I have to admit. I haven’t been keeping up with the latest and greatest on the good ole Charlotte Bobcats as well as maybe I should. With the post season race heating up in baseball and football starting up (I enjoy watching preseason games; it’s better than no football) there have just been other things.
I wasn’t sure what I’d uncover when I turned my computer on tonight, but what I did find was kind of interesting.
For those that don’t follow politics all too closely the Democratic National Convention is being held in Charlotte this year (September 3-6) in the Time Warner Cable Arena, home of our Charlotte Bobcats. If it wasn’t bad enough that the NFL was forced to start the season on a Wednesday for the first time in the history of the league since Obama is speaking on Thursday (wait—I guess we should be saying thanks) the Bobcats have been kicked out of their home.
To prepare for the DNC the facility pretty much got gutted and reconfigured. Even the team store had to be cleared out to make room for the Democrats.
After hearing about that Obama’s catch phrase—change we can believe in—popped into mind. That got me thinking about the overhaul that the Bobcats have undergone this offseason.
The roster has undergone some pretty drastic changes since the end of the dreadful 2011-12 season; eight players and one head coach have departed since the team lost the final game of the season 84-104 to the New York Knicks.
Out are D.J. Augustin, Derrick Brown, Matt Carroll, Cory Higgins, Cory Maggette, Jamario Moon, Eduarda Najera, D.J. White, and head coach Paul Silas.
Coming in (so far) we have Ben Gordon, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Ramon Sessions, Jeffrey Taylor, Brendan Haywood, and head coach Mike Dunlap.
So far the general perception of the new regime is a positive one. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will be an immediate contributor in the starting line-up. Brendan Haywood gives the team a decent veteran at center that could also possibly teach young Bismack Biyombo a thing or two. Ben Gordon gives the team depth at guard.
As for Mike Dunlap—well, anyone that has read (and remembers) my past posts knows that I was no fan of Paul Silas so anything is an upgrade. He comes with a good resume so there is hope.
How good the team will be due to all this change is still a mystery. Both Kemba Walker and B-mack need to continue to develop as well Kidd-Gilchrist. With all the changes it will be up to Dunlap to get this new group to gel as well. As bad as the end result was last year we can’t really do much worse.
Until the 2012-13 season starts all we have is change, but at least it is change we can believe in.
