« Chandler out again | Main | A quick post-mortem from L.A. »
February 21, 2010
Bobcats-Bucks post-mortem
* I don't know that Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown says much of anything by accident when speaking to media. So I found this unsolicited comment about center Nazr Mohammed, following the Milwaukee Bucks game, interesting: "It's a blessing to have a player with the character of Nazr. He had no business playing'' with ongoing back spasms, Brown said. "That someone like Nazr is willing to play hurt sends a message to the team.''
At the risk of sounding like a mind-reader, I wonder if Brown hoped that message would specifically reach another center, Tyson Chandler. He missed his second straight game with a sore left foot and ankle, and might miss all four games of this road trip. Chandler has played three games since Christmas.
* Impressive as Stephen Jackson was offensively against the Bucks -- he scored or assisted on 19 of the Bobcats' 33 baskets -- I suspect Jackson leading this team in assists with five says more about what the point guards weren't doing than what Jackson was.Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin combined for seven assists. They need to do better.
* This is a tough stretch to be fitting in practices -- long-distance travel for a team already banged-up by nagging injuries. Brown gave his players Sunday off, following the flight from Milwaukee to Los Angeles. But he knows he needs practice time in Salt Lake City and Memphis later this week to get Tyrus Thomas and Theo Ratliff more acclimated.
"I've got to get Theo and Tyrus up to speed and figure out how I can help our team run some stuff more efficiently,'' Brown said of an offense that shot 40 percent in the first half and committed 10 turnovers in the second half. It was clear the Bobcats had to narrow down its offensive options because Thomas wasn't familiar with the terminology.
"I felt helpless,'' Brown said. "We needed Tyrus in there, but that made it hard to run stuff.''Posted by Observer Interactive on February 21, 2010 at 05:13 PM | Permalink
Comments
rick i'm not one of your haters on here but your killing me here. jackson was 14 of 25 last night. how can you expect felton or augustin to get any assists when he's missing that many shots and the balls going through him the majority of the time. felton being in foul trouble was a BS problem and DJ filled in quite nicely. went to the line 8 times and shoulda been there another 4 atleast but the calls were suspect to say the least last night.
lets talk about the mohammed flagrant and how he blocked the shot FIRST and then fouled in blocking the shot which is the definition of NOT being a flagrant vs. tyrus going up for a dunk on the fast break and kurt thomas going across his arms and back clearly the definition of a flagrant. s%*t was wild.
Posted by: charlottean | Feb 21, 2010 6:33:09 PM
I've thought since Thursday that the trade that didn't happen with Indiana (Nazr + DJ + Henderson for TJ + Rush) really said that the Bobs are more concerned to have a Plan B for Tyson (keep Nazr) than having a Plan B should Felton not re-sign this summer (obtain TJ).
Maybe we get lucky and Chandler opts out this summer and we can put his cap money to better use?
Posted by: bobfan1 | Feb 21, 2010 6:43:44 PM
@charlottean 14 of 25 is bad to you? Obviously you are clueless on what good FG% is in the NBA.
Posted by: Jeff | Feb 21, 2010 6:56:30 PM
Charlottean"
Just to echo Jeff, you have a PROBLEM with 14-of-25? That's nearly 3-of-5. If Jackson shot that for the season from where he takes his shots, he'd be MVP.
And you had a problem with the officiating? Come on. Naz, himself, would say that might qualify as a flagrant foul. And that whole time-sequence argument you make is spurious. The NBA announced (and, by the way, I wrote extensively about) the interpretation that making a play on the ball does not give you a get-out-of-jail-free card on a flagrant foul. So, sorry, but in this case, you're wrong.
Posted by: Rick Bonnell | Feb 21, 2010 7:15:01 PM
Rick, you've been spot on lately. Keep up the good work...all the way to the playoffs!
Posted by: HAve2650 | Feb 21, 2010 7:51:40 PM
That is anything but a veiled comment. Are you kidding me? LB is the most likely coach EVER in the NBA to take public shots at players, its what he does, and he's taking one at Chandler. And its deserved. The only issue I have is LB was dumb enough to trade for him. Okafor was a stiff who filled up the lane in a bad way on offense, but he still could've been traded for at least a bag of balls this past trading deadline. Chandler has and always will sucked!
Posted by: Greg | Feb 21, 2010 10:30:01 PM
charlottean:
that may be the dumbest comment i've heard you say on here. 14 of 25...I'll take that every single night of the week. Keep shooting Jack!
Posted by: bobcat matt | Feb 21, 2010 10:54:14 PM
25 shots every night might be a little much, but when you're down twenty and it gets you back to three, you have to take it.?
Chandler has been such a let down all season long. And as disappointing as Chandler has been, Naz has been just as incredible. I would have never claimed at the beginning of the season Naz would have a twenty-twenty night and dunk for the win! If it takes LB to throw comments to get Chandler out of the suit and onto the court, so be it. And nothing is sweeter than Raymond throwing the alley-oop for a Chandler slam! LETS GO CATS
Posted by: HPCatFan | Feb 21, 2010 11:31:15 PM
I propose trading Chandler's expiring contract this summer and Gerald Henderson to Golden State for Monta Ellis and Kelenna Azubuike. Monta can run the point and Kelenna is a solid back up to Jackson. Sign and trade Felton for an expiring contract & a future 1st rd draft pick.
Posted by: larry | Feb 22, 2010 2:02:22 AM
Larry:
Monta Ellis is not the guy you want at the point,and surely not the guy Brown would want. He commits constant turnovers (as if this team needed more turnovers) and he gets his to the expense of everyone else. Is he a talent? For sure. But he's not a point guard.
Posted by: Rick Bonnell | Feb 22, 2010 7:30:27 AM
From a coach and former player perspective, i just want larry to get some pratice time with theo and thomas, because we already see what thomas will provide without any pratice time and sheer adrealine, we have now, one of the most athletic poward forward in the game and he is only 23, so now we got jack, felton, diaw, gerald, thomas,diaw, ratliff and dj, i lke that squad to make the playoffs, 8th, or 7th seed, as long as we get in. one thing for sure we need to resign jack,thomas and maybe felton back. that is your returning core of players. it you don't see this future team's chance you are not a real fan of the bobcats, i like this team, and gerald get better with your hamstring, your defense is hurting your game right now.i know you can play better, you let delfino in the bucks game get open shots and drive by on you..overall let's go cats to the playoffs and play clevaland, regardless the series will be"Electricfying" because you have gainn confidence you can play and beat these guys, this series would definetly be no sweep, even possible upset or game 7 in "clevaland"..regardless the bobcats will be put on the map as a good nba team going into next season..
Posted by: latrell sprewell | Feb 22, 2010 9:19:04 AM
PG play on this team is to up and down. Bobcats have the horses but need a PG that is more consistant. DJ Augistine is not that guy. I think LB has yanked all the confidence out of him. He plays "not" to get pulled. Raymond Felton...whew. I don't know. Sometimes I think he is one of the top 5 PG's in the East, other nights I think he should be a back up on a .500 team.
Posted by: Kelly Tripuka | Feb 22, 2010 10:27:16 AM
Charlottean....not a very good assesment. Jackson shoots like that every night, Bobcats are .600 team easily.
IF and that is a big IF, Charlotte plays Cleveland in the 1st round, that could be one of the best series in the playoffs. Win or lose. I don't think Cleveland wants ANY PART of Charlotte in the first round.
Posted by: Kelly Tripuka | Feb 22, 2010 10:29:11 AM
Jack has been a Hugh help. However he needs to pass when he is not open and don't try and force shots, that hurts us. 3:00 left sat. put up a 3 with a hand right in his face, misses it and there was a better shot to be taken, 1:00 left 16ft jumper off balance falling away, Misses, WHY! The end of game, the cute dribbling leading to a turnover. Look I'm not debating I could make an arguement with myself about Jack!
Against the Nets 0-6 on 3's, if your off that night don't keep putting them up. Find your range!
Other games the Driving against 2 and 3 guys and just throwing it up(not trying draw foul). The Bullett passes inside that no one is expecting probably because their waiting for Jack to take the shot and leads to turnovers.
I am happy to have Jack I know it doesn;t sound like it, we need him.
1st half saturday officiating was a joke ask Wallace.
Posted by: fox has to go!! | Feb 22, 2010 10:50:22 AM
Rick, I thought this comment on espn.com was very telling of the cats current state. What do you think of this? Charlotte just became the first team since Philly in 1985 to lose to the team with the worst record (Nets) and beat the team with the best record (Cavs) in its next game.
Posted by: flanahan32 | Feb 22, 2010 1:06:05 PM
Bonnell is the same guy who claimed Chandler wanted to be on the court 24/7, folks.
Posted by: RP | Feb 22, 2010 1:31:50 PM
We are in need of another guard off the bench. So, why not take a chance on McCants, or at least work him out to see what he's got and how his health is?
He would provide scoring off the bench, and he would give us a different look than Steven Graham. Not really a ball handler, but could fill a hole.
If not McCants, who else is available?
Posted by: Phil | Feb 22, 2010 4:33:22 PM
yall misread into what i was mad about. i'm not mad at jack shooting 14 of 25.....i wish he shot 14 of 25 more often.....point was rick is always railing on raymond and curdling jack and flip's balls. how is raymond gonna get any assists when the balls going through jack that much? not saying its that bad of a thing especially when he's hot....hell, feed the hot hand by all means.....but don't judge your guard play based on assists when they aren't in control of the ball. DJ played pretty sharp....0-6 sure but he was fouled on almost all of those 6 and couldn't get a call and he still had 4 trips to the line and was the reason and neutralized ridnour by doing so.
i know yall aren't gonna see it but i'm reading the part where rick is saying 7 assists from DJ and raymond aren't enough. if we were counting hockey assists I know that adds atleast 2 from DJ. it was just a dumb comment to read if i'm being honest.
Posted by: charlottean | Feb 22, 2010 6:44:59 PM
oh and rick you can quote nazr on the flagrant foul all you want....the league would fine him 10k if he said otherwise. that was the furthest thing from "Flagrant" i've ever seen. and when compared to what thomas did? come on.......i'm not being biased....that was nuts.
and convenient to exclude a comment on making love to pressure sat. night from your blurb here.
Posted by: charlottean | Feb 22, 2010 8:00:56 PM
Yeah charlottean was trying to point out that Bonnell is a bonehead(as usual)by not understanding his point,he was trying to say that it's hard for DJ and Felton to get as many assists when Jax has the ball in his hands 90% of the time....i said this before the TC for Okafor trade was a bad bad move i didn't know it was devastating
Posted by: Jokes | Feb 23, 2010 2:10:53 AM
Monta Ellis?
Did anybody else see the dynamics between Stephan Curry and Monta Ellis? Monta wouldn't have passed to Curry for any amount of money. When Curry made the pass of the game, Monta was the only player on the bench who sat emotionless while the other players went wild.
Golden State beat Atlanta mainly due to Curry's outstanding late-game play. But, it was oh-so obvious that Ellis tried to trump Curry to the detriment of the team while he was playing. Ellis would rather have the Warriors lose and Curry play poorly than have the win with Curry leading the way. Ellis is just a terrible, selfish team player that I would never want to see play in Charlotte.
Posted by: Johnny Robertson | Feb 23, 2010 8:49:18 AM
TC for okafor was bad basketball wise but everybody forgets that if we don't make that trade we can't make the jackson trade. i'll make both those trades all day before i make no trade.
and stop with the monta ellis talk. out of go to scorers in the league he is the least efficient. he's a big fish in a small pond he's never gonna be more than a 6th man on a good team. think jamal crawford.
Posted by: charlottean | Feb 23, 2010 3:35:20 PM
Post a comment
Advertisements
