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2008 Charlotte Bobcats Predictions & Season Preview

Written by Luke Knight

The Charlotte Bobcats received a huge credibility boost when team executive Michael Jordan hired Larry Brown to be the franchise’s third head coach. Jordan and Brown are both former North Carolina Tar Heels. Brown most recently coached the New York Knicks, but without success and everyone knew that Brown, one of five coaches with 1,000 NBA wins, couldn’t end his coaching career with the Knicks’ disaster. Brown stresses defense, sharing the ball, playing hard, and playing the right way. Other than the Knicks, Brown has taken every team he’s coached to the postseason and reached three NBA Finals, winning it all in 2004 with the Pistons. Read on to see if we think Larry Brown can take the Bobcats to the playoffs this season. Check out BetUS where the Charlotte Bobcats are at +1800 odds to win the Southeast Division and +5000 odds to win the Eastern Conference.

Raymond Felton has raised his scoring and assist averages each season and should flourish under Larry Brown, as long as the former Tar Heel can take the heat that his coach will surely put on him. Brown was a former point guard himself and is always hard on point guards, but he usually gets the most from his lead guards. Felton knows the system already and looks forward to being coached by Brown. He should have a bigger year than last season where he finished 7th in the NBA in assists with 7.4 assists per game. D.J. Augustin was selected 9th in the NBA Draft and is a pure point guard. He can run a team and make plays for his teammates, but he also can get in the lane and score. Felton and Augustin will both need to improve defensively.

Jason Richards showed basketball fans that he can do more than just dunk. He is an explosive off guard who did not disappoint after his trade from Golden State. Richardson established 10 single-season franchise records and nine single-season career highs. Richardson has yet to play for a coach with such structure, but he is so talented on both ends of the floor that he should excel under Brown. Matt Carroll is a pure shooter, whose 43.6% accuracy from beyond the arc last season set a franchise record and ranked 9th in the NBA. Carroll is very effective coming off screens so he should be effective in Brown’s motion offense.

Gerald Wallace had his best season with 19.4 points and 3.5 assists per game. Wallace plays all-out attacking basketball which often times results in being out of position. Wallace’s physical, attacking style allows him to effectively guard three, and maybe four positions. He also made a career best 71 3-pointers last year, equaling his total from his first six seasons combined. Jared Dudley will come off the bench to give Wallace a breather. He is a smart, hard-working player that has been productive off the bench and should contribute more this season.

Emeka Okafor will start the season at power forward. Okafor is a natural center and a double-double machine, who will play over until Sean May recovers. Okafor averaged 13.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocked shots last season. Okafor’s scoring numbers should increase under Brown. Sean May underwent micro-fracture surgery on his right knee, the third and most serious procedure on the knee in two years. Some players never recover from the surgery, but he wants to prove he can stay healthy and be an all-star caliber player, but he is not quite there yet.

Nazr Mohammed started 29 of his 61 games after being acquired from Detroit last year. Mohammed averaged nearly as many points off the bench as he did for Charlotte as a starter. He averaged 9.5 as a starter and 9.2 off the bench. Ryan Hollins will back up Mohammed. He needs to take a giant leap in development after averaging only 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds so far in the NBA.

Final Analysis

The Bobcats have a youthful team full of a talent and a legendary coach looking to prove he can still win at this level. If the young guys listen to Brown and play his system and can stay healthy, the Bobcats could compete for a postseason spot. So far Brown has a lot of jumpers and they haven’t quite got into playing his system, so that could lead to a rocky road in the beginning, plus Sean May is not quite recovered and in playing shape so the Bobcats won’t send out their best lineup just yet. With our NBA predictions we’ve got the Bobcats competing for 3rd in the Division, which would give them a chance at the playoffs this season. The Bobcats are at +10000 odds to win an NBA Title, so if they by into Larry Brown’s system and have success they should be an underrated team with the potential to get some favorable NBA betting odds.

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