The Charlotte Observer (Rick Bonnell) reports: Larry Brown, the Charlotte Bobcats’ Hall of Fame coach, calls Jared Dudley the most pleasant surprise of this preseason. The only surprise to me is how long it took Brown to fall in love with Dudley’s approach. Brown said Dudley had a terrible performance in summer league. I concur. He was self-conscious initially, trying to do everything just-so, then hurt his back. But trying too hard is not the worst offense, right? Dudley started training camp third-team, mostly playing with guys who’ll migrate to various D-League addresses soon enough. But he never complained, always tried, and now he’s, at worst, in a tie with Adam Morrison for the second-best small forward on this team. That’s how it’s always been. On Tuesday, the Bobcats will play the Los Angeles Lakers in San Diego, Dudley’s hometown. About 300 friends and family will attend, cheering wildly. But that’s as well as he’ll be remembered along the West Coast.
