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April 09, 2007

More evidence of Okafor's value

     Stray thoughts between dates with Miami:

  • Just in case anyone doubts Emeka Okafor’s impact on the defense, check out the 20 steals the Bobcats got Sunday against the Heat. Okafor With Okafor back from injury, Gerald Wallace, Brevin Knight and Raymond Felton can take chances in the passing lanes that they just couldn’t risk in his absence.
  • I figure there are five teams in the East good enough to make a deep run in the playoffs: Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Toronto and Miami. Of those five, the only team the Bobcats haven’t beaten this seasonBosh is Toronto.  I’m not surprised. Chris Bosh is an extremely difficult matchup for this team. His presence means either Okafor has to stray far from the basket defensively or Wallace has to cover a very long, athletic big man.   Athletic bigs give the Bobcats trouble. That’s why it took so long for the Bobcats to finally beat the Milwaukee Bucks.
  • The Bobcats have a 2½-game lead over the Atlanta Hawks in the Southeast Division. If that holds up, it means the Hawks have never finished ahead of the Bobcats in the first three seasons of the Bobcats’ existence.  If that doesn’t define the Hawks as a mess, I can’t imagine what does.

Posted by rbonnell on April 9, 2007 at 10:36 AM | Permalink

Comments

And, injuries notwithstanding, I see no reason Charlotte shouldn't have been the 6th team behind those five. Additionally, I see no reason we couldn't play a VERY competitive series with Cleveland. Beyond LBJ, how many above-average players do they have? Larry Hughes is decent on his best night, Big Z is awful at this point. Honestly, they're playing Daniel Gibson, Donyell Marshall, and Sasha Pavlovic. I can't wait until next year, with an additional two 1st round picks and at least one FA signing. Playoffs are a lock if they can stay healthy.

Posted by: Michael Procton | Apr 9, 2007 12:49:39 PM

Agreed. I was thinking that it may take longer for the Bobcats the reach the playoffs, but judging from the way they have handled themselves this season, I can definitely see them making a run at the playoffs next year. The only thing that would hold them back is the very thing that held them back this year...injuries. But that is also where a deep bench comes in. The 'Cats have a deep bench as it is, so if they can pick up a couple more solid guys in the draft and free agency, we might be seeing the playoff sooner than most thought.

Posted by: Sean | Apr 9, 2007 4:48:59 PM

does anyone else see gerald wallace as a perfect number 2 star (like scottie pippen)? i say bring in vince carter, or trade up to get durant. and for no reason should they let wallace go.

Posted by: ester | Apr 18, 2007 1:28:05 PM

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