The Charlotte Bobcats announced today that they have traded centers Tyson Chandler and Alexis Ajinca for former Bobcat guard Matt Carroll, forward Eduardo Najera and center Erick Dampier, along with cash considerations.

Carroll started 81 games for the Bobcats over his 289 game career in the Queen City, and still holds the team record for Free Throw Percentage at .849%. He played parts of the last two seasons in Dallas after being traded in January 2009 along with Ryan Hollins for DeSagana Diop. Carroll has just below 12 million dollars left on his contract over the next three years, though that amount is front loaded.

Najera is a 6’8 forward who will make the Bobcats his fifth team in 11 seasons. A second round pick in 2000, he started his career in Dallas, and made stops in Golden State, Denver, and New Jersey before being sent back to Dallas this past season. He has 5.6 million owed to him over the next two seasons, and like Carroll his contract is decreasing.

Dampier is a 6’11 center who has played for Indiana, Golden State and Dallas in his 14 seasons. He likely will not play for the Bobcats as his 13 million dollar contract is not guaranteed, meaning he can be waived at any time prior to the season with no penalty to the ‘Cats.

General Manager Rod Higgins said after the trade was announced that “Our main goal this offseason was finding a way to reshape this roster and continue the momentum we have established. While it’s always difficult to give up key pieces of your team, we believe this deal will give financial flexibility and the ability to improve our team at the same time.”

Chandler was acquired last summer for Emeka Okafor, and missed much of last winter with foot and ankle problems. He averaged 6.6 points and 6.4 rebounds in 50 games with the Bobcats. Ajinca, the 20th overall pick of the 2008 draft, played just 37 games with the team, spending much of his time in the D-League.

What this means for Bobcats fans is that there is likely another move on the way. Dampier’s contract situation allows the team to pursue a player like Monta Ellis, Jose Calderon, or Andris Beidrins, among others reportedly available. While this move will place the Bobcats over the luxury tax for the moment, it’s highly unlikely the team will remain around that figure. If you don’t know how to bet on the NBA then I suggest you sign up for a top NBA handicapper. Were the team to be unable to find a suitor for Dampier, he could be waived to allow the team a chance at free agents such as Flip Murray, Shaquille O’Neal, or Will Bynum.

As far as Carroll and Najera are concerned, this shores up the second unit for the ‘Cats. Carroll is an excellent long-range shooter and provides a third man at the Shooting Guard position behind Stephen Jackson and Gerald Henderson. Najera likely will back up the newly re-signed Tyrus Thomas, and shows that Boris Diaw is almost assuredly on his way out of town.

Also, it’s worth noting that the rumored trade of Tyson Chandler and Boris Diaw to Toronto for Reggie Evans and Jose Calderon is now dead, as Najera is very similar to Evans and a Diaw/Calderon swap makes little sense value wise for the ‘Cats.

Matt Carroll and Ryan Hollins are on their way to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for center Desagana Diop.

The general reaction in our forums is relief that we didn’t have to give up Raymond Felton in order to add Diop to the roster. With Felton not involved, this is a trade that is much easier to live with.

Both Matt and Ryan were quality guys that were great with the fans and the community and they will be missed, but neither one was making much of an impact on the court this season.

What we hope to see from Diop is a player that can give us strong rebounding and defense as a dependable backup to Emeka Okafor at center. If he can give us that then this deal is a win for the Bobcats.

So what do you guys think? Was this a good deal or a bad deal for the Bobcats?

phillyBurbs.com – Matt Carroll is excited about playing for Larry Brown

While Carroll isn’t a typical Brown player — read: a defensive-oriented, blue-collar guy — he is an excellent shooter, having finished ninth in 3-point percentage this season for the Charlotte Bobcats, and a hard worker. Carroll came away from his meeting with the 67-year-old Brown liking what he heard and anxiously awaiting the start of training camp.

Bobcat Bonfire – GWIII comments on the Charlotte Observer blog commenters. I cosign his opinion on them 100%, there are some true whack jobs commenting there.

Deadspin – posted an article 2 weeks ago following the Larry Brown hiring where he commented on the sad state of the Charlotte Bobcats blogging community. Hey Will, between our blogs and forums, we had it all covered here at BobcatsPlanet.

Welcome to the Bobcats Larry Brown

Day One of the Post Sam Vincent Era

Larry Brown Is Our New Coach!

Larry Brown’s Staff

Larry Brown: International Fashion Plate

Larry Brown hiring media reaction thread.

Who is or is not a “Larry Brown type of guy” on our roster?

Believe it or not, this could be the biggest question for an up-and-coming Bobcats team as training camp starts.  And the answer might be an unconventional one.

Undoubtedly, the newly acquired Jason Richardson and the newly re-signed Gerald Wallace are the more accomplished swingmen and deserve to be the starters on this team.  But it is virtually impossible to overestimate what Matt Carroll gave this team in last year’s 33-win campaign.  Getting consistent big-time minutes (26.1 per) for the first time in his four-year career, Carroll put up 12.1 points per game and shot an astounding 41.6 percent from outside the arc.  He illuminated himself as a player with not only a definite skill – perimeter shooting – but at 6-foot-6 and 212 pounds, a versatile player with surprising quickness who can play two positions and get the ball to the rim on occasion as well.

As easy as it is to write off Carroll’s solid year on the basis of the “Well, somebody has to take enough shots to score some points on a subpar team with no dominant scorer” theorem, it was encouraging to see the Charlotte front office reward Carroll with a 6-year, $27 million contract this summer.  But all the same, it is no guarantee that he will get minutes.  Richardson comes over from Golden State having averaged 35.5 minutes per game in his six seasons there, and with a new contract in hand, Wallace will be asked to be on the floor as much as ever.  It is hard to believe that overrated draft pick Adam Morrison won’t get some minutes at the swing spots either, if nothing else so that the ‘Cats aren’t seen as tacitly admitting that Michael Jordan made a mistake with that pick.  At least for now.

Which means that rookie coach Sam Vincent’s toughest task will be getting Carroll on the floor with close to the same regularity that he played last year.  This is a player who has spent four years working and has finally found a home in Charlotte.  He has earned himself a shot to be a major part of this team when the going finally gets good – which it is far closer to than much of the NBA’s national following (and media) seem to realize.

Carroll’s lethal outside shot will keep defenses honest and allow the Charlotte offense to spread the floor in halfcourt sets.  In a traditional lineup, Vincent would likely be best served to use him at the two next to Gerald Wallace.  Wallace is a great jumper and slasher, but if there is a major weakness in his game right now, it is his outside shot.  Having Carroll on the floor with him would prevent teams from sending his man to help on Wallace’s drive, as Carroll can’t be left standing alone on the perimeter.  Of course, he will also be able to spell Wallace and play alongside Richardson in this set-up as well, although it makes more sense with Wallace on the floor.

Now, we come to the unconventional part.  In one more effort to get Carroll some time with the first unit, perhaps it is worth presenting Boof’s (that's me, for all you new readers) Officially Crazy Idea of the Week: the run-n’-gun ‘Cats; a truly-small ball lineup featuring Ray Felton, Carroll, Wallace, Richardson and either Walter Herrmann or Emeka Okafor, depending on how truly small Vincent wanted to go.  For three-to-five minute stretches over the course of the game, this unit could just get on the floor and fly.  Ray Felton was put on this planet to push the ball up and down the floor, and having Carroll on the floor would really spread defenses thin with Richardson and Wallace waiting on the wings and doubling them really not a viable option.   Richardson is used to playing in more of a big-man role in this type of setup from the Nellieball system in Oakland.  Much like the Warriors did last spring, if the ‘Cats can dictate tempo, they will create matchup problems and force other teams to adjust to them.

No, this isn’t necessarily a style that should be leaned on as a crutch the way it has been in Golden State.  But with Richardson’s nature as a gunner, Herrmann’s energy and Wallace’s all-around explosiveness, this team has the personnel that makes it perfectly built for the small ball game in short bursts.  All five guys on the floor would be hustle guys willing to gamble to force turnovers and start fast breaks defensively, and Richardson and Wallace are both excellent-rebounding swingmen.   This is the type of unit that could change the flow of the game, add a ton of energy and really break the momentum in Charlotte’s favor.  Sure, it’s crazy.  But out of the realm of possibility?  Absolutely not.

And it will get Matt Carroll on the floor.  Which, for those who haven’t figured it out yet, is right where he belongs.

To make Bernie Bickerstaff’s job easier for him and because I’m such a nice guy,   I went ahead and made out an offseason “To Do” list for several members of the Charlotte Bobcats. By following the action items on this list, the Bobcats should come back stronger in 2006-2007 and actually challenge for the #8 spot in the East.

Emeka Okafor – Get closer to your college playing weight, 275 pounds is too much for your frame and in all likelihood was a major contributor to the ankle injuries that plagued you all season. Improve your low post offense skills, 40% shooting for somebody who is going to hold down the power forward spot simply isn’t going to cut it.
Gerald Wallace – Work on your perimeter offense, If the Bobcats draft Adam Morrison or Rudy Gay then you may be bumped over to shooting guard, so get your game ready just in case.
Raymond Felton – Nothing… Continue to do what you do. Your progress over the course of your rookie season showed that you may very well be this team’s first All-Star.
Brevin Knight – Get used to receiving  backup point guard minutes or else work out a deal for a trade. This is now Raymond Felton’s team.
Primoz Brezec – for God’s sake, learn to play a little defense. Just once, for kicks try blocking a shot or popping somebody with a forearm. If you’re not familiar with the concept then check out NBA-TV for examples.
Sean May – Stay out of Dairy Queen, Avoid Krispy Kreme at all costs. Spend your offseason getting into legitimate NBA shape, then come back next season to prove that you can do the same things at the NBA level that you used to do for the Tarheels.
Matt Carroll – Each night at bedtime, Pray for  coach that will give you some consistent minutes.
And last but not least…
Bernie Bickerstaff – Set up a news conference to announce that you plan to resign as head coach and begin to lead the search for your replacement.