Charlotte Bobcats: Looking Back & Forward

The NBA's newest expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats, came to the league prior to the '04/'05 season. The team is named after the Robert "Bob" Johnson, the first majority owner in major sports as well as the founder of Black Entertainment Television. It is the NBA's second coming to North Carolina after the Hornets left Charlotte for New Orleans.

The teams first ever game would be on November 4th, 2004, where Primoz Brezec would score the first points ever for the team in a 103-96 loss to the Washington Wizards. Shortly after, the Bobcats managed to beat the Detroit Pistons, proving their position as a legitimately competitive team in the league. On December 14th, the Bobcats beat the New Orleans Hornets in overtime, 94-93, giving their fans something to be excited about after the Hornets' first time returning to their old home.

As expected from any expansion team, the Bobcats have yet to have a winning season. They posted their best record of 33-49 in '06/'07, a big improvement from their 18-64 debut in 2004. That same year, Emeka Okafor won the Rookie of the Year award over Magic stud Dwight Howard, netting 15.1 points per game and pulling down 10.9 boards. The Bobcats have had coaching stints from Bernie Bickerstaff and Sam Phillips, now with Hall of Famers Larry Brown heading the team.

In the teams second year, Raymond Felton and Sean May were drafted from the UNC national championship team. Following that season, Michael Jordan would become a minority owner of the team. The next season, Coach Bernie Bickerstaff would be fired and Michael Jordan would manage to pull a Hall of Famer coach to the team in Larry Brown. The team is now headed by names like Emeka Okafor, Raymond Felton, Adam Morrison, and Gerald Wallace, looking more promising than ever.