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Wednesday, October 30, 2013
NBA The Official CL Hornets-Bobcats Season Preview
Posted By Jeff Laughlin on Wed, Oct 30, 2013 at 4:25 PM
The Charlotte Bobcats-Hornets had a dilemma this offseason. With a chance at a top pick in a stacked 2014 draft, they could have put together another historically bad season. They could have tanked, fixated on the ever-elusive "future." But they chose to get better.
The 2013 draft had a prime candidate for tanking fall directly into their laps. Nerlens Noel looked like the overall No. 1 pick until he tore his ACL during his lone college season. A seven-footer with great defensive skill but a rough offensive game, Noel slipped to the fourth spot in the draft and into Charlotte's laps.
Monday, October 28, 2013
NBA Bobcats week in review
Posted By Jeff Laughlin on Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 3:58 PM
- In the ever-growing market of watching games on television at the stadium in which you paid to watch a game live, Time Warner Cable Arena has opened a beer garden. Featuring a set of tables and TVs, fans now have a chance to possibly watch other games rather than enjoy the Bobcats.
Of course, the Bobcats could be winning at the time. The management made strides to be better than the last few teams.
No matter, now with the addition of craft beer, fans can ignore the team win or lose for a tidy (as of yet unfounded) $10 to $12 a beer.
Support mediocrity in style.
-Al Jefferson will be ready for the start of the season. No one really doubted that Jefferson would start game one after he scratched a good deal of the preseason with a right ankle sprain. Veterans often miss a lot of preseason games, even with new teams, so this news is no surprise.
-The roster, after Charlotte cut former top-10 pick Patrick O'Bryant, now stands at its maximum allotment.
Likely fans will say goodbye to Jeff Adrien, James Southerland or both before the season begins. Their unguaranteed contracts stand in the way of 10-day contracts and D-League prospects, since most teams don't carry a max roster for most of the season.
-More and more, people are talking about Cody Zeller as a good pick in a bad draft. Rufus on Fire notes how Zeller ranks second among rookies as voted by GMs. As my friend who came over for NBA Draft night might remind me, I hated the pick so much that I renounced basketball as my only God. Needless to say, my pilot light relit, I beckon Zeller's brilliance. I would even sacrifice the cat that keeps coming onto my porch to please Basketball enough to make Zeller a rookie of the year candidate.
-Oct. 30 marks the beginning of the season, a game against the Houston Rockets. The March Toward Mediocrity begins this week. Needless to say, excitement abounds. By then, this column will be in full swing,
On that note: HELLO EVERYONE MY NAME IS JEFF NICE TO MEET YOU ALL.
Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly identified the day the season starts and which team the Bobcats' will play. The season begins Oct. 30, against the Houston Rockets.
Friday, October 18, 2013
College Football / Open For Debate Open to debate: The college football season so far
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Oct 18, 2013 at 2:43 PM
It's probably because football is my favorite sport, but I can't believe we're halfway through the college football season and nearly to the halfway point in the NFL. Where does the time go? Anyway, here are some thoughts on the college season so far:
- First off, let me just say that the pink helmets Oregon will be playing in this weekend have taken Breast Cancer Awareness Month a bit too far. Not too far for the cause, but too far for the Ducks. How many different uniform options does this team have right now? (At last check, it was around 384.) It's a good thing that Oregon is winning; otherwise, the entire idea of mirrored helmets and neon uniforms might be a total distraction. Open to debate: What's your thought on the recent rash of uniform varieties - combat, pride, etc. - good for the sport or trashing tradition?
- I'm tired of Alabama. (Disclaimer: I went to college at Auburn and will yell "War Eagle!" till the day I die.) Hasn't everyone but Bama fans had enough of them? How many weeks of beating up on cupcake opponents can we watch? The same goes for Oregon and Ohio State - if only they had won a title or two in the past few years. I guess teams with tougher schedules don't come out unscathed. Still, I'd rather see the winner of Saturday's Clemson-Florida State game be voted as the No. 1 team in the country, especially if one of them serves up an old-fashioned beatdown. Open to debate: If both teams were to win out, would a one-loss Texas A&M team, who will face five top-25 teams this season, be more deserving of the SEC Championship game than an undefeated Alabama team who only faces two? (Remember the A&M loss to Bama came early in the season.)
- Speaking of which, I hold firm in my opinion that no team should get any ranking before mid-October - that way we truly know how teams are playing. Teams that aren't predicted to do well don't have to climb all the way to the top if they stay undefeated, and teams that are tanking shouldn't be in the rankings in the first place. No matter how poorly a team plays, those at the top rarely change rankings without a loss. Open to debate: Should Georgia (AP No. 15) and its two losses (and eeked-out overtime win to Tennessee) be ranked above three undefeated teams and four schools with one loss? If the polls were released this week for the first time, do you think they'd even be in the top 25, especially knowing how many injuries they're plagued with?
- At least one team in the top 5 is going to lose this weekend (Clemson or Florida State). After that, there aren't many challenges ahead for those leading the pack. Who else wishes the playoffs started this season instead of next? Open to debate: Will the SEC/Alabama win again, or will someone finally dethrone those pesky elephants?
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
sports Is it the end or beginning for the Bobcats' Kemba Walker?
Posted By Jeff Laughlin on Tue, Oct 15, 2013 at 10:59 AM
This could be the end of Kemba Walker in Charlotte. It could also still be the beginning.
In his third year at the most coveted position in basketball - that of primary ballhandler - Walker faces the most pressure of any Bobcats-Hornets player. The NBA has a fair share of point guards who rank better than him, but few that will continue to improve like Walker has the chance to do.
That said, the 2014 draft class looms over the NBA's middle-to-lower tier franchises. Despite improvements at key positions, the Bobcats-Hornets still range in the NBA's lower tier and will look to the draft to improve.
Walker must play better than 2014's potential and prove to the Bobcats-Hornets that he can be good right now. There's no looking to the future after this season; he will be a known commodity. While General Manager Rich Cho may like Walker, he may like the possibility to improve the position more.
