« Not a formula for making up ground | Main | Wallace's return didn't cause loss »
March 08, 2008
Wallace's return to Bobcats might be complicated
Just how will Bobcats coach Sam Vincent blend Gerald Wallace back into the mix without disrupting the progress Matt Carroll and Jared Dudley have made?
"I like how these guys are playing, and I don’t want to think about that yet,’’ Vincent said Saturday.
Vincent’s response was understandable; you don’t mess with a win streak, and the Bobcats were at four entering the Wizards' game. But Wallace, this team’s most dynamic player, will likely return from a concussion Wednesday at Dallas. While that’s a nice complication, it is a complication.
Vincent has misgivings about continuing to play Wallace at power forward, since that matches him against bigger, bulkier players, increasing the risk of another concussion.
That would mean playing Wallace mostly at small forward. Jason Richardson and Dudley have thrived of late at small forward, and Carroll is playing his best basketball this season as the starting shooting guard.
Wallace has to play. Finding him minutes, without stifling Carroll’s and Dudley’s progress, will require creativity and finesse.
Posted by rbonnell on March 8, 2008 at 06:47 PM | Permalink
Comments
Wow - statements like those above are so stupid, just calculated comments to lay the groundwork for another excuse.
What other team would not jump at the chance to have their best player back? The Bobcats.
Posted by: fred | Mar 8, 2008 8:12:18 PM
Hey Dumba$$, its not about not wanting your best player back. It's about messing up the chemistry. that you have right now. The bobcats have won 5 games in a row. As a coach, you don't want to mess that up. How about watching the games before commenting on them. Wallace played the month of Feb. and the Cats went 1-11, he hasn't played in March and they are 5-0. Some of you people who comment, on here are so stupid, its almost sickening. Why don't you leave the Bobcat's to NBA fans, go back to watching Nascar or drag racing!!!
Posted by: Fred is Dumb | Mar 8, 2008 9:53:24 PM
Put Wallace at the 4, it's not like he's concussion prone or anything.
Posted by: Bro. D. | Mar 8, 2008 10:01:47 PM
Yeah Wallace did play in Feb
Posted by: Yeah Fred is Dumb | Mar 9, 2008 12:09:11 AM
Don't mess with success! We want him bak, but take you time Gerald...we don't need you slurring words etc. There is no hurry right now since we are winning. Heal and get better! Hopefully Vincent can learn to manage a roster. Felton playing exclusively at PG is smart. It's too bad it's taken 2 yrs and 2 coached to figure this out!!!
Posted by: Local | Mar 9, 2008 1:09:04 AM
I say let Wallace sit out a bit more or work him back into the rotation slowly. The team's playing great and has great chemistry.
Posted by: Zool | Mar 9, 2008 1:14:37 AM
Keep Wallace healthy, we need him for the final push for the playoffs. I would love to see him out 2-3 more games and work him back in there. We need 13-15 wins out of the last 19 games and counting. Keep up the good decision making. It shows, from the coach to the players on the court. Keep it up! Go Bobcats!
Posted by: bobcat fan | Mar 9, 2008 3:42:11 AM
They will do fine. They will probably bring Wallace off the bench for a couple of games, and Matt and Jared will come off the bench with confidence and continue to contribute. I think it's a plus plus for the team if Vincent doesn't screw it up. He is their weakest link afterall.
Posted by: DanCat | Mar 9, 2008 12:10:06 PM
Give Vincent a few games and there will be NO chemistry again. This organization is a joke around the nba. David Stern should do us all a favor and move the team to Africa, and send bob johnson with it. He can encourage some minority business there.
Bobcats SUCK.
The real charlotte nba team is doing well. GO HORNETS, I BELIEVE, ALIVE AT THE HIVE
Posted by: jason | Mar 9, 2008 7:58:49 PM
jason,If you love the hornets, hook up your trailer home and move to New Orleans. I'm sure you can find a trailer park there. Losers like you, disgust me. Go CATS. who gives a $hit about the hornets, not us!!
Posted by: jason is dumb | Mar 9, 2008 8:29:06 PM
It's a shame that racism and xenophobia are so prevalent in our society. The comment above mine makes me wonder if our nation will ever stop the mindless hatred.
On a happier note, I am glad the Bobcats are doing well. The Mavs, Rockets, and Cavs will definitely be a test. I hope the team's renewed confidence and swagger remains intact throughout the road swing.
Posted by: Token | Mar 9, 2008 8:30:48 PM
I was referring to Jason. I am glad that someone besides me thinks Jason is dumb.
Posted by: Token | Mar 9, 2008 8:32:42 PM
Jason, go to NO. You and the other 7,000 at the game will be thrilled.
Posted by: apauldds | Mar 10, 2008 12:16:11 AM
Oh and by the way: LETS GO CATS!
Posted by: apauldds | Mar 10, 2008 12:19:12 AM
Rick I agree on all accounts. This isn't video games where you just throw in everyone with the highest individual rating. You have to look at the flow of the game, the floor balance, the spacing and the overall chemistry of the players. Is Sam saying he doesn't want Wallace to come back? No. He's saying that this is the best flow that this team has had and that he doesn't want to fix something that's not broken. Either way, with the type of injury Gerald had and the way he plays, he's going to need to be worked back in anyway.
Posted by: jperry | Mar 10, 2008 9:29:52 AM
There's no hurry to get Wallace to play unless he is a 100%. If he is OK to play, he should come form the bench at least the next two games, while he gets his grove back. We've seen this strategy with the Buck/Redd and Miami/Wade. After this you can start him at the SF or PF (Please only depending on the matchup), JRich can play SG when Wallace is SF and Okafor is PF; and Caroll can play SG with JRich SF when Wallace is PF and Okafor is C. Either way the rotation should be Felton, JRich, Wallace, Okafor, Nzar, Caroll, Dudley and Boykins & Davidson only when necesary.
Posted by: Rob C | Mar 10, 2008 9:33:43 AM
Apaul...would that be the same place that's filling their stadium to a higher capacity than Charlotte is?
Posted by: Michael Procton | Mar 10, 2008 1:24:56 PM
Do you guys really care about the NBA? These comments are hilarious...I'd rather watch 14 year old girls play than these overpaid douchebags.
Posted by: Crack is Wack | Mar 10, 2008 1:50:08 PM
"MICHAEL PROCTON" I'm amaze by your comment about the Hornets stadium attendance. You are WRONG. Allow me to say the following:
ARENA CAPACITY:
New Orleans - 19,000
Charlotte - 20,000
ATTENDANCE PER GAME:
New Orleans - 13,400 (70%)
Charlotte - 14,500 (72%)
AVERAGE PRICE PER TICKET:
New Orleans - $24.58
Charlotte - $29.10
In other words, New Orleans has less attendance per game than the Bobcats even with the cheapest price per ticket in the NBA.
For a winning team, that means that there is definetly something wrong with the team. Even with all the odds in their favor they have roughly the worst attendance per game in the NBA.
Posted by: Rob C | Mar 10, 2008 2:35:14 PM
Interesting numbers, Robert. I don't know where you got them, but I'm happy to correct them for you.
NO plays in the New Orleans arena, which has a capacity of 17,200 for Hornets games (www.arenadigest.com/visits/no_arena.htm.) They have averaged 13,315 fans this season (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/attendance?sort=home_pct&year=2008&seasonType=2), which calculates to a 77.4% capacity (math.)
Charlotte plays in the unnamed arena, which has a capacity of 19,026 (though it can indeed be expanded to 20,200 if anybody actually cares about the game: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Bobcats_Arena)
Their average attendance has been 14,468 this year (same ESPN link), which means they're at a 76.0% capacity.
Now, you do have a valid point about price, but it should also be noted that this has much more to do with what's wrong with the city rather than the team. I'm pretty sure the most recent Census numbers are pre-Katrina, but even before that city got wrecked and many of the more affluent citizens left, the median income was almost 45% lower (as opposed to the 16% cheaper ticket.) The per capita income is also about the same spread (43% lower), and they have more than TWO AND A HALF times the number of people that Charlotte does below the poverty line. People don't come out to Hornets games in NO at this point, but that's because the money just isn't there, a problem Charlotte shouldn't have with it's booming economic growth.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Mar 10, 2008 3:06:07 PM
Maaannnn...if you think its going to be tough getting Wallace back into the game, just wait till my boy Sean "Steamboat" May tries to drop anchor back into Bobcats Arena. By next Fall, they'll have to remove a row of seats just to help him stretch out stem to stern( which by the way, may help that ole % Capacity statisitic). It will be quite a sight seeing ole Sean rockin' and rollin' all over the arena like a big ole watersnake makin' his way up the Mississippi! CLEAR THE LANE boys, a big Ship comin' in!....damn...makes me tear up just thinkin about it. We need to send poor Sean back to the shipyard for a rebuild before he gets taken out of his misery and put to mothballs.
Posted by: mike | Mar 10, 2008 3:50:15 PM
This situation is going to be interesting. If we are going to put Gerald at the 3, reducing our shooting out there, we need to compensate by playing Dudley more at the 4 so we have 2 shooters on the floor that are above average shooters for their position on the floor. The problem is that this cuts into Carrol's minutes as Gerald is no longer willing to play the 4. If he is the 3, then Matt and Jason have to split the 2 minutes straight up when they have been formidable spreading the floor and knocking down shots as a tandem.
I think Gerald is a tremendous player but what makes him terrific is his balls to the walls style, especially as a 4 where he can blow by people and have space to get his shot off, as he has a slow release for a wing unlike Carroll and Richardson who are natural shooters.
I was thrilled that we signed Gerald back, but I feel (and said it while it was going on) that we screwed ourselves by running so many isos for him last year in the 2nd half of the year. I did not understand why we were showcasing a player IN A CONTRACT YEAR when we weren't even making a run at the playoffs. We drove his price up at the end of the year.
Now his skills have certainly improved, but is he going to be able to be "Crash" with the concussions he's had? Even if he's not at the 4, the reckless way that he goes to the basket and after blocked shots that endured him to Bobcats fans leaves him susceptible to future concussions. Is he going to scale back his play or do what he does and pray for the best? And if he isn't able to go full tilt, then what?
Posted by: jperry | Mar 10, 2008 4:24:26 PM
Michael Procton, suck it. Your arguments are so lame. No one who cares about the Hornets. 14,468 >> 13,315 anyway you look at it. And whats really sad, is that Hornets were in 1st place for a part of the season, and no one shows up. Why don't know you do us a favor and go back to watching Tractor pulling or Fishing and leave the Bobcats to the real fans
Posted by: Procton sux | Mar 10, 2008 4:49:36 PM
You guys are right. I will stop dogging the Bobcats. I'm just salty about the Hornets. But I realize, that its the past. Go Bobcats!!!!
Posted by: Michael Procton | Mar 10, 2008 4:53:25 PM
"Maaannnn...if you think its going to be tough getting Wallace back into the game, just wait till my boy Sean "Steamboat" May tries to drop anchor back into Bobcats Arena. By next Fall, they'll have to remove a row of seats just to help him stretch out stem to stern( which by the way, may help that ole % Capacity statisitic). It will be quite a sight seeing ole Sean rockin' and rollin' all over the arena like a big ole watersnake makin' his way up the Mississippi! CLEAR THE LANE boys, a big Ship comin' in!....damn...makes me tear up just thinkin about it. We need to send poor Sean back to the shipyard for a rebuild before he gets taken out of his misery and put to mothballs."
Talk about a dumb post..
Posted by: Michael Procton | Mar 10, 2008 4:54:47 PM
Post a comment
Advertisements
