Tom Talks

Can't criticize Charlotte's pick of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, right?

   Gutsy pick by the Charlotte Bobcats, and a good one.

    Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the small forward out of Kentucky, can do everything but shoot. At 18, he can learn to shoot. He is relentless, athletic and intense and, man, does he work.

     I've been on the Kidd-Gilchrist bandwagon since the Bobcats learned they would not draft first.

     Glad to have company.

Tired of the preliminaries. Bring on the NBA draft. And Kidd-Gilchrist.

    The build-up to tonight's NBA draft has been compelling. Always interesting to project -- this guy will be good, this guy will be great, don't touch this guy. We usually make more of the players coming into the league than they are. We do the same in the NFL. Doesn't make either draft any less entertaining.

     Heard one analyst this morning talk about how impressed he was with North Carolina's Harrison Barnes. Heard another say he was not impressed. I made my mind up about Barnes long before the draft. He's a jump shooter. You do not invest the second pick in the draft on a jump shooter, and the Charlotte Bobcats won't. But if they trade down...

    Alas, there has been enough build-up, enough learned guesses, enough wild guesses, enough scenarios. I want Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Bradley Beal in Charlotte. I'd love to see Charlotte add a second first-round pick, but not at the expense of losing Kidd-Gilchrist or Beal or even Thomas Robinson.

     Will be a long night, and an interesting night, and when it ends we'll know a lot more about the decision-making abilities of the Bobcat braintrust than we do now.

     Enjoy it.

 

And with the No. 2 pick the Bobcats select --

    If I'm the Charlotte Bobcats I use the No. 2 pick on Kentucky small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Florida guard Bradley Beal. I like their skills and their styles and think what they offer will lift those around them.

    I don't expect the Bobcats to select either player. If they keep the pick, i suspect they'll take Kansas power forward Thomas Robinson.

     Anybody who contends Charlotte does not care about the NBA was not listening the night the Bobcats finished second in the NBA lottery. One of the low moments in Charlotte sports history. As if the power went out.

    That happens only if a city cares.

    The draft is the cure for what ails a team. As bad as the Bobcats were, they won't get it all back Thursday night. But what they do, and how well they do it, will make an enormous impact not merely next season but for the next three and four and beyond.

      Th draft isn't just about adding talent. It's about developing credibility.

       If fans can go to Time Warner Cable Arena next season, and look at the draft pick and the possibilities he offers, the Bobcats will be on their way to being all right.     

 

 

 

 

Plaxico Burress to Carolina -- how big a difference would he make?

   Do you want Plaxico Burress on the Carolina Panthers?

    He'll be 35 when the season begins. But he did catch eight touchdown passes for the New York Jets last season.

    How would his signing sit with the veterans who lead the team? Are Brandon LaFell or David Gettis prepared to emerge as legitmate No. 2 receivers opposite Steve Smith? Would Burress impede their development? How would Burress fit in the locker room?

    Clearly, his skills have declined. But if last season is indictative, he still has something to offer.

     I advocated that the Panthers make a run at Randy Moss because Moss is still a deep threat. Burress averaged 13.6 yards on 45 receptions last season. That would put him third on the Panthers in yards per reception last season behind Smith and LaFell.

      In a blog and Twitter and talk show world we're supposed to know the one true path immediately -- yes or no, good or bad, sign him or don't.

      Perhaps the Panthers do. They've expressed little interest.

      I think that Burress, who did two years in prison for gun possession, enhances the Panthers.

      But how much?

      And is he worth the price? 

N.C. State & UNC, together in perfect harmony

   UNC's Harrison Barnes and N.C. State's C.J. Williams auditioned for the Charlotte Bobcats Thursday. After they finish I ask Williams if Barnes can go to the hoop.

    "I'm surprised you'd even ask me that question," says Williams. "Yes, he can go to the basket. He's a very physical basketball player. He uses his body to get between you and the basket and it's just tough to get through to cover him."

   So you think I'm wrong to consider Barnes a jump shooter?

    "No, he's a really good jump shooter," Williams says. "So there's no problem to think of him as a jump shooter. But I think of him as an overall scorer."

      I think of him as a jump shooter.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and his electric blue shoes come to Charlotte

The two candidates I like most for the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bradley Beal, in that order, worked out for the Charlotte Bobcats Monday morning. (Photos)

Bradley, the guard out of Florida, shoots effortlessly. Ball goes up and it's a surprise when it does not go in.

Kidd-Gilchist is not a pretty shooter. That's not his game, not yet.

The media saw only the shooting facet of practice, the last 15 minutes.

I watched Kidd-Gilchrist, a forward from national champion Kentucky, hit four of five from the top of the key, from straight from the (hate this term) elbow and two of five from the corner.

His game is hustle and energy and defense; plug him in and watch him go and go and go. He wore electric blue Nike shoes with a silver stripe. OK, we see you.

Watching the workouts were Bobcats' owner Michael Jordan, president of baskeball operations Rod Higgins and general manager Rich Cho.

Joining the potential picks on the court were Bobcats Gerald Henderson, Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo.

Joining Kidd-Gilchrist and Beal were: Quincy Acy, a forward from Baylor; Bernard James, a forward from Florida State; Darius Johnson-Odom, a guard from Marquette (and Raleigh); and Kris Joseph, a forward from Syracuse. 

As players began to leave Walker, a rookie this season, was still on the court, participating in a shooting drill.

Photo by Jeff Siner: NBA Draft Pick hopefuls Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bradley Beal relax on the sideline following their Charlotte Bobcats 2012 Predraft Workout on June 18, 2012 at Time Warner Cable Arena

 

 

Don't change, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

   I've never been around an athlete as unaffected by his fame as Dale Earnhardt Jr. He is so humble that if he played in the NFL he'd have to play on the offensive line.

    I talked to him before May's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He talked about being a nice guy. He talked about treating people well. And when I asked him about his legacy, he said being known for respecting others, and not making a big deal out of who he is, would not be a bad one.

    Athletes are supposed to talk about winning and competing and here was Earnhardt, who is contending for his first championship, talking about being a good guy.

     And it was real. It wasn't media relations or an act to accommodate sponsors. It's who he is.

     He can drive a little, too. He established that Sunday when he dominated the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway and won for the first time in four years.

     Earnhardt is second in points this season and first in fans. The post-race festivities felt like a coronation. He won this one for everybody -- family, team and fans.  

     I love it when the good guys win.

 

 

 

 

Harrison Barnes to the Bobcats? No.

(1) There are reports that the Charlotte Bobcats are considering North Carolina's Harrison Barnes with the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft. Fine. Consider away. Report away. But investing the second pick on Barnes would be a debacle of almost Adam Morrison proportions.

 Barnes obviously is a better player than Morrison. So is the guy at the Y. But the Bobcats set the franchise back when they selected Morrison. How many times does a franchise get to do that? You don't waste the second highest pick in the draft on a jump shooter.

I take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or I trade down.

(2) Who can question LeBron after his performance against Oklahoma City Thursday? Detractors will; it's what detractors do. But LeBron was as good as he needed to be to push Miami to the victory.

That game embodied everything these playoffs are supposed to be.

The NFL is the most popular sport in the country, and in Charlotte. But if the NBA isn't No. 2, what is?

(3) Nice crowd at Bank of America Stadium Thursday for Carolina's final practice before training camp. Beautiful weather, and fans kept coming in. Based on their attire, many came from work. Wonder if it will be like that when the new minor league ballpark is built downtown (if it is built)?

I wrote about the practice Thursday. One fact I omitted: A little kid was watching, one of the smallest fans in the stadium. His little face would peer out at the field. He acted like he wanted to be there.

A Panther official saw him, and walked to the bag in which the teams keeps its footballs, picked up a ball, walked over and handed it to the kid.

I asked the official if he knew the young fan. He did not.

Nice gesture with which to end the session and begin the summer.

Cam Newton versus Luke Kuechly and other tales from Panther practice

    Funniest play at Carolina Panther practice at Bank of America Stadium Thursday: Jimmy Clausen drops back to pass and rookie linebacker Luke Kuechly intercepts him. Kuechly runs down the left side toward the end zone.

    Nobody is between the rookie and the end zone. But wait. Cam Newton, who is sitting out the play, chases. As Newton attempts to run Kuechly down, Newton tries to put on his helmet. Even when he's getting dressed, Newton is fast.

      As Newton multi-tasks, Kuechly scores. Linebacker Jon Beason runs up and gives Kuechly, a fellow middle linebacker, a hug.

       More than 5,000 fans show up on a day perfect for football or anything else.

        Some highlights:

      Running back Jonathan Stewart grabs the ball over the middle and, with two quick steps, loses the defenders around him. I've seen Stewart do this twice. He looks especially quick.

       Tight end Joe Jon Finley, a tight end from Oklahoma, beats linebacker James Anderson deep. Ninety percent of guys named Joe Jon are from Oklahoma, Texas or Arkansas.

        Linebacker Jason Williams plays beautiful defense and breaks up a pass to running back Armond Smith.

     Excellent defensive by cornerback Josh Thomas, who played at Buffalo, to stuff receiver Lamont Bryant over the middle.

        Players are applauded when they hit tackling dummies. Fans come looking for a reason to cheer.

         On a pass that has to be perfect to work, Clausen hits Armanti Edwards on the right side.

         Special teams coach Brian Murphy sticks a football in a red bucket full of water and soap, and long snapper J.J. Jansen snaps the ball to holder Brad Nortman, the rookie punter from Wisconsin. After a few minutes the ball looks as if it has gone through a car wash and nobody has taken time to dry it. Interesting drill on a sunny day.

        Josh Norman, the rookie cornerback out of Coastal Carolina, continues to look good. Although he was a fifth-round pick, the question isn't whether he will make the team. The question is whether he will start opposite Chris Gamble.

      Rookies who also have been impressive: receivers Rico Wallace from Shenandoah and Jared Green from Southern and defensive tackle Nate Chandler from UCLA.

 

The MLB isn't coming to Charlotte. Minor league baseball should.

   I hope the Charlotte City Council helps build a downtown baseball stadium for the Charlotte Knights.

    The Knights are trustworthy and have always been willing to kick in their share.

     The investment will be good for the city. I think, but can't prove, a Third Ward stadium will spark development.

       A downtown stadium also offers a great option for fans who aren't willing to leave the state to watch a minor league baseball game.

     Alas, there are valid arguments not to build the stadium. What should government's role in assisting private enterprise be? Could the money be better spent on other tourism related projects?

     But there's one argument that's not valid. It is the fantasy that by assisting minor league baseball we're rejecting Major League Baseball.

      If there is a super secret team that wants to move to Charlotte, I wish proponents would tell me who it is.

      If Major League Baseball plans to expand, why is Charlotte a candidate? And why would baseball expand?

    Once the newness wears off, a Charlotte team would attract huge crowds on weekends, crowds supplemented by visitors from Greensboro and the Greenvilles.

      But during the week, when a mediocre team comes to town?

      Again, I want this stadium. Detractors will say this is a bad time to invest. When was there a good time?

      And if you want me to believe that the MLB is coming, come with facts. Who? And when? And how do you know?