The turning point?

Posted by on Dec 27, 2008 in New Jersey Nets | 0 comments

Turning Point

Bobcats win in New Jersey on game one of a home and home series.

The Charlotte Bobcats held Devin Harris in check, allowing possibly the hottest player not named Lebron or Kobe in the league to 14 points on 4 of 15 shooting. This is game one of a back to back series against the New Jersey Nets; tonight the same teams face off in Charlotte. The ‘Cats are 4-1 out of their last 5 games, scoring back-to-back victories for the 3rd time this season, but they have yet to win that 3rd straight, we’ll see how it goes tonight. When I say we, I mean hopefully I will be included. You see I’m still at the family home up in the Raleigh area, last night I was dying to watch some Bobcats Basketball but out of the literal 855 channels my parents get, it was not to be found. The day after Christmas must be the prime day to watch sports on TV. I know I was about tired of “Anytime, Any Place, the Super Sleuths are on the CASE!” coming from my niece’s new favorite toy, something to do with Winnie the Pooh, but they replaced Christopher Robin with a girl, well kind of girl named DAR-BEEEE! All I wanted to do last night around 7 was have a sandwich and 5 beers and watch my basketball team but they were no where to be found. I could have watched the Czar and the Back-Biter call the game on an online feed but my mother was trying to figure out the best way to return whatever she didn’t want to keep out of her presents and return the belt too small for my Dad. Ahh,Christmas!

I have always seen Christmas as the beginning of basketball season; I guess the real beginning for college and the turning point of the NBA regular season. There are 2 seasons in both. College has their regular season, sort of split between out of conference and conference play then “March Madness.” In the NBA there is the regular season and the playoffs. To get to the playoffs you have to be one of the best 8 teams in your conference, right before Christmas the Bobcats were second to last in the East but a mere 3.5 games out of the 8th spot. Check out this thread to see what BCP thinks of the chances right now. I figure the numbers point to the Bobcats needing about 25% more victories over the next 52 games, plus their current winning % of 35, 60% would probably get it. 60% of 52, carry the one and ugh, 31-32 wins over the next 52 games, plus the 11 we have already is 42. Can the Bobcats be a 42 win team? Right now? This year? What? I think we need the Super Sleuths on the case…..

Somehow the Bobcats can’t play the same way two nights in a row for whatever reason, we’ll see if they do tonight, prove me wrong. New Jersey is pretty good, but who is their coach? Who is the Veteran Leadership on this team to hold them together and bring them to Charlotte to get a win after losing to the Bobcats last night….Nobody? Vince Carter has been in the league 10 years and cared for approximately 2, next down the veteran list is Najera, I don’t know him to be a leader, Stromile Swift 8 year vet, Trenton Hassell, whatever….I’m just saying yeah they are currently 7th in the east, Harris is scoring points in buckets but the Bobcats had their number. Last night with the win the Bobcats jumped 2 of the 6 teams they were behind in the east (New York and Indiana). Tonight they have the opportunity to pull even with Philly and Toronto. (All these are in the Win column only)

See what 3 wins can do? Then Tuesday at home against NYK, another Home and Home with Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday. Cap that with Boston at home and I’d say the turning point in the season turns this team into a natural contender for the 7th or 8th spot in the East.

Fri11

Blogcat’s Take 4/11

Posted by on Apr 11, 2008 in Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets | 0 comments

Bad news, everyone: according to a recent CBS News/New York Times poll, 81 percent of respondents believe that when it comes to the Bobcats, “things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track.” Oh hold on, I read that wrong. Sorry, they were the talking about the country, not the Bobcats. Never mind then, that’s not nearly as important. That’s an odd way of wording that survey, though. “Things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track”? It’s a bit cluttered—makes me wonder what the other options were on the questionnaire. Was it something like:

1. When it comes to the country…
A) Things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track
B) You know, it is what it is, but for the most part it’s, you know, all good

C) Sometimes things happen and you have to kind of make adjustments
D) I thought it was sort of crazy before, but lately, it’s like, WTF?

For what it’s worth, Bob Johnson thinks things are pretty seriously on the right track. In a recent interview, the Bobcats owner told The Gaston Gazette, “We’ve got a beautiful, downtown state-of-the-art arena. We’ve got a naming rights partner that’s dominant in the media-content business. We’ve got a dominant carrier in the region in the content and sports promotion business. We’ve got a team that is building every year, we believe, to be a winner. And we’ve got a community that’s committed, I’m convinced, to supporting the Charlotte Bobcats.”

We’ve also got an owner who’s delusional. I wonder what’s “convincing” him—the 8th worst attendance in the League? The sub-1 television ratings? The fact that 100% of the $265 million it took to build his “beautiful” arena came from the taxpayers’ state-of-the-art wallets? He’s right, the evidence is overwhelming. Mission accomplished. You had me at “no-jerseys-ranked-in-the-top-15-best-sellers.”

It’s also nice to see that Johnson’s the latest mogul to fall in love with saying the word “content” as much as possible. Guys like him LOVE to talk about “content,” especially when they can also talk about people “consuming” content. It really dresses everything up and makes it sound much cooler and more sophisticated, even when 90% of the time the “content” in question is sports, sit-coms, or blogs about celebrity pregnancies—“crap,” in other words. How refreshing would it be if Johnson or Rupert Murdoch called all of it “crap” instead? I guess that wouldn’t present as nice a picture though, especially in the context of “consuming” it or—worse—“streaming” it.

I assume Johnson was somewhat less convinced by the team’s two most recent showings: a narrow win over Minnesota and a sad loss to the Knicks. Coach Sam Vincent inexplicably praised the win over the T-Wolves, even though it came about more from missed Minnesota opportunities than anything else. “It was closer than we wanted, but we are trying to learn how to win close games,” said Vincent. This was funny for two reasons. First, it’s always absurd when coaches refer to “learning how to win close games” as if it’s a skill that can be achieved through lots of practice, like speaking Spanish or playing the guitar. Second, Vincent’s got it all wrong: we never trailed this game and at one point we were up by 18 against a team with just 19 victories—we should be learning how to win blow-outs. And maybe the Bobcats should consider switching majors, because after a 2-point loss to the Knicks on Wednesday, I don’t think we’re ever going to learn enough.

At least I didn’t pay to watch the Knicks game live. Neither did their new President, Donnie Walsh, but he got to attend anyway. In fact, not only did he attend, he was the whole storyline. I’m serious: in the NY Times recap, there actually wasn’t a single mention of the game itself; the entire article was a description of the Yoda-looking Walsh’s seating arrangements. Walsh is being hailed in these parts as a savior, even though the bulk of his credentials—as far as I can tell—are that he was born and raised in New York. Knicks fans certainly can’t point to anything he did with the Pacers in recent years as reasons for optimism. In the Times article, Walsh also had a bunch of quotations, all of which were—you’ll never believe this—spectacularly uninformative. Without getting into it, he assured everyone he’d be evaluating his options but offered no timetables on any major decisions. At least he didn’t use the word “content.” Hmm…Really old, doesn’t want timetables, bases his credibility on events that occurred decades ago…is this the Walsh Presidency or the McCain Presidency?

Mon07

Blogcat’s take 4/7

Posted by on Apr 7, 2008 in New Jersey Nets, Phoenix Suns | 0 comments

In the aftermath of another joyless loss on Saturday that explored new depths of meaninglessness, there’s only one thing that will make me feel better: skewering Shawn Marion. Bashing him is like my blog comfort food, especially without McInnis and Primoz to kick around anymore. But before I get started, did anyone else notice the “repetition”-themed series between Atlanta and Philly? Check it out: they played twice (home-and-home), and the games featured 2 Andre’s, 2 Josh’s, 2 Smith’s, 2 Williams’, and 2 Za’s. I had to bust out Jay’s “22 Two’s” to honor the occasion. If only Atlanta hadn’t traded Anthony Johnson and Sheldon Williams, because then we could have had 2 Johnson’s and 3 Williams’.

Anyway, onto Marion. In the latest SLAM Magazine issue, he has an “op-ed” piece—I guess you’d call it—about leaving Phoenix for Miami. This rambling, nonsensical monologue makes me wish the creators of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 would start a magazine solely for the purpose of satirizing interviews. Here’s my take on it (comments in bold) (note: #’s indicate the running count of empty clichés, and check out that last paragraph when he goes on a Houston Rockets-like streak of them—it’s a real tour-de-force).

All right, I just want to make it clear and state for the record why I wanted out of Phoenix (he goes onto do neither). Actually let me change that: It wasn’t so much that I wanted to get out of Phoenix, but more so, always hearing my name in trade rumors really started to get to me (rumors that he started by constantly telling reporters how unloved he was—there was even a whole book on it). I love Phoenix. I played there for nine years and the fans were nothing but good to me. Time has really gone by (#1–it tends to do that); it doesn’t even feel like I’ve been in the League for nine years (huh? Okay, there’s your clear explanation).

I’ve been watching (the Suns) play lately and I think they do miss me a little bit. I do stuff on the floor they probably won’t be able to replace, but they have great players and they will be OK. What’s done is done (#2). Sometimes things happen (#3–actually, all the time things happen); God works in mysterious ways (#4—what’s mysterious about pouting until you get traded?). I wish those guys the best of luck. I have nothing but love for them (#5—nothing but good, nothing but love—quit with the “nothing buts”). That’s all I can do (huh? what’s all he can do?). This is a business (#6—just in case that first explanation wasn’t clear enough, I guess he’s elaborating). But I really don’t want to talk about that stuff anymore (not that he’s really said anything useful yet), because that’s what everybody keeps talking about (sort of a variation on “nobody goes there anymore; it’s too crowded”—although I doubt that’s what Marion was aiming for). People are saying this and that (#7) and nobody’s getting it right (thank goodness we have his clear explanations). To be honest, it’s nobody’s business (umm, it sort of is when he’s a public figure; he and Chelsea both need to talk to someone about this). The people who need to know, know (translation: this doesn’t include any of you suckers). So I don’t even want to talk about it no more (in conclusion: he was tired of people talking, things happen, and time goes by—any questions?).

My first couple of games with Miami…well, I guess you can say it’s been different from what I’m used to. I’m so used to playing in Phoenix, having on one jersey and coming here putting on a whole new jersey in a new arena, it feels so weird. My emotions are high, my nerves at an all-time high. It’s still the same game, but it feels different, you know (“different,” “weird,” and “different,”—I do know). The atmosphere here (Miami) is unbelievable though. The fans are great, the teammates are great (sure they’re not “nothing but great”?), the coaching staff—what more can you ask for (insert first “Pat Riley abandoning team to scout NCAA games” joke here)? I can see myself in Miami for a long time. I’m trying to build a home here (unclear if this is literal or figurative); I want to grow with Dwyane Wade (ditto, and perhaps this line sounded less creepy than it looks on paper). Why not (why not “grow” with D-Wade? Is that what he’s asking?)? Coach Mike D’Antoni has a certain system, and Coach Riley has a certain system. There is a big difference in the tempo of the game (I’m assuming it’s also “weird”). Everybody has their own way of approaching the game, and I was used to doing certain way for a while in Phoenix. Now it’s time to adjust (different, weird, need to adjust, he really paints a picture, doesn’t he, folks? I feel like I’m there). You have to respect Coach Riley’s way of coaching, because he has rings and that speaks for itself (insert second “Pat Riley abandoning team to scout NCAA games” joke here). It’s a learning curve for me, you know, because when you are used to winning and you come to a whole new environment and you start losing games, it’s definitely a challenge. “Extremely hard” is a better way to put it (this last move clearly exhausted poor Shawn—witness the next two sentences). Nobody wants to lose, but I guess sometimes you have to lose. Everybody can’t win (#8—can’t even comment here, too busy falling out of my chair).

(They come fast and furious now; he really finishes strong) At the end of the day (#9), you live and you learn (#10). All I can do is compete the best way I know how (#11). I have no hard feelings toward any of my teammates past or present (I certainly hope he doesn’t have anything against his present teammates—he just got there!). Things happen (#12—wait, I thought that was only sometimes!). We move on (#13). (Take it home, Shawn) We just gotta do what we gotta do (#14). (If this interview were a concert, Shawn would leave the stage, the fans would beg for an encore, and he’d come out one last time and perform “It is what it is”).

Ahh. Thanks, Shawn. I feel better…Enjoy him, Miami!

Sat05

Fan reaction to last night’s Bobcats loss against the Nets

Posted by Ziggy on Jan 5, 2008 in New Jersey Nets | 0 comments

Fans of the Charlotte Bobcats are quickly becoming very disgruntled with the goofy lineups , bizarre shot distribution (last night Emeka Okafor only gets 2 shots in 35 minutes ?????) and mounting losses that are piling up under new Coach Sam Vincent. This was supposed to be the season that we contended for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but following a 6-4 start this team has collapsed. The players look confused , the coach looks overmatched and the fans are not pleased.

BobcatsPlanet member WvsMC speaks his mind on last night’s loss:

We had a team that won .402 of their games last year and over half when
we started Herrmann. We improved the team drasticaly and yet we barely
are winning more then a third of our games. Is it the player’s faults?
For the most part, no. Vincent ruined this team and our play-off hopes.
If bernie was still here, I can assure you, we’d at least be a .550
team.

Also, if Nazr is only going to get the PT he is now, what
was the whole point trading for him? I’m starting to miss my Herrmann
and Primoz. Really, Nazr puts up better numbers then Mek then what
happens? He gets benched for Mcinnis.

Really, you know who I
want an injury to? Not Mcinnis, I want something to happen to Vincent.
Mcinnis is a good enough PG for back up minutes and maybe starting 1 or
2 games if Felton gets injured. NOTHING ELSE. What more awful play does
Vincent need? REALLY, I feel like I can play better then Mcinnis… and
IM WHITE!

I loved the Bobcats last year, but it seems like I’m
starting to care less about them, it’s like I’m fading away from this
basketball relationship. There just isn’t any more I can say… Oh wait
there is… Where are the rookies? Dudley did great starting and
Davidson showed lots of promise. Maybe Vincent’s so called "lack of
depth" could be cured, if he half way tried to develop a rookie or 2.
It’s like Vincent isn’t playing for now or for the future.

Fri16

Blogcat’s Take, 11/16

Posted by on Nov 16, 2007 in New Jersey Nets | 0 comments

The last two matchups have played out like a game of Doom, with the Bobcats blasting Miami and then getting blasted by Atlanta. The Heat game on Tuesday made for a pleasurable companion piece to our earlier victory over them this season, a sort of Kill Heat, Vol. 2. I guess that made Gerald Wallace the Bride, as he slashed Miami for 19 points, 7 boards, and a jaw-dropping block on Shaquille O’Neal that really iced things.

In general, though, the Heat finished themselves off with a 38.5 field goal percentage and just one 3-pointer the whole night, low-lighted by Udonis Haslem and Ricky Davis, who combined to shoot just 6 of 25 from the field, despite being more open than a Waffle House at 2 AM. Although Shaq supposedly had his “best” game of the season (17 points), I counted at least 4 misses on his part that were either slams or alley-oops. Miami is still capable of coming out strong, intimidating, and seemingly overwhelming, but they can't sustain their surge—at least, without Dwyane Wade. They’re like a collective George Forman, and if you wait long enough, they’ll punch themselves out.

In this one, we had them on the ropes at halftime, and then we outscored them 31 to 12 in the 3rd quarter to knock them out. Miami’s performance was so terrible it had Pat Riley swearing to God afterwards. “Eventually you've got to shave the beard and either look younger or get somebody else in there,” Riles said in the post-game interviews, “You can't continue like this.” Continue like what, with a beard? I’m not even sure what this means.

Anyway, what about our guys? First of all, we don’t have any beards, so we’re good there. Second, we got the turnovers down to just 8(!). Third, Jason Richardson had 18 points, 8 boards, and 4 assists, including 4-5 3-pointers. But the finest shooting came from Emeka Okafor, who made 7-of-9 free throws! And if not for Manu Ginobli, Josh Childress, Jason Terry, Leandro Barbosa—and, hell, probably 5 or 6 others—Matt Carroll (10 points) would be a frontrunner for 6th Man of the Year. Jermareo Davidson had 6 points, 2 blocks, and 3 boards in just 8 minutes. Even Primoz Brezec had 6 points. “That’s what he does best!” one of the Miami commentators noted, after PB dropped one of those high-arcing mid-range shots of his. Well, I don’t know about that, but it’s certainly what he does.

Then it was on to Atlanta, where the Hawks have turned into a 6-8” high-flying forward factory. Ironically, their extreme depth of sameness makes them a total wild card. I don’t think they’re a great team, but because they’re so unlike any other team in the league, preparing for them is a nightmare; it’s like playing against a wishbone offense in college football. Look at their record, because it totally bears out their inconsistency: wins against us, Dallas, and Phoenix, but losses to Detroit, New Jersey, Boston, and Washington.

This was my first good look at Al Horford (13 points, 13 boards), and the boy is scary good already with frightening potential to one day rule the galaxy. I think he’s the forward equivalent of Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. He’s already got natural rebounding ability, burgeoning back-down skills, and even his range is even pretty good. Plus he gets higher than gas prices, so his blocking ability will soon rival that of teammate Josh Smith. Strangely, Horford didn’t actually start the game; Coach Woodson came out with Zaza Pachulia. The only theory I can come up with on that one is that Woodson was rewarding Pachulia for keeping that feathered, mid-80s haircut when so many guys are doing that horrible Scott Stapp-thing of flat, black, semi-long hair (see: David Carr, Luis Scola, that hideous UPS commercial guy, the priest from Deadwood, and that one eurotrashy vampire in 30 Days of Night (the latter three are all possibly the same guy))

Speaking of Smith: 15 points, 5 blocks, 3 assists, and 3 boards—all by halftime, before he got injured in the 3rd. Early on, Primoz was “guarding” him, and it had me wondering if there could possibly be more of a disparity in athleticism? In any sport? In life itself? Maybe covering Chad Johnson with Stephen Hawking, or Terrell Owens with Laura Bush. Anyway, needless to say, it didn’t last long—Primoz got 5 minutes of point-less pointlessness.

Taking PB’s place was Ryan Hollins, who had an impressive 11 points, 2 blocks, and 6 boards in 25 minutes of burn. He also does a hilarious Kevin Garnett scream impersonation after slams, which looks all the more ridiculous when we’re trailing by 13 with thirty seconds to play. J-Rich had his second strong game in a row (27 points), and Gerald Wallace single-handedly brought us back in the 3rd quarter from a 15-point halftime deficit by matching Richardson for points (including 8-13 on FT’s).

After digging too deep a hole, the second half was a series of frustrating boom-bust cycles, in which we would painstakingly whittle Atlanta’s lead down to 6 or so, and then all of a sudden be trailing by 15 again in, like, 30 seconds. Credit should go to Childress (23 points), Marvin Williams (19 points), and…oh yeah, Joe Johnson had 34 points and 10 assists.

I’ll take the 4-4 record. I’d say with the exception of the Philly debacle, we’ve won the games we’re supposed to, and ditto with the losses.

Sat13

Bobcats News and Notes 10/13

Posted by on Oct 13, 2007 in New Jersey Nets | 0 comments

Charlotte Observer – Primoz Brezed returns to the Bobcats following some family issues that needed to be taken care of. Coach Sam Vincent has no plans to rush him back

Vincent said it’s too soon to tell whether Brezec will be ready to contribute in
the Nov. 2 opener against the Milwaukee Bucks, but "I think he’ll be up to speed
sometime in November.”

Charlotte Observer – Rick Bonnell speaks out on Raymond Felton’s poor shooting.

Raymond Felton is shooting 4-of-16 combined in the first two exhibitions.
Remember, he took the most shots on this team last season, while failing to make
40 percent from the field. You do not want this from a point guard, who’s
supposed to find teammates good shots.

Anyone who hasn’t experimented with EA Sports jersey creator needs to check it out right away . How would you like to see your Bobcats in some of these creations?