To be honest, I had a crappy feeling coming into this Denver game. Perhaps it was that I had work the night before, having only a few hours sleep before dragging myself up for the game, or that I had a dread feeling that we would probably be blown out of the water. However, it was a win, close win but a win nonetheless.

Biggest matchup coming in today was probably who was to match up on Melo. Melo is a brilliant scorer, highly efficient, strong post game and mid range. However the trio of Diaw, Crash and Captain Jack managed to hold him to 8-21. Considering Melo normally scores at will, it was a good job defensively. The other keys were the big man Nene, JR Smith and Chauncey Billups. Nene was well held with 12 points, JR Smith with 14 and Billups was dominant with 25 points and 5 assists. Billups also missed the last shot attempt to draw OT. Poor Steve Martin thought it was going to OT and screamed out ‘And we’re going to Overtimeeee.’ He later corrected himself.

Point Guard School of Larry Brown:

Billups is a graduate of the PGSLB, while DJ is currently undertaking a Bachelor of How-to-Play-The-Right-Larry-Brown-Way. DJ managed to run the offense very efficiently and well, with some great alley-oops, in which Crash posturised McGuire, which I found hilarious. When the ball goes up for the alley, get out of Crash’s way. Mr. Big Shot managed to catch fire also, however it was a 7 point straight run by DJ that helped the Bobcats pull away. Jump shot from deep, no problem. Pure from 3. Didn’t guard him, he had the confidence to jack it up and he scored. Mid range jumper when they don’t guard him? Another swish. Drive to the hole, take contact, bank it high off the rim to dodge the block and score? Not a problem. DJ showed great assertiveness when the Bobcats needed him, but also great shot selection, not forcing anything.

Again, close but no cigar. Bobcats fell short against Raymond Felton and the New York Knicks. Led by Felton with 23 points and 13 assists, along with Wilson Chandler who had 21 points and 8 boards, and Amare Stoudamire who had 20 points and 6 blocks. The key stat was the Knicks shooting 48% from 3, 12-25 from down town.

Bobcats were led by a massive game from Tyrus Thomas with 26 points, 11 rebounds of which 7 were offensive, and 4 blocks. Along with him Captain Jack contributed with 18 points and 4 steals, and DJ with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. The Bobcats came out of the gates solidly, although giving Stoudamire the first 8 points. However, like most of our losses the 3rd quarter was our let down.

Outscored 30-23 and a 10 point deficit in the 4th quarter, the Bobcats took the lead from an AND-1 play from Tyrus. However, successive misses cost the Bobcats the loss, and although it was again a spirited fight back, the Bobcats fell away at home to go 0 – 2 against the Knicks.

With the conclusion of the summer league, I’ve gone back to read what I wrote with what I hoped would happen in the Summer League and the improvement of the “rookies.” And I am happy to say, that they have both improved, in my eyes Hendo being the biggest improver.

First up, Gerald Henderson aka Hendo aka Fro

What I wrote previously:

Improvement: Needs a big off-season, as he’ll be fighting for minutes. Training camp and pre-season games will show whether he deserves minutes or not. He needs to work on his shooting, although his release is solid. Also needs to work on his ball-handling, and keep adding to his game if he’s to compete with the others for minutes.

GH’s Summer league Stats:

Averaged 14.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists , 1.25 steals, 2.5 turnovers and 0 blocks per game

Benched for much of last season, he showed some flashes of potential here and there. Most notably was his game against the Nets, with several highlight reels and a ferocious facial on Devin Harris. And during SL, he didn’t disappoint. Gerald Henderson is finally showing why he was a lottery pick. After a poor showing last season, being unable to break into the roster he finally got some minutes late, and showed his strong but one dimensional slashing game. Combining his brilliant athleticism, Henderson was able to score on multiple occasions with dunks, tough layups and a brilliant tip in to win a game.

Most notably with Henderson was his shooting. Although it deserted him in the last two games (and thus lowered his FG %), in his games his shooting looked far more consistent and he looked far more confident than last year taking shots. He’s made leaps and bounds on his shot, and he’s really added a consistency into his game. His FT percentages were also very good, which showed his commitment to improving his shot. His ball-handling was far better also. It was clear that he has also added to this part of his game, willing to go either right or left instead of mostly sticking to his right. Having a stronger ball-handling game will really help him get to the rim in the upcoming season.

His rebounding average is also getting better. Although not strikingly off the page (due to a 0 rebound game in game 3), he’s spoken about watching Crash and Cpt. Jack and really working on getting inside the paint and helping out the bigs with rebounding. And to me, for him to watch Cpt. Jack and Crash go to work will really help him improve his game. His passing game was also on show, being able to make some smart dishes to his fellow teammates. He showed great basketball IQ and showed good vision and decision making. Turnovers are also an issue here, with giving up the ball 2.5 times per game. Needs improvement in this area.

Grade for SL: A-

Improvement: A

Needs to Work on: Shooting. Although a far more accomplished shooter, still needs some improvement. He still has around a month until pre-season starts, so he should be able to add some more consistency to his game shooting.

Derrick Brown aka UPS aka ‘steal of 2009’

What I wrote previously:

Improvement: He needs to decide whether he wants to be a 3 or a 4. From what I’ve gathered, he wants to be a 3. With that, he needs to work on his ball handling and perimeter shot. His release is rather…slow and awkward and he needs to work on that. His ball handling is also rather one dimensional, and needs to work on that in the off-season.

Derrick Brown’s SL stats:

Averaged 15.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.8 steals, 3.0 turnovers and 0.6 blocks per game

Showed plenty in the minutes he got last season, however somehow entered into the dreaded doghouse of LB, and was benched heavily. Now with a full season behind him, he’s looking to add to his rookie season and establish himself as a player off the bench to bring energy and hustle. He really committed to rebounding in the summer league and averaged a team high 7 rebounds. Due to college, he played as a 4, but naturally Brown should be more of a 3. With TT most likely taking the starting reigns and Boris taking the rest, Brown will need to fight for minutes behind Crash.

The biggest thing about Brown’s game was his overall showing. He showed commitment to crashing the boards hard, as well as trying to dunk as much as possible. He showed good touch from the 3 point line, showing his slowly expanding game. His ball-handling still needs work, however he’s also made improvement in these areas. Still stuck in between a 3 and a 4, he needs to put more work onto his ball-handling to have more success in the NBA and make the transition effectively. He has also put on a lot of muscle, looking much stronger on the court. Looked quite lean and very fit, looking very strong and will be looking to stay in that shape heading into the season.

Turnovers are a big issue for Brown though. He will need to improve on that aspect of his game.

Grade: A

Improvement: B+

Needs to work on: Ball-handling. Still stuck in the transition period and he most likely won’t make it as a 4 in this league, even with his added strength. Also his shooting technique is still slightly off the pace. Would be easier for him to get off shots if he could improve his speed of his shot. Also needs to work a bit more on his fundamentals.

Other notable players:

Jeremy Pargo: Don’t sign him. Although he made some nice assists, he looked for his shot far too often and made horrible decisions in his shot making ability. There was a reason he only played 3 games in the SL for the Bobcats. Definate no-go for me.

Sherron Collins: He reminds me of a shorter, bigger stronger Felton. Strong, big yet surprisingly nimble and agile. Not to mention he possesses a nasty 3 pointer. He’s now been signed by the Bobcats, and to me was the only one who really deserved a spot on the Bobcats roster of those not signed.

Okay, I’m here with a blog on INTERNATIONAL Bobcats supporters. So you internationals are getting some love from us…me.
As we all know, I’m our resident Aussie fan, and it’s time to give some loving to the international Bobcats supporters around the world. I also asked around with fellow FOBS (Fresh off the Boat) to PM me with how they became Bobcats fans…but only Bing! replied. And so, our European friend who is a long time member, has contributed to this blog. I would like to thank him for his time and the answering of my questions.
Anyway, so we’ll get straight to it.

Name: Bing!
Location: Europe
What led to your dedicated following of the Bobcat’s?

- The next Larry Bird… I’m not kidding, I was completely oblivious to anything NBA related since 2000-2001 until I ran into some info regarding the one and only. Then, he was drafted by the Bobcats (I wondered whatever happened to the Hornets), after that I got to familiarise myself with the roster and the team’s short history and fell in love.
How he found the forums:
- One of the blogs on Yahoo had a rundown on various sites/blogs/message boards related to NBA teams, and BCP was on the list for the Bobcats, a click here, a click there, I joined the forum. After lurking for a while, I noticed the lively atmosphere and jolly (if a bit cheeky) discussions goin’ on and decided to jump right in. What keeps me active on the site to this day? Well, I’ll put it this way, BCP is a rather deep swimming pool… and I swim like a rock.

Name: Toocool
Location: Australia
What led to your dedicated following of the Bobcats:
- Probably it had to start with NBA2k8 or 2k9. I bought the game, and got into NBA and following it. Being the guy most people are, I picked the Lakers (cos of Kobe and my fun experiences with NBA Live 04 with the Shaq + Kobe combo). After that, I would visit the 2k forums, where some guys were discussing the Bobcats. Seeing as all Aussies LOVE an underdog story, and Bobcats weren’t really going anywhere anytime soon (With the almighty FHB), I decided to investigate more. I watched a full game of Bobcats, and fell in love with them, especially Crash.

I don’t recall what game it was, but Crash had probably hit the floor at least 3-4 times, yet still got up and tried to carry his team to the end. I also saw Felton trying his heart out, and I thought that they had a lot of heart and will to win. They lost in the end, but it was their combined tenacity, hustle, heart and willingness to win that made me want to cheer for the Bobcats. Not to mention their style wasn’t pretty, but it was fun to watch and very gritty.
How I found the forums:
- After following their stats for a while, I used my good friend www.google.com.au, and found a forum where people discussed all about the Bobcats. I had a look at the thing, and it seemed like a fun place to chill, since I use to chill in various forums (mostly video game ones). Seeing as I had nothing better to do, I joined up. Since then, I’ve been a regular (As you can see with my amazingly increasing post count).

And so ends the International Blog. Hope you got some insight into how some international people became supporters of the Bobcats.

Toocool here, with a blog finally. Since it’s now the off-season, I decided to look at our line-up, and analyse how well they did in the normal season, and what they can improve on. I am taking into account that ALL players are resigned/stay on for the next season. Stephen Jackson, Theo and TT’s stats are Charlotte season averages, not the entire season.

The starting 5:
Raymond Felton aka Tonberry:
Stats: 12.1 PPG, 5.6 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 2.1 TPG, 33 MPG, 0.459 FG%, 0.385 3FG%
Season: Raymond Felton started slowly, and gradually built up. Although his stats are down, we’ve seen in essence a breakout season from Raymond. We saw him come in with shoddy play-making ability and questionable shots and turn into an even more solid point guard. Comparisons were drawn to Chauncey Billups with Raymond’s calm and efficient play making ability, and the ability to come up in the clutch. His stats overall were down, however he looked far more comfortable out there this season. Again, solid defensively. He also averaged career high 3FG% and FG%. Playoffs he was dominated by Jameer.
Improvement: I would love to see Felton continue to develop his perimeter game. He’s made leaps and bounds on his 3-point shooting, and would like to see him continue to develop that. As well as that, his play-making could use some improvement. Improvement on turning over the ball will also help.

Stephen Jackson aka Captain Jack:
Stats: 21.1 PPG, 3.6 APG, 5.1 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 3.2 TPG, 39.3 MPG, 0.423 FG%, 0.334 3FG%
Season: Our no. 1 offensive threat and clutch player, and for good reason. Jackson had made a name as a Clutch player, and whenever we needed a basket, we would put the ball in his hand. His quote ‘make love to pressure’ became a fan favourite for us here at BCP, and we wear a shirt proclaiming that with pride. Jackson was in essence a God-send; he drew much more attention and was a strong perimeter and inside threat. His length at 6”8, combined with his experience and skill helped to overcome many of the shorter shooting guards he was against. Combined with his great defense, he was a great asset to the team. Came up short in the playoffs however, not having the impact we had hoped for.
Improvement: Jackson needs to work on his ISO situations, chucking the ball and TOs. He TOs the ball at an alarming rate, 3.2 TPG and he can be shown at times to completely stall an offensive with his jab steps. Also, when he is in a shooting slump, Jackson will continue to fire up shots like no tomorrow. If he can work on these areas, raise his stats a bit while lowering his TOs, he may get his first all-star selection next year.

Gerald Wallace aka Crash:
Stats: 18.2 PPG, 2.1 APG, 10 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 2.3 TPG, 41.0 MPG, 0.484 FG%, 0.371 3FG%
Season: Quick fact, Crash is the only Wallace without a ring. This season was Crash’s breakout season. Although all-star selection should really have been a long time coming, Crash had propelled himself to Dennis Rodman heights with his rebounding, tenacity and hustle. His hard work and effort has paid off, becoming our Season’s first all-star. He made leaps and bounds on his jumper, being able to hit from 3 with decent consistency. He also ramped up his offensive production, and even on off-nights, played tough defence.
Improvement: What can I say. If Crash can continue to work on his 3FG%, his mid range jumper and passing, he would become an even greater player. Now Crash commands a lot of respect on the court for his offensive slashing skills. If he can become an even better perimeter player, he can cause FITS for other teams. This was also a good season where he only missed 6 games. His perimeter defence could use a tiny bit of work.

Boris Diaw aka Doris Meow:
Stats: 11.3 PPG, 4 APG, 5.2 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 2.2 TPG, 35.4 MPG, 0.483 FG%, 0.320 3FG%
Season: Diaw seeming at times looked good, while at others looked horrible. Lower stats than last year. Terribly inconsistent, he had up and down days, mostly having mediocre stats. Again, he showed flashes of what he could do, but at times seemed overweight, lazy and disinterested. However, he did show off his brilliant passing ability. He also was very passive on offensive, passing easy shots to other players. Solid defender, while at other times giving away stupid three point plays on fast breaks.
Improvement: Consistency is the main problem plaguing Diaw. Consistency, aggression and focus. He doesn’t seem to be able to bring all of these factors into every game. If he’s able to get more consistency and aggression into his game, his stats will definitely rise.

Tyson Chandler aka Mr. Glass
Stats: 6.5 PPG, 0.3 APG, 6.3 RPG, 0.3 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 1.8 TPG, 22.8 MPG, 0.574 FG%, 0.00 3FG%
Season: Horrible season for Chandler. After coming from off-season surgery, simply couldn’t get started on the court. Struggled for most of the early season, before coming off with injuries that caused him to miss even more games. However, when he came back, finally healthy he looked very strong defensively and made some key rebounds when it mattered. Still a force defensively, but struggled at the offensive end.
Improvement: Offense, and durability. Chandler can’t seem to stay on the floor. When he was finally making headway in the season, he went down with injuries. With an un-interrupted pre-season, if Chandler can work on his offensive game and make himself a threat in the low post and develop a short-mid range jumper, he would draw much more attention to himself on the offensive end.
Now the guys who sit on the bench, and…uhhh sit on the bench. Oh, they also play…some of them.

D.J Augustin aka Saint:
Stats: 6.3 PPG, 2.4 APG, 1.2 RPG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 1.6 TPG, 18.4 MPG, 0.386 FG%, 0.393 3FG%
Season: Utterly horrible season for DJ. Struggled with his shot throughout the most part of the season, only finally coming out of his slump near the end of the season, where he showed glimpses of why he was a lottery pick. Made leaps and bounds on his defensive game, having bulked up and looks stronger. Not so much a liability on the defensive end.
Improvement: Needs to work on his play-making ability and to be more aggressive with his shot, as he has a sweet jumper. Should also look to put on at least another 10 pounds to be able to be stronger in the post, and needs to really put in hard work over the summer. Hopefully next year he can start the season strong, as we could see what he could do in the pre-season.

Theo Ratliff aka Zombie:
Stats: 5.1 PPG, 0.6 APG, 4.2 RPG, 0.3 SPG, 1.5 BPG, 0.9 TPG, 22.3 MPG, 0.466 FG%, 0.000 3FG%
Season: Big man, big heart, big game. Struggled in the playoffs, probably due to the lack of playing on the Spurs bench and seemed tired. Filled in admirably for Chandler and Nazzy when they were both down with injuries. Formed the three-headed dragon back court with Chandler and TT.
Improvement: Theo will unfortunately only really get worse at this point. He’s growing older and his body is getting slower. He can work on his mid range jumper though to make him more of an offensive threat.

Tyrus Thomas aka TT
Stats: 10.1 PPG, 0.9 APG, 6.1 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 1.5 BPG, 1.6 TPG, 21.7 MPG, 0.442 FG%, 0.000 3FG%
Season: Came in mid-way through the season, at the end of the trade deadline. Played solidly throughout the season and came up big in game 4 of the playoffs. Had great defensive and rebounding ability, and was aggressive to getting to the rack. His defence, rebounding and energy really helped us in the limited minutes he was on the court.
Improvement: TT needs to develop a go-to-move in the post. He’s shown he has a hook shot or two, and a few other post up moves, but he needs a stronger repertoire of them. Has a lovely mid range jumper, and if he can continue to improve its consistency, he could be a big threat on the offensive end. Like DJ, I would suggest him putting on another 10 pounds.
Larry Hughes aka The-one-who-will-not-pass-on-a-fastbreak
Stats: 8.1 PPG, 2.0 APG, 2.3 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 1.4 TPG, 21.1 MPG, 0.327 FG%, 0.357 3FG%
Season: When he came in, he looked horrible. Didn’t know why LB played him for such significant minutes when he couldn’t even play. Couldn’t shoot for crap, and was a black hole on offense. Thankfully, he improved and his defence was solid. For a veteran guard, he made a lot of terrible mistakes and would not pass on a fast break. Showed a solid behind the backboard shot.
Improvement: Needs to work on his decision making and team playing mentality. Needs to learn to pass on a 3 v 2, 3 v 1, a 4 v 2, a 4 v 1, a 5 v 1 etc. Fast break. Needs to also learn to score when he goes to the rim on a fast break.

Stephen Graham aka Hulk jr.
Stats: 4.2 PPG, 0.3 APG, 1.9 RPG, 0.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 0.5 TPG, 11.5 MPG, 0.496 FG%, 0.320 3FG%
Season: Came in spotty minutes, and at the start of the season tried to do far too much by himself. After he was kicked from the starting line up, playing as a back-up 2 or 3 was much more suited to him. Came in and gave good defence and some offensive in limited minutes. Was solid overall.
Improvement: 3 point shot needs some work. Isn’t consistent enough. Also needs to work on his perimeter defence.

Alexis Ajinca aka Lexi the Benchwarming Frenchman
D League Stats: (they took him away, so if I recall it was around 14/7)
Season: Useless in the normal season and was subsequently shoved to the D-league. Showed his potential in the D-league and in the pre-season, and seems to know what he’s doing much more now. An injury ended his season, but he showed commitment by bulking up to over 250 pounds.
Improvement: Everything. AA has been in the system now for 2 years, but still very raw. He is still 21, and still has a lot to learn. He shouldn’t be bullied around in the post as much now. Needs to develop his mid-range jumper and post moves now to even get a chance to compete for the 4/5 position and playing time. Needs to do a lot of hard work over the off-season.

Desagana Diop aka the other Benchwarming guy.
Stats: 1.2 PPG, 0.2 APG, 2.4 RPG, 0.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 0.4 TPG, 9.7 MPG, 0.517 FG%, 0.000 3FG%
Season: Played in 27 games…didn’t do much at all. Had one decent game…and that was it.
Improvement: I’ll cut it short and say he needs to work on everything.

Nazr Mohammed aka Prophet
Stats: 7.9 PPG, 0.5 APG, 5.2 RPG, 0.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 0.9 TPG, 17.0 MPG, 0.553 FG%, 0.000 3FG%
Season: Nazr had a brilliant season. He worked hard on the off-season, determined to put in hard work to get playing time. LB rewarded him, and we saw him shine through with some great games, and a dunk when we needed to win a game. Unfortunately, a season de-railed his season and he never looked his old self. However, he had a fine season.
Improvement: Do what he did last off-season, and everyone will be happy.

Derrick Brown aka UPS
Stats: 3.3 PPG, 0.3 APG, 1.4 RPG, 0.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 0.3 TPG, 9.4 MPG, 0.463 FG%, 0.286 3FG%
Season: Looked very very solid in the minutes he got. Broke into the rotation in the season, but then got kicked out by no fault of his own. He showed great shot selection and some nice put-back dunks. Brought lots of energy to the court, and showed that he is worth far more than a 2nd round draft pick. Look for big things from this mate.
Improvement: He needs to decide whether he wants to be a 3 or a 4. From what I’ve gathered, he wants to be a 3. With that, he needs to work on his ball handling and perimeter shot. His release is rather…slow and awkward and he needs to work on that. His ball handling is also rather one dimensional, and needs to work on that in the off-season.

Gerald Henderson aka Hendo
Stats: 2.6 PPG, 0.3 APG, 1.3 RPG, 0.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 0.6 TPG, 8.3 MPG, 0.356FG%, 0.211 3FG%
Season: Didn’t get much of an opportunity, and as such did a lot of bench warming. Late in the season, he showed what he could do, and his great defensive game shone through. Wasn’t a big threat on the offensive end, but had a big game where he showed his slashing game. Fell in love too much with the mid range shot, especially as it wasn’t consistent enough.
Improvement: Needs a big off-season, as he’ll be fighting for minutes. Training camp and pre-season games will show whether he deserves minutes or not. He needs to work on his shooting, although his release is solid. Also needs to work on his ball-handling, and keep adding to his game if he’s to compete with the others for minutes.