UNC Reunion to Bolster Bobcat Wins?

Michael Jordan, Larry Brown, Raymond Felton and Sean May--all University of North Carolina alums, all members of the Charlotte Bobcats organization, and for the past three seasons all have been losers in the National Basketball Association. Jordan, the president of basketball operations, hasn't seen a winning season with a team since 1998, his last season as a Chicago Bull. Brown, the new Bobcats coach, left a championship situation in Detroit for the not-so-green pastures of the New York Knickerbockers organization, left the Knicks in social shambles and ended up running his reputation into the ground. The former 2005 lottery picks in Felton and May, are on the verge of being replaced on the team, either due to lack of advanced development or a myriad of injuries, so there is plenty for this quartet to be motivated by for the upcoming 2008-09 season.

One point of improvement has been previously alluded to, as Felton is in competition with fellow lottery pick and rookie point guard D.J. Augustin (who His Airness has also bestowed the honor of being a new member/endorser of Nike's Jordan Brand label). Felton has not so much regressed in his play, as he has just not improved as a playmaker and all-around shooter; Augustin has the ability to do similar things that Felton already does with his speed and penetration, but Augustin is a truer distributor of the ball and possess a better stroke on his jump shot, which Coach Brown will take delight in.

Shooting guard will also be a point of contention, as Jason Richardson is hands-down the starter at the position. The question is how everyone else will fit in, with three young players able to play and willing to compete for minutes. Going five men deep, someone will be left out, as Matt Carroll, Shannon Brown, Donell Taylor and Adam Morrison will try to see time as the primary backup. Carroll is the designated long-range shooter and is athletic enough to do the work necessary as a major contributor; Brown, a promising guard that was not able to get significant minutes with Cleveland and in the guard glut of Chicago, is going to stand out to Coach Brown for his defensive tenacity and ability to penetrate defenses for dunks; Taylor became a key member on the Washington Wizards in filling in admirably for injured All-Star Gilbert Arenas, and showed promising ability as a shooter/slasher; Morrison, a supremely talented player at Gonzaga University, is coming off microfracture surgery and was already athletically-challenged upon his arrival in the league--he will definitely have to play better defense (a rookie criticism of his game) and may have to extend his range beyond the mid-range of the floor.

Gerald Wallace, once called the Michael Jordan of his 2000 high school class, became a great player having to play out of position at power forward, but in turn has suffered numerous head and upper body injuries that have called for his move back to small forward, a welcome perimeter move for a team now with more plentiful options at the four position. Jared Dudley and Marcus Williams (of Arizona fame) will be Wallace's understudies, looking to win the heart and affection of Coach Brown for court time.

The power forward and center positions are unfortunately spots where the players available are either too inexperienced or inadequately skilled to play extended minutes. A prime of example of this also happens to be Charlotte's new multimillion dollar big man in Emeka Okafor. Okafor, the 2004 Rookie of the Year and Charlotte's first ever selection, has yet to show any growth as an offensive force, but is adequate enough as a scorer to play the 4 or the 5; this frustrating truth also takes into account that he is the most reliable scorer on the team, as the talented May has never been able to play long enough make the Bobcats a threat in the post in the past. With the former Tar Heel healthy from microfracture knee surgery, he can play as a high-scoring power forward next to Okafor at center to make the most productive frontcourt mix in the Bobcats' recent history. If May fails to make good on his now-stable body, then Nazr Mohammed can dutifully be the starting center with Okafor at forward, as Mohammed is a reliable double-digits scorer and high-volume rebounder as well.

French rookie forward Alexis Ajinca, while tall and talented at seven feet, is reed-thin and may not be able to play large minutes right away. Jermareo Davidson is still developing, as is uber-athlete Ryan Hollins, and all three will need to log some time to gain experience (mostly in the D-League).

The Bobcats can potentially challenge for a legitimate playoff spot in the East, but Coach Brown must be careful not to exasperate his young players and they must be able to play good defense and stay healthy for a chance to earn the organization's first winning record in its five-season history.