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March 18, 2008
Wallace dilemma: Minutes vs. position
Is or isn’t Gerald Wallace playing power forward?
Wallace made it clear to the coaches, and repeated this to the media, that he doesn’t think it’s safe to keep guarding typically bigger, bulkier power forwards. Banging with the bruisers adds to the risk of suffering a fifth concussion as a Bobcat.
The problem: How do you keep Wallace in the starting lineup and give him the 30-plus minutes per game he warrants, without playing him at least part-time at power forward?
The issue isn’t so much labels - “power forward’’ versus “small forward’’ - it’s who Wallace guards in any given game. The Memphis Grizzlies play small, meaning Hakim Warrick is technically their power forward. Wallace matches up with him just fine, as he would against either of Orlando’s forwards, Rashard Lewis or Hedo Turkoglu.
It gets more complicated when the Bobcats play a team like Detroit, where Wallace would have to bang with Rasheed Wallace or Antonio McDyess. He just gives up too much bulk in the lane, and that’s where the guy is in physical jeopardy.
Coach Sam Vincent will just have to address this opponent-by-opponent, to get what Wallace offers while keeping him in one piece.
Posted by Observer Sports on March 18, 2008 at 04:46 PM | Permalink
Comments
This issue is so minor in the grand scheme of problems for this team. It appears they have quit on Vincent, and who can blame them? The guy is clueless. This hire wasted an entire season of development for these guys. MJ and Rod have got to get rid of him. Do it the day after the season ends and give yourself as much time as possible to bring in an experienced, veteran coach. This team has too much talent to get blown out by an awful Memphis team. The 5 game win streak is already ancient history.
Posted by: Bobcat Matt | Mar 18, 2008 7:25:58 PM
I want to be the next coach. I am qualified I AM BLACK.
Posted by: BLACKMAN | Mar 18, 2008 8:15:18 PM
I'm beginning to wonder if Charlotte will ever have a winning team again.
Posted by: I GIVE UP | Mar 18, 2008 9:31:01 PM
Gerald Wallace + return to Bobcats = 4 game losing streak.
Go back to the bench bro.
Posted by: Bill G. | Mar 19, 2008 12:07:50 AM
To "Blackman,"
GIMME ME A BREAK! Out of all the pro sports teams in America, there just happens to be ONE that is owned by a black man. And all you can say is that the team is only hiring black professionals??? That is soooooooooo weak.
Stop wasting our time. Either talk basketball or go the F away.
As for the Bobcats, Wallace is the man but if there games where we need Wallace to play the 4, he needs to suck it up and do it for the team. And we need more bench depth. Is it just me or does it seem the Lakers have like a 20-man rotation each night. Where the heck has Radmanovic been? I hate the Lakers.
Posted by: Bobby the Bobcat fan | Mar 19, 2008 1:41:55 AM
Playing tougher teams + playing on the road - honeymoon phase for players like Felton and Carroll = 4 game losing streak.
If we were such a better team without Wallace, we would have won more than one game in February, when we played most of the month without him.
Posted by: Will | Mar 19, 2008 6:32:10 AM
Who the hell are the Charlotte Bobcats? I thought they moved to New Orleans.
Gooooooooo Carolina HURRICANES!!!
Posted by: Harold Goloshes | Mar 19, 2008 7:37:30 AM
Its amazing how many Bobcat haters visit this blog. They sarcastically ask who the Bobcats are and claim they don't care about them, yet they visit the blog section after every game. I understand and respect the frustrated fans who post comments because they genuinely care about the team. The haters need to get a life, a girlfriend, and/or a full-time job.
Posted by: Token | Mar 19, 2008 8:54:13 AM
We knew at the beginning of the season that March would be a biotch. Time for the FO to analize the draft and scout a new coach.
Posted by: apauldds | Mar 19, 2008 8:58:32 AM
Hey im from the UK so don't get to see a lot of the Bobcats games (usualy highlights or i download the match after its happened ect) so i come on to these blogs to get the real story on how the team are playing from the people that count and go to the games THE FANS. Unfortunatly i seem to have stumbled on a blog for Bobcat haters here!!! Why do people like "Procton" post here? Its clear he does not like or support the team and bearly ever has a good word to say about them. He is not the only one! I don't understand why people like that post on these blogs, yea when the team are not playing well like at the moment you need to get things off you chest but you also need to get behind the team and find the positives as well as the negatives. Even if the positives are hard to find i will still always say GO BOBCATS!!!!!
Posted by: Vieira Bhoy | Mar 19, 2008 11:40:27 AM
If Gerald Wallace simply plays his natural position (SF) there should be no dilemma regarding his minutes and the position he plays. This is an artificial dilemma, created by Sam Vincent's style of coaching only. Now, this coach likes to put Gerald at the 4 regardless of the match up. Besides the increased risk of injury when he has to play against power forwards of the traditional type, playing against "finesse" taller forwards is also a mismatch for Gerald, which doesn't help the team defensively. Turkoglu, for instance, isn't gonna "bruise" Gerald, but he has no problem shooting over him, since he's 3 inches taller than Gerald! So, it's just not a good idea to keep playing him at 4.
Posted by: Sandy | Mar 19, 2008 12:31:58 PM
You can go choke on some spotted dick, Viera. I'm a bigger supporter and fan of the team than you could ever be, but being a fan does not mean blindly throwing your faith in Sam Vincent to become a decent high-school level coach, Raymond Felton to be a legit NBA PG, and the organization's higher-ups to make the most qualified hires possible, with race not a factor at ALL. Until I see any of those things, it's tough to have positives. There is no way this team should be as bad as it is given its talent level.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Mar 19, 2008 12:58:36 PM
I actually have to agree with Procton here, except the stuff about Felton. But the "spotted dick" comment was hilarious.
Posted by: apauldds | Mar 19, 2008 2:32:36 PM
I don't understand why is it that whenever I visit this blog, race is a topic of discussion in some context. Although I despise Bob Johnson, its not because he is a black man, its because of his lack of character and how he built his fortune exploiting women and the black community in general. When I comment on Sam Vincent being an inadequate coach, it isn't laced with hidden sarcasm relating to him only being hired because of his race. Its because he is a piss poor coach and I will ordain the day he is fired as a local holiday. If Sam was a white coach, nobody would be talking about his race. Alan Bristow was an equally poor coach, had more talent on his Hornets teams and still barely made it to the playoffs after SEVERAL disappointing seasons... nobody talked about his race. For all of you who say Sam Vincent was hired just because he is black... do you really honestly believe that? Are you that naive? If you are then I can only say "how does it feel to have the shoe on your foot now". Would you feel the same way if MJ had hired Paul Silas, Byron Scott or Sam Mitchell? I think not. Sam Vincent was hired because he is a "Friend of Mike", plain and simple. The same reason Buzz Peterson was hired. So, for you true Bobcat fans, lets talk about the real issues and just leave the racial undertones out of the discussion. It would be nice to visit this blog without having to read all the hate.
Posted by: FuriousStyles | Mar 19, 2008 3:29:26 PM
Good points Furious...again the "race" comments...there are SEVERAL DUMB A$$ owners and GMS all over sports...some are white and some are black..and you also have some good owners/gms...some are white...some are black.
Maybe Amerikkka isnt really ready to move on with the whole race issue like they pretend to be..im glad the company I work for doesnt share the views as some of these narrow minded bloggers...im a 30yr old BLACK man who manages a group of 27 mostly WHITE associates...
Anyway..on to the Cats..the answer is simple: SILAS!!! PAUL SILAS will instill discipline and hard work for 48 mins in these guys and he damn sure won't make excuses like Sam "I Wince When you coach" Vincent! Hell..get Van Gundy in here then since u want a white guy so bad...he took my hometown Knicks to the finals and they havent been squat since
Posted by: Bobcat Terry | Mar 19, 2008 3:48:04 PM
I totally agree. Paul Silas was my choice from the beginning. He actively sought the job, lives here, and has a solid track record. I just hope he's still interested and that MJ gets over the fact that he's not one of his buds. My gut feeling, however, is that Vincent will be given another season to totally destroy this team.
Posted by: apauldds | Mar 20, 2008 9:54:08 AM
The Bobcats only have two real players(Wallace & Richardson)and many on this board want to trade one away. For Who? The problem with Wallace this year is Sam Vincent is apparently too stubborn to look at the tapes of last year's games to see how to best utilize Wallace. Wallace is a post up 3 and the Bobcats played their best when Wallace was used as a post player on offense with a big that can shoot (Walter Hermann). However, Sam had his own ideas for this season and wanted to make Gerald exclusively a wing player on offense while guarding 4's on defense. This strategy along with the Jeff McInnis fiasco ruined the season. It amazes me sometimes how coaches get paid millions of dollars and cannot recognize weaknesses in their strategies that a casual fan should be able to see.
Posted by: adcoop | Mar 26, 2008 9:50:52 PM
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