It may seem a little strange, but the basketball season is not that far away folks. Training camp is right around the corner (early October I believe). First up for our Bobcats in the preseason will be the Washington Wizards. We open the regular season at home against the Indiana Pacers on November 2.

That’s not a whole lot of time.

Now the NFL has been kind enough to play some games of their own leading up to the beginning of the season to keep us occupied (thanks guys!) so before you know it will be time for tip-off!

Personally, I can’t wait for that first game to start for a couple different reasons. First and foremost so we can officially put that dreadful 2011-12 season behind us for good. I guess technically it already is, but I think we will not really be able to put it out of sight and completely out of mind until the new Charlotte Bobcats step on the court for the first time.

We’ve got reason to be a little excited this year folks. It would be pretty difficult for the team to match last season’s record so we can only get better. Like you I’m not looking to except a slew of 10 point losses over the 20 point ones, but I don’t think we are going to be that bad this year.

I think we can surprise some folks.

Some of you may have read part 1 of mine and Christian “Bodin” Norway’s Q & A session earlier in the week. However, the response was great the only way we could answer all the question in the detail they deserve was to split the article in two, so here it is. Part 2.

1) Isguros: What’s your opinion about not re-signing Derrick Brown, was it to clear cap space in order to sign a big free agent or do the bobcats think Jeff Taylor will be a better player this season?

James Plowright:  One thing Cho has repeatedly emphasized is he wants is flexibility, this is why he was rescinded rather than going for a big FA signing. I think just having the roster spots open and saving 3 million on CAP space is the reason. Derrick Brown was never going to be the make or break of this franchise, I mean as much as like his pre game dancing and his highlight dunks he is a rotation player. I actually think he made quite a few strides last year, he started rebounding at a better rate and began to hit the midrange jumper. But, you can see the roster changes we have made this offseason, it has been close to a total overhaul and for that to happen you need flexibility. We had not drafted Jeff Taylor (28^th June) when we rescinded Derrick Brown’s QA (18^th June). So it is not like the front office picked Taylor over Brown. However, in answer to your questions, yes I think Jeff Taylor will be a better player this season and throughout his career. Taylor is a much better defensive player, can guard 1-4, is a better shooter and is still pretty athletic.

Christian “Norway” Bodin: I’m not sure I like it really. He is showed a lot of promise last year and could be a valuable rotation player this season, especially if injury strikes either MKG (which is likely with his slim body at this point) or Jeff Taylor. I personally think Jeff Taylor could come in and do as well a job, if not better than Derrick Brown, but Brown is bigger and better inside, where he could play some 4 when going small. I thought we would keep him to play the scrap minutes at the three. As far as clearing cap-space, he would still be in his rookie contract if he resigned. It was a qualifying option, and it doesn’t seem like a lot of teams are willing to pay a significant amount of money on him. It might have been that they were trying to negotiate for someone, but failed to get it through, and maybe they will invite him to training camp and give him a new contract, who knows. Either way, I think giving him a final year would benefit us so I didn’t really get it.

I am a Bismack Biyombo fan. I didn’t know much about him when he got drafted, but when I read about how he was willing to pay a cool million of his own so that he can come to the U.S. and play in the NBA I couldn’t help but like the guy. It’s not too common in professional sports these days to see someone that eager and excited to play.

There were times that we were able to catch glimpses of the guy that His Airness was hoping to see when the team made him a lottery pick in the ’11 draft. If you’re the type that likes statistics just take a look at his block numbers. He ties Josh Smith for No 8 in the league with 115 (giving him a per game average of 1.83—good enough for No 9 on the season list).

Yes, I know it’s only blocks and there is a lot more to the game than that, but the fact that he was as high up on the list while playing far fewer minutes than every player above him speaks for his raw talents. With the right coaching and guidance the sky could be the limit for this young man. He could be getting both in new head coach Mike Dunlap and recently added veteran big man Brendan Haywood.

Dear Mr. Jordan,

I just wanted to take the time here to apologize for a past transgression of mine.

Being the loyal reader of Bobcats Planet like I’m sure you are, you had to have seen my post where I called you a royal pain. Although I stand by my analysis at the time, but after some of the moves of the last few weeks I had to reevaluate what I thought of your ability to lead the team from the owner’s chair.

With my tail tucked between my legs I am glad to admit that I was wrong.

Like many fans, I see the potential in some of the young players that you have in Charlotte, but also like many fans I believed the team needed something more to become competitive sooner rather than later (if at all). At the time I didn’t see anything being done to help the team do anything, but fail once again.

I was not on board with your choice of head coaches. I thought we could have done better. With a 4-1 record after Friday’s loss to the Grizzlies in summer league play the man must be doing something right. I know this is only summer league, and that it shouldn’t hold much weight, but in my mind it tells me that with more time under Dunlap the ‘Cats could be alright (key word—could).

As for personnel, I guess I just needed to be patient and see what could happen. You may not have brought a true blue superstar to the roster, but the team is shaping up. Dare I say it, but I think the ‘Cats look pretty competitive. The additions you’ve made have been pretty good.

Yesterday the Bobcats submitted the winning $2M bid for Brendan Haywood, whom you may have heard has North Carolina roots.  For days the Charlotte Observer has been extensively detailing his North Carolina-related history with articles that sound like Hans Gruber reciting Mr. Takagi’s biography in Die Hard: “Born, New York City, 1979; Family moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, 1991; Scholarship student, University of North Carolina, 1997; Sponsor of the Greater Greensboro Community Foundation; Resident of Charlotte…And father of five.”

Okay, so besides being a resident, what are his other skills?  GM Rod Higgins complimented him as a “quality center”, and as a “defender, a rebounder, a runner and a shot-blocker.”  Sorry, I’m not going to give him any points for being a “runner”—doesn’t that apply to everybody in the NBA?  (Insert Gana Diop joke here)  If you’re going there, you might as well give him props for being a “breather, a burper, a farter, and a nose-picker.”  As far as his defense goes, that’s definitely his reputation…Actually, no, his reputation is probably being the one guy who could manage to get into multiple brawls with retired player-turned-poet Etan Thomas.  But yes, when not provoking brawls with a man who just edited a book on the importance of fatherhood, Haywood can play defense.  Higgins himself put it best, with the age-old cliché: Haywood has the “ability to take up space in the paint.”  But this has always been a backhanded compliment, essentially just praise for being large (maybe Higgins also should have labeled him a “grower”).  And as the Mavericks themselves proved last year when they limited the useless Haywood to 15 MPG against the Thunder, having a big immobile center often doesn’t help.

Wow! It’s been a long time coming.  That’s probably the most excited I’ve been watching a Bobcat’s game in like 2-3 years.  And to think it was for a late night, Friday the 13th summer league game.

Wait, we don't cut the nets for Summer League?

First, I do realize its just summer league, and any great performances you see here by either a player or team don’t normally translate to the regular season.  Who knows, maybe next game they get throttled by 30 and we go back to our nice warm spot as the league’s laughingstock.  But I do believe there are bits and pieces, signs and symptoms here which definitely are cause for hope.

Here’s what I took from the main cast of characters tonight.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – What a start!! I loved how he had that slight injury/tweak to his knee at the beginning of the game and didn’t require a wheelchair, he just brushed it off like nothing happened. As advertised, he relentlessly attacked on offense and defense. I noticed on a couple of his power drives that he jumped off the wrong foot, to maybe throw off the defender’s timing and avoid the block. Definitely a veteran move. As for his handle, while it seemed a little loose at times, you could obviously tell he knows how to make a move off the dribble to beat his man.  Natural instincts are good to see more than technique right now.  Just tighten that up, and nobody will be able to stay in front of him with his incredible first step.

Also showed good court vision and passing. Defensively, he is afraid of nothing, even taking on big burly Thomas Robinson head-to-head a couple times – and winning! He played free safety perfectly in the middle, collecting any and every loose ball that traversed his path.  And maybe most impressive, besides scoring 18 points, grabbing 8 boards, dishing 5 assists, and gathering 4 steals in about 20 minutes, was that none of his offense was forced, as most rookies do when trying to make an impression. Everything came within the flow of the game, and yet he still had a tremendous impact on both sides of the ball. Can’t wait to see more.