Bobcats vs. Pacers:”Slip Sliding Away” – Bobcats Lose 104-103

I’m not going to bore any reader with negative adjectives describing how poorly the Bobcats played the first three quarters of this game. The ‘Cats did not look like the team that upset the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics  just two nights ago, and they certainly did not look like they were playing a team coming into a back-to-back game after losing to Miami. Representative of that poor play was the under-the-basket-point-blank-shot miss by Gerald Henderson at the end of the third quarter.
The Bobcats started the game scoring the first eight points. Then the Bobcats transition defense decided to disappear for the remainder of the first half. This led to a ten point, 58-48, Pacer half-time lead. Both the Pacers and Bobcats share Head Coaching changes this year. Both teams know their fan base hungers for a play-off appearance, and both teams knew they were facing what is probably their main rival for the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference.

Part 3. The Wrap: NBA Head Coaches: From where do they come?

Currently, there are five NBA Head Coaching positions open. There is speculation that a sixth, the Atlanta Hawks, might also open. There is also speculation that Mike Brown, Cleveland Cavaliers, could lose his job if the Cavs fail to win a chapionship this year. Replacing Brown would give LeBron James the opportunity to select his own Head coach, keeping him with the Cavs.
This is the third part of our series and will look at the “unemployed” former NBA Head Coaches that are candidates, then offer up four “hiring scenarios”, giving my choice for each of those scenarios. This is in no way an attempt to push our current Head Coach, Larry Brown, out the door. It is well known that coach Brown works in Charlotte but his family lives in Philadelphia, which is a strain for Brown and his family.  If Coach Brown decides to leave I would certainly understand, given his work/family constraints. So I’ll also go out on a limb and offer my candidate as the Bobcats next Head Coach, should Larry Brown choose to leave us.

The former Head Coaches I’ll talk about (some very briefly) are Avery Johnson, Jeff Van Gundy, Byron Scott, Sam Mitchell, Paul Silas, Maurice Cheeks, Mike Fratello, Doug Collins, and Del Harris. I’ll group these candidates in three groups for discussion.
Avery Johnson (.735), Jeff Van Gundy (.574), and Byron Scott (.498) are the three “name” (or probably well-known) candidates I’ve listed. I’ve listed each candidate’s winning percentage during their tenures as an NBA Head Coach. These three will be brief since Jeff Van Gundy has given every indication he is not ready to return to the bench. Avery Johnson, who has an impressive winning percentage with an established play-off-caliber team, has made known his price will be high. Johnson is reportedly seeking a salary in the four million per year range. Johnson has also been criticised by the owner of his former team, Mark Cuban, as falling into an attitude of listening to no-one but himself. Byron Scott was released fron the Hornets for being “unwilling” to play (and develop) the team’s younger players. These three will all coach again in the NBA and Johnson may well get one of the current vacancies available this year, but I don’t see any of them in Charlotte.

Our next three candidates, Sam Mitchell (.452), Paul Silas (.470), and Maurice Cheeks (.498) all have had records less than .500 as NBA Head Coaches. I’m not going to spend much time with these three because of their losing records. This is not an indictment against any of the three as Head Coaches – teams and coaches oftentimes make poor job decisions. Part of any hiring process should be a match of philosophy and approach to the game. Too many times Head Coaching hires are made for reasons other than those. When problems flare within franchises and you hear “philosophical or approach differances” between a General Manager and a Head Coach, it makes you wonder why that was not caught when the coach was hired. I think any of these former Head Coaches could be successful, matched with the right team.
The third group of unemployed men consist of three former NBA Head Coaches that have winning percentages during their tenures – Mike Fratello (.549), Doug Collins (.536), and Del Harris (.549). Each of these candidates has certain strenghs and weaknesses, but all three have proven they are winning NBA Head Coaches.

Mike Fratello has a reputation as a “defensive minded” Head Coach. He also seems to get the most from his players, taking teams (think the Grizzlies) to the play-offs that others fail to do with the same talent level.
Doug Collins, arguably, was successful with more veteran-established teams – Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons. I’d argue that it is difficult for any Head Coach to win without talent. Collins has a winning record in the NBA and the Bobcats have established themselves as a play-off team, so any new Head Coach brought into the organization would inherit that team.

Del Harris is the oldest of these three candidates. Harris has been successful as a head Coach but has not held that position in the NBA since 1999. Recent years have seen Harris as an “establish coach” working as a mentor with younger Head Coaches. Harris most recently worked in this capacity with the New Jersey Nets, but left when the organization made clear that he would not be considered for the Head Coaching position when this season ended.
Three other candidates are Mike Woodson (.419), Eric Spoelstra (.549) , and Vinny Del Negro (.500). Speculation concerning Spoelstra are that Pat Riley, the team president of the Miami Heat, might return to the bench to help “recruit” one of the star free agents. Woodson is under fire for not meeting high expectations that the Hawks set. These three could affect hiring decisions by other organizations, particularly if Woodson and Spoelstra become available.

Let me lead into the “Scenario” sections with a few caveats. First, I’m not pushing Larry Brown out the door and as a matter of fact, despite my quibbles with Brown over rotations and player development, I’d rather see him return. My second caveat is this – my job is not on the line, as Rod Higgins would be with a coaching change. The second leads to the third, what direction does owner Michael Jordan want the orgaization to take over the next few years and even longer? Do we play with a more “veteran” team or do we make some trades with our veteran players and go “youth/development” for a few years? That is the most important question to answer when you consider the next four scenarios – what direction does Mr. Jordan want the organization to take?
Scenario 1…or: “I’m going outside the box”.

The most recent examples of scenario 1 are the Bobcats and Sam Vincent and the Bulls and Vinny Del Negro. Many former players become NBA Head Coaches, as we discussed in the first article of this series. Most of those usually establish themselves after several seasons as scouts, assistant coaches, assitant GM’s, or some combination. Neither Vincent or Del Negro spent much time taking this path so they fit the “out-side the box” category. Vincent has been viewed as an utter failure. Del Negro had a (.500) record in his two seasons with the Bulls and has been given credit for developing that team’s younger players.
If I’m a General Manager and want to go with this scenario, I would hire Chris Finch, who currently is the Head Coach with NBADL Vipers. Finch has been successful as a Head Coach overseas and in the NBADL but has not followed the “typical” path most NBA Head Coaches have taken. Finch has proven he can develop players in the NBADL. The only way scenario 1 works, in my opinion, is if you intend to make some trades with older players going out and younger players coming into the organization.

Scenario 2…or: “I’m going to try a proven assistant/associate coach to shake things up”.

Most recent example of successful scenario 2 are Alvin Gentry and Scott Brooks. Both Gentry and Brooks have spent many years as assistant coaches in the NBA. Both took over during a season when a Head Coach was fired. Both have been successful after taking over as Head Coach. Although both Gentry and Brooks have been successful, that is not always the case. Kim Hughes with the LA Clippers is not viewed in the same light. It can be argued both Gentry and Brooks were with better organizations with better players. I would accept the “organization” side of the equation, but the Clippers have a good blend of veteran/young talent. Hughes had a chance to shine, but did not.

My choice for scenario 2 would be Elston Turner. Turner not only played in the NBA, but played in the old CBA and overseas. He comes from the Rick Adelman school of coaching, which I happen to like, but that is a personal preference. Turner offers varied experience and is a former NBA player.  He made his living as a defensive player, so I doubt any team led by Turner would stray and not play defensive basketball. Turner has worked as Adelman’s lead assistant compiling game plans, and handled advanced scouting and skills work with players. Adelman is known for adjusting his offense and defense to the strengths of his players, and I would hope Turner has benefited in that regard from their working relationship. Adelman is also not shy about developing younger players and this is another skill that I would hope Turner has aquired.
Any team that wants to be known as a “defensive team” would also have to consider Tom Thibodeau in scenario 2. Thibodeau has extensive experience as an NBA assistant coach and is well-regarded as a defensive genius, for good reason.

I’d certainly put one other candidate in this scenario that I did not discuss in the current NBA assistant/associate coaches section. His name has not come up for interviews with other teams, but it would be difficult to fathom him not getting an interview if Larry Brown leaves the Bobcats….Dave Hanners currently works as Larry Brown’s lead assistant on the Charlotte staff. Dave is well respected and has certainly worked in the NBA as a successful assistant coach. Hanners knows the Bobcats players, but that can be a mixed blessing. Some assistant coaches have difficulty making the adjustment to Head Coach when promoted within an organization. But, in my opinion, Hanners should at the minimum get an interview if Coach Brown leaves. Neither Brooks nor Gentry had difficulties making the transition to Head Coach and I doubt Hanners would have it with the current Bobcats players.

Scenario 3…or: “As a General Manager I know my rear is on the line so I’m going with a former successful NBA Head Coach”.

I’ve tossed out three “formers” NBA Head Coaches for various reaasons so my choice here is Mike Fratello. Fratello is known to want another Head Coaching position. Fratello fits as a defensive minded coach that gets the most from his players. I like to think of Mike as a “poor man’s Larry Brown”. He has been successful; and if the Bobcats organization wants to continue as a defensive-minded-overachieving-team” with the current roster, then Fratello would be the pick. But, as I’ve indicated in the earlier article, who-you-know and relationships are very important. Doug Collins and current Bobcats owner Michael Jordan have an established relationship from their Chicago Bulls days. Collins would most likely be the organization’s pick in scenario 3.

Scenario 4…or: “I can’t make up my mind”.

This scenario is tricky because it involves hiring a rookie Head Coach and placing a former NBA Head Coach in their ear. Vinny Del Negro, Chicago Bulls, and Kiki Vandeweghe, New Jersey Nets, both worked in this scenario. I offer no suggestions for this “scenario” since I’d never put a Head Coach I hired in this position. You have to question any organization that can’t make a Head Coaching hire and feel comfortable with that hire.
I’d like to point out before I talk about “my pick” that it is imperative for a franchise to have a clear purpose and direction in twhich they wish to go before hiring a Head Coach. The team owner, General Manager, Head Coach, and scouts have to work with the same purpose to make a franchise successful. Listening to a candidate’s approach to offense and defense, as well as having a degree of comfort that this person can work well in the organization, will indicate how succesful the hire will be for the team.

My first choice would be Elson Turner, regardless of the direction the Bobcats choose. Turner has NBA player credentials, varied playing and assistant coaching experience, and would be a departure from our total reliance on defense. There is a connection between Turner and Bobcats owner, Michael Jordan. Both were with the Chicago Bulls 1986-1988. I would not expect us to leave our defensive roots, since Turner made his living as a player in the NBA on the defensive side of the ball. Turner, as a Rick Adelman protege, would probably bring a more balanced offensive/defensive approach to the game and I doubt he would be as reluctant to play younger players since Adelman does not have that reluctance.

I hope you have enjoyed this series. I’d like to give credit to the three primary reseach tools I used.
Google: http://www.google.com/webhp The best search engine, in my opinion, on the web.
NBA: http://www.nba.com has biographical information on current NBA Head Coaches and associate/assistant coaches.
Basketball Reference: http://www.basketball-reference.com/  is what I like to call “BB geek heaven”. It has a wealth of information so if you’ve never visited please take the time and do so.

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The first part of this series concentrated on the Head Coaches working in the NBA at this time. The second part will concentrate on the NBADL coaches, NBA assistant coaches, and analysts that might make the jump to NBA Head Coach.

Many of the “old” NBA coaches had the luxury of getting experience in either the ABA or the CBA before making the jump to the NBA. The closest equivalent we have to the ABA/CBA as a “coaching learning center” is the NBADL. The NBADL not only serves as a “learning experience” for want-to-be NBA players but can also serve in the same manner for want-to-be NBA coaches. There are three current NBADL coaches names I’ll throw out as possible future NBA Head Coaches – Chris Finch, Nick Nurse, and Quin Snyder.

Chris Finch, currently Head Coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, is also the Head Coach of the Great Britain national team. Finch played Division III basketball at Franklin & Marshall College. He played professional basketball in the British Basketball League with the Sheffield Sharks and at age 27 became their player/coach. He has coached mainly overseas in the British, German, and Belgian professional leagues. His teams had a compiled 380-178 (68.1%) after his 12 years of coaching overseas.

Nick Nurse has just left his Head Coaching position with the Iowa Energy to accept the Associate Head Coach position with the Iowa State Cyclones. Like Finch, Nurse coached for many years (13) in Europe and was successful there as he compiled a 276-103 (.728%). The Iowa Energy had an 87-63 (.580%) record in his three years as Head Coach. Nurse has compiled an impressive winning record for all the professional teams he has coached 464-231 (.668). Nurse also serves as an assistant coach with the British national team.

Quin Snyder currently works as the Head Coach of the Austin Toros. Snyder also happens to be a former son-in-law of current Charlotte Bobcats Head Coach, Larry Brown. Snyder was a successful college point guard at Duke, leading his team to the Final Four three of his four years there. Before his NBADL job, Snyder worked as an assistant coach at Duke and was eventually promoted to Associate Head Coach. Snyder left Duke to take the Head Coach position at Missouri. Snyder was Head Coach for six full seasons, but resigned before the completion of his seventh season. His Missouri teams combined for 126-91 (.581) wins and he is the only coach in Missouri history to take his team to a post-season tournament every season that he was the coach for the entire season. His Toros teams have a combined 94-56 (.627%) in his three years as Head Coach.

The road to NBA Head Coach for Finch, Nurse, and Snyder might involve work as an assistant/associate coach before they lead an NBA team. Chris Finch, in my opinion, is currently the most prepared to work as an NBA Head Coach, but it would still be a leap-of-faith for an NBA General Manager to risk their jobs on an “unknown” coach.

Our next two candidates, Mark Jackson and Eric Snow, work as television sports analysts. Both were NBA point guards for many years. Neither has coaching experience but both are known to have the “itch” to be NBA Head Coaches.

Mark Jackson is the more “active” candidate of the two. Jackson has had a desire for years to work as an NBA Head Coach. Jackson played his college ball at St. John’s University. He was a point guard that played for seven NBA teams and was the 1988 Rookie of the Year. Jackson made one All-Star team even though he has the third highest assist total (10,323) in the NBA. Jackson also was coached by the Bobcats current Head Coach, Larry Brown. Some of the other NBA coaches that Jackson played for were Pat Riley, Larry Bird, Jeff Van Gundy, and Jerry Sloan.

Eric Snow, the less vocal in his desire to coach in the NBA of the two, was also an NBA point guard. Snow played his college ball at Michigan State, played for three NBA teams and was also coached by Larry Brown. Snow was distinct in that each team he played for reached the NBA finals at least once while he played with them. Snow was a typical “pass-first” defensive-minded point guard. Other notable Head Coaches that Snow played for were George Karl, Paul Silas, and Mike Brown. Snow has a desire to be back in the NBA but it is unclear if he wants to be a Head Coach or a General Manager. Both Jackson and Snow, it would appear, hope to follow the Doc Rivers path to the NBA.

The next group of candidates currently work in the NBA as assistant coaches or Associate Head Coaches. The list is long – Mike Budenholzer, Dwane Casey, Ty Corbin, Tom Thibodeau, Elson Turner, and Monty Williams. I’ll group these candidates as those who played in the NBA and those that did not play in the NBA.

Mike Budenholzer, Tom Thibodeau, and Dwane Casey fall into the “did not play in the NBA” camp. All three played college ball. Budenholzer currently works as the top assistant to Greg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs. Budenholzer has spent 16 years with the Spurs, 14 as an assistant coach.

Tom Thibodeau works as the Associate Head Coach to Doc Rivers with the Boston Celtics. Thibodeau is the more “well-traveled” of the three, working with seven NBA teams during his career. He has coached for Doc Rivers, Bill Musselman, John Lucas, and Jeff Van Gundy. Thibodeau is also considered to have one of the best defensive minds in the NBA.

Dwane Casey played his college ball at the University of Kentucky. Casey is the only one of the three that has had NBA Head Coaching experience. He was Head Coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves for almost two seasons and compiled a 53-69 (.434) record as their Head Coach. Casey also spent five years as a Head Coach in Japan, and 11 years as an assistant coach with the Seattle SuperSonics. Casey worked as an assistant to George Karl and then Nate McMillan with the Sonics. I should note that as an assistant coach at Kentucky, an envelope with $1,000 dollars mailed from Casey to a recruit, Chris Mills, was discovered and caused the subsequent resignation of then Kentucky Head, Coach Eddie Sutton.

Ty Corbin, Elson Turner, and Monty Williams are all former NBA players working as assistant coaches in the NBA. All three played small forward; Turner also played shooting guard in the NBA.

Ty Corbin played college ball at DePaul University. His NBA career lasted fifteen seasons with eight NBA teams. Corbin is now an assistant coach with the Utah Jazz. Previously, Corbin worked as Manager of Player Development for the Knicks, and he spent two years as a player “mentor” in the NBADL. Some of the Head Coaches Corbin played for during his NBA career were Cotton Fitzsimmons, Bill Musselman, Jerry Sloan, and Lenny Wilkins.

Elson Turner played college ball at the University of Mississippi and then eight seasons with three NBA teams. Turner is currently an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets. He was on Rick Adelman’s staff with the Sacramento Kings, and worked with the Portland Trail Blazers as well. He spent five years in the CBA after his NBA career and doubled as player/coach with the Chicago Rockers. He then spent three years as a player in Europe following. While in the NBA, some of the coaches Turner played for were Dick Motta, Doug Moe, and Doug Collins.

Monty Williams played college ball at the University of Notre Dame. He then played for five NBA teams during his nine year NBA career. Williams is currently working as an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. NBA Head Coaches that Williams played for include Pat Riley, Gregg Popovich, Mike D’Antoni, and Doc Rivers.

I should note that if you see an over-lap of the Head Coaches that players played for, or assistant coaches worked with, it is not your imagination. There remains a deep-rooted “who-you-know” in coaching circles that makes it difficult for a newcomer to break into the NBA Head Coaching fraternity.

This gives you some back ground on the NBADL coaches, analysts, and current NBA assistant/associate coaches that are being discussed as possible NBA Head Coaches. The “wrap-up” article will follow next week. The wrap-up will look at former NBA Head Coaches not currently with a team, and give four scenarios for hiring one of these potential candidates as an NBA Head Coach.

NBA Head Coaches: Where do they come from?

This article is not an attempt to push Bobcats Coach Larry Brown out the door. It is not a confirmation of any rumors coming out of Philadelphia, New York, or Los Angeles. What I’d like to do over the course of this article, and subsequently two more that will follow, is attempt to describe how NBA Head Coaches “get there”. I will say this about our Coach, Larry Brown, he is 70 years old and his family lives away from him in Philadelphia for most of the year while he works. I can only imagine the strain this is on his family life and recognize that if he does decide to remain the Head Coach of the Bobcats it will not be for “the long haul”. With this recognition, part of the article will look at possible “fits” for our team after Coach Brown decides to leave.

I’ll start with the NBA’s “old” coaches – Rick Adelman, Larry Brown, Phil Jackson, George Karl, Don Nelson, and Jerry Sloan – and look at how they started their careers.

Rick Adelman was a former NBA player that started his coaching career at Chemeketa Community College after his NBA career ended. His first NBA job was with the Portland Trail Blazers as an assistant coach. He was eventually promoted to Head Coach of the Trail Blazers.

Larry Brown was not drafted by the NBA after his playing time ended at UNC, since at 5’9″ he was considered too small to play in the NBA. He played in the NABL, leading the Akron Wingfoots to the AAU National Championship in 1964. He was also selected for the 1964 Olympic Team. His first coaching job was at Davidson College, but he never coached a game for them and instead jumped to the Carolina Cougars of the ABA. So his actual first Head Coaching experience, game coaching, was with a professional team.

Phil Jackson was drafted as a player into the NBA. When his playing days ended, Jackson’s first coaching jobs were in the CBA and with Puerto Rico’s National Superior League (BSN). Jackson was hired as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls in 1987, and became Head Coach of the Bulls in 1989.

George Karl was also a former NBA player, although drafted by the ABA San Antonio Spurs; then when the Spurs joined the NBA, Karl played with the team two years in the NBA. Karl started his coaching career as an assistant with the Spurs and had his first Head Coaching job in the CBA with the Montana Golden Nuggets.

Jerry Sloan is also a former NBA player. When his playing career ended Sloan was hired as a scout for the Chicago Bulls. One year later he was promoted and was a Bulls assistant coach. His first Head Coaching job was also with the Bulls in 1979.

Don Nelson was also drafted to play in the NBA. Nelson was the only one of these six to “jump” directly into a Head Coaching position in the NBA when their career ended. He became the GM and Head Coach of the Milwaukee Bucks soon after retiring at the end of the 1975/76 season.

It is interesting that five of these six “old coaches” are former NBA players; Larry Brown is the exception. It would take too long to go through all thirty of the NBA Head Coaches so I’ll try to “group” the other twenty-four.

The remaining twenty-four NBA Head Coaches fall into distinct categories: 15 of the 24 are former NBA players. Of the nine Head Coaches left, Jay Triano (Raptors Head Coach) was actually drafted by the Lakers but never played in the NBA, so I leave him as a “unique”. Triano did play for the Canadian National Team and later Coached that team. That leaves us with eight Head Coaches not NBA players. The other unique Head Coach, Eric Spoelstra, played professional basketball in Germany for two years. Gregg Popovich, like Larry Brown, played AAU, but with the Air Force overseas. Five of those seven – Jeff Bower, Stan Van Gundy, Alvin Gentry, Gregg Popovich, and Flip Saunders – started their careers as college assistant coaches. The one remaining non-NBA player Head Coach, Mike Brown, started as a scout/video coordinator with an NBA team. For this compilation I left Eddie Jordan in since his replacement with the 76ers has not been named.

One aspect of becoming an NBA Head Coach I’ll touch on, though it is beyond the scope of this article to do it full justice, are relationships that are built with-in the “Coaching fraternity”. I’ll use Mike Brown as my example.

Coach Brown is one of the ten Head Coaches that did not play in the NBA. Brown played College basketball at the University of San Diego. Brown started his NBA career as the video coordinator, and then scout with the Denver Nuggets. Bernie Bickerstaff was the GM, and took over as Head Coach of the Nuggets during the time Mike Brown was there. Brown then went to the Wizards for three years as an assistant coach, and later scout, for Bernie Bickerstaff. In 2000 Brown was hired as an assistant coach with the Spurs and Head Coach Gregg Popovich. After the Spurs won the NBA Champioship in 2003 Brown was hired as the associate head coach to Rick Carlisle with the Indiana Pacers. Brown helped the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals in 2004, and was then hired to be Head Coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005. Many of these NBA Head Coaches (Nelson and Doc Rivers are the exceptions since their first jobs were as NBA Head Coaches) spent time working for presant NBA Head Coaches, and I’m sure received recommendations from those coaches. Some of these relationships, the one between Hawks Head Coach Mike Woodson and Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown, go back many years. It helps to have long-built friendships/working relationships if you want to become an NBA Head Coach.

So what exactly did I learn from this exercise? It was of no particular surprise to me that 67% of the NBA Head Coaches are former NBA players. Fifteen of the twenty former NBA Head Coach/players played guard at the NBA level (75%). The chance of getting one of these thirty jobs is definitely enhanced if you are a former player, and further enhanced if you played guard in the NBA. Nine of the ten non-NBA player Head Coaches played guard at the College level. Jeff Bower is the only NBA Head Coach that did not play College basketball, or I can’t find a record of him playing in College (so correct me if I’m wrong). A staggering number of NBA Head Coaches (24-30 or 80%) played Guard at the College or NBA level.

The other thing I found interesting, while looking at these coaches, was that five of the 30 played at UNC or NC State, and Alvin Gentry played at Appalachian State. Twenty percent of the NBA Head Coaches are products of college careers in North Carolina.

This gives us an idea of from where NBA Head Coaches come. The second part of this three-part series will look at “candidates” who might become NBA Head Coaches. That article will explore former NBA Head Coaches not currently with a team, NBADL Head Coaches that might make the jump, former players that have a desire to coach in the NBA, and current NBA assistant coaches being discussed as Head Coaching candidates.

The Bobcats vs. the Magic 4/22/10

I appreciate Ziggy getting a game summary posted for the second game since it was my assignment and I apologize to all for being late posting. I really wanted to digest what I saw and it “taste” more bitter today than last night. The Bobcats proved they could play wretched basketball in the very first game of the season against the Boston Celtics. Teams have “misfires” during the season but come play-off time you expect every team to put their collect “best foot forward”. I hope last night was not the ‘Cats “best”. The first half of last nights game was easily one of the worst comedy routines of a group of guys impersonating basketball players I’ve ever watched. I’m not sure how the Bobcats expect to come close to winning when they turn the ball over so often to the second-best Eastern Conference team. The defense has played the Magic tough in both games but the offense, especially tonight, is in dire need of a heart transplant.

There is just not much of a positive spin I can put on this game so I’ll mention a couple of things. Stephen Jackson scored 27 points and Gerald Wallace chipped in with 15 points for the ‘Cats. Nazr Mohammed had 10 points off the bench in sixteen minutes. That was the offense for Charlotte. The one glaring negative was the turn overs. Jackson led the team with 7 and Boris Diaw had 5. Jackson, with his scoring, compensates somewhat but Diaw has pulled his “disappearing” act and has had no positive impact in the first two games against the Magic. All the Bobcats players, bot just Wallace and Jackson, have to bring their “A” games if the “Cats intend to make a series out of this fiasco.

The Good:

The Bobcats are in the play-offs.

The Bad:

A national TV audience had the opportunity to watch this game.

The Ugly:

The offense.

Turn overs.

Next play-off game for the Bobcats: Saturday 4/24/10 2:00pm vs. the Orlando Magic