"Observer NBA writer Rick Bonnell addresses five questions on the Charlotte Bobcats and free agency (which starts today, although players can't sign before July 8).

1. Any way restricted free-agent power forward Tyrus Thomas plays elsewhere next season?

The short answer: He's likely to stay because the Bobcats want him and he wants to be here. The coaching bond between Larry Brown and Thomas is real.

The long answer: If a team with a lot of salary-cap room wants him that much, you might make the Bobcats blink with a front-loaded contract.

The point of an offer sheet is to assemble something diabolical to exploit the other team's troubles. The Bobcats have overpaid for certain players (Gana Diop chief among them). That means they're a marginal playoff team too close for comfort to the anticipated luxury-tax threshold."