Empty the Bench

The NBA regular season is a grueling one, and Empty the Bench has a certain amount of empathy for the bottom-feeding teams in the league that will get nothing more than a few extra ping-pong balls in the draft lottery for their efforts. So we thought it’d be humanitarian of us to profile one of the five worst teams in the Association, winning-percentage wise, every day this week and give you five reasons they’re still worth watching on your League Pass.

Our final look this week at the NBA’s worst zeroes in on the lowly Charlotte Bobcats, who since joining the league in 2004 have dealt with generally low attendance/interest from the home fans, a smattering of injuries to key players, and the honor of having the most laughable team name in the league, which fans can thank owner Bob Johnson for. In a vote between “the Bobcats, the Dragons (no, seriously, they considered it), and the Flight, the “Charlotte Flight” actually won. Johnson, however, preferred the Bobcats and made it so.

In their inaugural season—when you’d think attendance would be strong—the Bobcats only drew more fans than the Hornets, ironically the team that relocated from Charlotte to New Orleans. The franchise has made a concerted effort to drum up a little enthusiasm, bringing in Michael Jordan as Managing Member of Basketball Operations and spending two first-round picks on local North Carolina Tar Heels favorites Raymond Felton and Sean May. They also employ the 04-05 Rookie of the Year, Emeka Okafor. All of it still has the team mired at 27th in league attendance this year, as of early January.

It also has them in last place in the Southeast Division, 13 games behind the Washington Wizards. Their record stands at 22-40 as they kick off a four-game homestand tomorrow against one of only two teams with a lower winning percentage, the Memphis Grizzlies. They’ve yet to win a game in March, and are the proud owners of a seven-game losing streak. Only recapping here, Bobcats fans, not rubbing salt in your wounds. All hope is not lost, though: there’s some talent on this roster and salary-cap room to make a run for a premier free agent this summer.

1. Gerald Wallace stands next to Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson.

Casual followers of the NBA probably aren’t privy to the secret Charlotte is hiding in their lineup at small forward, but they should be. Last year, Wallace joined NBA Hall of Fame shoo-ins Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson as the only NBA players to average over 2 steals and 2 blocks per game in a season (the league started counting blocks as a stat in 1973). This year, the multi-talented combo guard/forward is averaging 17 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks, which is pretty consistent with his stats from last year, save for the blocks.

Wallace has had trouble staying healthy, and we’re pretty sure that trend will continue throughout his career, unfortunately. That doesn’t change the fact that when he’s on the court this guy can make most of his peers look like JV players. Witness his 42 points, 3 three-pointers, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks effort on January 31 against the Knicks. Still just 24 years old, there are a lot of teams who will be lining up for Wallace’s services if he opts out of his deal this summer (which we think he will and should do). With this year’s first-round pick, Adam Morrison, waiting in the wings, it’s unclear how the Bobcats will handle the Wallace situation.

2. If you don’t like the on-court product, there’s always Michael Jordan.

Charlotte has done their very best to endow themselves to the community and piggyback on the Tar Heels fanaticism, which included bringing home His Airness to be involved in the front office. Like his stint in Washington, the results have been mixed, and many Bobcats fans have likely gotten over the novelty of having the former Tar Heel great associated with their team. For his part, Jordan has generally shied away from participating in the team’s marketing campaigns, which is refreshing since MJ wasn’t known for denying many promo ops.

Jordan recently sat down with Bobcats Television play-by-play announcer Matt Devlin for a lengthy interview covering a variety of topics, and seems to think his team isn’t far from becoming competitive:

“I feel like we’re really sitting in a great position right now. We have a great young nucleus of players we drafted. (Adam) Morrison, who I felt like, if he evolves, he can be that key kind of player. But then you look at buying into free agency with the cap room that we have. The table’s set. It’s now applying the talent within the organization and getting every component from the coaching staff all the way down to the scouting and to the players, where they all are on the same unit so we can be successful.

3. The Bobcats have money to spend this summer.

As Jordan alluded to, the Bobcats are one of two teams with enough salary-cap space to dangle a max contract to potential free agents in a few months. That’s huge with so many big names likely available: Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, and Chauncey Billups are the headliners. It’s hard to say, though, what the team will do; they have their own high-profile FA to deal with in Gerald Wallace, and while Billups and Kings PG Mike Bibby are attractive, proven All-Stars, the team already has a burgeoning one at the point in Raymond Felton (fifth in the league in total assists). It wouldn’t make sense to involve him in a sign-and-trade deal for either player.

For our money, the Bobcats should focus their attention on Lewis or VC and let Wallace walk. Of course, if Gerald is allowed to test the market and signs with another team, and the Bobcats strike out in their pursuit of both guys, it won’t look good. Carter would fill a definite need at shooting guard and in the stands, and Lewis brings more to the table than Wallace does with greater scoring, better three-point, free-throw, and field-goal shooting, and a cleaner bill of overall health. Of course, the team could always choose to spread the money between one or two players instead of locking it all up in one: would there be room to resign Wallace, as well as pick up, say, Anderson Varejao and Morris Peterson?

4. The Great Mustachio carries the Magnum P.I. torch.

Rookie Adam Morrison has a cheesy mustache and mangy hair. He doesn’t play defense. But boy—and he’s yet to do it on the consistent level of his Gonzaga college days—when he’s on his game, the dude can score. Honestly, we’re not huge fans, but he has potential. Also, this:

5. Emeka Okafor and Raymond Felton, the Bobcats’ best building blocks.

You knew a player whose first name literally means “God has done well” was destined to do good things in the NBA. Emeka Okafor has battled significant injuries thus far in his career, playing in only 26 contests last year due to a balky ankle (he’s currently out with a strained left calf). When healthy, though, Okafor’s massive, Dwight Howard-like frame has helped him average a double-double all three years in the league.

This year, he’s probably having his best overall effort yet, averaging 14.9 points, 11.7 rebounds, almost 3 blocks, and his highest field-goal percentage at 54%. He blocked ten shots against the Knicks back in January, setting a Madison Square Garden record. There’s nothing especially flashy about his game, but most opponents look forward to dealing with him on the blocks like they look forward to a root canal while watching Full House reruns.

The man often feeding Okafor the ball, second-year point guard Raymond Felton, is just as talented. Though he needs to realize that three-point shooting is not his strong suit and focus more on his mid-range jumper, Felton is excellent at penetrating the lane and dishing to Matt Carroll or Adam Morrison for open shots. As mentioned, he’s fifth overall in the league with 424 assists; our league insiders tell us most teams like their point guard to be good passers.

Felton only has decent size at 6′1″, but he makes up for it with quick hands and a fast first step to the hole. If he can get those 38% field-goal and 75% free-throw percentages up, and continue to be smart with the ball, keeping his turnovers down, there’s no reason he shouldn’t appear in his fair share of All-Star games. Maybe not next year, but the year after. Also, he looks like an owl, so he has that going for him.

Monday: the Memphis Grizzlies
Tuesday: the Boston Celtics
Wednesday: the Milwaukee Bucks
Thursday: the Atlanta Hawks