2007-08 NBA Season Preview: Charlotte Bobcats

The Charlotte Bobcats have a strong chance to make their first postseason appearance this coming NBA season. They've been slowly building a solid team of fresh talent each season since they started in the NBA, and now in the offseason they have added the services of Jason Richardson, one of the main reasons for Golden State's success last year. When you look at the Bobcat roster, you have a great group of versatile scorers staring you down as well as Emeka Okafor who is a solid rebounder and defensive presence, when healthy. In addition the Bobcats have a nice mix of both young superstar talents and veterans to provide leadership and bench support.

Taking a look at the Bobcat's potential scorers, you have the newly acquired Jason Richardson, Raymond Felton, Gerald Wallace, Adam Morrison and even Emeka Okafor can add a bunch of points on any given night. The main question here would be, who will be their go-to-guy for that last second big shot to win a game? That answer may have to develop over the season, however, any of the aforementioned guys could take over and win the game. Newcomer Jason Richardson might become that option by default, but in all reality any of these guys has that ability, making the Bobcats a tough team to prepare for.

For defensive purposes and rebounding presence, you have former Rookie of the Year, Emeka Okafor, as well as Primo Brezec, Othella Harrington and 6-foot-11 rookie, Jameel Watkins. A possible three-headed center at times, as three of these guys are listed at the Forward/Center position on the roster. Unfortunately, the Bobcats will miss the services of another solid frontcourt player in Sean May who will be absent the entire season after having microfracture surgery on his right knee. Despite this, they still have a good amount of frontcourt presence. As is standard with many an NBA team, players staying healthy will be the key to their success.

The Bobcats not only have young talent for scoring and rebounding, but also a nice mix of veteran players. Six Charlotte players having played for six or more NBA seasons. When you add those veterans into the mix, it gives the Bobcats a nice bit of bench depth, allowing for the youngsters to rest a bit. The veterans can also help these youngsters develop the needed experience to in what it takes to win games. While many may knock the lack of veteran leadership and playoff experience, the talented youngsters may start to seriously gel and work well with the addition of superstar scorer, Jason Richardson.

When you look at the Bobcats roster and add up the above reasons, it seems to indicate that the Bobcats have a solid shot to be a sleeper in this season's NBA and just might make the playoffs for the first time in the team's short history. The only real glaring omission for their roster would be a seasoned point guard, but Jeff McGinnis and Derek Anderson can play that role back and forth. The Eastern conference will be tougher this year and more competitive, but the Bobcats could sneak in at the #8 position for the playoffs. Early season games against the likes of the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards may provide an early glimpse of the team's potential. And don't forget that all-time great, Michael Jordan, is one of the men behind this team, so the fruits of his labor in the boardroom may start paying off in terms of talent and wins out on the court.