OUR FANHOUSE TOOLBAR INTEGRATES THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS INTO YOUR WEB BROWSER AND INSTALLS IN SECONDS.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE TOOLBAR HERE.

NBA Charlotte

Latest Charlotte Stories

Michael Jordan Recives 'Citizen of the Carolinas' Award;

Posted: Jun 30th 2008 11:46 PM ET by Will Brinson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Bobcats, NBA Media Watch, Charlotte, Carolina

1 COMMENT
Prior to the recent announcement that Michael Jordan would be the 2008 Citizen of the Carolinas, his greatest accomplishment in life was his minor league batting title. Well, whew. Now we don't have to worry about MJ's self confidence, as the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce awarded him the title this past weekend.
The basketball legend is this year's Citizen of the Carolinas, joining the ranks of his former Tar Heels coach, the Federal Reserve chairman and other VIPs with Carolinas ties, the Chamber announced Friday.

The award is given annually to a person from North Carolina or South Carolina who has brought positive recognition to the states.

Jordan made the cut because of his success on and off the court and his charitable contributions, Chamber officials said in a press release.
And because the Bobcats have been so freaking good since he got there! Zing! (What? It was way more appropriate than making some "Free Lexus to College Students Program" joke.)

Now, it is interesting and great and all that Jordan won this award. My issue is that the award really only seems to focus on glad-handing a famous celebrity, since it, by very definition, requires previous public recognition to actually be achieved. Plus, all charitable donations aside, it totally fails to acknowledge the recent less than stellar news about Jordan regarding his personal life that have come forward. Oh. And the Bobcats.

The Bobcats Swear Felton Is Still Starting and MJ Discusses Trading G-Force for T.J. Ford

Posted: Jun 28th 2008 7:40 PM ET by Will Brinson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Bobcats, Eastern, NBA Draft, NBA Gossip, NBA Rumors, Charlotte

2 COMMENTS

The Bobcats, needless to say, had a curious draft. Everyone expected Brook Lopez' name to get called at nine; after all, what need does Charlotte have with D.J. Augustin if Raymond Felton is the future at point guard? (Answer: exactly.) But Charlotte reaffirmed today that Felton is going to keep starting and that Augustin was merely drafted as a backup.
"We don't think D.J. is going to come in right now and be the starting point guard," [GM Rod] Higgins said.

While Higgins dismissed talk of a Felton-to-Knicks trade, it's clear the Bobcats were in various trade discussions leading up to the draft.

Managing partner Michael Jordan confirmed Thursday that the team talked to the Toronto Raptors about a deal that could have swapped forward Gerald Wallace for point guard T.J. Ford.
Apparently, talks stalled because the Raptors wanted a draft pick included as well, which seems like a nice thing to let Wallace know (You alone, sir, are worth one T.J. Ford, but you and a draft pick? We think not.) heading into the offseason.
Continue Reading »

Some Sort of Trade Is Gonna Go Down in Bobcat Land Soon

Posted: Jun 27th 2008 11:15 AM ET by Will Brinson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Bobcats, NBA Draft, NBA Rumors, NBA Last Night, Charlotte

3 COMMENTS
The buzz out of Charlotte is all about D.J. Augustin. And how could it not be? The Bobcats passed over Brook Lopez, a.k.a. the scoring big man they need to move Emeka Okafor to the four, in favor of Texas' point guard. And they did this when, in theory, they already have the point guard of the future, Raymond Felton.

But obviously, Larry Brown does not care for Felton. I am making that conclusion based on a) the drafting of Augustin, b) Brown getting on national television and saying (paraphrase) that a strong connection to your point guard is absolutely necessary for success and c) my amazing ability to connect dots.

Now, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer is saying that, with very few exceptions, anyone on the roster is fair game to be moved around.
The Bobcats were in serious discussions with the Toronto Raptors about a deal that could have swapped [Gerald] Wallace for T.J. Ford. It didn't happen, but that's the clearest indication yet how active the Bobcats are in seeing what their players might bring in trade.

I assure you Wallace isn't alone. Raymond Felton could be moved, and so could just about anyone else with perhaps the exception of Jason Richardson.
That shouldn't be surprising, and Richardson is only off limits because of his contract. What is shocking is how quickly Michael Jordan, Brown and Co have given up on Felton (all three Carolina grads) given they spent a high lottery pick on him just a few years ago.
Continue Reading »

Charlotte Wants #5 ... At (Almost) Any Cost?

Posted: Jun 26th 2008 12:15 PM ET by Tom Ziller (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Bobcats, Mavericks, Grizzlies, NBA Draft, NBA Rumors, Charlotte

1 COMMENT
Memphis is alive this morning. Zach from 3 Shades of Blue sends along this rumor by Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, writing on the paper's "Memphis Edge" blog.
Before trading for the 20th pick, the Charlotte Bobcats asked Memphis to take anyone on their roster for the No. 5 pick. It's something that hasn't been completely ruled out. Now that Charlotte owns the ninth and 20th picks, don't be shocked if the Griz agreed to take players plus the ninth and 20th picks for the fifth and 28th selections.
It isn't apparent whether the Grizzlies would be sending their own player back in such a deal; they don't have to, as both squads are under the cap a decent amount -- Jason Richardson would be the only guy who'd make too much to be traded to Memphis for nothing but picks.

And that's irrelevant, apparently: the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell says J-Rich is the only untouchable Bobcat. In a separate story, Bonnell also bolsters the Memphis rumors, noting that "several NBA sources identified the Memphis Grizzlies ... as the team most willing to deal down."

Emeka Okafor couldn't be the Grizzlies' choice, as he's a restricted free agent. Gerald Wallace, though ... imagine him next to Rudy Gay. Frederic Weis just peed himself. Tillery also says Memphis has called Dallas about Josh Howard, who seems like a dark-horse trade candidate no one's talking about all of a sudden.

NBA Draft Crystal Ballin': Charlotte Bobcats

Posted: Jun 23rd 2008 11:00 AM ET by Will Brinson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Bobcats, NBA Draft, Charlotte

1 COMMENT
Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

If NBA greatness translated to the front office, ho-boy, would the Bobcats be unstoppable. Unfortunately, it doesn't. And as such, Michael Jordan's Tarheel-homerism-fueled draft rampage will only be stopped this year by everyone flocking back to Chapel Hill. Oh wait. Larry Brown's still coming.

Picks: #9, #38

Needs: A big man who can score and/or complement Emeka Okafor in the post (read: let him play power forward). Or perhaps an aggressive, defensive minded bigger guard-forward that can keep Adam Morrison off the floor when Gerald Wallace gets hurt.

Best Case Scenario: Brook Lopez drops to number nine, although considering how guard/non-big man heavy the top part of the draft is, this seems pretty unlikely. There's chatter that people aren't enamored with Brook's lack of upside though, and nothing scares an NBA front office away from someone like "lack of upside" (see: Battier, Shane). And speaking of homerism -- I'm going out on a limb and saying the Cats should trade down in the second round and pick up local UNCG product (respect the alma mater, please) and 3/4 tweener Kyle Hines, or just roll with a Joey Dorsey/D.J. White frontcourt addition.
Continue Reading »

Ty Lawson Rolls Ankle. Again.

Posted: Jun 10th 2008 12:09 PM ET by Sportz Assassin (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Wizards, Nuggets, UNC Basketball, ACC Basketball, NBA Prospects, Charlotte, Carolina

3 COMMENTS

Let me tell ya: this whole Ty Lawson saga just keeps getting weirder. After announcing he will enter the NBA Draft, he's had nothing but drama.

Mind you, he still has a week to make a decision on whether or not to come back to North Carolina (he hasn't signed with an agent, keeping his eligibility), so lord knows what else could go wrong.

Well, add this to the list: Lawson rolled his ankle while working out for the Washington Wizards. The Wiz hold the #18 pick and ... let's just say ... they have a thing for UNC players (Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood, assistant coach Mike O'Koren).

Remember that Lawson has hurt his ankle during the past season at UNC.

Continue Reading »

The Bobcats Are Really Into This Whole "Carolina" Thing

Posted: Jun 5th 2008 10:27 AM ET by Matt Moore (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Bobcats, Eastern, Charlotte

3 COMMENTS
The Charlotte Bobcats are apparently big, big fans of that little piece of "God's country" in Chapel Hill. The Bobcats already have minority owner and former Tarheel Michael Jordan to go with head coach and former Tarheel Larry Brown and forward and former Tarheel Sean May. That's a lot of former Taheel. Tarheel tarheel.

Well, on top of that, yesterday the Bobcats hired former Tarheel player and coach Dave Hanners, and former Tarheel player and assistant coach Phil Ford for assistant coaching positions on Larry Browns staff. At this point, we're pretty sure the concession guys used to rock the baby blues.

It's a savvy marketing strategy, in a market that has been lukewarm to the NBA, especially since returning in Bobcats form. Using ties to local heroes for the revered college is a surefire way to create connections with fans between the club and the UNC crowd, of which there is no shortage of in Charlotte. Still, traditionally, teams have veered away from going overboard in selecting "local" guys, as to not pigeonhole themselves. The Bobcats seem to be bearhugging the idea.

Bobcats fans might want to thank their lucky stars there isn't a small guard from UNC in the top of this year's draft, given their need for size and scoring at the 5 spot.

Michael Jordan Has 99 Problems But a ... Actually, Make That 100

Posted: Jun 4th 2008 8:00 PM ET by Matt Watson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Bobcats, NBA Gossip, NBA Police Blotter, Charlotte

31 COMMENTS
Michael JordanWe've documented Michael Jordan's run-ins with Lisa Miceli several times before, and today he formally requested a permanent no-contact order against her. He'll find out within 10 days if the judge grants him one.

Who's Lisa Miceli, you ask? She claims to have had an on-again, off-again affair with MJ, which may or may not be true, and she also claims that MJ fathered her four-year-old child, which two separate paternity tests have determined to be false.

Nevertheless, she won't stop harassing him, sending him a non-stop barrage of emails and voice mail messages. It seems clear the woman is disturbed -- she was even thrown out of today's court proceedings for speaking out of turn several times.

If you want Miceli's side of the story, well, she has a blog. She's been quite active publishing the last few days, but good luck deciphering any of her rantings. If she really feels wronged and wants to win the court of public opinion, deleting that, staying off the internet and going cold turkey on the crazy pills would be a huge step.

If David Stern Rules the NBA Lottery

Posted: May 20th 2008 5:00 PM ET by Tom Ziller (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Knicks, Bulls, Bobcats, Clippers, Kings, Grizzlies, NBA Draft, Charlotte, New York

0 COMMENTS
By theory, the NBA Draft Lottery (tonight at 7:30 p.m. Eastern) is left to randomness. But what if, as the conspiracy-minded have insisted for more than two decades, David Stern dictated the results? Close your eyes and imagine such a world ...

#1 Pick: New York Knicks. No explanation is needed here.

#2 Pick: Charlotte Bobcats. Several moribund franchises need a kick start -- Indiana, the Clippers, Milwaukee. But Charlotte has all the ingredients of one of those single-season super swings: a serious coach, good talent, weak competition. If a hypothetical Stern were to fix a lottery, and he could -- with one fell swoop, really -- fix the Pacers, the Clips, the Bucks, or the Cats ... he'd pick Charlotte every time. "Thank you MJ, thank you Larry Brown, thank you Robert Johnson. Now sell some tickets!"

#3 Pick: Sacramento Kings. As mentioned in the karmic scale, the NBA is running the Maloofs' bid for a new Kings arena. By all accounts, the progress is swell. But there's negotiation to come. Would it be beyond a hypothetical Stern to grease the skids a bit by handing over an elite prospect? Does a tough economic sell become a little easier with a top-flight rookie in tow? Yes, methinks. < / homer>

Honorable mentions: Chicago (big market), Clippers (ditto), Memphis (retribution for gifting ABC an extra few weeks of the Lakers).

Join NBA FanHouse at 7 p.m. Eastern for a live blog of the lottery, hosted by Brett Edwards.

... In Which Adam Morrison's Stock Plummets

Posted: Apr 29th 2008 7:33 PM ET by Tom Ziller (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Bobcats, Charlotte

8 COMMENTS
If you are Adam Morrison, the agent of Adam Morrison, or a fan of Adam Morrison, this Associated Press-culled quote from Larry Brown's first morning in Charlotte bodes poorly.
"I saw Sean (May) when I walked in and Matt (Carroll)," Brown said. "And the kid with the long hair, I didn't know his name. He wasn't dressed like a basketball player."
He can pick out Matt "The Hammer" Carroll ... but not the 2006 #3 pick, who happens to have a rather unforgettable mug?

All the other youngsters on the roster -- Emeka Okafor, Raymond Felton, May -- have got to feel like a weight's been lifted off their shoulders: Day 1 and Ammo's already the goat. (It makes perfect sense too, considering Ammo lacks defensive acumen and does not quite fit in the "right way" offensive schema.) Morrison'll be on the trade block by Columbus Day.