Friday, October 31

Bobcats Opening Night: Good, Bad & Ugly

Not the first to use the G,B,&U, but with most coverage centering on the negative it's important to not lose sight of the positives. A slow start for the Cats was expected, but there were some encouraging signs for the season ahead.

The Good

Adam Morrison was funny to watch. He's moving well and shot well at 4-9, despite going 0-2 behind the arc. His defense remains subpar, but the effort was there.

Emeka struggled scoring, but he rebounded well, having a game high 12, and challenged shots at the rim all night.

The team shot well from the free throw line, connecting on 26 of 31 from the stripe. 83.9% is more than a 10% increase from last year.

The Bad

The team's shooting continues to leave much to be desired (33.8%). Raymond Felton was just 1-10, but the major disappointment remains from the 4 and 5 positions. Sean May and Mek combined for just nine points, with Nazr Mohammad contributing just 4 off the bench. The team has to get more high percentage points from these guys.

D.J. Augustin got off to an unspectacular start, having only two assists against four turnovers. Once again he was unable to connect from long range, going 0-3.

Matt Carroll still has not found his place in the rotation. He played 13 minutes, missing 2 shots, and 2 assists were his only stats.

The Cavs had 22 fast break points, a total that will be insurmountable in any game for the Bobcats this season. The Bobcats don't have enough scoring to allow that many free points to any opponent. The Cavs also had more points off turnovers, points in the paint, and second chance points.

The Ugly

Alexis Ajinca...'s attempted dunk. Fellow rookie JJ Hickson met him on the way to hoop and unceremoniously denied the Awful Tower (I kid, I kid). It was Hickson's second big play of the game, as he also delivered this...



Sean May played only 15 minutes. As one of the few talented scorers on the roster, coach Larry Brown needs him on the floor. Until May can drop the weight he'll be known as "Bowser," because he's big, slow, can hurt if he get his hands on you the ball, but is easily evaded. His lack of fitness also forced Coach Brown to play Gerald Wallace at the PF position, and that's never a good thing.





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