Fluke? Not In Charlotte!

The Cinderella story of the Eastern Conference last season, the Charlotte Bobcats have regrouped, retooled and reloaded for another deep playoff run this season. Although they didn’t fair very well against the eventual CSL champion Miami Heat, they put their stamp on the league that this team is no fluke and is a force to be reckoned with year in and year out.

Two seasons ago, the Bobcats were seen as a team totally devoid of talent outside of Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. It was looked at as a long-term rebuilding project that would take multiple seasons to even be considered a legitimate playoff team. At least that’s what everyone but Sun Scorched believed.

While it seemed like more than half of the league was tanking or rebuilding, the Bobcats pounced on some timely deals and accumulated assets and talent along the way. Although they didn’t make the playoffs in the 2012-2013 season, the seeds were planted for a big step in the right direction and that’s exactly what happened.

Last year, the Bobcats improved their record by 16 games, finishing the regular season 46-36, firmly in the playoffs but not given a chance to get out of the first round. Not only did they win their opening round series, they rolled through the second round as well. Unfortunately, the dream season ended in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This offseason, the Bobcats didn’t rest on their past season’s efforts. Sun Scorched hit the free agency market early and often, adding legitimate talent to the roster via free agency signings as well as one trade with another Eastern Conference foe. Let’s take a look at the roster as it is currently constructed.

Point Guard

Ramon Sessions – The former Bobcat was signed this offseason and looks to usurp the starting position from the incumbent Kendall Marshall. A truly underrated point man, Sessions can spark a team offensively (averaged 15.2 ppg last season) while still being a very capable passer. He’s a very disciplined player and with good defensive technique, which fits in nicely with what the Bobcats want to do.

Kendall Marshall – Brought in after dealing away Kemba Walker, Marshall played very well with Kobe Bryant in the backcourt with him. Can he still have the type of success without the future Hall of Famer? He’s a pure point guard in every sense of the word with a jump shot to keep defenses honest. Can’t ask for much more from your backup point guard.

Shooting Guard

Tyreke Evans – The biggest addition to this roster is Tyreke Evans, coming over from Portland in the offseason. He’s got huge shoes to fill replacing the aforementioned Black Mamba, but ‘Reke is the type of ball dominant guard that this roster could really use. He’s got a propensity to attack the rim and get to the line which will be huge for this team. Look for Evans to be in attack mode at all times.

Goran Dragic – Dealt from the Pacers, Dragic played a lot of point guard last season. In Charlotte, he’ll be asked to be their main scorer off the bench, something he is very adept at doing. A crafty scorer, Dragic can drive the lane as well as knock down the jumper with ease. He’s got all the tools to be that dominant sixth man title teams love to have.

Small Forward

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – One of the elite perimeter defenders in the entire league, MKG is starting to make some noise on t he offensive end as well. In Scorched’s offense, he averaged 14.4 ppg last season on 48% shooting. He makes his money scoring off the dribble and getting into the paint where he scored on 68% of his attempts. If he can limit his jump shots (36% shooting on 6+ attempts per game), Kidd-Gilchrist will be a great two-way player.

Kelenna Azubuike – Playing behind MKG, Azubuike won’t see a ton of minutes but he will bring a legit defense and shooting ability off of the bench.

Power Forward

Amar’e Stoudemire – Charlotte fans, welcome back Amar’e! Stoudemire was brought back on a big deal after being shipped out to Los Angeles in the Kobe Bryant deal. Sun Scorched got huge results out of Stoudemire when he was a Bobcat and we would expect nothing less on this go around. He is the offensive threat in the paint this team lacked at the end of last season and should compliment the rest of the roster nicely.

Jared Sullinger – A young, developing big, Sullinger played admirably as the starter last year. He’s much more suited for a reserve role and to bring an excellent rebounder and low post scorer off the bench will be a luxury that the Bobcats could get used to.

Center

Anderson Varejao – A big name signing in the offseason, Varejao is coming off a season in which he averaged 17 and 10 for the Clippers. A great defensive player that is one of the better rebounders in the CSL, pairing Varejao with Stoudemire improves this front court ten fold from last season. Although he shot just 47% from the floor last season, a second paint presence on offense will be great for the Bobcats.

Omer Asik – A long, lean backup center that abuses teams on the offensive boards and can be a serious problem for opposing offenses in the paint, Asik could be the best big man off of the bench in the entire league. As long as he doesn’t take away offensive touches from the top scorers on this team, he will serve his purpose on the team.

Sun Scorched has assembled not only great talent but perhaps unparalleled depth in this league. Outside of the small forward position, this team can legitimately go two-deep at all positions. The GM’s plan was to put together a team that could have versatile players that can handle, pass and score at the one, two and three positions to create matchup nightmares and it looks like he has done just that. Not only is this team a threat to Miami in the division but they should be considered one of the top-5 teams in the entire league. Another deep run in the playoffs is not only what Charlotte fans are hoping but it is now an expectation.

Definitely a lot of expectations for both Charlotte (and Houston, for that matter) after coming off seasons making it deep in the playoffs when no one expected them to. This Bobcats (Hornets?) team is super deep, and though they may not beat out Miami in the division, they could again be a big player in the playoffs because not many teams can go 10 deep like this team can.

shooting is a concern with this team imo.

Can't wait for Tyreke vs Bradley games

Boy I can't wait to zone the hell out of you. You have noooo outside shooting on this roster, but you do have quite a few very talented players.

I love seeing Kidd-Gilchrist performing at this level offensively.

You have no perimeter scoring in that starting lineup- I'd move Dragic into the starting lineup if I were you. He'll give you at least one 3 a game given the touches.