Even a scantily clad barbie doll reading from a teleprompter could tell you that the Charlotte Bobcats needed Emeka Okafor. Okafor may not be the franchise player they've always dreamed of, but his production is solid, he's a hard worker, and every second his contract dispute wore on, the more discombobulated the Charlotte front office looked. If you don't make contact with the people who work for you, who you depend on, you're risking the value of your franchise. Apparently somebody in Charlotte woke up and realized that because Marc Stein's got the goods on Okafor's new 6 year, $72 million dollar deal. The $12 million annually puts him on par with the Bucks' Andrew Bogut, and cements Okafor as the center piece of the Bobcats' frontcourt for the future. In the end, it may have been a matter of the Charlotte front office realizing that if you wake up one day and you don't have your guy that can consistently put in rebounds, block shots, put backs, and solid defense, you're not going to compete. That kind of talent doesn't just grow on trees.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-29-2008 @ 4:47PM
jk said...
everyone once in a while you guys write a GOOD no-nonsense/straight to the point article,,good job
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7-29-2008 @ 5:47PM
Jared said...
I don't see how Charlotte's front office can be characterized as idiots who just now saw the light. They offered Okafor a deal that was more than fair last summer and signed him to a similar deal this summer. They took their time, didn't panic and got the deal that they wanted. Everyone was speculating about what they MIGHT do, but it seems like they knew what they were going to do all along.
If you want to criticize the Bobcats stick to Adam Morrison and Sam Vincent jokes because they come off looking just fine with this deal.
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7-30-2008 @ 2:17PM
hootie_69 said...
I hate to be that guy but every time I hear about Okafor I think about Dwight Howard and what a beast he is*. I know Okafor was the safer choice at the time but I wonder if the Bobcats would be at the same level of sucktitude if they had gone for Howard and had a max contract level player to build their franchise around instead of a Bogut level guy.**
* First time I have ever thought about it but poor Sam Bowie. How many people remember, or have even heard of if you're young enough, Steve Stipanovich the bust picked #2 in the 83 draft? Not me I just had to look that up on the series of tubes. Any other year and the guy would have been forgotten by now but instead he is forever associated with failure.
**Yes I do realize that Okafor is a better player for the money.
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7-31-2008 @ 10:55AM
Brett said...
Hootie - you do realize the Bobcats did not have a choice between Howard and Okafor? Orlando took Howard with the first selection, leaving Charlotte to take Emeka.
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