAR-BEEEE!  All I wanted to do last night around 7 was have a sandwich and 5 beers and watch my basketball team but they were no where to be found.  I could have watched the Czar and the Back-Biter call the game on an online feed but my mother was trying to figure out the best way to return whatever     she didn’t want to keep out of her presents and return the belt too small for my Dad.  Ahh,Christmas! 

I have always seen Christmas as the beginning of basketball season; I guess the real beginning for college and the turning point of the NBA regular season.  There are 2 seasons in both.  College has their regular season, sort of split between out of conference and conference play then “March Madness.”  In the NBA there is the regular season and the playoffs.  To get to the playoffs you have to be one of the best 8 teams in your conference, right before Christmas the Bobcats were second to last in the East but a mere 3.5 games out of the 8th spot.  Check out this thread to see what BCP thinks of the chances right now.  I figure the numbers point to the Bobcats needing about 25% more victories over the next 52 games, plus their current winning % of 35, 60% would probably get it.  60% of 52, carry the one and ugh, 31-32 wins over the next 52 games, plus the 11 we have already is 42.  Can the Bobcats be a 42 win team?  Right now?  This year?  What?  I think we need the Super Sleuths on the case….. 

Somehow the Bobcats can’t play the same way two nights in a row for whatever reason, we’ll see if they do tonight, prove me wrong.  New Jersey is pretty good, but who is their coach?  Who is the Veteran Leadership on this team to hold them together and bring them to Charlotte to get a win after losing to the Bobcats last night….Nobody?  Vince Carter has been in the league 10 years and cared for approximately 2, next down the veteran list is Najera, I don’t know him to be a leader, Stromile Swift 8 year vet, Trenton Hassell, whatever….I’m just saying yeah they are currently 7th in the east, Harris is scoring points in buckets but the Bobcats had their number.  Last night with the win the Bobcats jumped 2 of the 6 teams they were behind in the east (New York and Indiana).  Tonight they have the opportunity to pull even with Philly and Toronto.  (All these are in the Win column only) 

See what 3 wins can do?  Then Tuesday at home against NYK, another Home and Home with Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday.  Cap that with Boston at home and I’d say the turning point in the season turns this team into a natural contender for the 7th or 8th spot in the East.  

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Bobcats / Warriors Recap 12/21

Posted by on Dec 21, 2008 in Golden State Warriors | 0 comments

Bobcats/Warriors Wrap-Up 

Ahh, the joys of being a Bobcats fan.  One night you see the most complete game put together by a Bobcats team ever in a 29 point blowout in Memphis; the next night, at home, we’re treated to a 7 point loss at the hands of the Golden State Warriors.  Something really didn’t seem right last night.  It felt like a total screw-job by the refs but that’s easy to blame.  The fouls were actually pretty even when you look at the box score.  23 fouls on GSW and 27 on the Bobcats.  It was the way they came and the deflating power of BS calls, at least from my seat up in the two one six.   

It was also Jamal Crawford.  Dude was hitting threes like it was his job, 5 for 8 on the night and 14 of 26 on the night on all FG’s.  Get this one 17 of 18 from the line.  Even though the fouls were close the attempts were not even close.  36 attempts for Golden State and 23 for the Bobcats.  The biggest difference was in the 3rd quarter.  9 attempts and 6 makes for the Warriors compared to 3 attempts and 3 made for the Bobcats.  Not only that but 5 three pointers for GSW and two for the Bobcats, yikes.  The quarter started with the game tied.  Bobcats jump out to a 5 point lead in the first 2.5 mins losing it in the next 3, never to see it again.  Down by 8 to start the 4th and 2 offensive fouls and 3 turnovers to start the quarter didn’t help at all.  Threes by Felton, Wallace, Diaw and Bell in the final 4.5 mins kept me there but when Okafor missed two free throws that could have made the game 103-106, it was time to go.   

Okafor not only missed 2 free throws he missed them badly.  The second shot, an air ball from what I could tell behind the basket and up 2 floors, drew boos from the crowd left in the arena.  It was pretty deflating really.  I’m not blaming Okafor or the refs and I don’t feel I could credit the win completely to Crawford’s 50 points.  It was combination all of it.  Momentum is huge in all forms of basketball but especially in an NBA arena in front of 13,000 paying fans.  There was no shot of the Bobcats getting it back in the 3rd or the 4th quarter.  It was too hard with the threes put up by Golden State and the fouls put on the Bobcats, valid ones and bs ones as well.  It was damn frustrating and I call BS on enough of the calls that didn’t go our way.  In my section, I heard quite a few people say if I was the coach I would be sitting in the locker room, I’d get tossed as well.  I’m not saying it’s on Larry Brown to swing the foul calls but when they dominate a game that much, one guy getting 18 attempts and the next highest was 11 (Gerald Wallace), I expect a little more.  There’s your difference right there, 17 points from the line for Crawford and 9 from Gerald and I can’t believe the calls for Crawford compared to the non-calls for Wallace.  It’s just not evident from the way they play on the eyeball test. 

Frustrating!  But props to Gerald for 26, Raja for 21 (finally) and a consistent award for Okafor and Ray for their 13 rebounds and 3 blocks for Okafor, 12 points too and 14 points 8 assists for Ray.  I want to know what the previous high for points against the Bobcats was, anybody?  Anybody?

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Bobcats / Grizzlies Recap 12/20

Posted by on Dec 20, 2008 in Memphis Grizzlies | 0 comments

Bobcats @ Grizzlies 12/19/08 Recap 

What a complete victory?  Top to bottom just a beat down of an inferior team.  I can say that tonight after such a huge win, I mean come on have you seen the box score?  25, 26, 22 from Mek, Diaw and Wallace respectively.  Raja was all over Mayo, first to hold him under 10 ever in the NBA.  The PG’s with 18 total assists.  Ajinca came in for some garbage minutes (under 4 total) scored 6 points on 3-4 shooting.  The whole team was .658 from the field.  Rebounds were 41 to 23!  Just complete domination on both ends and a complete victory, not much else I can say.   

Memphis does not impress me.  They are so young and inexperienced and don’t seem like they can run a play or something.  Mike Ivaroni has his work cut out for him.  The team leaders are Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo, possibly the worst sports combo name in existence.  The Gay-Mayo combo looks like a joke from strange wedding couples or something Leno would do.  I know that’s mean and you shouldn’t make fun of people’s last names because seriously, unless they want to change it to something like Ocho Cinco you can’t do anything about your last name.  That’s a very Berman thing to do.   

DJ Augustin is a huge bright spot on this team.  I know consecutive games of him playing well and the other high draft pick, Mayo and previously Rose, not playing well, is going to get things going on the ROY talk.  My buddy DJ didn’t get the points but he did play well.  2 points 10 assists but 5 turnovers.  I was trying to remember the last Rookie of the Year that was a PG and forgot about one of my least favorite players: Chris Paul.  According to this: Paul, the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, averaged rookie highs of 16.1 points, 7.8 assists, 2.24 steals and posted 21 double-doubles to lead the Hornets to a 20-win improvement over last season.  Previous to tonight’s game, DJ is averaging 13.9, 4.5 and .6 steals.  The 10 assists will help but 2 points and 0 steals won’t help.  Dude is 4th among rookies in scoring and 2nd in assists.  He’ll be fine, I’m not saying he’s leading the race for ROY but a couple more 25+ nights and we need to get a chant started.  How do you chant Rookie of the Year?  Or ROY?   

I look forward to tomorrow night against Golden State.  They got handled tonight in Atlanta, losing 115-99.  5 of the Hawks finished with double figures lead by Marvin Williams’ 22.  I see Diaw and Okafor going off again tomorrow night.  Those two seem to be finding a rhythm.  Brandan Wright was one of GSW’s high point men tonight but I doubt he’ll do the same tomorrow.  Marco Belinelli had 27 but Bell isn’t tired from chasing around the likes of Mayo and Gay.  Let’s get a roll going here ‘Cats.  I need it after this week of traffic and shopping hassles.  Seriously, have you seen it out there?

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