2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats Predictions
Written by Steve Janus
The Charlotte Bobcats walked away from the 2010-11 season with a 34-48 record, just three games behind the Indiana Pacers for the 8th and final spot in the playoffs. Charlotte came into the season wit Larry Brown at head coach, but he was replaced by Paul Silas in December. They traded away one of their best players in Gerald Wallace and appear to be in the midst of a rebuilding project.
Wallace wasn’t the only player who the team decided it was better off without. Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, and Kwame Brown are all out the door. Jackson led the team in scoring at 18.5 ppg, but was more of a headache than anything. In fact, I think they are better off without all three.
The Bobcats took the first step in turning the organization around during the NBA draft. Charlotte traded for the No. 7 pick and ended up getting Bismack Biyombo, who has the makings of a Ben Wallace. They then went out and drafted Kemba Walker, who carried the Connecticut Huskies to a National Championship.
It is going to take some time for Biyombo to get adjusted to the NBA game, which means he might not get a whole lot of playing time right away. Walker figures to start the year coming off the bench, but don’t be surprised if he ends up winning the starting point guard spot from D.J. Augustine. While Augustine averaged 16 points and 6 assists, he was a major liability on the defensive end.
The Bobcats signed free agent shooting guard Reggie Williams to most likely start, but Williams will be out 6-8 weeks with a meniscus tear, leaving Gerald Henderson as the likely starter. Charlotte traded for Corey Maggette, hoping he can provide some offense for a team that really lacks a true scorer. Maggette averaged just 12.0 points for the Bucks last year, but he only started 18 games. He put up almost 20 a game the previous three seasons in Golden State.
Inside the Bobcats are going to have to move some players around until Biyombo is ready to play. It appears that Boris Diaw could move from power forward to start at center, as they aren’t exactly all that excited about the overweight DeSagana Diop at the moment. That would likely leave Tyrus Thomas to start at power forward. Charlotte did add some depth by trading for Bryon Mullens out of Oklahoma City.
Prediction: 5th Eastern Conference Southeast Division – I think the Bobcats are definitely headed in the right direction, but I think they still have a long way to go to compete consistently with the rest of their division. I think this team will be solid on the defensive end, but are going to struggle to score enough to win games. In all honesty, it should be about developing the young players and getting the right pieces in place to make a serious run next season. Not to say that this team can’t make the playoffs in the East, but in order for that to happen Walker will have to be a star right away.
Find out where we have all 30 NBA teams finishing in our 2011-12 NBA Predictions article.
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