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February 19, 2008
Bobcats' bench could use more minutes
When the Charlotte Bobcats beat the Atlanta Hawks just before the All-Star break, they broke more than a seven-game losing streak.
That victory, with Gerald Wallace out with a foot strain, also broke a pattern: It was the first time all season the Bobcats won a game without starting Wallace, Jason Richardson, Emeka Okafor and Raymond Felton.
Rookie coach Sam Vincent has relied heavily on those four all season and the results collapse when one or more can’t play: Entering Tuesday night’s game in San Antonio, the Bobcats are 18-22 when all four start and 1-12 when any one of them doesn’t.
That seems to speak to Vincent’s contention that preseason injuries to Sean May and Adam Morrison greatly hindered this team. (Although Morrison’s skill set is redundant to Matt Carroll’s, and May’s injury history suggests he’s not a great bet to stay healthy.)
This pattern also speaks to how Vincent uses his bench. He tends to play a tight rotation, using the starters for marathon minutes.
Maybe he has to do that to win games. But it feels like Carroll and Jared Dudley have more to offer. The Bobcats made a large financial commitment to Carroll, and rookie Dudley shows potential.
If the playoffs become a remote possibility (maybe they already are), you’d like to see what those two can do for next season.
Posted by Observer Sports on February 19, 2008 at 03:37 PM | Permalink
Comments
At this point, any experimental lineups are worth the effort. The jerk sports writer at MSNBC is comparing our team to the Clippers. That's a sad statement!
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/6783675/?pg=17#spt_NBA_midseason_APP
Posted by: lj | Feb 19, 2008 4:15:58 PM
In other words, Vincent doesn't know how to coach.
Posted by: firesamvincent | Feb 19, 2008 5:31:49 PM
If Vincent is a bad idea, then MJ is a bad idea. We're probably stuck with MJ, so hopefully Vincent knows how to coach.
Posted by: AndrewRSM | Feb 19, 2008 5:39:42 PM
without starting Wallace, Jason Richardson, Emeka Okafor and Raymond Felton. thats stupid the starting lineup was jeff ray jason nazar mek.
Posted by: df | Feb 19, 2008 6:14:35 PM
More minutes for the bench? Sean "Minute Man" May has clocked so many minutes on the bench that they use him now as backup for the game clock! Now if you were referring to more PLAYING TIME for the bench, our boy Sean is working up the energy to give it a go too. SV plans to use him in the "grazing position" at the top of the post with Omeka and Nazr down low. The theory is his grazing pattern will block the lane for anything other than an F150 giving Nazr and Omeka plenty of time to clear a shot. And yea of little faith around SV's strategy skills. And here we thought ole "Lula-bell" May was just toning the food for no reason at all....so I'm all for Bonnell's idea....lets get ole Sean "Moooooooo" May some grazing time!
Posted by: Mike | Feb 19, 2008 8:04:00 PM
SCAM VINCENT!!! The coach has no clue what he is doing with the lineups.
Check out ESPN.com and how they are saying the players might be starting to tune out Scam, wait thats old news...
Posted by: Elliott Peng | Feb 19, 2008 8:24:03 PM
I don't know what is so wrong about a Clippers comparison. We've certainly got the terrible ownership.
And df...I'm not a doctor, but I don't see all four names mentioned in the starting lineup you listed. Seems like you're the stupid one.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Feb 19, 2008 8:46:17 PM
Oh, and Mike...I'm getting sick and tired of your critical comments about Sean May. Don't you know he went to UNC? Think of all the tickets that are selling by his presence ALONE (and a lot of presence there is.) Instead of being 25th in the league, we'd be like 27th or 28th! And you know BobCat Johnson wouldn't like that hit to his bottom line.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Feb 19, 2008 8:54:51 PM
The Blackcats are no comparison to the Clippers. The Clippers have been around and in LA for many years. With any luck the Blackcats won't.
Posted by: insider | Feb 19, 2008 9:01:18 PM
I think Vincent should utilize the bench more because everybody on the bench (well, the ones who stay healthy) show promise for tha future. Vincent has tha potential to be a good coach, but he's too scared to take a risk. Thas more and more timid he is to tha rotation, the more he looks jus like a "underachieving" coach. throw Dudley and Carroll in tha game more often, let them get 10-12 minutes so that Felton, Wallace, Richardson, and Okafor can stay fresh. Chuuuch
Posted by: Deuce P. | Feb 19, 2008 10:45:46 PM
Sam Vincent is not the coach for this team.
I've never seen a more unfocused team or coach. It's not the players. Bernie would have 6-8 more wins by now. MJ, do something!
Let Bernie step in or have one of the assistants take over. Paul Silas would have been a much better choice. You need a veteran coach for a young team.
Posted by: DanCat | Feb 20, 2008 1:41:07 AM
This team needs a major shake up . Players need to be ship out and bring in new ones . Also new coach . There alot of teams like Sonic , Denver , Raptors . Are looking to make deals . For example . Could get Wilcox & Earl watson . , Blount , Eduardo Najera , Lina Kleiza . Michael Jordan love to win . It scare me that we are going to stay pat . And not try to improve . Everybody is . When we loose from 15 to 30 points and the blow outs. Morrison & May not going to make up the blow out differnce . Jeff Mcinnis needs to go period and there no excuse for him . Michael Jordan & Higgins done a great job . Bring in Earl Boykins . If he was a full season and trainning camp. Love have to seen the results. Hope they give him another year and see . What he can do and bring to the Bobcats .
Posted by: oldcat | Feb 20, 2008 6:41:26 AM
Why would any team want our dead weight other than to make deals balance out? It seems like any trade would be for expiring contracts or one of our core (Mek,Gerald,Jrich) and the cat's aren't going for that. I think the FO has resigned itself to calling this season a wash and trying to regroup for next year. I just hope that involves a coaching change.
Posted by: apauldds | Feb 20, 2008 8:49:31 AM
There was no way the Bobcats were going to beat the Spurs last night. These comments, while valid, are carryovers from previous games. The East is weak and the Bobcats are a little weaker. I am hoping the Cats can beat the Bibbyless Kings and get on the right track. I lost a little faith a few weeks ago, but I refuse to give up on this team until it is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. I wish more of you would do the same.
Posted by: Token | Feb 20, 2008 9:19:33 AM
Playoffs? I thought the Bobcats would legitimately contend for the playoffs this year, wrong.
You have to look at sports like you look at investing. Past performance is not an indicator of future results. We all figured since the Bobcat win total had increased every year of their existence they would be poised to contend. New coach, new players, injured contributers and higher expectations have contributed to their current state of affairs.
If you want to look at the past, consider this; Since 1987 (20 years) only the Bulls, Lakers, Spurs, Pistons, Rockets and Heat have won NBA titles. What did all of those teams have in common, dominant lottery players at or near their prime.
Posted by: northcliq | Feb 20, 2008 11:22:29 AM
Fast forward through the season and draft Serge Ibaka in the draft this summer. Then trade May, Morrison and Emeka for a PG who can play well more than 1 out of 5 games.
Posted by: Brian | Feb 20, 2008 12:09:54 PM
Brian...not sure about the Omeka/Morrison trade idea...but sure behind a May trade for ANYBODY that can play 1 out of 5 games...we do that and we have 100% more than we've gotten from May the last 3 years...and probably the next 2 as well...he's an out of shape bum who should be sent to the D-League for a couple years to ride buses to games and live out of a gym bag....might make him appreciate the NBA if he ever is allowed to play again...his career is dead and should go the way of Dan Morgan of the Panthers...only diff though is that Morgan was a great leader....only thing May leads is the line to the buffet table...
Posted by: mike | Feb 20, 2008 12:51:05 PM
Nice comments about Blackcats. You are the poster child for this city's sports fans....ignorant, close-minded, race-baiting, clueless and full of false expectations. When the Bobcats do taste success, I pray the bus is too full folks like Procton and others to jump on the bandwagon.
The tenor of the mood about the Bobcats and the NBA in this town is laughable. Hate the owner, hate the building, hate the players, hate the coach, hate the GM, make fun of the people who show up and enjoy themselves, enjoy the challenges of selling tickets in this wacky town, oh how we pine for the good ol days with the Hornets and the coliseum.
Yadda yadda yadda.....
An incredibly immature sports market which is compromised (meaning that there are real fans here but they are in the minority) by a legion, of knee-jerk reactionaries, biggots, and naysayers.
Go Bobcats. We are with you through thick and thin. Success will taste so much sweeter when the idiocrats of the NASCAR town chow down on their crow. Oh....my mistake, crows are black. They won't eat them here.
Pathetic.
Posted by: realfan | Feb 20, 2008 1:38:39 PM
Hey..."realfan" (you who are so BOLD as to proclaim your anonymous support for the team!): There's a difference between being a fan and being a realist. A fan might hold out hope that Raymond Felton will someday become a legitimate NBA starter at point guard. A realist sees that ain't gonna happen. A fan might believe that Sam Vincent is a young coach who will only get better. A realist knows that he was a terrible choice for a team that was supposed to make the leap this year after consistent growth and improved levels of success. Fandom≠Blind Faith.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Feb 20, 2008 2:13:55 PM
Oh...and next time you want to hide behind a silly made up name, you should try harder, Mr. Julian. I'm not surprised that you work for a group based on good-faith handouts rather than any sense of logical evaluation.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Feb 20, 2008 2:16:22 PM
I wish the people that constantly bash Sean May in this blog were more informed. The man had microfracture surgery on his knee for crying out loud. This means his career is in serious jeopardy and the Bobcats could not trade him right now if they wanted to. As I have said before, the medical staff blew it with May two years ago. They kept prescribing rest when he should have had the surgery immediately. If they had jumped on this thing instead of just continuously listing him as day-to-day due to a knee bruise, the Bobcats would know whether May can come back from this injury like Amare Stoudamire or have to retire like Allan Houston and Penny Hardaway.
Posted by: Adcoop | Feb 20, 2008 6:36:48 PM
The bobs need to play the percentages. Their chances of making the playoffs, no matter how destructive that might be to their long term success, are only slight better than nil. The management must move beyond the denial phase and put together a plan to make the team better...and not necessarily just for the next season but long term. The first step should be to either fire Vincent or give him a new mission beyond just winning the next game at all costs. Rich B. is right in that there are players on the bench that are worth investing minutes in. I watched the first half of the Spurs game last night. The Spurs subsituted 4 or 5 players in the first quarter while the Bobs stood pat with their starting five...including probably the worst guard in the league, Jeff Mc. It is no wonder the Bobs eventually lost by 20. Maybe, if Vincent had developed the bench earlier in the season the starters would have enough left once in a while to finish off a game, and the bench players would have developed sufficient skills and teamwork to make a real contribution. IT IS WAY BEYOND TIME FOR THIS MANAGEMENT TO SHOW THE TICKETHOLDERS SOME REAL CHANGE!
Posted by: RoyFan | Feb 20, 2008 8:47:40 PM
Being a former season ticket holder for the hornets it makes me feel good for the success they are having.
I have not and will not support this ownership group that David Stern shoved down our throat. I wonder how he likes his decision now.
DO YOU STILL BEE-LIEVE? GO HORNETS!
Posted by: Go Hornets | Feb 20, 2008 8:57:15 PM
Fire Vincent
Posted by: Dave | Feb 20, 2008 10:30:13 PM
Several of the above comments are exactly on point.
1) IT IS FAR PAST TIME FOR THE ORGANIZATION TO SHOW THE SEASON TICKET HOLDERS AND SUPPORTERS THAT THEY INTEND TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF THIS TEAM.
2) FIRE SAM VINCENT
Posted by: CAN SAM | Feb 21, 2008 12:29:25 AM
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