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November 05, 2008
Felton, Okafor appear ready for Knicks
Based on their full participation at morning shootaround, it looks like Bobcats starters Raymond Felton (strained right hamstring) and Emeka Okafor (sore left shoulder) will play tonight against the Knicks. Felton missed practice Tuesday and said if he felt the same Wednesday, he couldn't play. Okafor hurt his shoulder in a collision with Ryan Hollins...
Some of you have asked if the Bobcats might be interested in Al Harrington, who the Golden State Warriors have made available in trade. From what I'm getting, probably not, since he's more a 'tweener than a pure power forward and he's become primarily a jump-shooter offensively (the Bobcats already have plenty of those.)
If the Bobcats have any role in Harrington changing teams, it would likely be as a facilitator in some three-team deal. The Knicks are particularly interested in acquiring Harrington, and you can see how he'd fit in Mke D'Antoni's uptempo offense.
Posted by Observer Sports on November 5, 2008 at 02:30 PM | Permalink
Comments
What of Harrington's comments before the season, though, that he was tired of being used solely as a perimeter player in Nelson's system. It hasn't been THAT long since he was a 19-7 player on not even a 3 a game.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Nov 5, 2008 4:44:21 PM
Agreed that Harrington is not the answer to our woes.
Let's work a deal so that we get David Lee. If I recall correctly, there was a rumor on draft night that we were trying to acquire him (for Felton, I think). I'm not sure if trading Felton is the answer, but are going to get killed on the boards almost every game if we don't do something.
Posted by: Cats_Fan | Nov 5, 2008 4:48:34 PM
I am thinking that a trade is inevitable. Carroll isn't playing and he should be... there has to be a reason. I mean he is productive when he plays, look at when he starts. My guess is that the team is evaluating Morrison to decide to move him or not, along with getting his value up if they do decide to move him.
If they don't, then Carroll could be gone because it is obvious that Brown wants another big man and he doesn't seem to want to play both Carroll and Morrison.
What are your thoughts Bonnell?
Posted by: Yeah? | Nov 5, 2008 5:58:20 PM
I don't know if LB is playing Morrison because the Bobcats are trying to shop Morrison or because right now, Morrison and J-Rich are the only two players that have showed that they can score the ball at least halfway consistently.
Posted by: Caleb | Nov 5, 2008 6:48:57 PM
Hasn't Carroll already proven that he can score if he has given the minutes? This situation is reminding me of Vincent and Herrmann.
Anyone else getting the game tonight with no sound?
Posted by: Yeah? | Nov 5, 2008 8:17:03 PM
Carroll has proven year after year that he can score and shoot well given playing time. Many will say that he can't play defense, but given Nate Robinson's 24 first half points against our other fine defensive guards tonight, how could he be any worse then they are? His defense didn't have much to do with Daniel Gibson looking like an all-star last week, either. Must be something up.
Posted by: bayne | Nov 5, 2008 8:37:07 PM
Are we in the playoffs yet?
Posted by: jay | Nov 5, 2008 8:58:40 PM
bayne, I agree. We are having a hard time knocking down our open jumpers and Carroll would be a boost. And there's no way his defense is as bad as Augustin's. That kid couldn't guard a tree. He's been abused by literally every single player he's guarded so far this season, and he gets big time PT, despite not making a very good impact. Brown preaches defense and passing first, but he apparently still loves DJ's garbage D shoot first style. Meanwhile you've got Shannon Brown coming off a great game against Detroit, and who is clearly a much better defender than DJ, getting only 3 minutes. I hate that we drafted DJ. We really don't need him and we sure could have used Lopez or another big right now. We can only compete with undersized teams thanks to the draft. If we would have gotten Lopez at 9 and Chalmers at 20 we'd be in much better shape. Terrible Larry, just plain terrible.
Posted by: Eddie | Nov 6, 2008 1:27:35 AM
The irony is that he wanted DJ because he is a pass-first PG, yet he has been playing more like a combo guard. A big man was the obvious choice that we didn't make. There are plenty of back up PG's out there (someone like a Dan Dickau) that fit Brown's mold.
I'm optimistic that DJ's defense will come around as he adjusts to NBA play (screens, etc). I guess we'll know in a few months.
Agreed that Carroll could have benefited us over the last few games...something's up with that situation. Maybe LB thinks he can teach the team not to shoot so many 3 pointers by sitting our sharp-shooter. Maybe he thinks Shannon Brown is a stud. As I have said before, Carroll is definitely a "confidence" player and played poorly after being sat by Vincent last year. Let's hope he's ready when LB finally comes back to his senses.
Posted by: Cats_Fan | Nov 6, 2008 8:06:50 AM
Eddie,
I have said this from the very first blog after the draft and will continue to do so. DJ might turn into a fine PG, but he plays terrible defense and is a "shoot-first" PG. How anyone can argue that he is a pass-first PG is beyond me. Hopefully he will improve his D b/c he is getting abused right now. He does have a smooth stroke though.
Posted by: Mason | Nov 6, 2008 9:02:24 AM
DJ and Felts playing together seems to work a lot better than the Felts-McInnis combo last season.
Posted by: apauldds | Nov 6, 2008 11:08:44 AM
I have answered this Carroll question again and again. But I will get at it one more time. Carroll only shoots thats it, nothing else, no d, no passing, low rebounds, and not playing within the system. He will only jack up shots when in the game so LB has to ask himself when to put him in because his jacking up shots will take from others that are pure scorers.
Now just incase you ask, pure scorers and pure shooters are different in the fact that shooters only hit when wide open period. But scorers know how to put the ball in the basket no matter what the d is giving them. That means when the d closes out on your shoot you can take a dribble and pull up, dunk on them in the lane, drive and get the foul, or just draw another d player and kick to an open man. Carroll has none of that in his rep so he sits until he can improve his package.
Someone said that when LB come to his senses, the guy has 8 out of 9 winning seasons with teams in the NBA, so if he is sitting him its because it is better for the team.
This team has players that go for 30 one night and then 6 the next. That inconsistency won't pay off in the NBA. Plus the focus still is on the d. Cause if the bobcats hit a shot, then the other team hits a shots, its tied 2 - 2 right? Well next the bobcats miss their next shot, and the d can't stop the team from scoring their next shot, the score becomes 2 - 4 right? Well that happens to the bobcats in the fourth quarter all the time. And Dr. Naismith made this game simple, the one with the bigger point total wins, gets better fan support, and closer to championships. Otherwise the end up like the bobcats!!!
Holla!
Posted by: T-Dub | Nov 6, 2008 4:27:01 PM
Ok so how dumb are the draft picks looking now,here we are demanding,begging to get a quality big yet we screwed that up by selecting a point guard which we didn't need,oh yeah Jason Thompson anyone.This is ridiculously stupid and then we get a French 7'2 guy who will take at least 3-4 years to become servicable.And i so hate that we traded away Herrmann that i cringe seeing him play in Detroit,yet another screw up from the lovely FO(front office).Oh and why the hell isn't Nazr playing?
Posted by: Rufus | Nov 6, 2008 4:30:37 PM
Oh and i think DJ will become a good player and his defense please God should improve and J-Rich has been disappointing thus far same with Gerald Wallace our 2 primary scorers.They're both inconsistent and we need consistency out of them 2 same as Felton but who knows what's happening with Felts.
Posted by: Rufus | Nov 6, 2008 4:34:58 PM
T-Dub -
You can’t look at the box score last night and think that Brown doesn’t need to come to his senses. Besides Carroll, no one off the bench besides DJ played much at all. This rotation would not work over the course of the season because starters can’t play that many minutes every game….just ask LeBron. Also, as many have mentioned, DJ is getting killed on D. The liability on D of having DJ and Felton in together outweighs any benefits on offense.
When Carroll was getting consistent PT in prior years, he didn’t just jack up shots. Yes, he’s primarily a jump shooter, but our starters need rest and Carroll is as good an option on our bench as anyone. Also, he didn’t jack up shots in the game vs. Cleveland (1st game of the year). He played within the offense and played better defense than Felton/DJ.
I know that Brown is a Hall of Famer, but his rotations are something that he has been questioned about throughout his recent career. If he were ALWAYS right, he would still be in NY (or Detroit for that matter).
Posted by: Cats_Fan | Nov 6, 2008 5:35:56 PM
Detroit and NY are a rest heaven for one and done coaches. Flip Saunders won a championship, lost the next year and he was fired. In NY they might as well assassinate the coaches the way the fans and media rip them apart as soon as a mistake is made. But to have 8 - 9 season with different teams having over .500 season say alot more than most coaches. Proof is in the pudding and LB has enough pudding to work for Bill Cosby. (didn't come off as funny as I thought). ANYWAYZ!
Larry know that with Matt in you loose a lot more out on the floor, and one of those things in control. The guy will jack up a shot, yes JACK UP A SHOT, when we are down by 2 with 1:00 left to go. If he misses which this season has been 70% of the time, the d gets the rebound cause we loose rebounding when he is in, and the shot was taken with 2 player not even over half court. You just can't have that and LB knows that. We are getting back to smart basketball, the days of the Lakers & Celtics, when NBA scores were averaging 120 a game. And with that mistake and bad decisions have to go. And Matt is a bad decision maker, ere go, JACK UP SHOOTER!!!
Holla!!!
P.S. I don't use the words never or always! Its a lie waiting to happen!
Posted by: T-Dub | Nov 6, 2008 6:25:28 PM
Uh, t-dub - flip didnt a win title in det. - larry did ...
Posted by: Bobcat Matt | Nov 6, 2008 7:02:13 PM
T-Dub, I'm not asking for your opinion. I'm asking Bonnell. I don't really care what you have to say about Carroll because he isn't the player that you say he is. Your main point seems to be that he will jack up a shot at anytime. Well, that is the case because he had free reign to shoot when open under previous coaching. Now, Brown wants the best shot and not always the open shot, which I completely undestand. But to say that Carroll can't play this way and be effective at it is wrong. Carroll is a smart player and a solid player who can contribute more than others playing. Besides, I would prefer he jack up a shot over several others on the team.
PS I believe you mean "haven," not heaven and "one-and-done," not one and done.
Posted by: Yeah? | Nov 6, 2008 9:04:09 PM
T-Dub -
I'm not sure that Carroll's FG % for this year makes sense as a point of reference since he has played only 20 minutes the entire season. A better reference would be his career average of 41% from 3-point range, which indicates he does have some semblance of shot selection.
I'm not saying he's an All-Star, just that he should be in our rotation and receiving at least 12-15 minutes of PT.
Posted by: Cats_Fan | Nov 7, 2008 8:37:01 AM
First of all about Flip sit Detroit, I thought the western conference champ and the eastern conference champ meet in the finals. And isnt that the eastern conference championship. Tell me if I am wrong again!
Never once did I say he was a bad player, I said HE IS SKILL SET DOES NOT WORK FOR THIS TEAM. Thats what I said. For example, in the trade with Hermann (not saying this would have happened) but if Carroll went instead of Hermann, Bobcats would have had presence in the paint defensively with Hermann and the three point shooting Carroll provides, right? In the other Carroll could have just sat on the three point line while Billups and Hamilton drove the lanes and dished to him for OPEN threes and the got the rebounding for JACK UP SHOOTERS. Why its different now is because felton, gw, and jrich arent the under control players like the pistons (pre Iverson) so Carroll will get passes that come from no where or are putting him in a bad situation.
Argue all you want to, I am giving my opinion and that is what blogging is all about. I have watched this team go further done the toilet with their decision and I will always have my opinions and with Carroll, I told this blog he would drop off after his contract signing and he has. So hold his testees down on the bottom of a totem where he is dwelling at now.
Spell check that!!!
Holla!!!
P.S. Stop plagiarizing my ideas, get your own!
Posted by: T-Dub | Nov 7, 2008 1:34:39 PM
T-Dub
You are WRONG, he didn't win a "championship." He made it to the finals, by winning the eastern conference, but did not win a championship. You don't hear Kobe and the Lakers talking about how they won a championship last year, even though they represented the West in the finals, because Boston won the championship.
Also, Herrman, a player I like, is not known for his defensive presence in the paint. He gets killed when matched up against bigs in the paint. He plays terrible defense. Also, Billups and Hamilton do not typically drive to the lanes and kick out to open shooters. Their offense is predicated on Rip coming off double screens and the pick and roll for Chauncey. I am not sure you know what you are talking about.
Holla!
Posted by: Mason | Nov 7, 2008 2:01:31 PM
T-Dub,
You want a spell check, well here you go:
"I said HE IS SKILL SET DOES NOT WORK FOR THIS TEAM." Thats what I said."
"He is skill set?" Yeah, that makes sense.
"Why its different now is because felton, gw, and jrich arent the under control players like the pistons (pre Iverson) so Carroll will get passes that come from no where or are putting him in a bad situation."
It should be "it's" not "its," "arent" needs an apostrophe, and the sentence needs an "are" after "pistons" as well as a "that" after "or." Also, "no where" isn't a word, it's "nowhere."
Second, if the Bobcats still had Herrmann they would not have a presence in the paint defensively. Herrmann was good at denying the ball, but once his man got the ball, Herrmann didn't intimidate anyone and was a liability on D.
As for Carroll in Det, Mason's right you are wrong about your understanding of that offense. Even if you were right, Carroll would be left to play at the 3 with those 2 guards and that leads to problems on D.
Posted by: Yeah? | Nov 7, 2008 4:55:42 PM
Oh, I forgot a mistake. "Thats what I said." "Thats" needs an apostrophe.
Posted by: Yeah? | Nov 7, 2008 4:57:25 PM
I love this, this is what I do. Put people to work... I got another couple of paragraphs for you to spell check, since I might be taken off of here for incorrect pronunciation. But its all good, I like making people feel some self worth. ANYWAYZ!!!
ITS CALLED THE EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPS and WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPS. No I don't hear kobe announcing that, but I do here the announcers and TV analyst announcing it when the respective teams play.
I like how you guys jump when I say, but I never said that Carroll would fit their system now. If you judge what I say judge at the time of the trade. Detroit didn't have all those guards, they added 2 this past summer. But it just would have been better to keep Hermann is my whole point that was missed.
Oh yeah, YEAH, its defense not D. LOL! Take your own advise, otherwise dont tell me what to correct. Cause we can spend all day on here correcting spelling and grammar eras. Correct me please cause that lets me know that you are reading my shit very thoroughly. I like that.
Holla!
Posted by: T-Dub | Nov 8, 2008 12:54:23 AM
And I know that tomorrow you will be happy with Carroll getting his minutes, and you will somehow defend how he only scored 7 points and only 3 three's... Kind of funny, I thought he had a good game too, because he wasn't jacking up and he was playing in LB system. Plus he was rebounding and assisting. That is why LB played him...
I guess LB putting him on the bench served his ass some good. I told you LB knows what he is doing.... Or maybe he saw your post and decided to put him in, HUH? No LB planned to put him in once he showed he could immaculate to his system. But I already know how you kind of people are. You will find someway to say I am completely wrong. But proof is Matt had a good game without one 3. And all you people said this team needs that from him. So you were all wrong from the stats of this game stand point. All the other stuff I SAID he needs to improve on help produce the game he had, not the shooting. (cause it was horrible 3-8 fgs, 0-4 3fgs, 1-1 ft...
Holla!
P.S. Oh yeah, spell check that. Rover!
Posted by: T-Dub | Nov 8, 2008 1:01:38 AM
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