Can Danny?

The Bobcats are in the nether-world usually reserved for the Atlanta Hawks. They have some good young talent that's not great, they have some cap space but not enough to really grab a true star, and while the team has potential, it also has a ceiling that is far below actually contending for a title.

1. Sort Out The Roster 
Luckily for the Bobcats, Emeka Okafor didn't exactly step up this past season so they should be able to re-sign him for less than a max contract. They might even be able to keep him for around what they are paying Gerald Wallace (a good three million a year less than the max). Of course, those savings have already been wasted on the likes of Matt Carroll (not to mention Adam Morrison). Jason Richardson earned his keep with his performance (and improved shot) last season and Gerald Wallace is a legit #2 star in this league. Raymod Felton appears to be a good young talent but if he can put everything together remains to be seen. He didn't show much of any improvement last season. He's going to be the focal point of this offseason. The person who could benefit the most from Larry Brown is Sean May. If he proves to be a willing defender, he has the talent to become a real threat in Brown's offense. I'm just not sure he's going to be able to stay healthy long enough to ever live up to whatever potential he has left.

2. The Draft
I really can't imagine the Bobcats are going to make this pick. Jordan wants to win and you have to believe that Larry Brown doesn't want to deal with a rookie. The most obvious deal is a move for Brown's former PG, Chauncey Billups. That deal could have some stumbling blocks though since I'd bet that Dumars would want Felton and the #8 while Jordan would want to dump Matt Carroll's horrible contract if he has to give up the lotto pick. Could Larry Brown possibly be interested in working with Allen Iverson again? The Cats have cap space to make a deal but even still, this could be a tough deal to work.

Then again, it would be in Larry Brown's ego's best interest to try to shape Raymond Felton into a top point guard.  Could the Cats instead make a run at a power forward ala Rasheed Wallace or Jermaine O'Neal in a deal or throw a nice offer free agent Antawn Jamison's way.

If they hold onto the pick, they'd probably go with Brook Lopez or Russell Westbrook. 

3. Trade Market
The Bobcats have some cap space to deal with but making a deal will still be difficult because of what they have to use as fodder. Most deals will have to include Nazr Mohammed (3 years, 18 million) or Matt Carroll (5 years, 22 million) and not many people are going to be interested in those contracts. Sean May's value is limited because of his injury and weight issues. The one team that could be interested in a deal would be Denver, who could deal Kenyon Martin for Carroll, Nazr, and Sean May. If the Clippers are really interested in moving Elton Brand, they could look to swap Brand and Richardson although I could see the Clips want more. Would Jordan really give up his leading scorer and the #7 or Sean May for Brand? Do they have enough talent/contracts to make a Jermaine O'Neal trade work? And while I'm a big Rasheed Wallace fan, he's on the decline and I just don't think it makes sense for a young team to give up a top draft pick for him.

In the end, I think Charlotte is probably better off waiting until the trade deadline to make a move. Figure out how May and Felton work with Larry Brown and then see if you need to move them and what you can get. 

4. Free Agency
The first order of business is to grab a veteran point guard who can help Raymond Felton and appease Larry Brown. The ancient Lindsey Hunter is a good option while Darrell Johnson or Anthony Johnson might also fill in nicely. The biggest issue for the 'Cats is that while they are probably looking for veteran free agents, they aren't a winning team and have a ball-buster of a coach. That just doesn't seem very appealing. I just dont' see many people lining up to get yelled at in front of a 3/4 empty arena every night.

5. Summary
The Bobcats are in a situation which is pretty much impossible to gauge. You really have to have a direct line to most NBA general manager offices to be able to first gauge the value of their prospects (and how much someone like Okafor is going to get paid) and then to know if anyone is even remotely interested in taking on deals like Carroll or Mohammed. With the right minor changes and some luck in terms of health, Larry Brown could get this team to be next year's version of the Hawks or 76ers. I'm just not sure if they can really expect more than that (or if they are really looking for anything more than giving the few fans they have a reason to come to the games). 

Possible Final Roster
Starters: Raymond Felton, Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace, Kenyon Martin, Emerka Okafor
Bench: Lindsey Hunter, Brook Lopez, Jared Dudley,  Adam Morrison, Othella Harrington, Jemarreo Davidson.