Travis Pulver | Bobcats Planet
Home Forum Store Chat Room Archives About Us Contact Us
Twitter
RSS
Facebook

Travis Pulver's Recent Articles

Should One of these Guys be the Charlotte Bobcats Next Head Coach?

published Saturday, May 19th, 2012 at 7:02 am by

Dave Joerger, assistant coach, Memphis GrizzliesThis is an exciting time of year for Charlotte Bobcats fans. Yea, it would be great if the team was actually still playing (and a lot more exciting). Right now the team has something that it didn’t really have much of all season—hope.

There is talent on the team. Another tremendous talent is going to be added in the coming draft. The only thing needed now is a coach that is going to be able to get this talented group to perform.

It would be nice to think that His Airness would be willing to open up the bank account and get a top quality guy, but I don’t think anyone is holding their breath in anticipation. However, there are some quality assistants out there that could very well become great head coaches.

The team was supposed to interview Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach David Joerger on Friday. After researching this guy I have to say the team can do a whole lot worse. He’s played a part in the Grizzlies becoming competitive since he joined them a few seasons ago. However, what has me excited about him is his time as a head coach in some of the lesser leagues.

Joerger led five teams to minor league championships in the NBA Developmental league, the International Basketball Association, and the Continental Basketball Association. That tells me that he knows how to take young talent, work with them, and turn them into winners.

I would have to vote no (like my vote actually matters) to Stephen Silas. Yes, the man knows the team having worked with them for the last season, but familiarity does not breed success. Heck, we all saw that.

Read More…

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Coaches, Paul Silas | 3 Comments »

Who Can Lead the Charlotte Bobcats Out of the Cellar?

published Thursday, May 10th, 2012 at 6:20 am by

It may seem hard to believe anyone can say this, but I like the Charlotte Bobcats. I think this team has a lot of promise and a whole lot of very young talent. I can see this team along with whoever they get in the coming draft at least being competitive next season.

Keep in mind, I just said competitive in a general sense. It would take the mother of all turnarounds for these guys to become post season bound, but you never know. The Rams were supposed to suck when they won the Super Bowl back in 1999.

The difference maker for the Rams then will be the same for the Bobcats next season—coaching. Paul Silas may have been good at one time, but last year he was awful beyond words. You can blame injuries and a lack of experience, but I think he wanted to win as bad as Kobe Bryant wants to run the Amazing Race with Shaq.

So who’s next?

A veteran head coach would be something the fans would love to see. Last season they had no reason to go see Bobcats home games other than to check out the opposition’s superstars and the Lady Cats (because those ladies have great personalities). A veteran would give the fans reason to believe that the team will improve; it will give them a reason to buy tickets.

Read More…

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Coaches | No Comments »

Would Harrison Barnes be the Consolation Prize or the Booby Prize?

published Tuesday, May 1st, 2012 at 6:37 am by

For those that have been paying attention, yes, I have been on a ‘who should they draft’ kick for the last month. With the team doing as poorly as they did, it was getting to be a little too depressing to talk about it. At least in the end the team did one thing right and got rid of Paul Silas.

Going forward (since it is too depressing to look back) it appears that the Charlotte Bobcats are virtually guaranteed at least one talented player. Odds are good they’ll get the No 1 pick and highly likely that they will at least get the No 2 or 3.

What if they the basketball Gods decide to spit on Jordan the Owner since he was so successful as Jordan the Player and the ‘Cats get a later pick in the lottery (all the way down at 4)?

Most of the predictions and mocks that I’ve read all said the same person is expected to go No 6—North Carolina small forward Harrison Barnes. On the off chance that the Bobcats happen to be at the 4th spot or if they trade down a few slots, should they pick him and be happy?

Absolutely not.

I didn’t watch much North Carolina ball last year or the year before (I live in Indiana; I think there’s a law against watching anyone but IU and Butler). To talk about this guy I had to do my research.

Everyone says he has the body of a NBA small forward at 6-foot 8-inches and 210 pounds. Most people call him athletic (there was a couple that said he lacked athleticism). The 7-foot wing span is nice. People said one thing in many ways, but when you cut through the crap all they were saying was he’s a good shooter.

Read More…

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in NBA Draft | 16 Comments »

Is Jared Sullinger The Best Backup Plan for the Bobcats

published Sunday, April 29th, 2012 at 8:25 pm by

The only good thing about being so bad this season is that the Charlotte Bobcats are virtually guaranteed to get a pretty solid player in the coming NBA draft. That can’t always be said, but the talent pool looks pretty darn good so whether they get the first, second, or third pick (or lower) via the lottery they are going to get someone who can contribute immediately.

That is, unless His Airness does something crazy, but in Jordan we trust right?

As the whole world knows, Mr. Unibrow (aka Anthony Davis) is going to be the No 1 pick in the draft. Should that pick not belong to the Bobcats, who else should they choose?

They can’t go wrong if they opt to go with the sophomore forward from Ohio State Jared Sullinger.

His stats are solid. As a freshman– the year most people expected him to enter the draft—he averaged a double-double with 10.2 boards and 17.2 points a game. That number dipped a tad last season (9.2 boards but 17.5 points a game), but he went up in many other areas.

He went from averaging a block every other game to 1.1 a game. His free throw percentage improved from .704 to .768. As a big man he will not be expected to drain a lot of 3s, but he got better at that too hitting 40 percent (16-40) last season compared to 25 percent as a freshman (3-12). His field goal percentage took a dip (.519 to .541), but with his smaller size he was likely taking more jump shots than he did as a freshman.

Read More…

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in NBA Draft | 12 Comments »

How would Thomas Robinson fit with the Charlotte Bobcats?

published Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 at 9:40 pm by

Thomas Robiinson, Kansas JayhawksThe draft will be here in no time and as diligent basketball fans that hope our beloved Charlotte Bobcats will climb out of the cellar next season we know the importance of the coming draft. When you get the chance to make what will hopefully be one of the first picks of the draft you should get an immediate impact player, but not everyone fits that bill.

On the chance that we don’t get the No 1 pick and Anthony Davis we have to do our homework on the other available studs—like Thomas Robinson of the Kansas Jayhawks.

What can I say, but that I like this guy. Unlike many of the other projected lottery picks he is not a young, one and done kind of player. He has taken the time in college to hone his craft and improve his game before trying to make the jump to the NBA. I would trust in a guy like him that has spent some time maturing in college being ready to contribute before I would a 19-year old kid.

Now he likely did not make the jump because no one would have taken him after his freshman year or sophomore year. He played a lot his first two years, but other players were the key to the team’s success those years. Once he got his chance to shine as a junior he did just that.

During the 2011-12 season he averaged an impressive double-double, 17.7 points and 11.9 rebounds a game; both big improvements off his sophomore numbers. On the season he recorded 27 double-doubles beating Drew Gooden’s single season record of 25 set back in 2002.

Read More…

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in NBA Draft | 4 Comments »

Assuming We Don’t Get the Uni-brow…How About Bradley Beal?

published Monday, April 23rd, 2012 at 6:49 am by

Bradley Beal, Florida GatorsThe season is thankfully winding down now and the Bobcats have done at least one thing. Much like the Indianapolis Colts, they will have a great chance at picking up a player that should be able to make an immediate impact on the team next year thanks to the team sucking so bad this year.

Of course the man we want and hope to get is the Uni-brow himself, Kentucky’s Anthony Davis. However, with the lottery system—as we all know—just because you have the best chance at the No 1 pick does not mean we’ll get it. Whoever does get it will take Davis so in case we are No 2,3,or 4 or whatever who should we take?

What about Florida’s Bradley Beal?

He’s another one of the many ‘one and done’ players that are becoming commonplace in college basketball. The youngster stands 6-foot 3-inches (according to his profile on ESPN), weighs in at 207, and will turn 19 on the day of the draft (talk about an awesome present).

Beal was the lynch pin in Florida’s 26-11 season playing more minutes than anyone else and averaging a respectable 14.6 a game to go with 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He’s listed as a guard, but I’ve read that he played small forward and power forward a lot for the Gators.

The word on this guy is that he is a can’t-miss prospect for whatever NBA team is lucky enough to pick him up. Some analysts and NBA executives have projected him to go as high as No 2, but definitely in the top 10 if not five.

Read More…

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in NBA Draft | 3 Comments »

Is Michael Kidd-Gilchrist the Man for the Bobcats?

published Sunday, April 15th, 2012 at 8:20 am by

Now it is safe to say that the consensus first pick is Anthony Davis. However, since we don’t know for certain that the Bobcats are going to get the first pick, the team will have to be ready to choose someone else when it does become their turn.

So besides Davis, who do we want? What about Michael Kidd-Gilchrist?

John Calipari seems to have an eye for talent and this year’s team of Wildcats is one of the best ever. Any top recruit that doesn’t go to NBA U, aka Kentucky, is just nuts. A couple years ago he lost five guys to the draft; this season he is expected to lose six—including Kidd-Gilchrist.

A look at the stats and you might think he’s a little over hyped. On the season he averaged just 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds a game. Good? Yes. Top five pick worthy? Maybe.

Personally I find it a little hard to get a true judge on some of these basketball players that are coming out early, especially the ones from UK. One season does not a stud professional make, but that is pretty much how many of these guys are viewed. I don’t know the stats, but I have to wonder how many “one and done” players become stars and how many crash and burn.

When it comes to the UK guys the evaluation is even tougher. These guys were in first for much of the season and won the national championship for a reason—they were pretty darn good. When it comes to making individual evaluations on a team that is so talented how do you judge the individual talent?

Anyway…Kidd-Gilchrist has the look of a guy that could make a difference for whoever drafts him. At 6-foot 7-inches and 232 pounds he has the frame of someone who could plug in at forward or guard (ESPN lists him as a forward while Catsillusrated.com says he’s a guard). In a nut shell the man is big, but not so big that he is stuck playing one position (versatility helps).

Read More…

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in NBA Draft | 6 Comments »

How Would Andre Drummond Look in a Charlotte Bobcats Uniform?

published Sunday, April 8th, 2012 at 5:32 am by

Andre Drummond, center, UConnThe good thing about having one of the lottery picks in the coming draft is that it is hard to go wrong with whoever you pick. Every player that will get taken in the early part of the first round is bound to make a difference on whatever team they happen to land on.

That is exactly what the Charlotte Bobcats will be hoping when it becomes their turn to choose from this year’s crop of future stars.

When you have a team that has played as poorly as the Bobcats have this season you’d think that the team could just put a bunch of names on a dart board have His Airness close his eyes and throw. If that dart were to land on Andre Drummond (center, UConn Huskies) would it be a good choice for the ‘Cats?

Drummond was one of the best players in the country coming out of high school in 2011. ESPN and NBADraft.net had him rated as the No 1 player in the country; Rivals.com and Scout.com had him No 2. If the NBA was still drafting kids straight out of high school he would have gone in last year’s draft.

Should the Bobcats take him he could very well be the center that the team needs. He has the size of an NBA center standing 6-foot 11-inches and weighing in at 275 pounds. He could be a tough defensive presence down low, is known for being a solid rebounder and shot blocker, and has a decent (and improving) offensive game.

The man can play; that’s a given, but do the ‘Cats need him? What about Bismack Biyombo?

Read More…

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Bismack Biyombo, Corey Maggette, Derrick Brown, NBA Draft, Tyrus Thomas | 17 Comments »
  • Sign Up for the BCP Newsletter
    Get the latest BCP News
    Plus info on Discounts on Bobcats Tickets and Apparel


  • Latest Forum Debates

  • Recent Comments

    • User Avatarziggy Add Stan (Ron Jeremy) Van Gundy to the list. – May 21, 7:25 PM
    • User Avatarziggy At least we didn't do something crazy like give up a first round pick to get Tyrus.... Oh, wait. – May 20, 6:57 AM
    • User AvatarTravis That is a good point. The good thing about the Bobcats in that case is they don't have any D-wade type personalities on the squad.... – May 19, 11:40 AM
    • User Avatarwestbrook08 The only problem i see with up and coming d-league coaches, is that they pretty much have the right to rule with an iron fist... – May 19, 11:04 AM
    • User Avatarziggy Of these 3 possibilities, Joerger is the only one that I would seriously consider. No to Silas. No to Ewing. – May 19, 7:04 AM
Privacy Policy Staff