Charlotte Bobcats: 2013-14 NBA Preview
Free agent center Al Jefferson chose the Charlotte Bobcats this summer. (NBA.com photo)
2012-13 Vitals:
21-61 (.256), 4th in Southeast Division, 14th in the Eastern Conference
93.4 PPG/102.7 OPP PPG
2013-14 Roster:
Jeff Adrien-SF
Bismack Biyombo-PF
Ben Gordon-SG
Brendan Haywood-C
Gerald Henderson-SG
Al Jefferson-C
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist-SF
Josh McRoberts-PF
Jannero Pargo-PG
Ramon Sessions-PG
James Southerland-SF
Jeff Taylor-SG
Anthony Tolliver-PF
Kemba Walker-PG
Cody Zeller-C
Offseason Additions:
Al Jefferson (FA), James Southerland (undrafted FA), Anthony Tolliver (FA), Cody Zeller (draft).
Offseason Subtractions:
Reggie Williams, DeSagana Diop, Byron Mullens
Projected Starting Lineup
Point Guard: Kemba Walker
Shooting Guard: Gerald Henderson
Small Forward: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Power Forward: Cody Zeller
Center: Al Jefferson
Season Outlook
Three. That is the number of head coaches the Bobcats have had since 2010. How are the Cats supposed to develop talent when their head coaching position is a revolving door? With young college stars like Walker, Zeller and Kidd-Gilchrist on their roster; the Bobcats have proven winners playing for them for the first time in franchise history. Walker and Kidd-Gilchrist won NCAA titles while Zeller helped rebuild the Indiana program. Developing these college stars into NBA winners will require a stable coaching staff. It seems like Michael Jordan and company gave that responsibility to Steve Clifford. Keep an eye on the rookie head coach.
It’s funny to think how far this franchise has fallen since 2010–when they made the playoffs with Larry Brown as the head coach. After a historical bad season in 2011-12, the Bobcats bounced back and tripled their win total and more than doubled their winning percentage in 2012-13. Can the Bobcats continue the improvement? They brought in Al Jefferson and drafted Cody Zeller to give Kemba and Kidd-Gilchrist help.
A positive note this offseason was the signing of former Utah Jazz Al Jefferson. While I’m not a big fan of Jefferson’s game, I still like the signing. The Bobcats were able to prove to their fans that they are capable of bringing in a star free agent.
If Ben Gordon can get back into form, the Bobcats can compete. However; I don’t see Gordon regaining his Chicago Bulls form again. I’m a huge fan of Kidd-Gilchrist and Kemba Walker and I believe that one of them will break out this winter. I also like Bismack Biyombo, but I see Al Jefferson and Cody Zeller eating up his minutes. Talking about Zeller, the Cats definitely reached when picking him fourth in the draft. I do like Zeller’s game and believe he is a sleeper rookie of the year pick, but I think the Cats could have traded down to get him.
The Bobcats coaching staff will be tested this season. In the previous two seasons, Charlotte experienced multiple 10+ game losing streaks. They easily fell into the “here we go again” syndrome. A good coaching staff will be able to keep the youngster’s heads up. A sign of improvement for the Cats would be if they can cut the 10-plus game losing streaks to smaller five- or six-game streaks. This would show growth and maturity for the young team.
Best Case Scenario
I see two best case scenarios for the Bobcats.
1) They sneak into the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference. I see one or two sub-.500 teams making the playoffs in the East this year. The Heat, Pacers, Nets, Knicks and Bulls are the only locks to make the playoffs. The Wizards will make it if they stay healthy. So that leaves two spots wide open and with the talent on the Bobcats roster, I can see them competing for one of those two spots.
2) The other best-case scenario involves another horrible season. Why is that good? If the Bobcats land a top-two draft pick, they are setting themselves up to draft an All-Star caliber player in next year’s anticipated, loaded NBA draft.
Worst Case Scenario
The worst case scenario is that the Bobcats have a good season but barely miss out on the playoffs. They finish as the ninth or 10th best team in the East and end up with a middle-range draft pick in next year’s loaded draft.
Projection
31-51, 4th in the Southeast Division, 12th in the Eastern Conference
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