(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.
Bobcats should draft Rivers and Sullinger with their 2 1st rounds picks (#2 & #31). Rivers is the only PG in this draft who is ready to play in the NBA right know. Sullinger has a NBA type body and will only get better.
Posted by: Robert Kornegay | June 15, 2012 at 04:08 PM
Let's just get Shaw as the coach, and then draft Thomas Robinson!
Posted by: HATER HATER | June 15, 2012 at 04:10 PM
No brainer and im a DIEHARD HEELS FAN. The ONLY option at #2 is ROBINSON. PERIOD! Not Barnes, Not MKG.
If not, and this is likely the better option then taking Robinson at 2 is to trade down somehow, someway and get Portlands # 6 & 11 picks. With those 2 picks we can get 2 very good players and since it is very hard to discern who is best after #1 this year, it really is a no brainer. The 11th pick could easily be a player far better then whoever goes at #2.
The bottom line is there are no clear cuts 'whos best' between #'s 2- 11 and that answer wont be known for years. So we missed the only sure thing (if there is such a thing) by not getting #1. Now the SMART thing would be to not waste #2 on a player who may not be as good as a player drafted at 11 and instead trade the #2 for # 6 & 11. I'd be willing to bet that 1 of the 2 and maybe both picked at 6 & 11 end up better then whoever goes at #2.
Unfortunately, The BOOBCATS (yes, the mispelling was intentional) are not known for doing the 'smart' thing, so im not expecting them to break that mold. Nor do I agree with trading for Harden, Roy or anybody else...We dont need a veteran that is going to get frustrated on a losing team with so much youth and who will be gone in a year or 3. We need solid young players to build upon the future.
Posted by: Who cares | June 15, 2012 at 04:33 PM
Folks, the only thing that makes sense to me is to trade down with Cleveland if they will. Get Robinson at 4 and get a Jenkins or Barton with the Cleveland's 2nd round pick and with the 1st pick in the 2nd round there will still be good players available. Go after a decent big man in the free agent market (Kaman, Hawes, ???) and you have really improved the whole team. Oh, then run some of those overpaid guys that aren't worth their sneakers off.
My .02
Posted by: Robert I | June 15, 2012 at 04:46 PM
I meant to say Cleveland's 2nd 1st round pick if they will trade with us - our 1st (the 2nd pick) for their two first round picks.
Posted by: Robert I | June 15, 2012 at 04:48 PM
sounds as if there is no one in the draft worth taking after Davis is selected #1 ..................
we're screwed yet another season of horrific basketball!
Posted by: big daddy | June 15, 2012 at 04:53 PM
If we keep the #2 pick. It should either be Harrison Barnes or Thomas Robinson. Anything else would be a reach.
Posted by: nucat | June 15, 2012 at 08:27 PM
I believe that Harrison Barnes and Anthony Davis has more upside than anybody in the draft. He was a third option sometimes at Carolina. Carolina went to Zellar first,Henson second and then Barnes. Barnes still led Carolina in scoring. Keep sleeping on Barnes. Barnes will be a way better pro than he was in college.
Posted by: lb | June 15, 2012 at 08:28 PM
Thomas Robinson. Ok. Don't get cute. Take the best player available. He carried his team to the championship game with lesser talent than Davis had around him. A no brainer for real basketball minds.
Posted by: Harry200000 | June 15, 2012 at 08:36 PM
Barnes is garbage. Take Robinson and get a FA
Posted by: mikeD | June 15, 2012 at 09:01 PM
Bobcats don't fall for the old shell game. Stats don't lie. It's Robinson. Get it right this time with a high draft pick.
Posted by: Harry200000 | June 15, 2012 at 09:13 PM
MKG will never reach Barnes and his level in the NBA mark my words. If we do not get a scorer in this draft we may peek beyond the realms of no coming back. You can not build around players who only play defense and couldn't make a jumper (Robinson and MKG) if you made the hoop 3 times bigger. Barnes almost shot 40 percent from the 3 point line and is 6'8. We have no future SF and need one BADLY. Not to mention he had the best combine scores and the highest vertical leap. People say he has no athleticism where do you figure? Was it his perfect fade away shot or the dunks on other players? Or the speed that he runs the floor. It's just people who want us to pass on him so he goes somewhere else. If they pick someone else besides him they will REGRET it and comparisons to Adam Morrison is ridiculous and idiotic at BEST. He could school Morrison probably with his eyes closed and you jokers know it.
Posted by: JP | June 16, 2012 at 02:22 AM
I totally believe that trading down is the best option right now, but really is there any team that would give us a top 10 pick and a veteran or two top 20 picks?
If they decide to use #2 pick MKG, he may be a gerald wallace kind of player but I still wouldn't trust him that high. If we drafted him to be our 3-4th option then great, but you know, we haven't found our first option yet!
For me any choice at #2 is a risk (Robinson, MGK, Beal, Barnes). So why not taking that risk by drafting a big man like Drummond?
But of course trading down is the first option!
Posted by: dennis | June 16, 2012 at 06:34 AM
Drummond @ #2 or trade down.
Posted by: demonrum | June 16, 2012 at 07:42 AM
Dear Dummies -
Although it's true that Kwame was a much heralded pick, Jordan was pushing the Wiz hard to trade for Brand. So Kwame is not his cross to bear. Let's end this nonsense.
The Morrison pick was also rated very highly by ESPN, RealGM, etc. Don't play armchair quarterback. It's damn near impossible to gauge the bust potential of draft picks - they all react to the pressure of the NBA differently. Morrison was considered a good pick at the time.
MKG is not a #2 pick.
Take T-Rob or trade down.
Sincerely,
Me.
Posted by: Zed Naught | June 16, 2012 at 07:59 AM
All monocausal explanations are to be held in suspicion. - Miroslav Volf
Posted by: HeelinTuscaloosa | June 16, 2012 at 11:10 AM
We avg 87 pts last year and drafting MKG is the better option? U think he can get that jumpshot off against highly skilled wing defenders in the NBA? Good player but bad fit for Bobcats! People who say Barnes will not be good in the NBA clearly can't seperate college good from NBA good. Put your glasses on and quit following the crowd!
Posted by: CommonSense | June 16, 2012 at 11:20 AM
Everybody has these great trade ideas to improve the Bobcats.
Only problem is these are terrible trade ideas for whoever we want to trade with and will not be executed by any other teams' GM who wants to keep his job.
Posted by: Ron R | June 16, 2012 at 12:49 PM
It's a crap shoot as Oden vs Durant proved. We might be watching Blazers vs. Heat Final. You can't blame Morrison on anyone but him, he turned out to be a world class puss both here and in LA.
Posted by: Sports don | June 16, 2012 at 02:10 PM
My lasting image of Morrison is him always sitting at the end of the bench in cheap suits with that whiny quiter look on his face.
Posted by: Sports don | June 16, 2012 at 02:13 PM
Barnes Suck!!! Take Robinson
Posted by: mikeD | June 16, 2012 at 03:34 PM
We all see what drafting all the Tarhole chumps has gotten us. Barnes just like the Tarholes is overrated.
Posted by: DaMan | June 16, 2012 at 03:37 PM
The NBA product is garbage as witnessed last night. Miami shot 23 FT in the second half and that is the only way they have won several games in the playoffs. The officials are horrible and its easy to see why people think it is rigged. Just look at the draft lottery.
Posted by: CHILL | June 18, 2012 at 10:03 AM
If they take him my season tickets are gone.
Stop saying pick 2-12 are the same. They are not if you watched college ball this year. There are dreams and then reality.
Robinson was 2nd best with Kidd close 3rd period. No one else even close.
I love the Top 100 article and where they came from. We need to keep #2 and trade cap space etc.. to get #10-25 or so.
Posted by: Season Ticket holder for now | June 18, 2012 at 02:31 PM
take shaq or magic johnosn with the 2nd pick, let 1 of them come out of retirement, got to be better than current draft.
Posted by: pantherlove | June 19, 2012 at 09:50 AM