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March 13, 2008
Wallace's return didn't cause loss
This theory among some that Gerald Wallace's return had anything to do with the Charlotte Bobcats' winning streak ending is the silliest example of inductive reasoning I can imagine.
Wallace had about as much to do with that 31-point deficit to Dallas as Daylight Savings Time.
Wallace said he has to adjust to his teammates, not the other way around, and he meant it. Is he all the way back? Certainly not, and it might be a week or two before he is. But there was no cause-effect relationship to ending a five-game winning streak.
Wallace didn't enter the game until eight minutes had expired. Before that, the Bobcats had allowed the Mavericks to run out to a 15-4 lead. Wallace had nothing to do with Jason Richardson shooting 4-of-16 and I'd argue the Mavericks would have shot even better than 54% had Wallace, a superior defender, not played.
The Bobcats lost because they were playing a road game against a dramatically better team. The only comparable team the Bobcats beat in the winning streak was Golden State and that was in Charlotte.
Now, having said all that, there is an adjustment period going on. Wallace had three shots blocked in the first half. He's trying to regain his timing and his explosion. That's not immediate.
He played 22 minutes off the bench, and many of those minutes were after this game was decided. That's when Wallace should have played, to draw something constructive - game minutes for a veteran recovering conditioning - out of garbage time.
Posted by Observer Sports on March 13, 2008 at 11:29 AM | Permalink
Comments
Incredible Bonnell, we finally agree in something. Good story!!! The Bobcats lost because their defense wasn't there, J-Rich shot 4-16 (25%) and the defense Dallas put some great on Caroll. He was never open for a shot and J-Rich was missing, Okafor wasn't that good either. Under normal circumstances (like the prior 5 games) you could add 7pts to Caroll, 15 to J-Rich, 6 to Okafor and 3 less turnovers; the total effect +28 more or less, that would be a Bobcats winning team. After all they lost by 25. If my scenario is accurate, they could have won by 2 or 3. But again, we are talking about Dallas, one of the top 5 teams in the league.
Now let focus on Houston, they have 20 in a row. Try to stop that one!!! Hopefully this lost won't frustrate the Bobcats. After all we lost to Houston by 3 at Home, with Yao Ming and without the Bobcats (improved) team. Let see what happens!!! Would it be too much to ask???
Posted by: Rob C | Mar 13, 2008 12:45:03 PM
Yea..we had NO CHANCE of winning that game nor should we look forward to ending Houston's hot streak :( Oh well...it was nice to dream playoffs for a sec!
We need Jim Mora in here now..PLAYOFFS?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I'm just hoping we can win 30 games!!! LOL
FIRE VINCENT...FIRE MJ and lets get some REAL personnel heads in here!!
Posted by: Bobcat Terry | Mar 13, 2008 1:17:53 PM
"Under normal circumstances"? Like when they're not playing Golden State or another of the worst defensive teams in the league?
Posted by: Michael Procton | Mar 13, 2008 2:02:15 PM
Like I've been saying all along...if only Sean May was in the lineup we'd be holding our own. One look at ole Sean and Dallas would have walked off the Court last night. Maybe we should just trade ole Gerald in the hope we can find another Sean to keep the team headed towards the playoffs. What a player! What a competitor! What a contribution the past 3 years! ANYONE know where we can find another Sean?
Posted by: mike | Mar 13, 2008 3:17:21 PM
You'd have to be incredibly stupid to think that we lose because of Wallace, even though the same sort of ridiculous correlation has been made with some of our past PGs, so I wouldn't put it past some Bobcat fans.
Posted by: Will | Mar 13, 2008 3:18:33 PM
Mike,,this here is Sean's Momma. Getting little tired of you pickin' on my baby boy. Not his fault he be big boned. He take after his Daddy. And about his diet...he has a growin' boy's appetite...so let him eat what he wants...and fo' that matter as much as he wants. Its only baby fat you seein'. He'll grow into it in a few years....assuming he dont fall down and hurt himself again and end up eatin' 24/7 while he get better. And as fo' his playin' time...shoot!...this momma didn't raise no fool. I tell him "Baby...you just sit on that bench and suck in all that fresh air. Don't you work 1 minute more than you gotta. Take them millions, build yo' a big house, get some young booty to cook fo' ya and just keep on smilin'." Thats what I say.
So Mike...you just leave my bundle of joy alone 'for I make him track you down and smack you sideways....
Posted by: Seansmama | Mar 13, 2008 3:46:33 PM
So, we are gonna blame May for not being healthy, Wallace for being semi productive, and MJ for not being quality higher up personnel? Let's be real here, We got rid of that waste of space named Mcginnis, and gave Dudley some quality playing time. He easily has the most potential on the team. Let's give Felton one more year to develop and focus on running plays rather than playing high school ball passing to the star player...
Posted by: Instant Grits | Mar 13, 2008 4:04:10 PM
Grits...we sure are going to blame May for not only not being healthy, but for not taking his conditioning seriously and for essentially dismissing how lucky he is to even be in an NBA uniform. This kid, if he ever plays again, better come back with less than 10% body fat, the ability to run the court at least 28 minutes a game, produce and stay off the disabled list. Period! So yes, Mr Grits...I absolutely blame Sean May for wasting our salary cap money only to produce NOTHING in 3 years.
Posted by: mike | Mar 13, 2008 4:49:38 PM
Not my point... I don't blame May for sitting his ass on the bench getting paid for three yrs. When he comes back he will be so rusty till not only will he have any value to get rid of him, but my foresight guides me to see a slow sorry big man as worthless as Kwame Brown. It's not his fault the Cats want to hold on to him as if we he returns it will be the second coming of jesus. Make things happen now-
Posted by: Instant Grits | Mar 13, 2008 5:44:07 PM
When Sean May does a pushup, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down.
Posted by: Chuck Norris | Mar 13, 2008 6:58:23 PM
Oh and contrary to popular belief, America is not a democracy, it is a Ricktatorship. That's for you Bonnell you silly f u ck.
Posted by: Chuck Norris | Mar 13, 2008 6:59:28 PM
At what point were we talking about being an elite Western team? Very few of even the top Western teams go into each other's places and take wins, let alone us. Last night stunk, but one clunker does not render the 6 games prior irrelevant. Nor should it provide the basis to make a bunch of huge decisions or conclusions.
In the 6 games prior, we played, beat, or held our own against 4 playoff teams (Boston, Golden State, Toronto, and Washington), Atlanta, the inconsistent bunch who we are chasing for the 8th spot in the conference and 1 bottom feeder in Minnesota.
Gerald Wallace didn't cause yesterday to happen. The fact that we struggle to matchup with Dirk and Josh Howard played a large role. The fact that we don't have anyone to fit the current NBA versatile PF mold had a factor (as it has in our season all year).
I will say this though. I think Gerald Wallace is a great help defender, maybe top 5-10 in the league. I would like to see him take on more of the Josh Howard, T-Mac's, Lebron's, Kobe's and such defensively as an individual assignment to measure his ability as a stopper. We always mention him as a top defender in the league, but RARELY match him up on these players for more than a few possessions, even though his size length and athleticism make him the most viable candidate to do so.
Some folks took last night to an extreme and in turn erased some valid points about player roles and team chemistry that developed in G-Force's absence. This team will have some decisions to make in the near future as the 2 and 3 spots become crowded. All of the players bring value and it will come down to what direction (please let's have one and build towards it) they are looking to go in as to what they do.
Posted by: jperry | Mar 13, 2008 10:28:56 PM
I completely agree that it wasn't Wallace's fault, but Bonnell, you yourself set this thinking up this week. You have multiple blogs/articles discussing whether Wallace would disrupt the progress of the team and individual players.
If you tee the thinking up for fans, you can't then laugh at fans for actually taking that theory and running with it on the first loss.
Or maybe that is what journalists do....help create myths and then dispell them?
Posted by: fred | Mar 13, 2008 11:24:41 PM
Oh, please, jp. Atlanta and Washington are 7 games under .500 combined, and Toronto was without its only All-Star caliber player.
I do agree that Gerald should get more of an opportunity to match up with the best players when he's on D, but I also worry that by doing so, we'd sap some of the valuable energy he can save by not doing so. He's obviously expending a lot of it on the offensive end.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Mar 14, 2008 12:41:13 AM
He's obviously expending a lot of energy getting overpaid to be hurt all the time and miss games. Will this guy ever even play 70 games in a non-contract year?
Should have traded him to Golden State instead of the draft pick. I would take Spencer Hawes, Al Thornton, or Thaddeus Young for the future of this team over Dan Morgan i mean Gerald Wallace any day.
Posted by: black bush | Mar 14, 2008 7:21:35 AM
Here are some Procton stats for you:
"So while Okafor is among the league leaders in blocking shots (1.7 per game), his shot is blocked at nearly as frequent a pace (1.38 per game over the first 63).
Pollack said Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace led the NBA last season in having his shot blocked (114). So far this season, Wallace has had his shot blocked 67 times, ninth-most in the league."
Chuck Okafor is 2nd in the league in having his lame shots stuffed back in his face. No surprise here. The guy has zero moves in the post, and if he can't get a dunk he's worthless on the offensive end. I'm not sure what his FT% is (help me out Procton) but I would guess around 40%. Pathetic. Okafor sucks so bad outside of playing decent defense. I was done with that guy when he started talking about "wanting Dwight Howard money" in contract negotiations. You sir, are no Dwight Howard. Sean May when healthy is a better post player than Okafor!
And the only reason Gerald Wallace isn't leading the league in getting his "I take on 3 guys and drive for a weak layup" shots rejected is because he's a huge overpaid bust that has missed too many games to be the leader AGAIN this year, like he was last year.
Posted by: willy obama | Mar 14, 2008 7:29:40 AM
Willy are you kidding me, Sean May a better post player then Okafor??? Sean May would get up the court and be to out of breathe to make a post move. Okafor doesn't have as good as post moves as Howard for 3 reasons. 1). Howard right now is something special, that is why he was the #1 pick, but with his youth and his size already you can only hope that he stays in shape (remember Shaq use to be very lean but put size on quick as he matured more into a real man) 2). Howard has coaches that work with him on developing his game. There is no one on the Bobcats staff that work with Okafor on developing his game, we are too guard oriented. (Remember who won rookie of the year, that was Okafor not Howard, but with coaches helping Howard he has become what he is now). 3). Howard has guys that can get him the ball in the right position and guys who shoot and make shots. This keeps 3 to 4 guys from staying in the paint clogging it so he can get put back dunks. The Bobcats have a few guys that are threats shooting it but this team does nothing but drives to the basket clogging the lane leaving it harder for offensive rebounds and put backs. Okafor would be a better player with someone helping him develop as a player like the Magic do for Howard. The bobcats do not develop players that is why are younger talent ends up sucking. But in regard to Wallace he didn't cause the loss but he does not fit with how these guys play offense and plays together. Trade him, while his value is still at its highest. And yes he is overpaid for a guy that can't guard the league's elite players.
Posted by: Knewton | Mar 14, 2008 8:36:54 AM
Wow. I never thought I'd see Gerald Wallace blasted on this board. What next? How about "Joe Montana, what a fag"
Willy, injuries are gonna happen. Especially with Crash's style of play. The fact that the team didn't roll over while he was out was a positive.
Posted by: apauldds | Mar 14, 2008 8:42:22 AM
I second the notion that Mr. Bonnell set up Wallace for criticism. The blog about Wallace's return potentially causing troubles for the Bobcats allowed all the Wallace haters to come out of the woodwork. I don't think any reasonable fan expected the Bobcats to beat Dallas and I seriously doubt the Cats will beat the Rockets. The Bobcats can beat the Cavs though. The officials robbed the Bobcats of a win against Lebron's boys earlier this year. The Bobcats owe them one.
Posted by: Token | Mar 14, 2008 8:57:16 AM
First Rick's article doesn't bring this out and losing to Dallas wasn't because of Wallace. I have been saying this for awhile but the reason the Bobcats are not a playoff team this year is because of Wallace's play. No offense but it is easy to be the best player when all you do is try and play one on one. He is a very talented player and he is the star on this team because he was made out to be the star. But when looking at the league he is not even a thought. He is not a guy that other teams game plan against. We really don't have a guy like that. It's one thing to spend money but you need to spend it wisely. Getting Muhammod and Richardson was not spending money wisely. Signing Carrol and Wallace to the size of there deals was not spending money wisely. Last year we should have done a sign and trade of Wallace and either try and get some draft picks or a couple of expiring contracts. Instead we gave away expiring contracts and a draft pick for guys making a lot of money for the next 2-3 years. Richardson may be worth the money but he doesn't want to be on a winning team. Muhammod just isn't worth the money. Wallace would be a great edition to a team needing a 6th man with tons of energy. Which on 90% of the teams in the NBA that is all Wallace could be. I am also still a bit pissed off if the rumor was true that the Nets wanted May and the second round pick for Richard Jefferson right before the draft or on draft night. I think that happening would make fans not even think about trading Wallace.
Posted by: Knewton | Mar 14, 2008 9:32:38 AM
Knewton, what makes you think that Jrich doesn't want to be on a winning team?
Posted by: apauldds | Mar 14, 2008 10:06:09 AM
This is Sean's Momma again...some of you boys have a nasty mouth.
You obviuosly spendin' WAAAAY too much time on them nasy computer sites! Not good God-fearin' up bringin'. If I were you Momma I'd wash your mouth out with lye soap and peanut butter. That would fix ya. Look at my baby Sean..you never hear those worlds from his mouth. I know he always busy eatin'...but thats not my point! Straighten up and fly right! My Baby Sean is out there everyday spreading the Good Word of his come back. You see him last night takin' out all those good boys from Chapel Hill to dinner? He say "Not too expensive now...". Not... "Aint no f'in way I be takin' them scrubs to Ruth Chris!".
And another thang...you be stop pickin on that nice boy Gerry Wallace. He's a fine young man. Smart, handsome young speciman. I tell Sean.."you need to be fixin' your doo like Jerry. Not that "whatever" on you head. And get some fuzz goin' on that face like Jerry. Get you some respect when people look at ya."
So, use my boy as an example and clean up yo' trash talkin mouths....my boy be comin back soon and he gunna kick yo butts for talkin' this way! Oh and by the way...my baby be signin autographs this weekend out there at the Pig Pull on Central Avenue...and dont any you hoodlums think that means you can be tuggin on my boy either!
Posted by: seansmomma | Mar 14, 2008 10:09:53 AM
Sorry apauldds I meant to say he wants to play on a winning team.
Posted by: Knewton | Mar 14, 2008 10:55:16 AM
Knewton: Your facts are a bit off... The trade with New Jersey was for Bostjian Nachbar (not Jefferson) and #17 pick in the draft for May.
Posted by: dt | Mar 14, 2008 11:13:59 AM
Like I said it was a rumor. But I probably would have taken that trade as well. Having Nachbar would have opened things up more inside. Probably would have helped not only the post game but the slashing game also. And I know Wallace isn't the only problem with this team but he just isn't the right player anymore for where this team is headed. Both Sean May and Adam Morrison have next year to prove their worth otherwise they need to be gone. And everyone needs to get off this Emeka Okafor thing. He is a POWER FORWARD not a CENTER!!! And yes he needs improvement but that is coaching not developing players. Our Starting line up this year should have been at this point: Felton, Richardson, Wallace, Okafor, Hollins. With Carrol, Dudley, Muhommed, Davis, and Boykins coming off the bench.
Posted by: Knewton | Mar 14, 2008 12:05:53 PM
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