Wednesday, June 27, 2007

What will the Bobcats do?

It's down to crunch time for the Charlotte Bobcats.

We know the team is in talks with Phoenix about moving the No. 8 pick and Charlotte's best player, Gerald Wallace, is officially an unrestricted free agent.

Charlotte has the cap room to make him an offer somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 million a year, and very few teams can match that. I think it will come down to whether or nor Wallace feels the team can contend for titles in the next few years.

The Bobcats ought to have a gut feeling as to whether or not Wallace will re-sign. If they don't think he will, trading the No. 8 pick just doesn't make any sense when they can draft his replacement.

As far as the trade with Phoenix, the Suns have been involved in nearly every draft trade rumor, with Shawn Marion always being mentioned. Thing is, Marion can opt out of his contract at the end of next year, which means any team trading for him would probably want to do a sign-and-trade.

The interesting thing, though, is that Marion's name hasn't been mentioned in the Charlotte trade. So what exactly would the Bobcats get? Leandro Barbosa and maybe a future pick? I don't like it.

Lots of options going on.

Obviously, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant won't be available at No. 8, and it also appears Mike Conley and Al Hortford will be taken very high. I think someone (maybe Golden State) will make a play for Yi Jianlian. So Charlotte, if it stays put, will have either Jeff Green, Corey Brewer, Joakim Noah, Brandan Wright and Al Thornton. Wright's stock has been slipping, but will Charlotte draft someone that didn't even workout for the team (Wright and Green)?

Another thing to think about, the Bobcats also hold the No. 22 pick. In this deep draft, that's like an 11-15 pick most other years.

I'd love to see Arron Afflalo come across the coast. Other names that could be available: Vandy's Derrick Byars, Wisconsin's Alando Tucker, Boston College's Jared Dudley and Duke's Josh McRoberts. Let's hope for ABJ - Anybody But Josh.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not to be a stickler, but Wrigth did in fact workout with the Bobcats. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=119F852092C36FB0&p_docnum=4

With that said, if he slips to #8 do you take him? I don't think I would, personally

Brad Norman said...

I stand corrected.