<<Charlotte Bobcats Thread>>

Well we need one so I decided to open one up. I think I could be the only Bobcats fan on NLSC...we will soon find out.



So here my hopes for the season...I think we can make the 8th seed of the eastern conference as long as he keep playing hard and with the intensity the team has been showing as of late. Gerald Wallace is playing amazing right now and I really think he can lead this team to the playoffs. We have to make sure we beat the teams we are supposed to. In Wallace we Trust!

Last edited by Pistol on Tue Jan 22, 2008 2:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Interview with Charlotte Bobcats Manager Rod Higgins before the January 12th game against the Detroit Pistons...from Charlotte Bobcats website.

Prior to Saturday’s game with the Detroit Pistons, Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins joined fans in Lowe’s Home Court for a pregame chalk talk. Fans had the opportunity to pose questions regarding the team this season and the outlook for the future. Read Higgins’ responses to their questions below.

(On if the Bobcats would consider using their open roster spot)
Normally what happens is you have 15 as a maximum number for roster spots. We currently have 14. If we would consider using it, of course we would, particularly now that we have injuries that are starting to surface. Our point guard position is very important to us. We don’t have to wait until the trade deadline to use it. We could use it today. We could bring up a D-League player or sign someone who’s a free agent. As the trade deadline approaches, which is in the middle of February, on the third Thursday in February, we are going to look at any opportunity to improve our basketball team.

(On if the strong play of Nazr Mohammed will have any affect on the contract negotiations with Emeka Okafor)
I think those are two different, separate entities. With Mohammed, he is playing well for us, which is key because we made the trade a couple of weeks ago. I think he’s fitting in very well. With Emeka, we want to keep Emeka. We want to have the opportunity to sign him to a long term contract. But neither has an affect on the other. Emeka is very important to us and to our success. Emeka’s production is going to determine what his contract status will be.

(On why the Bobcats traded Walter Herrmann)
When you have the opportunity to improve your basketball team, you have to give up a quality player. Walter was part of the equation. The Pistons wanted Walter. Unfortunately Walter wasn’t getting an opportunity with us, so it was a good deal. Sometimes it’s tough giving up on young players. I think Walter is a tremendous basketball player. I hope he doesn’t hurt us tonight, but that’s part of the equation.

(On Adam Morrison and Sean May’s progress with regards to their injuries)
Adam as well as Sean are progressing very well. In terms of Adam, he’s a little further along. With his surgery, he can get more involved with his rehab. He can get on the water treadmill, he can move on the court a little bit more. With Sean, it’s more of a tedious rehab. You have to be really careful with how you proceed with him. With those microfracture surgeries, you just don’t know. He’s young enough and the medical staff corrected (the injury). I think it’s going to enable him to come back 100%. I think those guys are going to be big for us next year.

(On Ryan Hollins’ potential)
Ryan Hollins is going to have a huge opportunity to play tonight because Detroit plays big at their spots. We need as many big players as possible and we’re shorthanded. I think for Ryan, he has the opportunity to be a good basketball player, but he has some flaws in his game. I think for him, he’s going to have to continue to improve his body, work in the weight room, but on the other side, on the offensive side, he can probably do some things that other players can’t do with his jumping ability. He’s also going to have to learn how to stay out of foul trouble. Sometimes he makes some fouls that he really doesn’t have to make. Those are things he has to get away from if he wants to stay on the basketball court.

(On if the Bobcats would consider signing Walter Herrmann as a free agent in the offseason)
The one thing with Walter is he’s a restricted free agent. That means that his team, the Pistons, will have the opportunity to match any deal he gets with another team. I don't know (if the Bobcats would consider signing him). I think in the summer we will evaluate all players who are free agents, whether they are restricted or unrestricted free agents.

(On what positions the Bobcats will be looking to improve at in the offseason)
I think for us, we are going to have some positions we are really going to have to think about. I think the point guard position is going to be one. Jeff McInnis is going to be an unrestricted free agent. That position is such an important position for success. Anytime you can get a big player, like a center or a power forward, you always want to look at it. I think our strength is going to be our 2’s and 3’s with Gerald Wallace, Jason Richardson, Matt Carroll and Adam Morrison coming back.

(On the Bobcats trying to cut down on 24-second shot clock violations)
Those are things the coach tries to address night in and night out. I can’t argue, because there are times when I see the same thing. We have to do a better job of getting up the court, past halfcourt and into our set. A lot of times, we have a continuity offense where we try to do certain things and move certain people around and if doesn’t work we find ourselves behind the eight ball in terms of the shot clock being on our back. For our team, we have some pretty good players and nobody wants that shot clock to go down and we get bad shots.

(On if the Bobcats have considered bringing in a free throw shooting coach)
No. These guys have shot free throws as young people and grown up through the professional ranks being very good free throw shooters. Free throws are so much more mental as opposed to physical. We continue to improve. Gerald (Wallace) is shooting a better free throw and Jason (Richardson) is shooting a better free throw. We are starting to figure it out. It’s such an emotional thing for a free throw shooter as opposed to some coach trying to come in here and put his stamp on it. They shoot free throws every day. I’m at practice everyday and these guys shoot 100’s of free throws.

(On what the Bobcats future plans are for Sean May and Adam Morrison)
We plan for those guys to come back and be very good for us. When they suffered those injuries early on, disappointment kind of spread through our organization because we envisioned both of those guys playing 20 to 30 minutes on any given night and being very good players. The plan is to start training camp and those guys are going to come in (ready to play). They are chomping at the bit right now. It’s going to be like we’re getting two draft picks when they come back. It’s going to be good for us.

(On taking Cleveland to double overtime)
Unfortunately we didn’t get the win, but more importantly, it was a great effort on the part of our guys. I think they hung tough. We made some crucial mistakes down the stretch, but when you make those mistakes, what you want to do is learn from them. I think tonight will give us the opportunity to play against a good quality team, a championship-caliber team, so we’ll see how it goes tonight.

(On the state of the team headed into the Detroit game)
Unfortunately tonight for us we are going to be without both our point guards. Jeff McInnis and Raymond Felton suffered injuries last night. They’re not going to be able to play tonight, so that’s a huge blow for us. There’s no crying in professional sports though. You have to put your gym shoes on, lace them up and go out there and compete. The other team’s not going to feel sorry for you. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. Opportunities are going to be there for guys who haven’t had opportunities to log a lot of minutes. That’s the important thing.

(On his background)
My mom brought me up in Chicago and I had the opportunity to play some very good quality basketball in high school. I had the great opportunity to get a scholarship to Fresno State University and that was probably one of the best decisions I have made. I probably wouldn’t be sitting here if I hadn’t done that.

Change it to the "Charlotte Bobcats Thread" please. The word "Un-Official" makes my head explode.

LOL...Well we do want your head to stay in tact...exploding heads wont be tolerated, so I will change it just for you!

What cyanide meant is change it to "the official" thread in the title.

"The Official Charlotte Bobcats Hub" should make it okay.