The Charlotte Bobcats have now played 16 games since Paul Silas took over for the fired Larry Brown as Head Coach. Since that’s equal to one NFL season, and gives players enough time to develop trends, I figured now would be a good time to check in on the progress Coach Silas and company have made. In 28 games, Larry Brown went 9-19. In just 16, Silas has won 10 games to 6 losses. Extrapolate that over 82 games, and Silas, using the same roster, would win 52 games to Brown’s 26. But its more than just the win/loss numbers, startling as they are.

Phoenix Suns. Charlotte Bobcats.
One team led by the aged one, Steve Nash.
The other, led by an up and coming point guard, DJ Augustin.
One winner. Bobcats.

Dramatic wasn’t it. Okay so it wasn’t, but I realized before my blogs were getting boring and monotonous. You wouldn’t want to tap that, let alone read it. So I’m just going to throw whatever comes through this big ole head of mine into this blog. Sounds good? Awesome, because I think really randomly.

So where do I start. Lets start with the big man in the middle, aka Kwame Brown. Let’s just say he’s been impressive of late, as he calls it ‘being big in the paint’ and really is growing leaps and bounds. Very impressive for a guy who struggled throughout most his career, is it not? Again, the big dude there gave us a double double in 26 minutes. Lovely stuff Kwame. Better than Tyson Chandler? Perhaps not. Cheaper? By far. Plus, he has Oakley tutoring him. Who wouldn’t want Oakley tutoring you.

Wallace shot the ball, and sank the ball in the hoop. Lovely stuff Crash, continue to pick up your game please. We all love you when you’re hot and on fire. Please continue that way. Double double for Crash too. Great stuff.

Just like the rest of the league.  In their last 20 games, the Heat and the Lebronettes are 18-2, the two losses being to Dallas, who, if not for the recent woes, would probably be considered second best in the league.  I had no rose colored glasses for this one.  By the way, who is the last person you know that wore rose colored glasses?  Gorilla Monsoon?  Yeah me too.

It would be an uphill climb.  The Heat turned around a 20 point deficit against Golden State, who had beaten the Bobcats, into a 7 point win.  So logically, I was saying, “Bobcats lost, were behind most of the game to Golden State, Golden State lost a 20 point lead to these freaks, Bobcats lose.”  Easy to see that, isn’t it?  Well, add all that positive negativity, that is, I was positive of a negative outcome, add to that Gerald Wallace was out with his trick ankle, Nazr Mohammed was out with his umm, age.  Via his twitter on January 1, Saturday: “I gotta get rid of these nick-nack injuries cuz I’m ready to take it up a notch for the New Year. Ready to hoop and have fun.#Bobcats”  I think he means ticky-tack, nick-nack are those things your grandma keeps on a shelf….wait, I think he might be right!  He’s kept on the shelf…anyway, you get it.

Worst of all, coming into the game, Gana Diop was listed as out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.  What would we do without his 1.3 points per game, over 16 games!  He’s broken the rotation, seemingly to get his trade value up, and the fella ruptured his damn Achilles!  Oh well, no bother…we have umm, Kwame Brown.  Don’t throw things, I’m only the messenger.  For whatever reason he hadn’t yet broken the rotation under Paul Silas, but he’d be thrust into it tonight.  I heard, when Miami was looking at Dust Dampier, they had 6 centers, which really meant they had no centers.  Well the Bobcats had 3 centers, down to Kwame Brown, who Silas obviously didn’t trust to wear a uniform in the previous 2 games…the Bobcats were without a center.

Kwame started, Henderson started in place of Wallace, almost immediately got a foul.  Again, no bother, Bobcats got out to a 7-2 lead and held that 5 point stiff-arm throughout the first quarter, extending it out to 7 at points within the second.  Lebron and DWade decided at some point to start taking things a bit more seriously.  Their defense is pretty outstanding.  But I’m not sure that’s what led to their size-able third quarter lead.  The story of this game was the absolute inability of the Bobcats to make a shot.

While it won’t be official until later tommorow, it’s all but a certainty that Larry Brown will be fined $50,000 by the NBA for his comments regarding officiating following a 91-88 loss to the Orlando Magic.

Brown had been asked about Stephen Jackson’s $50,000 fine that day for “verbal abuse” of officials, and responded with a criticism of how officials are taking advantage of the “Respect the Game” rules. When asked about the situation, which came from a loss in Detroit, Brown had this to say:

“I know I went ‘Wow.’ and the referee went bang, ‘gotcha’, and I got a technical for saying ‘Wow.’ And they said they had a lip reader on Stephen. Somebody read lips, I don’t know. This respect for the game goes both ways. Our trainer got cussed at tonight. Yeah. That’s respect for the game.

So it blows me away. For me to say ‘Wow’ and a guy to go ‘gotcha’ and there’s no recourse and that they were lip reading as he was walking away, 50 feet…I don’t know.”

According to a source within the organization, Bobcats majority owner Michael Jordan has already had multiple conversations with NBA Commissioner David Stern regarding both NBA officials and the new rules. Stern views Jordan favorably, and if any owner would be able to convince the commissioner of issues in the system, it would be Jordan, the only owner who played in the league.

The more I think about His Airness signing Kwame Brown the more I think it is actually a good idea. Before you guys pepper me with comments like ‘what the *^&^’ or ‘are you stupid????’ just hear me out a little.

It is a given that this team needs some help at center. Is Kwame the man for the job? If you look at his body of work you have to think not a chance. BUT as most of you know if anyone is up for the challenge of a reclamation project it is Larry Brown. I can see in the forum that many of you are tired of him being so willing of taking these challenges on, but from what I can see the man is a good coach (I have no idea how successful he has been in the past with project players like Kwame).

When it comes down to it, for the price this kid is getting paid, why not? These players make ridiculous amounts of cash and while $1.3 million is not chump change in the real world, in the NBA it makes you a pauper. Kwame was one of the dumbest moves in NBA history the first time around for Jordan, but could end up being one the smartest ones this time.

That brings me to another of the forums favorite players (sarcasm completely intended)—Erick Dampier. It appears as if most of your wishes are likely to come true and we will not have to worry about this guy and his hefty price tag. I find it interesting that a guy that really does not have sparkling statistics throughout his career is so adamant about taking less money. Does he really think that there is that much demand for him out there? Hopefully the team will be able to sucker someone into taking him in a trade otherwise I would not be surprised to see Dampier slinking back later in the year and signing whatever contract Jordan is willing to give him.

Speaking of trades, it appears as if the Bobcats may have a chance at landing the current flavor of the month—Carmelo “Get me the heck out of the Mile-high City” Anthony.

I can’t think about this anymore so here it goes:

I started by writing something really, really mean:

Kwame Brown, welcome.  No, you know what?  YOU ARE NOT WELCOME!  Go back to Georgia, throw some cake at somebody, do whatever it is you were doing!

We don’t need another reclamation project.  Don’t let MJ fool you, I speak for the greater good.

Then, I realized that was pretty mean and unnecessary.  The guy can’t help where he was drafted.  He can’t help that he was the first guy “hand picked” by The Greatest Player to play the game.  After all, it’s only the league veteran minimum.  $1,352,181, enjoy it Kwame, you may not see that kind of money ever again.

I laughed and scoffed at the Theo Ratliff trade, or whatever it was.  Larry, Michael and Rod seem to want bodies, even as I say “want” I feel like they would more take/accept than actively want players.  Sherron Collins, Dominic McGuire, Tyrus Thomas (re-signed), Shaun Livingston and now Kwame Brown coming in as free agents.  Erick Dampier, Matt Carroll, Eduordo Najera coming in via trade for Tyson Chandler and Alexis Ajinca?  I’m so confused.