Just a few days ago, we saw the Charlotte Bobcats play horrible basketball in Washington, D.C. but somehow come out with an overtime win over the Wizards, 95-86. There would be no overtime tonight, as the ‘Cats survived multiple attempts at a comeback by the Washington Wizards to win 107-96. The Bobcats earned their franchise-record 38th win, and are for the first time ever four games over .500%. The Wizards, however, set their own franchise record with their 14th consecutive loss. While it wasn’t pretty, it’s a win, and that means the magic number to make the playoffs is down to 7.

Suspended Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas showed up for his sentencing earlier in the day (30 days in a halfway house and community service, if you were wondering), but most of his teammates were nowhere to be found. Mike Miller scored just 10 points in 36 minutes and just three Wizards scored more than 10 points. One of them is D-League call-up Alonzo Gee, who replaced the injured Al Thornton in the starting lineup with 19 points, making him Washngton’s leading scorer. No Wizard had more than 7 rebounds, and they had shots blocked by the Bobcats 8 times. Believe it or not, Raymond Felton had two of those blocks to go along with his 19 points (on 8-10 shooting) and 11 assists. Felton said postgame that “we’re treating every game like a playoff game” and attributed his recent performance boost to “being at my comfort level.” But he was far from the only Bobcat to contribute. Gerald Wallace had 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals along with several crowd-pleasing dunks. Stephen Jackson dropped in 20 points, and Boris Diaw put out a 12/5/4 line. Tyson Chandler had 4 points, 5 rebounds and a block off the bench, but his post presence was more valuable than numbers can show. New Bobcat Larry Hughes had his best game in a short period, going 4-10 for 10 points with 3 rebounds. But perhaps the most encouraging stat of the game is playing time: No starter played more than 34 minutes, and league leader in minutes per game Gerald Wallace played just 32:28 with just as much effectiveness. While I doubt this will push Coach Larry Brown to rest the starters more, considering the poor play of the bench (outside Chandler and Hughes, there were just 11 bench points on 16 shots, and 7 turnovers from the bench), it’s at least a good sign for one night. Regarding the game, LB said “I wasn’t crazy about it, we turned the ball over too much, we got beat on straight line drives.” He’s also been keeping tabs on NCAA tournament action, saying “Hell, you can be Northern Iowa, St. Mary’s, Butler, it doesn’t matter, we gotta respect whoever we play…Sometimes, I don’t know if we completely understand that.”

Notes: The Bobcats led the whole game…Former Bobcat Earl Boykins did not play in a coach’s decision for the Wizards…Despite sitting himself in the previous game against the ‘Cats, Andray Blatche started and played 38 minutes…The Bobcats swept the season series with Washington 4-0…Two of the Bobcats’ next three games are against close rivals in the playoff race, Monday the 29th vs. Toronto and Friday April 2nd vs. Milwaukee…With the Bulls being inactive tonight, the magic number of Bulls losses and Bobcats wins is now 7, and the Bobcats could possibly clinch a playoff spot by beating the Bulls in Chicago next Saturday (april 3rd), though mathematically it could be as soon as the 2nd…Miami beat the Bucks tonight, placing Charlotte 1/2 game back of the 6th spot in the Heat but just 1 1/2 games back of 5th (Milwaukee).

I know, I know, it’s not Saturday, and none of this actually happened on Saturday to begin with. But I decided with this glut of information to throw at you I should just make a Godfather post, starting in the Queen City and ending in Disney World. Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?

The beginning would be in Time Warner Cable Arena on Friday night. Your Charlotte Bobcats played the much-maligned Los Angeles Clippers, one of the most poorly managed franchises in all of sports. They didn’t play like it for much of the game, though, keeping pace with the Bobcats. However, part of that likely had to do with former Charlotte Hornet Baron Davis drawing a flagrant foul on Gerald “Crash” Wallace in the 2nd quarter, which left Wallace out for this game and likely a while longer, but we’ll get to that later. In the short term, that didn’t matter, with Stephen Jackson’s 24 points and 6 assists leading the ‘Cats to a 106-98 victory. Jackson had assistance from Raymond Felton’s near triple double (10 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds), Boris Diaw’s 16 points and 5 assists, and Tyson Chandler’s spectacular 13 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. Wallace had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals in 21 minutes. Michael Jordan was not present, missing his first game since it was announced he’s buying the team. He was with his son Jeff, who is on the Illinois basketball team that was competing in the Big Ten tournament.

Wallace has been diagnosed with a sprained ankle, and missed the entire second half of the Clippers game, tonight’s game against the Magic (recap below) and is out for Tuesday’s game in Indiana. His status after that is “day-to-day” and he will take off the protective boot upon arrival in Indianapolis. When asked about Wallace’s condition, Stephen Jackson simply said “Pray.” In other injury news, Center DeSagana Diop had dizzy spells during a Thursday practice and is out until at least Atlanta, possibly longer depending on tests. No word on Center Nazr Mohammed’s progress, though with the tremendous play lately by Theo Ratliff and Tyson Chandler, no rush to either Gana or Naz. Get well, guys.

We learned over the weekend that another injured player has been added to the Bobcats roster. That would be former 76ers first round pick Larry Hughes, who played for Larry Brown in Philadelphia and for Michael Jordan and Bobcats GM Rod Higgins in Washington, along with being a teammate of multiple current Bobcats. He is expected to be able to play within 7-10 days, and will be a backup shooting guard and the emergency third point guard if DJ Augustin or Raymond Felton were to get into foul trouble or be injured. Hughes will be playoff roster eligible, and since he will likely be able to adequately replace Flip Murray, the trade for Tyrus Thomas becomes that much more of a steal. Hughes has also played for Golden State, Cleveland, Chicago, and New York. He averaged 22 points per game with the Wizards in 2004-2005, and was the inaugural recipient of the Austin Carr “Good Guy” Award, for being helpful to the Cleveland media and community.

The last major update takes us to Orlando, where the ‘Cats were on the road tonight to face the Orlando Magic. Without Crash, Stevie Graham made his 6th start of the season, and Captain Jack took over the load once again, with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists to help get the ‘Cats their sixth straight win, 96-89. Graham added 12 points and 6 rebounds, Ray Felton put in 16 and dished out 7 assists, Theo Ratliff had 10 points and 9 boards, and Tyrus Thomas had 9 points and 9 rebounds. The Bobcats held the free-shooting Magic to 11-32 three point shots, or 34%. Sharpshooters Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, and J.J. Redick combined to go an abysmal 1-12 from behind the arc. Dwight Howard led the Magic with 27 points on 12-14 shooting, but was 3-10 from the free throw line. Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said postgame “We weren’t very good at anything.” While that might be a bit harsh, he’s right in that the Bobcats are on a roll and have been playing excellent basketball, with or without their All-Star. Yankees Ace C.C. Sabathia drove up to see good friend Stephen Jackson play against the Magic despite pitching earlier in the day.

Rick Bonnell noted recently that

“All you fools who made fun of me for writing it would be a huge mistake for the Bobcats to sign Allen Iverson (you know who you are; I can look up the responses) can send me your heart-felt apologies soon as possible.”

While I assume Rick was just being trivial or attempting humor, he was not only wrong to begin with (what else is new) but he called his readers fools, which in jest or not, none of us here at BCP will ever do. Now, let’s look at why Mr. Bonnell is wrong. When the discussion for this signing was being made, Stephen Jackson was still playing in California, Bob Johnson seemed to be well in control of the team and Gerald Henderson was the only backup shooting guard. What many of us were asking for was what Memphis did very well. Sign Iverson, sell a ton of jerseys and tickets, and if he doesn’t work out, waive him with a minimal hit to the team. What’s so “wrong” about that, Rick?

Notes: Larry Brown has been rumored to both the Philadelphia and LA Clippers Head Coaching jobs, even though neither is technically available, but he said that him staying is “up to Michael (Jordan).” For right now, it appears MJ wants Larry around, and no changes are imminent…The Bobcats sale to Michael Jordan is expected to go through by the end of this week, at which time we will have a special ownership edition of Michael’s Minute with Bobcats Director of Corporate Communications Michael Thompson. If you go to the forum, you can submit a question you’d like answered.

If you had any question how well liked young Stephen Curry is in the Queen City, then that was certainly answered tonight. Returning home to Charlotte as a Golden State Warrior, the rookie received a standing ovation in player introductions and was cheered nearly every time he touched the ball. However, Gerald Wallace, DJ Augustin, and Boris Diaw helped the Charlotte Bobcats ruin his trip home, winning 101-90.

Curry, who was the leader of the miracle Davidson squad that made the Elite Eight in 2008, scored 25 points but went just 8-23 from the field, including an 0-3 start that featured an airball. The rest of his team didn’t help much either, with only Corey Maggette (19 points) and Charlottean Anthony Morrow (11) also reaching double figures.

The Bobcats, however, had a team game going and began to pull away in the fourth quarter, led by DJ Augustin’s 19 points on 7-10 shooting and 3 of 4 three pointers. Gerald Wallace, who was ejected with a minute left to go in the game for throwing an elbow that didn’t connect, had a spectacular game, putting in 18 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing two assists, and blocking five shots. Augustin and Wallace were not alone, however, as Boris Diaw nearly had a triple double (14 pts/12rbds/9ast), Stephen Jackson had 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Theo Ratliff had 11 points and 5 rebounds in his 7th consecutive start. Tyson Chandler continued his impressive return from a foot injury, adding 2 points, 4 rebounds, and a block in 7 minutes off the bench.

Notes: When discussing Stephen Curry, Coach Larry Brown said “If I ever retire, I’d pay to see him play”…Gerald Wallace will likely receive a one game suspension for the “foul” he commited on Anthony Tolliver leading to his ejection, even though the elbow thrown did not connect and he denies any malevolence whatsoever: “It was not intentional. I wasn’t trying to hurt anybody, everyone knows I’m not that type of player”…Gerald Henderson once again saw meaningful minutes, going 1-4 from the field for 3 pts and 3 rbds with 2 steals…Centers Nazr Mohammed and DeSagana Diop once again missed the game, with back spasms and a right MCL sprain, respectively…Owner-to-be Michael Jordan sat courtside for the third straight home game, making him 3-3 since it was announced he was buying the team…the only players who entered the game and did not record a turnover were Derrick Brown and Tyson Chandler…Former Bobcats Raja Bell and Vladi Radmanovic, who were traded for Stephen Jackson, were on the Warriors bench. Bell currently owns a house in Charlotte…The Bobcats are now 22-8 at home and 30-31 overall, ninth in the East.

Nights like tonight are when I remind myself why I suffer through losing streaks, ownership issues, bad tv deals, and all the other problems of being a Charlotte Bobcats fan. Being a Bobcats fan means all that, but it also means an annual win or two against the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers, in front of a packed house sprinkled with fair-weather Kobe-lovers, Ric Flair, Bob Johnson, and MJ himself. Tonight was no different, and Gerald Wallace, Stephen Jackson and crew led the Bobcats to a win, 98-83.

After a disappointing road trip out West and two poor games this week, it seemed the ship was taking on water at the very least. But for tonight, if not the future, Gerald Wallace returned to his pre-All Star Game form with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, and Stephen Jackson did his part with 21 points and 4 steals. But while the stars were part of the story, the Bobcat Bench was the glue that sealed the win, led by Tyrus Thomas (14 pts, 9 rbds, 2 blks) and DJ Augustin (12 pts, 5 ast, 2 st) but supported very well by Gerald Henderson and newly-returned Tyson Chandler, who had been out with the foot injury that’s hurt him all season long. Augustin, who had been a miserable 2-27 in a 5-game stretch prior to the Boston game Wednesday, went 5-8, and 2-3 from 3 point range, which is encouraging for all ‘Cats fans. Henderson received his first meaningful playing time of the year (albeit someshort), and delivered with Raja Bell-like defense on Bryant, who scored 26 on 9-21 shooting (0-4 on threes). The rookie had 6 points and 2 rebounds along with a steal and a block. Larry Brown said afterwards “I was proud of Gerald Henderson. The first time we played the Lakers in LA he said ‘Coach, I’d like to play against them,’ and I was a little nervous about that, but I saw him play in Boston; If he makes mistakes, if he takes a bad shot, it’s not because he isn’t trying so I think I’m gonna put him in more, give him a chance.” In the locker room post-game, Michael Jordan came up to Henderson and congratulated him. Perhaps that highly publicized game of HORSE, which Henderson called a “blessing in disguise,” had a major impact? Coach Brown also said that Tyrus Thomas would be a “helluva player” and said his attitude was comparable to Gerald Wallace in terms of wanting to learn. Speaking of Gerald, he summed up the night rather well with these words on the sporadic Laker jerseys in the stands:

“We want them to come with whoever they want to go with, as long as when they go home they’re Bobcats fans we’re good with that.”

So are we.

What an eventful 24 hours for Bobcats fans. First, Captain Jack and crew won an exciting, hard fought game over a young Memphis Grizzlies squad 93-89. Then, in the early morning hours we found out that UNC and NBA legend and current co-owner Michael Jordan will become the next controlling owner of the Bobcats, succeeding Robert Johnson.

Let’s start with the big news. According to many sources, MJ worked up until minutes before his deadline of midnight Friday, finally putting together a group of investors satisfactory to Bob Johnson and what meets NBA requirements. NBA commisioner David Stern said he expects the sale to go through by the end of next month, and even though the sale needs the approval of the other 29 owners, Mr. Stern doesn’t see that as a problem. For those who follow the team closely, this is an excellent move. Not only does it mean Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown will most likely stay on, but that team stars Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson are safe, and that the continuing development of Raymond Felton and Tyrus Thomas won’t be hindered. General Manager Rod Higgins, who was instrumental in bringing in Stephen Jackson, Jason Richardson (now in Phoenix), Boris Diaw, and Raja Bell (now in Golden State), will be able to continue building a veteran team and asserting himself as a solid front office man, and assistant coach Dave Hanners can be groomed to take over when Coach Brown decides to retire. But more than the current state of affairs, having one of the greatest players ever in any sport as your owner creates many opportunities. For a team lacking both corporate sponsors and star power, the pitchman Jordan is fills a much needed gap. As long as he continues to increase his prescence at games and in the community, the community will continue to warm to the Bobcats. For someone with a competitive spirit like Mike, putting a winning product on the court shouldn’t be a problem, and making sure the team wins over his home will likely be equally easy. Just remember, if you tell MJ he can’t, he’ll do it and then some. Just ask Bryon Russell.

Now back to the on-court action. Last night, Stephen Jackson was channeling his inner MJ in Memphis against the Grizzlies, putting up 32 points on 13-26 shooting and 3-7 from three. But the numbers don’t nearly tell the story. He put up 19 of the 32 in the second half, 10 in the fourth quarter. Also, he hit a 3 at the buzzer to put the ‘Cats up 84-82, then another 3 after faking out Sam Young to give Charlotte the lead for good. Captain Jack also had a game-high 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Boris Diaw had an impressive game, going 7-12 (3-6 from distance) for 18 points and grabbed 5 boards. Tyrus Thomas continued to impress in his sixth man role since coming over from Chicago, playing 22 minutes and shooting 6-7 for 13 points with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Unfortunately, DJ Augustin can’t seem to get it together, once again going 1-5 for 2 points with 2 turnovers and no assists, marking the 33rd time this season he has made 1 or 0 field goals in a game. Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph led Memphis with lines of 20/5/3 and 24/10/1, respectively.

The last time a star Warrior was traded to Charlotte for almost nothing and returned to Oracle Arena in Oakland, he was given a hero’s welcome. This time, the Warrior fans had little love for their former swingman. You see, Jason Richardson not only didn’t want to be traded, but he was somewhat upset to be traded. Stephen Jackson, however, isn’t one to keep his mouth shut, and he let it be known that he wanted out of Oakland immediately if not sooner. So when he came back, the rabid fan base in Oakland quickly forgot all the heart, passion, and energy he played with and bombarded him with more boos than Jake Delhomme has ever had. But in the end, it didn’t matter. Captain Jack came to play, as did his First Mate and the rest of his Crew.

After a slow start, losing the first quarter to the Dubs 28-24 and being down by 5 in the middle of the second, the Bobcats asserted themselves, entering halftime up 6 and leading by as many as 21. The Stephen Jackson and newly-named All Star Gerald Wallace duo combined for an evenly split 60 points (almost 50% of the team total) and 17 rebounds, 13 of which were Wallace’s. 6 Bobcats were in double figures (Jackson, Wallace, Boris Diaw, Raymond Felton, DJ Augustin, and Flip Murray) and both Wallace and Nazr Mohammed grabbed double digit rebounds. The Bobcats utterly dominated the Warriors on the boards, grabbing 48 solo and 13 team rebounds to the Warriors 32 solo and 9 team, which comes out to a +20 mark. This was with center Nazr Mohammed playing just 16 1/2 minutes (despite those 10 rebounds, along with his 6 points) and backup DeSagana Diop recieving a DNP-CD. This meant Boris Diaw spent most of his night at the 5 spot, scoring 12 and pulling down 6 rebounds. DJ Augustin put in 14 points on 5-7 shooting, including 3-5 from 3 point range, along with 6 assists. We even had a Gerald Henderson mohawk sighting, for a brief 2 1/2 minute period where he scored 1 point. All in all, a stat sheet-stuffing performance, putting the Bobcats back above .500 at 23-22, tied for 7th in the East.

Tomorrow night the Bobcats play the Kings in Sacramento. Let’s just hope Crash stays away from Andres Nocioni if possible. Tomorrow is also DeSagana Diop’s 28th birthday, which could signal extra playing time if the game isn’t close.

Notes: Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia sat courtside. He grew up 30 minutes away from Oakland and is a good friend of Stephen Jackson….Bobcats color analyst Dell Curry spent the second quarter on the Warriors broadcast talking about his son, Stephen, who nearly had a double double with 22 points and 9 assists….Acie Law didn’t play against his former team….former Bobcats Cartier Martin and Vladimir Radmanovic came off the bench for the Warriors, scoring 4 and 6 points, respectively. Ex-Bobcat Raja Bell is out for most of the season with wrist surgery….After winning just 1 road game to 14 losses in 2009, the Bobcats are now 4-3 outside Charlotte in 2010. They are now ahead of Milwaukee and Detroit for 4th worst away record in the East, 7th worst overall….The Bobcats could reach 12-4 for the month of January if they win tomorrow. I think that’d be a franchise best.