Bobcats News

Charlotte shooters ring from long range
Comment
November 7
Charlotte Observer
 
"For the first time this season, three really was the charm for the Charlotte Bobcats. Previous to Friday, the last thing you wanted the Bobcats doing was taking 3-pointers. They were 18percent on 3s. Then they get back Raja Bell and Flip Murray and it's funny how everything changed during a 103-83 thumping of the Atlanta Hawks. Bell and Murray combined to go 8-of-11 from behind the arc and that boosted the Bobcats to 11-of-18. Making all those 3s also opened driving lanes and lob passes. Even new center Tyson Chandler (10 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks), who said he felt like a "rookie" offensively here, made all five shots. "We looked bad," Bell (24 points) said of his team's previous ..."
Bell scores 24, Bobcats beat tired Hawks
Comment
November 7
Charlotte Observer
 
"Raja Bell scored 24 points and the Charlotte Bobcats looked nothing like the NBA's lowest scoring team in beating the road-weary Atlanta Hawks 103-83 on Friday night. Bell hit 9 of 12 shots, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range, Ronald "Flip" Murray added 15 points in his Charlotte debut, and Gerald Wallace offset a poor shooting night with 18 rebounds in the Bobcats' second straight win. The Hawks struggled defensively and saw their two-game winning streak snapped at the end of a difficult trip that also took them to Los Angeles, Portland and Sacramento. Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford each scored 13 points, but combined to shoot 10 of 27 from the field. The Hawks fell behind by 21 in the ..."
These guys again?!
Comment
November 7
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
 
"What is it about the Charlotte Bobcats that gives us so much trouble? It's not a divisional rivalry thing. Georgia and North Carolina are not neighboring states, so it's not that either. So what is it? Maybe it's Larry Brown. No, it can't be that, because we've ALWAYS had trouble with these guys. Then again, maybe it is, as we have one of his pupils (though I'm not sure which trait or skill his pupil latched onto exactly) coaching the Hawks. Or how about Gerald Wallace? Yeah, that's got to be it. That guy gives us trouble every single time we see him. Yet Wallace is not exactly a one-man wrecking crew, so that's not a good explanation either. Is it how the Hawks match up with the 'Cats? ..."
Chandler's lost on Bobcats' vast information highway
Comment
November 6
Charlotte Observer
 
"Asked to describe his level of comfort so far learning the Charlotte Bobcats' offense, center Tyson Chandler alternately described himself as a "rookie'' and a "robot.'' It's a common experience for new players to feel flooded with information when they start playing for coach Larry Brown. The difference here is timing: That anxiety usually hits a player midway through the preseason, before the real games start. Chandler missed most of the preseason while recovering from ankle and toe surgery. So he's learning on the fly, when the games count, and the results so far haven't been good. Chandler's never been a great scorer in the NBA, but the current numbers - 31 percent shooting from the ..."
What the Bobcats are doing right
Comment
November 5
Charlotte Observer
 
"The Charlotte Bobcats might not be much offensively, but they're adapting to what coach Larry Brown means when he says play the game the right way. Two statistics in particular demonstrate that: The Bobcats are second in the NBA in rebounding and average dramatically more free-throw attempts than their opponents. In both cases, small forward Gerald Wallace is the key reason. Through the first four games, the Bobcats are averaging 46.25 rebounds, compared to 39.75 for their composite opponent. That's second in the league (to Memphis), both in rebounds per game and rebounding differential. Wallace is averaging 14 rebounds per game, second only to Toronto's Chris Bosh at 14.7 Meanwhile, the ..."
Bobcats learning to play 'the right way'
Comment
November 4
Charlotte Observer
 
"The Charlotte Bobcats might not be much offensively, but they're adapting to what coach Larry Brown means when he says play the game the right way. Two statistics in particular demonstrate that: The Bobcats are second in the NBA in rebounding and average dramatically more free-throw attempts than their opponents. In both cases, small forward Gerald Wallace is the key reason. Through the first four games, the Bobcats are averaging 46.25 rebounds, compared to 39.75 for their composite opponent. That's second in the league (to Memphis), both in rebounds per game and rebounding differential. Wallace is averaging 14 rebounds per game, second only to Toronto's Chris Bosh at 14.7 Meanwhile, the ..."
Nets fall to 0-4 after dismal 79-68 loss to Charlotte Bobcats
Comment
November 3
New York Daily News
 
"It would be hard for any team to play a worse game than the Bobcats did last night. It would be even harder to find another to play that way and win. But Charlotte got lucky in that the Nets were in town because right now they could be the worst team in the league. After turning in a horrific defensive performance in one game, the Nets were equally as bad on the other end of the floor Monday night and lost to the Bobcats, 79-68, to fall to 0-4. The Nets broke or matched several franchise records and all were related to ineptitude. After stumbling out of halftime with a 41-33 lead, the Nets matched a franchise record for fewest points in any quarter with seven in the third. That also ..."
Nets 'embarrassed' after sinking to new low
Comment
November 3
New York Post
 
"Nets center Brook Lopez expressed confidence going into last night's game against the Bobcats. "Got nothing to lose," he said. "We can't get any worse." Wanna bet? Finally, mankind -- or at least the 9,380 tortured souls here -- can answer one of those seemingly impossible queries that have baffled great minds for ages: What was the worst game you ever saw? This stunningly awful swill ended as a 79-68 Bobcats victory in which the Nets tied their lowest-scoring quarter, manufactured a scoreless stretch of 10:04 when they were outscored 24-0, blew a 14-point lead, fell to 0-4 on the season and lost another starter, Yi Jianlian, to injury. In Washington on Saturday, the defense was dreadful. ..."
Bell to start tonight
Comment
November 2
Charlotte Observer
 
"Charlotte Bobcats guard Raja Bell will play and start tonight at home versus the New Jersey Nets, despite not having fully participated in a practice since tearing a ligament in his left wrist. Coach Larry Brown said he'll start Bell, but has no expectation as to how long Bell Will play. Bell has parttially participated in practices -- mostly non-contact shooting, passing and drills. He's yet to test how he'll impede players defensively with the injury. "It felt pretty good yesterday. We came in and worked out,'' Bell said. "I got some passes with the one hand to see if I could catch, and I threw some passes. It felt good. I said once I could do that, I'd give it a shot.''"
West returns in Cavs victory
Comment
November 2
Akron Beacon Journal
 
"Delonte West hadn't played a second of basketball in the preseason, let alone in the young regular season. That, however, didn't stop a revved-up Quicken Loans Arena from giving him a warm welcome once he entered the game at 4:22 of the first quarter, and the crowd cheered even louder when he made his first shot with 2:55 left in the third quarter. ''It was unbelievable. We've got great fans,'' LeBron James said. ''If you're a part of this team, they get behind you. I think that was great for Delonte that these fans did that for him.'' Ultimately, West got more than a taste of what it felt like to return to the court in the Cavaliers' 90-79 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. West's ..."
Chandler plenty rusty
Comment
November 1
Charlotte Observer
 
"Tyson Chandler has a long way to go before the trade that brought him to the Charlotte Bobcats looks like a good deal. Coach Larry Brown anticipated Chandler being rusty, after missing all summer and most of the preseason following ankle surgery. But through his first two games, he'd committed more fouls (nine) than he scored points (six). And considering how little he strays from the basket, his shooting (3-of-13) has been awful. "This is his exhibition season," Brown said of understanding Chandler's struggles. "I'm comfortable with him. We just need to figure out ways to use him. And he can't be so hard on himself.""
Lebron, Mo drop sloppy Bobcats to 1-2
Comment
November 1
Charlotte Observer
 
"When you enter a game as the NBA's worst offensive team – fewest points, worst field-goal percentage, worst 3-point percentage – the last thing you can afford to do is throw away the ball. Yet that's precisely how the Charlotte Bobcats filled their time in the third quarter. Seven turnovers – three by point guard Raymond Felton – turned a manageable four-point deficit into a 15-point hole. That did in the Bobcats against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 90-79 at Quicken Loans Arena. The Bobcats have never won here in 10 tries, and they have little prospect of changing that without addressing the sloppiness of their passing: 19 Charlotte turnovers resulted in 23 Cleveland points. That's roughly a ..."
Flawed victory doesn't inspire confidence
Comment
October 31
Charlotte Observer
 columnist Scott Fowler
"If the Charlotte Bobcats had lost this one, you would have heard the air going out of the team's basketball all over the Carolinas. You just don't want to lose your home opener to the woeful New York Knicks. Not after you hold a 21-point lead. Not after you were blown out by 33 two nights earlier in Boston. Not with one of the largest crowds of the season in attendance - short of a sellout, but not by much at an announced 18,624. Charlotte finally won the game Friday, 102-100 in double overtime, which says something about the Bobcats' heart and their relative lack of talent. The Bobcats were up by 14 entering the fourth quarter and frittered all of that lead away. The Knicks even had a ..."
Bobcats blow big lead, still beat Knicks 102-100
Comment
October 31
Charlotte Observer
 
"Cramped, exhausted and running late for a team flight to Cleveland, Raymond Felton was told to take 20 minutes late Friday to get some intravenous fluids. "Nooooo!" Felton half-joked. "I hate needles!" And you thought he was impervious to pain. One game after taking 15 stitches to the mouth, Felton briefly left the Charlotte Bobcats' 102-100 double-overtime victory against the New York Knicks with a leg cramp. He put himself back in and finished the job, scoring eight points in the extra periods. Well, technically D.J. Augustin finished the job, hitting two free throws with two seconds left. But without Felton's drives, the Knicks would have won this one before the second OT. "You see what ..."
Brown not giving up on injured Curry yet
Comment
October 31
New York Post
 
"Larry Brown sounds more optimistic about Eddy Curry's future than Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni does. Curry will be reevaluated tomorrow and could be cleared to practice for the first time since the opening day of training camp, when he pulled a calf muscle. Curry has been separated from the team so he can concentrate solely on losing weight. Though Brown endorsed Isiah Thomas' acquisition of Curry when Brown coached the Knicks in 2005, his year with Curry was unpleasant. Curry even lost playing time to Jackie Butler. "I believe down the road he'll be an asset, I really believe that," Brown said before his Bobcats defeated the Knicks 102-100 in double overtime last night. "He still has time ..."
Knicks' rally from 21 down not enough
Comment
October 31
New York Post
 
"The Knicks made a stirring comeback, rallying from a 21-point, first-half deficit, but they could not get the break needed to close out the night in a wild evening at Bobcats Arena. In a game marked by Mike D'Antoni's curious use of Danilo Gallinari in the late stages, the Knicks suffered a heartbreaking, 102-100 defeat in double overtime. The Bobcats survived on a questionable foul call against Al Harrington and a questionable decision by D'Antoni to bench Gallinari, his ace 3-point shooter, for too many key minutes. The Knicks fell to 0-2 and face the Sixers tonight in their home opener. The winning points came when Harrington blocked a driving layup by D.J. Augustin with 2.5 seconds ..."
Knicks' rally is no use against Bobcats
Comment
October 31
New York Daily News
 
"The Knicks could be in full crisis mode. And they've played only two games. Chris Duhon blasted his teammates for "joking around" before Friday night's 102-100 double-overtime loss to Charlotte. The Knicks, who play their home opener tonight against Philadelphia , have looked lethargic in losses to the Heat and Bobcats. "We lost this game before the game even started," Duhon charged. "A lot of us weren't taking the game serious, joking around, not really preparing for the game and it showed." The Knicks fell behind 32-13 in the first quarter to a team that had scored just 59 points against the Celtics two nights earlier. "We're not that good," Duhon said. "We can't come in here ..."
Knicks Keep It Interesting, but the Bobcats Prevail
Comment
October 31
New York Times
 
"It took the Knicks seven woeful quarters, played over three nights, in two cities, before they discovered something resembling organized basketball. All it got them was an extra 10 minutes of court time and another loss. They fell behind early, rallied late, forced one overtime and dragged themselves through another before finally succumbing to the Charlotte Bobcats, 102-100, on Friday night. It was an odd, occasionally thrilling evening, but ultimately a deflating experience. The Knicks head home with an 0-2 record and a suitcase full of regrets. "We should have won this game," Al Harrington said in the back corner of a quiet locker room. "So we should be very upset for ourselves, because ..."
Brown: Bell could play as soon as Monday
Comment
October 30
Charlotte Observer
 
"Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown says shooting guard Raja Bell could play as soon as Monday's home game against the New Jersey Nets. Bell has a torn ligament in his left wrist. As the days pass, he's using less and less wrapping to protect the injury. Now he's down to a neoprene strap that offers some protection but isn't as cumbersome as the heavy bandages he was using earlier in the week. Bell said at Friday-morning shootaround that he needs to go through a full practice, probably Sunday, to test what it will be like when his wrist is jostled while playing defense. He felt a significant twinge of pain Friday when he tried to make a reverse layup with his left hand."
Felton will play after taking 15 stitches
Comment
October 30
Charlotte Observer
 
"As if the Charlotte Bobcats' 33-point season-opening loss at Boston Wednesday night wasn't bad enough, they had trouble getting away from it. The bus scheduled to take the Bobcats to the airport wouldn't start, forcing the team to wait an additional 45 minutes before they could leave the TD Garden and put some distance between themselves and their opening-night flop. "We deserved that," coach Larry Brown said Thursday afternoon. "That was God punishing us." Brown's approach was to put his players in a dark room and have them spend two hours watching tape of the Boston game, focusing on the mistakes that littered the screen. They saw the turnovers, the 31 percent field goal shooting, the ..."
Celtics rout starts home slate
Comment
October 29
Boston Herald
 
"Talk about afterglow. Tuesday's win in Cleveland was so satisfying, the Celtics used that energy to knock Charlotte into a franchise record hole last night. The Celtics, paired in their home opener against a team that had more turnovers than assists in the preseason, held the Bobcats to a franchise low in points in cruising to a 92-59 win. Nothing in the offensive end could be as pleasing for a player like Kevin Garnett. "Shutting people down," the Celtics forward said of what is more satisfying, offensive or defensive dominance. "(That's) because we work so hard in practice. Man, ya'll have no idea what our drills are like. The majority of our practices are schemes - how we're gonna ..."
Bobcats set a Franchise Low
Comment
October 29
Charlotte Observer
 
"This in no way resembled playing the right way. The coach who lives by those words, Larry Brown, had just watched his Charlotte Bobcats lose a season opener 92-59 to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. Losing to the Celtics on the road is no shame. Losing like this - dysfunctional, error-prone, intimidated - is. So Brown described his team as "totally disorganized," and took blanket responsibility for the carnage. "I did a hell of a coaching job," said Brown, a Hall of Famer. "Our team wasn't prepared, wasn't ready to play. That's nobody's fault but the coach's. We got a lot of guys scared to death before the game and that's tough." They played scared. And tentative. And ..."
Bell's a gamer who has a hard choice ahead
Comment
October 25
Charlotte Observer
 
"Who doesn't love a gamer? You know: That big lug in the black-and-white photo, spitting out his teeth on a football field. Bloody, hunched over, and ready to pummel any coach who tells him he's too hurt to play. Of course, you seldom see that guy 20 years later - arthritic, punch-drunk and broke. Raja Bell, the Charlotte Bobcats' shooting guard, won't end up like that. But I couldn't help think of that image Saturday while chatting with Bell about his left wrist. He hasn't made a final decision whether to have surgery to repair that torn ligament, and he won't until he hears back from a hand specialist in Chicago. Surgery could cost him four months of inactivity. But there was Bell, wrist ..."
An update on Raja Bell
Comment
October 24
Charlotte Observer
 
"I just spoke with Charlotte Bobcats guard Raja Bell, following Saturday practice, about the torn ligament in his left wrist. While Bell has NOT made a final decision on whether he'll have surgery (a procedure that could put him out four months), he's working under the assumption he'll go the rest-and-rehabilitation route. Bell worked out on the sideline, his wrist heavily wrapped in bandages. He worked with a weighted ball and did some shooting -- even launching 3-pointers -- building up a bit of a sweat. The intent of this is to staying shape so that if he's out just a week or two, he'll be ready to play."
Brown is blue as 2 Bobcats woes linger
Comment
October 24
Charlotte Observer
 
"In a troubling sort of back-to-the-future moment, Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown is bemoaning his team's rebounding and ball-handling. "All exhibition season, we didn't rebound effectively,'' Brown said following a 95-92 preseason loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. "And we turned the ball over too many times.'' When has this team not had those issues? So, following a 2-6 preseason, it appears the same, old same-old approaching Wednesday's season-opener, on the road against the Boston Celtics. This morning, with the Bobcats hosting middle-school kids in their annual Cool School game, they allowed the Grizzlies to grab 18 offensive rebounds. That enabled Memphis to score 20 second-chance ..."
Chandler's recovery ahead of schedule
Comment
October 23
Charlotte Observer
 
"Tyson Chandler played 16 minutes in the Charlotte Bobcats' preseason victory against Milwaukee on Tuesday night and was "gassed" when it was over. It was a sweet feeling. "It was better than I expected," the 7-foot-1 center said of his return to court. Chandler is ahead of schedule in his recovery from spring surgery to repair ankle and toe problems that kept him out of 37 games with the New Orleans Hornets last season. Depending on how things go in a 10:30 a.m. exhibition against Memphis today at Time Warner Cable Arena and over the next few days, Chandler is hopeful of being close to ready when the Bobcats open the regular season Wednesday in Cleveland. Chandler is a critical component ..."
Bobcats waive guards Jefferson, Anderson
Comment
October 22
Charlotte Observer
 
"The Charlotte Bobcats have waived combo guard Dontell Jefferson. Jefferson had an unguaranteed contract for this season, so the Bobcats don't owe him anything going forward. The Bobcats then went ahead and waived Antonio Anderson, trimming the roster to 14 spots."
Bell may need surgery on torn wrist ligament
Comment
October 22
Charlotte Observer
 
"Larry Brown is still trying to figure out not just what he has as the Charlotte Bobcats approach the start of the regular season next Wednesday but who he has. Brown and the Bobcats are still waiting to find out whether shooting guard Raja Bell will require surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist suffered Sunday in a loss to the Utah Jazz. Bell plans to seek a second opinion to determine whether he needs surgery, which could sideline him for four months. It's possible Bell can avoid surgery and be available for the Bobcats, who were counting on him in the relatively near future. "We still don't know what the right course of action is," Brown said after practice Wednesday. "Kobe ..."
Bobcats get impressive victory, then grim news
Comment
October 21
Charlotte Observer
 
"Rookie Gerald Henderson picked the right night to have his best game; at this rate he'll end up the last shooting guard standing. Minutes after the Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 94-87 Tuesday, coach Larry Brown announced starter Raja Bell has a torn ligament in his left wrist. If Bell chooses to have surgery, he'd miss up to four months in recovery. Bell plans to seek a second opinion from a Chicago hand specialist on whether surgery is warranted. In the alternative, Bell could try rest and rehabilitation. If that's successful, he'd be back on the court much sooner. "It's a (decision) I won't take lightly. I've only had six or seven hours to digest" the latest diagnosis, ..."
Sputtering toward opener
Comment
October 21
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"A strong four-game run ended for the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. But rather than obsess about it, the Bucks are determined to move on to their final preseason game Friday and preparations for the regular-season opener at Philadelphia on Oct. 30. There were few redeeming features in the Bucks' 94-87 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats at the Time Warner Cable Arena. Point guard Brandon Jennings had nearly as many turnovers (four) as points (six) in the opening half, and the Bucks committed 14 turnovers in the half en route to a 15-point deficit at intermission. "We came out flat, with no energy," Bucks center Andrew Bogut said. "That was the worst first half of basketball we have played for ..."
Henderson, Bobcats play preseason home opener against Bucks
Comment
October 20
Gaston Gazette
 
"The Charlotte Bobcats have two preseason games left — and both are at home. It'll offer the team a chance to fine-tune its playing rotation as it prepares for its Oct. 28 season-opener at Boston. It's also a chance for the Bobcats' newest first-round, former Duke standout Gerald Henderson, to make his home debut. Henderson, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound swingman, was the 12th pick in last summer's NBA draft by the Bobcats after he chose to forsake his final year of eligibility at Duke. "It's going really good so far," said Henderson, whose Bobcats host the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Time Warner Cable Arena. "It's too early to decide exactly what I'm going to give this team. I'm ..."
Derrick Brown not playing like rookie
Comment
October 19
Charlotte Observer
 
"Derrick Brown is about as unrookie-like as any of the Charlotte Bobcats' draft picks have been. He just carries himself like a guy who has been around the NBA for years and knows how to play. I'm not saying he'll never make inexperienced mistakes, but you can see he's a bright guy who was well coached in college. You know that noon game in the NCAA tournament where the two teams have no natural connection to each other or to the city where they're playing? That was the thrill and excitement emanating from the Staples Center at 4:30 local time when the Bobcats and Jazz tipped off. Close as I could tell, the hundred or so who showed up to watch were there exclusively to heckle ex-Laker Vlade ..."
Bobcats waiting for Bell to break out of it
Comment
October 19
Charlotte Observer
 
"Raja Bell has struggled to make shots all preseason, but that failing didn't distinguish him from the rest of the Charlotte Bobcats' guards Saturday. Bell, Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin combined to shoot 5-of-24 in a 91-87 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. After going 3-of-9 Saturday, Bell is 5-of-30 for the preseason. Coach Larry Brown says he's not concerned. "He got good shots,'' Brown said of Bell, a 3-point shooter and defensive stopper. "If he was taking bad shots then maybe I'd be concerned. But those were great looks. "He's putting a lot of pressure on himself, but that's OK.'' The Bobcats (1-4 in the preseason) failed to score in the first five minutes of ..."
Bobcats itching for Chandler after another bruising loss
Comment
October 19
Charlotte Observer
 
"Center Tyson Chandler says he's playing Tuesday when the Charlotte Bobcats host the Milwaukee Bucks, and what Chandler offers, the Bobcats so desperately need. That would be rebounding and interior defense. The Bobcats haven't been much in those areas this preseason, particularly in Sunday's 110-103 loss to the Utah Jazz. Coach Larry Brown sounded appalled, reading from the box score that the Jazz had as many offensive rebounds (17) as the Bobcats had defensive boards. Those extra chances, combined with all the layups Charlotte allowed, helped the Jazz shoot 52 percent from the field. "We've got to keep people in front of us because right now we have nobody behind,'' blocking and changing ..."
Officially speaking, fans will miss real refs
Comment
October 18
Charlotte Observer
 
"Have you hugged your referee lately? I can't think of a profession more reviled than officiating a major-league sport (although, from some of my hate mail, sportswriting is at least in the conversation). So, naturally, when the NBA locks out its referees, much of the public isn't particularly sympathetic to the plight of the temporarily unemployed. Refereeing has always been a strange profession, in that the highest compliment is to be ignored. When they make the right call - and the vast majority of the time they do - it's taken for granted. When they aren't in perfect position to see the shove that might have precipitated the elbow that was cause for a foul, they're ridiculed. And even ..."
Bobcats waiting for Bell to break out of it
Comment
October 18
Charlotte Observer
 
"Raja Bell has struggled to make shots all preseason, but that failing didn't distinguish him from the rest of the Charlotte Bobcats' guards Saturday. Bell, Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin combined to shoot 5-of-24 in a 91-87 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. After going 3-of-9 Saturday, Bell is 5-of-30 for the preseason. Coach Larry Brown says he's not concerned. "He got good shots,'' Brown said of Bell, a 3-point shooter and defensive stopper. "If he was taking bad shots then maybe I'd be concerned. But those were great looks. "He's putting a lot of pressure on himself, but that's OK.'' The Bobcats (1-4 in the preseason) failed to score in the first five minutes of ..."
Graham is ready for takeoff
Comment
October 17
Charlotte Observer
 
"Usually when a college kid says he's up in the air about his major, it's a figure of speech. Not so for Stevie Graham at Oklahoma State. The now-Charlotte Bobcats forward liked sports medicine, but couldn't juggle the internship requirements with major-college basketball. So his father, a former Navy pilot, suggested the aviation management program. Now Graham is that rare NBA player who could end up flying the team charter. Graham and his twin brother Joey, also an NBA player, have their single-engine pilot's licenses and are pursuing multi-engine rating. Both learned to fly as a course requirement. For now it's a hobby, but Graham says he could see himself starting a charter service. He ..."
Bobcats must stop penetration
Comment
October 16
Charlotte Observer
 
"Continuity and effort. Those things are difficult to measure, but impossible to replace. They're what the Charlotte Bobcats have lacked at times this preseason in addressing a major concern: Containing opponents' dribble-penetration. When Bobcats coach Larry Brown said he didn't like his team's energy in a 17-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, that's some of what he meant. Hawks forward Josh Smith and rookie point guard Jeff Teague each made 10 trips to the foul line. That's a reflection of how the Bobcats struggled to block Smith's and Teague's paths to the rim. The guy best equipped to impact that - newly acquired center Tyson Chandler - hasn't played in a preseason game while ..."
NBA fines Brown, Bobcats
Comment
October 15
Charlotte Observer
 
"Talk is cheap, but not so much for coach Larry Brown and the Charlotte Bobcats Wednesday. Brown and the franchise were each fined $60,000 by the NBA, regarding Brown's comments and actions this week. The first $35,000 of each fine was for Brown "verbally abusing" referees during Monday's preseason loss in Atlanta and for not leaving the court in a timely manner after being ejected. The additional $25,000 in each fine related to the NBA's perception that Brown publicly criticized officials after the game. Neither Brown nor Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins chose to comment on the NBA's decision. These fines come at a sensitive time for the league, which has employed replacement officials ..."
Brown's punishment is an overreaction
Comment
October 15
Charlotte Observer
 
"I have to say I was flabbergasted by the amount the NBA fined coach Larry Brown and the Charlotte Bobcats Wednesday. The league is charging Brown and the franchise $60,000 each for Brown's behavior in Atlanta on Monday and for what the league perceives as Brown criticizing the referees after the game. I was there in Atlanta on Monday night and again Tuesday after practice when Brown first talked publicly about his ejection. I was within feet of Brown on both occasions and certainly within earshot of what the principals said. It's true that Brown "verbally abused" (the league's term) the refs, getting himself ejected in the third quarter of the preseason loss to the Hawks. It's also true ..."
Brown offers fixes for NBA
Comment
October 14
Charlotte Observer
 
"Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown says the NBA game is flawed in ways that transcend whether replacement referees are making the calls. Brown will be relieved when this labor dispute is resolved and the veteran officials return. But he's seen a pattern the past few years - too many whistles, too many contrived rules - that rob basketball of its natural flow. "Until we figure out a way to get more shots and have more of a flow up-and-down the court - which is the beauty of the game - it's gonna be tough" to entertain fans, Brown said. So if Brown were basketball czar, what would he do? -- Standardize rules worldwide for the NBA, college and international games. -- Move the NBA 3-point ..."
Brown ejected in Bobcats loss
Comment
October 13
Charlotte Observer
 
"Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown sent word Monday night that he didn't feel well enough to speak with reporters following a 107-90 preseason loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Maybe it was how Brown felt or perhaps it was the potential cost of saying how he felt. Brown was ejected with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the first time he's been tossed as Bobcats coach. The same replacement referee, lead official Kevin Scott, assessed both technical fouls against Brown, and called for security when Brown was slow to leave the court. Had Brown articulated what he felt - particularly considering the NBA's sensitivity to its labor impasse with the regular refs - a large fine might have ..."
Parker, Barrett productive for Cavaliers
Comment
October 12
Cleveland Plain Dealer
 
"Cavaliers coach Mike Brown was stingy with his praise after Saturday night's 102-96 preseason victory over the Charlotte Bobcats at North Charleston (S.C.) Coliseum. In the midst of voicing his displeasure with the team's transition defense and sloppy offense, Brown singled out two players for their positive contribu- tions. "I thought Anthony Parker's minutes were really good," Brown said. "He had seven rebounds. "I thought Andre Barrett came off the bench and was solid for us running the team down the stretch." Barrett, a 5-10, 172-pound free agent who has played 67 games with six different NBA teams since 2004-05 and spent last year in Spain, had four points and three assists in 14 ..."
Hold off on Ajinca decision
Comment
October 11
Charlotte Observer
 
"If I were running the Charlotte Bobcats, I'd take precisely the same approach to Alexis Ajinca's contract that current management has: I'd do nothing. By that, I mean I wouldn't decide whether to exercise Ajinca's $1.47 million contract option one minute before the Oct. 31 deadline to do so. Seemingly, that's how the Bobcats are handling this. On Tuesday, the Bobcats announced they had exercised a $2.45million option on point guard D.J. Augustin. That was a no-brainer. Augustin has been just what the Bobcats hoped he'd be, and they need insurance should Raymond Felton leave via unrestricted free-agency next summer. Ajinca isn't all that. The Bobcats knew they were taking on a project when ..."
Anjinca stands out in Bobcats' loss to Cavs
Comment
October 11
Charlotte Observer
 
"As he has most of the preseason, Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown pleaded with his big men "to step up and give us some honest minutes.'' On Saturday, Alexis Ajinca was the only big answering that call. The second-year 7-footer scored 15points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots in a 102-96 exhibition loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at North Charleston Coliseum. Ajinca was the focus for much of training camp because the Bobcats (1-2) so desperately need a reliable backup to currently injured power forward Boris Diaw. Ajinca had flaws - Brown mentioned two ill-advised shots - but he also had impact. "We don't affect any shots when the other team has dribble-penetration,'' Brown ..."
Hickson continues strong preseason push as Cleveland Cavaliers outlast Charlotte
Comment
October 11
Cleveland Plain Dealer
 
"About a minute and a half into his first start for the Cavaliers, J.J. Hickson found himself on a fast break with LeBron James. James, who'd spent all summer grooming his young protege, whipped a pass sideways that Hickson couldn't handle and the ball sailed out of bounds. "He missed the pass of the day from me, but he made up for it," a smiling James said after the Cavs beat the Charlotte Bobcats, 102-96, in an NBA exhibition game Saturday night in before a sell-out crowd of 11,489 in the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, S.C. "He played really well. He's going to continue to learn, but it was good for him to get that experience tonight." Hickson, the Cavs' first-round draft ..."
Okafor: I didn't expect to be traded
Comment
October 9
Charlotte Observer
 
"The trade was an absolute shocker to Emeka Okafor. He didn't have an inkling the Charlotte Bobcats had made him available to the New Orleans Hornets until his agent sent him a text reading, "Hey, man. I think you're being traded. Call me!" And with that, he was whisked away from a franchise for which he'd been a foundation. Okafor was the Bobcats' first-ever draft pick, and five years later, he was swapped for Tyson Chandler. How secure was he that he'd remain a Bobcat? "As secure as you can feel in the NBA, knowing that any moment (any player) can be gone," Okafor said before Thursday's Hornets-Bobcats exhibition at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Bobcats had signed him to a six-year, ..."
Bobcats Exercise Option On Augustin, Mull Over Ajinca
Comment
October 7
Charlotte Observer
 
"The Bobcats exercised a $2.45million option on D.J. Augustin, weeks before the deadline, but are still undecided whether to guarantee a similar, $1.47million option on forward Alexis Ajinca. That speaks to the divergence of the situations: Not only did Augustin have a fine rookie season, he's the team's only protection at point guard should Raymond Felton leave after this season. Ajinca is still looking to prove he belongs in the rotation, and should get plenty of minutes during the preseason to display what he can or can't do at the start of his second season. The Bobcats have until Oct.31 – three games into the regular season – to decide on Ajinca's status."
Cavaliers' LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal practice on-court chemistry in preseason opener
Comment
October 7
Cleveland Plain Dealer
 
"If their first time on the floor to gether as team mates was any indication, Le Bron James and Shaquille O'Neal fully intend to become a formidable 1-2 punch. During the preseason every player has his own focus and own little missions, which is why the games can often seem disjointed and without much flow. That was the case Tuesday when the Cavaliers opened the preseason, but there was no missing the two superstars' attempts at fostering chemistry. What was missing during the Cavs' 92-87 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats at The Q was guard Delonte West. The Cavs planned to play West and he warmed up and was in the locker room before the game. However, it was determined he wasn't quite ..."