Bobcats off to "Fresh" new start!

The Charlotte Bobcats will be entering their 10th season since joining the league as an expansion team in 2004 after their previous team, the Charlotte Hornets, relocated to New Orleans. Since entering the league the Bobcats obtained a record of 250-476 with a .346 win percentage record, including making NBA history with the worst winning percentage last year. The Bobcats only made the playoffs once in the 2009-2010 season that resulted in their championship hopes getting swept away in the first round by the Orlando Magics. The Bobcats had it all that season! Making the playoffs for the first time in team history, having a player make the all star team (Gerald Wallace), had the best home record, was the best defensive team in the NBA, and finished with a franchise record of wins (43). They almost looked as if they were ready to push the bar of success even higher with this team. Charlotte set expectations on returning back to the playoffs next season but weren't able to do so because of the departure of many players and firing legendary head coach Larry Brown. Since then the Bobcats have been struggling year after year on becoming playoff contenders once again. But with all the struggles I strongly believe that Charlotte is on the right track of getting out this slump of losing and become a playoff contender team once again. How? 

Well we all know this team finished off with one the worst NBA seasons of all time by any team just a year ago. But after only winning seven games last year, Charlotte was able to triple those wins this past season. Not only that but we could be seeing the emergence of a young great dynamic duo in Gerald Henderson and Kemba Walker. After only beginning his first 47 games averaging 13.2 points per game, Gerald Henderson finished his last 23 games averaging 24.3 points on .476 shooting and .858 free throw shooting. Also he scored in double figures in those 23 straight games which was the longest streak by a Bobcats player since the "Captain Jack" Stephen Jackson days. Kemba Walker lead the Bobcats in scoring, assists, and steals in 34.8 minutes per game. Walker also went on to set a franchise record for steals in a season (158) and ranked fifth in the NBA in steals. Need I remind you that this a true leader who lead his collegiate team to victory throughout the NCAA tournament and he is only in his third year coming up this season. With statistics like that he could well be on his way in the talks about being one of the top guards of the league.

Although Charlotte finished this season 21-61, you would have to take in consideration that this a team that was bit with the Injury bug very hard after losing Brendan Haywood, Ramon Sessions, DeSagana Diop, and Byron Mullens to tough injures that each player could not recover from effectively. With these players down of course being ranked 27th in rebounds, 29th in assist, 29th points allowed, and 26th in points per game last season was not a surprise. But new addition Josh McRoberts definitely helped to try to cure that problem last season. McRoberts is what you would call a "Big Point Guard." His IQ for the game of basketball is just amazing and he could definitely be a strong player for Charlotte next season on the boards, assist, and scoring. Hopefully Bismack Biyombo will take a page out this guys "Duke basketball" book.

Moving forward and not looking back! Charlotte plans to end their long, struggling, and depressing relationship tides with the name "Bobcats" and plan to make things right again with their first love the Hornets. After New Orleans decided to switch their names to the Pelicans, owner Michael Jordan reacted very quickly in bringing the name "Hornets" back to their birth place, the queen city! After experiencing the 2009-2010 playoff contendor Bobcats, it's obvious there are TRUE NBA fans in Charlotte who will support this team only if they give this city something to cheer about. Also alot of fans were not happy about the "Hornets" name being snatched away to New Orleans forcing Charlotte to search for a new indentity for their city. During the early years of the Hornets, Charlotte was able to set many attendance records that brought alot of support for this team and great revenue. The intentions of Jordan is to bring those fans back into Time Warner Cable Arena.

Along with the name transformation, the soon to be Hornets decided to fire first year head coach Mike Dunlap and brought in former assistant coach for the Lakers Steve Clifford. Along with Clifford Charlotte was able to bring in New York Knicks legend Patrick Ewing. Now I wasn't too happy after Dunlap was fired because I believed that he didn't recieve a fair chance to prove himself worthy enough to build a NBA team. But the fact that some of the players didn't like him and the emergence of NBA talents is growing tremendously, the bobcats felt accomplishing their goals would be difficult with Dunlap as head coach. But I believe Clifford and Ewing are probably going to be a "blessing in disguise" for Charlotte because of the experience these two coaches have of coaching great talented playoff teams. Also together these two helped a Stan Van Gundy Orlando Magics team reach the NBA Finals in 2009 and both helped developed a 7'0" #1 draft pick into a phenomenal Superstar. Not only will these guys be well respected by the Charlotte players but they will also bring improvement for Charlotte's struggling big men in rebounding and defense.

The fnal topic I want to touch on about Charlotte are about some free agency decisions that will fit perfect for the future Hornets. First off the Bobcats have $20 millions-plus under next season's cap, how do they put that to use? Well the decision of Ben Gordon deciding to opt-in to return to the Bobcats for one more year is just fantastic because it adds a great shooter in the perimeter to whoever Charlotte decides to sign. This could be a great year for the former Chicago Bulls star simply because of the firing of head coach Mike Dunalp. Gordon did not get along very well with Dunlap and did not recieve alot of play time minutes because of that issue. Gordon felt like he was hindered into becoming the prolific scorer he once was in the early years of his career in Chicago. I believe alot of the players did not like Dunlap because he was a collegiate coach and that cause many players not to respect him as a NBA head coach. I'm not saying Charlotte will sign NBA All-Stars like Chris Paul and Dwight Howard because of their intentions of Championship hopes now but they could go for some quality players that could push their team to #8 seed playoff hopes. Players such as Monta Ellis, O.J. Mayo, David West, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, or J.J. Hickson. Yes Charlotte is not a huge media market such as New York, LA, or Chicago but they could offer some good deals. Charlotte could deliver a marginal talent $40 million dollars and they would also receive excessive love from a city in desperate need of help giving the opportunity for any player to become a city's hero. No it's not going to turn this franchise around in one year but it will start the beginning of a strong young franchise that will be ready to push the bar of SUCCESS!

Game 7 (My view points on the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs)

What a NBA Finals series! What a Game! Hands down that NBA finals series should go down in history as one of the best NBA Finals series of all time. It was dramatic, exciting, marvelous, astounding, extraordinary, stupendous, or any other word you would like to use to describe just flat out AMAZING! First off, I want to congratulate the Miami Heat on winning their second straight NBA championship in a row. Those group of guys played like warriors, men, and most of all Champs. They did a fantastic job forcing a game 7 with their backs against the wall and dodging the bullet of humiliation. I used the word "Humiliation" because this is a Spurs team that was suppose to be "Seasoned" for the quick Miami Heat. I refused to use the term old because I picture that word as someone or something that can no longer do the things that it once could do. It's obvious the Spurs could still play and compete like the champions they are at high level to give the best team in the NBA a lot of struggles.

LeBron James performance last night was just stunning and magnificent. Over the years, we criticized James about his lack of accurate shooting consistency--especially in the fourth quarter. But James laid that to rest last night with a 37 points and 12 rebound performance, shooting 52% from the floor along with a clutch two pointer that sealed the victory for the Heat. After talking with some of my colleagues, they brought some good points to my attention about the word clutch and some feel LeBron just isn't up to that level just yet. I will explain more later in my next blog relax Heat fans. Don't forget about the side kick and Miami hero Dwayne Wade. He also had a great game scoring 23 points shooting 52% from the floor also. Last year, it was Mike Miller but this year it was Mr. Shane Battier who wore the hot hand last night to push the heat to victory. But we all know none of this would have been possible if it wasn't for "The shot" in game six by the future hall-of-famer Ray Allen. Be honest! Its over now and the Miami Heat are back-to-back champs.

Alright enough about the game! We all saw what happened last night and now I have some issue that I would like to get off my chest. Yes I was one of the guys who chose the Spurs over the Heat to win Game 6 just the way it was opening up to be but the Spurs simply ran out of gas. I have some points I would like to touch on about the Spurs and Heat below.

The absence of Danny Green:
First off Congratulations to the formal Tar heel Danny Green on achieving an impressive individual achievement on breaking the record for most three pointers scored in NBA finals history. But where was the hot hand last night? One-for-12? Not cool Danny! Now I'm not saying the result of the Spurs losing falls on this guys effort but your presence was missed last night. The Spurs needed that hot hand last night to lift up their championship hopes but Green wasn't able to get much good shots off in game six or seven. It's like the Miami Heat just said, "We are tired of this guy," and simply keyed in on his game. The problem with Green right now is that he only wears one identity and that's to shoot three pointers. The Spurs either live by his shooting ability or die by his shooting. But I can definitely tell you that this guy is going to become a huge threat in this league for many years to come. This Finals experience is going to make Green much better. smarter, and stronger. Stronger physically and emotionally! Watch out for this guy.

The affects of playing more role players
Well we all know the Spurs played gave most of their energy all in game 6 with no sights of seeing a game 7. They felt like if they had gave everything they had they would have put Miami down but that wasn't the case thanks to a clutch shot by Ray Allen. We also knew that after less than 48 hours after a hard fought game six battle San Antonio's energy would descent because of their seasoned age. Knowing these entities about the decline energy of this team should have sparked an idea to kind of hand off some minutes to fresh players on the bench to further assist the big three. I just think Coach Greg Popovich should have went deeper in rotation to give players like DeJuan Blair and Tracy McGrady a chance. Now I know your thinking "Why Blair and another seasoned player McGrady?" Well these are two players who are very skillful in their own ways in the game. Blair may not be as tall as Duncan or Splitter but he could definitely bang on players and crash the boards. Blair, who averages 5.8 rebounds per game, definitely could have helped a struggling Splitter who only had two points and zero rebounds in four minutes. McGrady is another guy who was once the leader of his own team but has been dealing with a lot of injuries throughout his career that kind of hindered his career but the man can still play. I believe he still possesses a fantastic IQ for the game and could still play. Not at the high level he once played in Houston be could have helped with scoring, assist, and some good defensive. My thing is what more damage could have Tracy McGrady done if Green was already struggling one-for-12 from the floor. We don't know if McGrady would have stunk up the court even more or ball out and score an outstanding 18 points to help lift the Spurs. There could be more to the story than I know of about why those guys are not playing. But I just think Tracy must possess something the Spurs love because out of all players to chose from to join an elite team such as the Spurs, they chose McGrady to be apart of their organization to replace Stephen Jackson. I just couldn't understand why you would release Stephen Jackson and bring in another player to replace and don't even play him. I just can't understand that at all. Now I'm not saying these two would have dramatically helped the Spurs win but they could have deferred the seasoned three play time minutes so they could have gain enough energy to get the job done.

Could the Miami Heat go for a three peat?
In my view the chances of the Heat completing a three-peat would probably be a 45% chance they would. Why only 45%? Well you have to understand that this was the year of dramatic injuries to key players on some good caliber playoff teams. Meaning there were a lot of "what if" in this years playoff series. What if Kobe Bryant was healthy, would the Lakers have continued their hot streak run? What if Derrick Rose would have played this season? What if Russell Westbrook was healthy? What if David Lee was healthy? What if Danny Granger was healthy? Of course these are questions that will never be answered because its in the past and the Miami Heat are champions. But take in consideration that all of these players I named will return to their respected teams and will be targeting the expectations of dethroning the Heat. Winning back-to-back championships just added a double target on the Heat and they are definitely not getting any younger. Not saying they are "seasoned" like the Spurs but the shooting saviors for Miami are getting older. Another year for Miller, Battier, and Allen could toughen up their chances for another title if they cannot perform to up most ability.

Bobcats outlast 76ers 88-83 4/3/13

The Charlotte Bobcats were able to achieve their 12^th Home victory this season defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 88-83 on Wednesday night. The 76ers came into this game with eyes on making the playoffs this year trying to extend their three game win streak, but the Bobcats were able to spoil their chances. The 76ers are chasing the Milwaukee Bucks for the 8^th spot. With the win, and the Bucks losing, they would have only been five games behind. “They are a team that wants to get in the playoffs”, Bobcats Coach Mike Dunlap said. “They wanted the game bad and they couldn’t get it”.
Charlotte was lead behind Starting Guard Gerald Henderson with 24 points recording his 17^th straight game scoring in double figures and his 8^th 20-point game in the last 14 games. “I’m just trying to be aggressive. When I’m aggressive it makes our team better”, Henderson said. “I’m able to draw defenders and make a play for my teammates”. Also Star Guard Kemba Walker added 17 points and 10 Assist, while Forward Josh McRoberts also contributed with 12 points and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds. Missing three centers in tonight’s game, Byron Mullens, Brendan Haywood, and Gana Diop was not a problem for Charlotte as they were able to out-rebound their opponent 50-47.
Philadelphia was able to jump out on Charlotte’s pretty strong gain to lead up to 16 in the second quarter but, Charlotte was able to battle back. The Bobcats defenses were too much for the 76ers. All Star Guard Jrue Holiday went 2 of 24 from the field and missed a key shot in the final minutes. “It was one of those nights where the ball would go in and out”, Holiday said. Despite the struggle of Holiday, Damien Wilkins was able to lead the 76ers in scoring with 20 points shooting 7 for 14 from the field and grabbing nine rebounds. Wilkins was able to hit the last point for the 76ers of the game allowing them to gain an 83-82 lead but Henderson was able to spoil that. With less than a minute in the 4^th, Henderson was able to knock down a 15-footer giving the Bobcats the lead.
Right after a timeout, Henderson came alive again stealing an in-bounded pass and driving it all the way for the slam giving Charlotte a three point lead. Jrue Holiday could have tied the game hitting a 3-pointer, but decided to drive to the lane and came up short. The Charlotte Bobcats improve to 18-57, while the 76ers will fall to 30-44 cutting their playoff hopes away.

Bobcats shred ten game losing streak beating Celtics 3/12/13

Better Luck next time! The Charlotte Bobcats were too much for the shorthanded Boston Celtics as they fell 100-74 on Tuesday night. The Bobcats were led behind Gerald Henderson’s Career-High 35 Point performance. Henderson shot 11 for 19 from the floor and was perfect from the free throw line on all 12 attempts. “I was just trying to be aggressive from the start and just attack”, Henderson said.
Henderson got off to a very hot start scoring 21 of his 35 points in the first half. “Gerald Henderson just looked at every one who was guarding him and said, “I’m better than you””, Doc Rivers said. “And we fouled a lot”. Despite Charlotte’s star, Kemba Walker, struggles from the floor (10 Points 4-11) after scoring 29 points against the Washington Wizards in their previous game. Ben Gordon and Josh McRoberts were key contributors off the bench. Gordon scored 17 Points and McRoberts recorded his first Double-Double in a Charlotte uniform with 13 Points and 10 Rebounds. Jeff Green and Jordan Crawford each had 14 points for the Celtics while future Hall Of Famer, Forward, Kevin Garnett, was held to five points on 2-of-10 shooting. Garnett only needed nine points to pass Jerry West and move into 15^th place on the All-Time scoring list, but struggled throughout the game.
“Kevin got frustrated in the first five minutes of the game”, Coach Rivers said. The Boston Celtics seemed a bit out of tune without their star Forward, Paul Pierce, missing tonight’s game due to resting. “Hopefully he rests when we play them again on Saturday”, Gordon said. “Tell him to go get more rest”. The Bobcats seemed to have wanted it more than the Celtics tonight outscoring the C’s 40-24 in the paint area and shooting 80% (24-30) from the free throw line. Also the Bobcats were also able to dominate the paint by out rebounding the Celtics 48-29 with 16 Offensive Rebounds.
“We didn’t let the game get sloppy and that’s what I like best about it”, Bobcats Coach Mike Dunlap said. Celtics Forwards Green, Garnett, and Brandon Bass combined for only 12 Rebounds which is an unusual stat line for the Celtics. The Bobcats were able to gain a great start on the Celtics jumping out on an 8-0 run. Boston was able to gain the lead (34-33) with 5:28 left in the 2^nd Quarter, but the Bobcats hot shooting continued. “I thought our guys thought well let’s trade baskets. If they score we can score back on them, but we couldn’t do that”, Coach Rivers said. “We couldn’t match how hard they played”.
With tonight’s win Charlotte was able to snap a 10 game losing streak. “We been in the dessert with 10 losses”, Coach Dunlap said. “I’m happy for the fans. I have great respect for our fans because they keep coming”. Charlotte leads the season series against Boston 2-1 and will face off again on March 16^th.

My First NBA Media Experience

On the court: The Charlotte Bobcats suffered yet another tough 4^th Quarter loss to the Sacramento Kings on Saturday 97-93. After scoring an embarrassing 69 points in a 16 point loss to Memphis just the day before, the Kings were determined to bring home a win.
The Kings were led behind Marcus Thornton’s 18 points off the bench followed by a strong fourth quarter push by Tyreke Evans (16 points) to receive the win. The Kings led most of the game dominating with 40+ points in the paint and shooting 85% from the free throw line. Shooting only 26-38 (68 Percent) from the free throw line prevented Charlotte from securing a comeback rally.
Bobcats star Guard, Kemba Walker, struggled throughout the game shooting 6/17, but contributed 10 assist. Walker had an opportunity to tie the game but shot an air-ball on a three-point attempt with three seconds left as Charlotte fell 10-31 for the season. “They gave me pretty good pressure, but I thought I had an open shot,” Walker said. “I kind of hesitated. I would’ve shot it right away, because I thought I was open. But I hesitated. It’ll be like that sometimes.”
In the final four minutes four missed shots, two turnovers, and a goaltending call determined the game’s outcome for Charlotte. Ramon Sessions led the Bobcats in scoring a contributing 16 Points for Charlotte, while The Kings Star Center, Demarcus Cousins, recorded his 18^th double-double Saturday with 17 points and 10 Rebounds.
Despite a sore back injury, Gerald Henderson, added 15 Points for Charlotte. The Bobcats remain winless at home since November 21^st losing fourteen games straight. “ We’ve just got to come out ready to play next time,” Walker said. “It’s tough. We’ve been losing some pretty close games, and we definitely need a home win. It’s been a long time.”

Off the court: My first NBA media experience was an enjoyable and cherish-able opportunity. Everyone who had a job in the arena from the security, Media Professionals, Dancers and NBA professionals not only enjoy what they do, but they take their job very seriously. It’s like these guys look forward to coming to work with no complaints.
“I’ve been working 25 years in the media industry, but I’ve never worked a day in my life”, said during a conversation with a Media Professional. "When you join a career you love, you never have to work."
During warm ups, I’ve observed that NBA players do not take their job lightly or for granted at all. For every shot Charlotte Bobcats Guards Kemba Walker and Ben Gordon took, it was to perfection to make sure they could almost never miss that shot in a game situation.
Observing those guys shot after shot truly shows they are competitors and professionals at what they do. On the other side, these professional players are HUMANS just like us. The music and conversations they would have I could relate to, because it was no different from my everyday life. The stereotypes that we put on these NBA players today are almost ridiculous because of the way fans can make players perceive themselves as terrible people.
When we watch an NBA game it’s very rare we would see a smile or even a smirk on a NBA players face, because of the competitiveness zone these players are in to achieve a win. But off the court, these guys embrace each other like brothers who share the same goals and share the same competitiveness. These are family men who enjoy life, just no different from the everyday life we live on a daily basis. The only difference is that they have an enhanced skillful talent in basketball.
Brendan Haywood, a 7’0” 263 lbs. Center for the Charlotte Bobcats, is perceived to be angry and aggressive on the court, but from my observation off the court, he is a humorous guy who enjoys his job. If you went to work every day and did not complete your work task each time, do you think your boss would be happy? In a lot of cases you would be considered to be on the top of the list of getting fired, simply because you have no value to that company.
Professional athletes share the same American Dream from everyone else and that is to work to gain a stabilize amount of wealth, and to take care of their family. The only difference is corporate America wants you to wear business attire while athletes wear a team uniform with a number on it.

More Than A Game

Have you ever attended an NBA game? When you attended an NBA game, do you ever realize the little things about the game off the court that makes your NBA experience great? During my time at the Bobcats-Celtics game, I was able to observe not just the great game between the two abundant teams but also the little things that Television programs do not often show.
From the time you step into Time Warner Cable Arena getting your tickets scanned to enter the game, there are many associates who welcome these fans with huge smiles. Once you enter the arena there are Cheerleaders taking pictures, fresh food, kids playing miniature basketball games, Bobcats rhythm drum team playing music, and much more entertainment. You can almost call it a professional entertaining circus but subtract the Clowns, dirt bikes, and animals. The way the NBA is today is much more different than the older days where you would just come for two teams to square off against each other.
In today’s day, the NBA is working efficiently on creating a “Family first” oriented game and business. They make sure that when fans attend a basketball game event, you and your whole family received their up-most entertainment that makes you want to come back for more. When you see NBA Players or Coaches perform immoral actions on the court, NBA Commissioner, David Stern, is forced to discipline them for their wrongful actions.
Commissioner Stern also has developed a charity program, “NBA Cares”, where NBA players can perform great deeds for their community to show they are more than just million dollar athletes. The “NBA Cares” goal is to create a place for Children and Families to have places to live, learn, and play. Since the establishment of NBA Cares in October 2005, the NBA family has contributed more than 1.4 million hours of hands-on service, raised more than $145 million for charity, and created more than 525 places where children and families can live, learn, or play.
The game itself between professional teams are real and still competitive for basketball fans to enjoy, but it is also a game where your family or other non-basketball fans will enjoy too. Do you ever find yourself getting frustrated when a commercial or halftime show comes along and puts your entertained mind on a halt? Well when you attend an actual game LIVE you never have to worry about that happening because there is non-stop entertainment to keep you and your family entertained. During those commercial breaks and half time shows that fans at home have to suffer with, at the Bobcats game they have music playing, t-shirt tossed in the crowed fans, game trivia, different kinds of contest fans can enter, and many more. Don’t forget about the mascot!
Charlotte’s very own Mascot “Rufus” is a great aspect of entertainment for your NBA experience also. He walks all through the arena cheering with fans, taking pictures, does silly actions around the court, and keeps the energy flowing in the building by fans. The NBA game is not just a game anymore but more of an opportunity for an extravagant fun for every sex, age, and gender making it More Than a Game!

Who is Stephanie Ready?

Not only was I giving an extraordinary opportunity to watch an extravagant game between the Charlotte Bobcats and Philadelphia 76ers, but before the game was actually my better experience. I was blessed and honor with an opportunity to interview an historical phenomenal women named Stephanie Ready.  Who is Stephanie Ready? Stephanie Ready is a former Basketball coach who became the first female to coach in a men’s professional league from 2001-2003. She served as an assistant coach with the Greenville Groove of the National Basketball Development League (NBADL). She is currently serving as a sideline reporter and Sports Analyst for the Charlotte Bobcats.
Ready is originally from Takoma Park, Maryland where she graduated Cum Laude from Coppin State with a major in Psychology. At Coppin State she was a standout player in Volleyball and Basketball ranking in the top 10 in assist, steals, points, and rebounds. The beginning of coaching years started at her Alma-Ata Coppin State as a Volleyball Coach where she served three years as the youngest coach in Division I Volleyball. One of her biggest accomplishments was snapping their 129-match losing streak. Ready coached the Volleyball team for three years and resigned in 2001.
Soon after that, Ready was hired by Ron Mitchell to assist him with the Coppin State men’s basketball team, becoming the third women to coach in Division I men’s basketball. In that same year Stephanie had to resign because she was giving the opportunity to help coach in the men’s D-League with the Greenville Groove. “It was an amazing experience”, Ready said. “It was also challenging of course because I was young in my career and there were players older than I was when I was coaching”. In the first year as an assistant coach, Ready helped led the Groove to a championship in their first year. “It was an extraordinary run” said Ready. “I still have great relationships with the coaches, players, and their kids”.
Stephanie is a great exemplar of what most females should follow when having doubts of trying to compete with males for a position. ESPN for example, which has a predominance of males working in that company, females are perceived to not fit the level of competition as a sports analyst like a lot males. Stephanie Ready definitely disagrees with that statement. “If you’re passionate about something then you will always find a certain level of success at that” said Ready. “In Sports in particular with females you really have to know what you are talking about. If you are passionate about it you will find success and don’t worry about what other people think”.
Would we ever see Stephanie on the sidelines again as a coach? “That’s a question I get asked a lot”, a chuckling Ready answered. “The answer is yes, but not right now. I love broadcasting and staying this close to the game without having the stress of being a coach”. When you attend a Charlotte Bobcats game just look towards the entrance of the Bobcats and you will Stephanie at her work desk working on her craft constantly studying her notes. She also has this emotional attachment with the fans that attend always willing to talk, take pictures, and fulfill the fans with a smile and wave.  It’s not a job for Ready but more like a career attachment with the game that she learned about and loves.