For weeks now, possibly all season, I’ve struggled for words to put in this space.  I could call it writers block but I’d rather call it what it is and that’s confusion.  One night I’ll start right after work, I even have a draft on here, “The Marked Improvement of Raymond Felton.”  Well I haven’t gone back to it because I’m not sure I can mark it.  He was on the right side of the assist to turnover ratio and when I started looking at other point guards I was suddenly smacked with the reality that Ray wasn’t half the assister of any of the Nash, Deron Williams, CP3 or any of the top guys.

I started another last week that lamented the Bobcats inability to close a game.  Then the whole Tyson Chandler/Gerald Wallace, which should have been Boris Diaw vs. The World, thing went down.  Tyson has since had a stress fracture or reaction or sprain or something in his surgically repaired foot and will sit at least 1 week, if not longer.

I don’t know what’s wrong with DJ Augustin either.  Poor guy isn’t getting the minutes he’s used to.  26.5 per last year to 18.3 this year.  Looking at his PPG, compared to MPG he may be more efficient.  DJ is lost in the shuffle of Ray, Gerald, Flip and Steven Jackson.  It’s just difficult to put a 5’1″ (no way he’s actually 6′) spot up shooter out there if you have 2-3 guys at all times that can dribble-drive and penetrate a little better I guess.  I’m still confused though.

I was really confused about this Tyson Chandler situation.  I thought he was coming in 100% healthy and he was a really good rebounder and shot blocker (if not alterer).  So far we’ve heard that any comments about his will are “A bunch of bull” and his rebounds are down 1.7 per game over last year when he was hurt most of the year.  So we’re not getting the whole story on this guy.  Is he hurt?  Is he unmotivated?  Does he not like the system?  Does he not understand the system?  Does he have a legit beef with Gerald for taking into question his heart?  I say wait and see but this guy is looking like a salary dump over Okafor at this point.

Larry Brown often baffles me.  He is so forthcoming and open to whatever questions the media have for him, happy to speak his mind but I can’t wrap my head around the rotations or the decision to send Alexis Ajinca down to the D- League.  I’d love it if somebody could give me the number of different lineups the guy has used this year and each line’s specific effectiveness.  He goes completely on feel and I have a feeling none of the players can get a clue to what the feel is or what their roles are.

When you look down the minutes per game, you have Gerald and Jax at around 40 per game.  After that, Ray and Diaw around 34 and after those 4 it’s a pile of dudes at 25 – 12.  With Tyson out with the first substantial time injury, the amount of games that Gerald “NBA Ready” Henderson and Derrick “Solid Play Every Minute” Brown have been DNP-CD is baffling.  8 games each neither has seen the court and the minutes range around 12.2 for Brown and 9.8 for Henderson.

Neither rookie is a defensive liability, neither is a dud on offense either.  What is the problem?  I don’t see Stephen Graham or Flip Murray making huge impacts on games.  I certainly don’t see Boris Diaw playing lights out.  Give the kids a shot Larry, that’s all I’m asking.

I can’t put my finger on anything.  I can’t say “that’s what/who/why we won/lost this game” because I just don’t see any of it.  I guess I just have to see all of it and take it as it comes.  I’d like to see this team dictating games, dictating the matchups and dictating the final minutes in a meaningful way.  Hasn’t happened yet, not sure why….this is confusion.

After a disappointing loss in Oklahoma City, the Bobcats were home last night to face the Milwaukee Bucks, who they are battling for playoff position. This would be the final game played at Time Warner Cable Arena this decade (the Bobcats play one more game before New Year’s, but that’s in Toronto), and the Bobcats didn’t disappoint.

Charlotte started the game of rather tepidly, with only Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton scoring the first 16 points and going into the second quarter with just a 23-20 lead. But in the second quarter, the ‘Cats took off, outscoring Milwaukee 33-14 and entering the half with a 22 point lead. In the second half, Bucks coach Scott Skiles attempted to send a message to his team by sitting stars Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut, and they were able to pull within 10, but never closer. Gerald Wallace scored 21 and had 14 boards, while Stephen Jackson had 12 points and Raymond Felton had 11. But tonight was all about the bench. Flip Murray dropped in 16, Stephen Graham contributed 11, and DJ Augustin and DeSagana Diop both had 7. Diop was credited with just one block, but from watching the game, he had at least three. This may have been Gana’s best game as a Bobcat, and he only played 12 minutes.

Post Game Quotes

Gerald Wallace: “I think, you know what, the first half was an A, the second half was a C. I think, the second half we got lazy, they got a lot of transition layups, a lot of transition wide-open shots, I think we got lacksadaisical with the lead, that we had. But I think the first half was great, we put ourselves in great position for the second half, and we were able to hold on.”

Gana Diop: on having more than the one official block – “Yeah, I got more than one, but I mean, I’m kind of used to that, from Dallas.”

on the bench: “We brought a lot of energy, you know what I’m saying, a kind of slow tempo of energy. Flip was real good on the break, we got a lot of rebounds, pushed the ball, and got a big lead in the first half.”

on coming in after watching all year: “Oh, I mean, it’s hard. But, being able to be out there and help the team, you know, being on the bench trying to cheer on my teammates, and work hard, come in for early practice, try to stay in shape, so I can get in there, I can do my job.”

on having inspiration to contribute: “Oh yeah, you got to. I mean, going early in the gym, with Cape [Assistant Coach Jeff Capel] and young guys, even though I got 9 years, DJ Augustin’s killin me. But yeah I just try to stay in shape and be ready for moments like this…it’s a long season, 82 games, you just gotta stay ready.”

Stephen Jackson: “We’re gettin better. That’s all you can ask. Still got room to grow but we’re gettin better. We’re gettin better as a team.”

on how important it is to beat another team in playoff contention: “Yeah, cuz we’re gonna be fighting for that last spot, you know, the last couple spots, should I say, at the end of the season, so it’s good to get one up on them. You know we lost one at home [in Milwaukee] against them already, so to even it out feels good.”

Larry Brown: “You know the first half we were great. I know they missed some shots, but I thought the first half we played great defense. The second half, just thank God for Stephen Graham and Gerald Wallace.”

on Stevie Graham: “I just, you know, I can count on him. He runs on the break, he tries to defend, rebounds, plays with energy. He gets better every game…I can play him almost any position, he can guard almost any position, I love guys like that.”

Next Up: Toronto

The Bobcats manhandled the Raptors the last time they played, winning 116-81 in Charlotte, the widest margin of victory ever for a Bobcats team. But the Raptors are on a roll right now, and the Bobcats are tied for the fewest road wins in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets (1 apiece). When asked about the upcoming game, Gerald Wallace said “We’re like 1 and forever on the road. We gotta figure out something or we’re gonna be watching the playoffs, because, I mean, it’d be good if we could’ve won all 41 home games, that’d give us a pretty good chance but I don’t think we’re gonna do that. We gotta figure out something on the road. Toronto, they’re a great offensive team, they have shooters all the way out to their assistant coaches, so we’re gonna have to figure out something for us as a team to prepare mentally and physically and what we can do to come out and be better on the road.” The game can be seen locally on Fox Sports Carolinas and heard on the radio on WBCN

Sup everybody, BETCATS checking back in. If you are reading this, i would like to wish you a happy holiday season. At the time i wrote my last piece for the site, the Bobcats were struggling. A lot of us were panicking and we were all starting to think maybe the playoffs are out of reach. The faith in our team to get the job done was questionable. We then went on a little win streak, and everyone was satisfied temporarily. But that was then.

Fast forward to today, the Bobcats are struggling again.  Once again, some of my fellow Bobcat fans have gone into panic mode. Talks that the season is already over and a total meltdown is in site are in full swing. I feel it is needed to give a reminder we are only 26 games into the season. However, from those 26 games we can start to see some trends.

1) Boris Diaw has issues.  I am not sure where they spawned from, but he has them. Diaw has been underachieving this entire season. At first i was willing to contribute it to injuries. But the more i watch him play, the more obvious it is that he does not want to be playing basketball. Maybe it was Bell leaving. Maybe it was the fact the Suns are good this year. Maybe something was said to him by somebody in the organization after he hurt himself over the summer. But whatever the problem is, it has turned Diaw into a shadow of what he was for us last season. The only way i see the Diaw issue being resolved is Diaw ‘snapping out of it’ or being traded. Either way, it is going to be painful until it ends.

2) Tyson Chandler is trying, and it will pay off. I know he has pissed us all off with his recent quote, but lets just move on. Tyson said what he said, and the team will deal with it. As fans, lets not keep on crucifiying him.  When watching Tyson play, you can tell he is putting effort in, unlike Diaw.  He might have a bad case of the “i miss CP3 blues” , but he will adapt to our team soon enough. We are requiring him to work on offense, something that is foreign to him. But he is shooting free throws well and he is attacking the basket. I expect  to pick up the pace by mid-season aka mid-season form.

3) Larry Brown is making some very questionable decisions. Not playing DJ. Not playing Henderson enough. Not playing Nazr when it counts. Not playing Derrick Brown when we need him the most. Putting too much pressure on Flip to make big plays. Not giving Stephen Jackson the ball in clutch situations and letting him finish out the game….I could go on and on and on and on. But these are just some of the perks that you get when LB is your coach.  I think Larry is still experimenting with the rotations, and i hope he figures them out by the ASG break. Last year, Larry also did a lot of things i can only describe as ‘strange’ and it is re-occurring this year. But hey, I.L.B.I.T.

Now comes the part of this when i make my plea to my Bobcat brethren that are in panic mode. I ask that you all just wait before throwing in the towel on the season. Yes, all the 3 things i outlined are concerning. Yes, there is more than what I said to be concerned about. But please, we are 26 games into the season. Lets not pass judgement until all 82 games have been played.

I WANT THE TRUTH!  You can’t handle the truth.

Thanks Jack.  BigCat here, I was just mulling all this “Gerald Wallace calls out Tyson Chandler and Boris Diaw, Tyson Chandler plays well and tells Gerald where to stick it” stuff.  I’m not impressed.  All I want to know is, who is showing up every night?  Who is going to make the plays to put this team ahead or bring this team up from behind and steal a victory.  Neither has happened of late.  One win against 6 losses in the last…..umm, carry the, seven games.

It’s frustration.  It’s anger.  It’s answering a question while you’re sitting in your locker trying to get dressed and go home or catch a flight right after you lost again.  This time at home, again.

I figure there are 2 ways of looking at most things: big picture and picking it apart down to the bare bones of it.  To pick this apart, I’d have to do a little play for you:

Charlotte, NC Saturday Dec 19 approx 9:45 PM

Random Reporter:  ”So Gerald, tough game tonight…what do you think the major issue was”

Gerald Wallace:  ”Well, down the stretch we couldn’t close the gap and whenever you’re getting 8 rebounds from your 4 and 5, you aren’t going to be successful.  However we all have our own crosses to bear, for example my 2 missed free throws in the final 3 minutes.”

(SCENE)

New York, NY Sunday Dec 20 approx 10 PM

Random Reporter:  ”So, Tyson, tough game tonight but you did have a season high in points and rebounds.  Did your improved play have anything to do with Gerald Wallace calling you out after last night’s loss?”

Tyson Chandler:  ”Thanks for noticing.  No, my high totals at the end of the game had a bit more to do with Gerald not being in tonight’s game and I wish him well in his recovery from a headache.   I think it’s bull personally.  You guys are making much to big a deal about this.”

Random Reporter:  ”Would you have any words for Gerald going into the next game?”

TC:  ”When you lose and play like we do, you can’t say that someone else is the problem. I don’t feel like we’re good enough to point fingers.”

ahhhhhh and (SCENE)

This is a bit of a trumped up fairy tale version that I happened to make up.  The larger point is Gerald and Tyson are not going toe to hurt toe in the locker room.  No one in the league can be that sensitive.  I’ve had people say “What Gerald had to say was true but you don’t go whining to the media about it.”  My answer is, if not him, if not something, who and what can they say?

Some people would say leave it up to the coach to say stuff like that.  That’s fine but a 6th year starter and the best player on the team and the captain can say what he wants about the other players.  Was he wrong?

I don’t like that this has become Gerald vs Tyson because the least troublesome to me is Tyson’s production.  Boris Diaw however bothers me immensely.  Boris is a player of promise and skill except when he doesn’t feel like it or he’s hurt or any of a million other things that we all let get in the way.  Boris let’s other things get in the way more than any player on the team.  I want to know when he will become consistent one way or another because you can do something about good or bad but you can’t do anything when you’re all of these at the same time.

My big picture is, no one is doing all they can, not even Gerald Wallace or Stephen Jackson.  I want to see leadership out of Stephen.  I want to see dedication and concentration out of Raymond Felton.  I want to see concentration and control out of Gerald Wallace.  I want more fight and tenacity out of all the “bigs” Tyson, Nazr and Ganna especially.

More than anything I want to know when?  I know what I want, I know how they can do it, if you don’t see the “why” then you wouldn’t be reading this, and we’re fully aware of the “who” but when?  When will these guys build on what they know and execute the way they know they can?  It wasn’t Saturday, it wasn’t Sunday and it certainly wasn’t when they were sitting there in their lockers getting dressed and answering questions about how other people are playing.

This is the year they have to do it.  They have to start really rolling after the Christmas break.  Larry, the coaches, all the players have to do what we all know they can do and have done on individual account and in the past.  The time is now and I don’t want to hear anything until they do.

The Bobcats lost to the Jazz last night 110 – 102, This however was no fault of Gerald Wallace who busted his ass on the court to the tune of 30 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Unfortunately not everyone has been in the same level of effort as Crash *cough* BORIS DIAW *cough*… excuse me, must be my hayfever acting up again. Crash decided to make his thoughts public and for this we applaud him.

This man approves of Gerald Wallace's comments

“You look between our 4-man and our 5-man, we got eight rebounds,” Wallace said. “I don’t think we’re taking pride in our defensive assignments, personally. We’re not coming out and taking pride in helping our teammates.”

Wallace, who has 16 double-doubles, was asked how to fix Charlotte’s problems.

“You tell me. Can you fix somebody’s heart? Can you fix somebody’s effort?” Wallace said. “That’s a personal thing. That’s something that person has to deal with mentally: Whether he wants it or not, or whether he’s up to the task to come out and competing with us every night.”

Stephen Jackson who has been doing his part also chimed in with the following:

“You’ve got to look in the mirror,” Jackson said. “We’re all blessed to have this job. We’re all blessed to be able to take care of our families. I think we owe it to our teammates and yourself to go out there and play with more respect for the game.”

After hearing those comments from their teammates, let’s hope that Boris Diaw, and yes you too Tyson Chandler show some heart and begin to play with the effort that the rest of their team is every single night