Keeping things fresh as we go through the 29 teams the Raptors will face this season, today’s preview of the Bobcats is provided by a fan. Colton (@C4Feezy) was kind enough to offer up his take on what he expects from the Bobcats along with how they stack up against the Raptors.
Last year, the Charlotte Bobcats were still in the playoff hunt with less than a month to go in the season, as they reached 35 wins (most in team history). The Bobcats were as close as 1 game out of the 8th spot, but then remembered that they were the Bobcats and finished the season losing 4 straight games and 7 of their last 10.
The 2008-2009 year was year 1 of the Larry Brown era. As Larry likes to do, there were quite a few changes to the roster throughout the year. Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley, Adam Morrison, Shannon Brown, Matt Carroll and Ryan Hollins were all shipped out in various trades, while Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, Sean Singletary, Vladimir Radmanovic and DeSagana Diop were brought in. During this past offseason, the Bobcats also dealt Emeka Okafor, the team’s first ever draft pick (I’m not counting the expansion draft), for Tyson Chandler.
This most recent move brings a lot of uncertainty to the 2009-2010 season for the Bobcats. Okafor was a staple for the Bobcats, and now Gerald Wallace is the only Bobcat left over from the expansion season. Chandler is 3 inches taller and will be able to match-up better against the league’s taller post players, where Okafor seemed to struggle.
In the 2009 Draft, the Bobcats selected Gerald Henderson from Duke with the 12th pick. Henderson will give the Bobcats a taller 2-guard that can defend and slash to the basket on offense.
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Last Season Record: 2-2
The Raptors won the first two games early in the season. Neither were high scoring affairs, but 34.5ppg from Bosh over the span sealed the deal. The next two came post trade for the Bobcats who brought in Raja Bell and Boris Diaw from Phoenix. While the Bobcats struggled to score in the first 2 games (82.5ppg in the first 2 meetings), they had little difficulty with the help of their new guys. Averaging 107ppg as a team was more than enough to seal both wins to split the season series. Even though the Raptors out rebounded the Cats in 3 of the 4 games, they never managed to contain Gerald Wallace who flourished post trade.
The Bigs
(Colton) The Bobcats struggled to defend Chris Bosh, as many teams do. Bosh scored 30+ in 3 of the 4 games. Boris Diaw will most likely get the unenviable task of defending Bosh this year. Bargnani is not too much of a concern down low, but his outside shot can prove deadly if he is on. Bargnani went off last year for 27 points on 4-7 from the 3 point line in the final matchup of the season. This may pose a problem for newly acquired Tyson Chandler, so it will be interesting to see how the matchups are handled.
(Nat) The Bobcats traded away the oft injured Emeka for the oft injured Chandler. I think they end up fine on the boards with the help of players like Mohammed, Ajinca and Diop. Big problem though, where will the offense come from? Tyson has gotten spoilt playing with CP3 and may find it hard to get going offensively here. Diaw is their best weapon on offense but he wont be able to keep pace with Bosh and Bargnani. Vladamir Radmanovic may end up defending Andrea which should be interesting as they both play on the outside. Overall, the Raptors front court remains the biggest challenge for Charlotte.
Edge: (Colton) Raptors (Nat) Raptors
The Wings
(Colton) Gerald Wallace is the face of the franchise and will continue to be the #1 option on offense for the Bobcats. The Raptors’ newly acquired Hedo Turkoglu didn’t fare well against the Bobcats in 2 of the 3 meetings last year, shooting 32% from the field and failing to make a 3 point shot in those two games. Gerald Wallace is quick and physical and will likely continue to pose problems for Turkoglu. Gerald Wallace will need to be disciplined on defense and not leave Turkoglu to wander on the perimeter. Wallace is famous for his help defense, where he registers many of his blocks and deflections, but Turkoglu can kill you if he is given an ounce of daylight.
(Nat) Got to agree 100% with Colton on this one. I think G Wallace is the perfect defender to make life miserable for Hedo. The Bobcats can also interchange several players at this spot. You may see Wallace or Radmanovic or even Diaw at times. A lot of options for Larry Brown, and while the Raptors got the prize free agent of the summer, he doesn’t have much depth behind him when it comes to offense. Defensively, it will be a collective assignment and the Raptors have to make it hard for Wallace to get to the basket. If they can keep him shooting jump shots, they will end up just fine.
Edge: (Colton) Even (Nat) Even
The Guards
(Colton) It will be interesting to see how the minutes and rotation play out this year for the Bobcats’ guards. The starters are (likely) Raymond Felton at PG and Raja Bell at SG, with the youngsters D.J. Augustin and Gerald Henderson coming off the bench. Raja Bell provides veteran leadership and toughness on defense, while Felton facilitates the offense. Felton averaged almost 11 points/game last year against the Raptors, so he is not a huge offensive threat. You would think this would bode well for Calderon, but Jose struggled against the Bobcats last year, averaging less that 10 points/game. The rotation for the Raptors at SG will be interesting, with the rookie DeRozan, Antoine Wright, and Belinelli as options. Either way, Raja Bell’s defense will leave the SG match-up at a stand-still.
(Nat) Jose being injured hampered him throughout last season. This year should be different and he should be able to have his way with Felton. Raja Bell is the meat of the Bobcats back court and while he is known for his D, players like him light up the Raptors every time. Jay Triano may have to keep Jose and Jack on the floor for longer stretches in this match up as having another guy create who can actually play some D would be helpful. The size issue is negligible because where the Raps lack in the back court they should make up for it somewhat in other spots.
Edge: (Colton) Bobcats (Nat) Even
Coltons Prediction: Bobcats win 2, Raptors win 1.
My Prediction: Bobcats win 2, Raptors win 1. (2 games are on the road and both are the 2nd of a back to back)
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