Charlotte Hornets Blog – Page 67 – NBA Blog

Charlotte Bobcats still for sale

The Charlotte Bobcats continue to be for sale, and it sounds like the current owner can’t wait to part ways with the team. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reports:

Bob Johnson and Houston’s George Postolos continue negotiations on a deal that could shift control of the Charlotte Bobcats, multiple sources told the Observer Monday.

Whether a deal is imminent is anyone’s guess.

Johnson, who owns about 70 percent of the franchise, put the team up for sale months ago. Postolos, formerly president of the Houston Rockets, has assembled a group of investors. It’s unclear whether other bidders are still pursuing a purchase.

Sounds like a fantastic investment!

The Observer continues:

The team is heavily in debt – in excess of $100 million – and any buyer would have to take on that burden as part of the purchase… Johnson has told his minority partners to anticipate tens of millions in losses over the next two years.

Bobcats trade Emeka Okafor to Hornets for Tyson Chandler

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has acquired center Tyson Chandler from the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for forward/center Emeka Okafor.

In 197 games over three seasons with New Orleans, the 7-1 Chandler averaged 10.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 34.3 minutes, while shooting .611 from the field (829-1356). Chandler, who missed 29 of the team’s final 44 games last season due to left ankle injuries, averaged 8.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 32.1 minutes over 45 games played in 2008-09.

The second overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, Chandler has played in 537 games for Chicago and New Orleans over his eight NBA seasons. Chandler holds career averages of 8.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 28.0 minutes, while shooting .554 from the field (1671-3014).

“We looked at this trade as an opportunity to improve our team,” Higgins said. “Tyson brings that unique level of athleticism in a 7-footer that puts us in a position to compete night in and night out with the other quality centers in the league.”

“Emeka is one of the premier centers in the NBA with All-Star caliber scoring and rebounding averages throughout his career,” said Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower. “His potential to improve is endless once you put him on the court running with Chris Paul. We appreciate what Tyson has done for our club in the past and wish him the best, but our intention this summer was to improve our team and this trade is definitely a positive move in that direction.”

Chandler led the NBA in offensive rebounds in both 2006-07 and 2007-08, ranking second in the league in rebounds per game in 2006-07 and third in rebounds per game in 2007-08. He also ranked second in the NBA in field goal percentage in 2007-08 (.623) and would have led the league at .624 in 2006-07 but fell four field goals short of the statistical minimum to qualify.

Chandler leaves the Hornets as the franchise’s all-time leader in field goal percentage (.611) and rebounds per game (11.3) and ranked fifth in total rebounds despite playing just 197 career games with the team (2,225). He owns the top two single-season marks in both field goal percentage and rebounds.

The Bobcats initially selected Okafor with the second overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, making him the first draft pick in franchise history. The 2004-05 NBA Rookie of the Year, he averaged 14.0 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 34.0 minutes in 330 career games with the Bobcats and is the franchise’s career leader in rebounds, blocked shots and field goal percentage. Okafor averaged 13.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 2008-09, playing in all 82 games for the second consecutive season.

“We’d like to thank Emeka for all that he has done for this franchise and for serving as the organization’s ambassador and first-ever draft pick,” Higgins added. “His hard work and dedication to the Charlotte Bobcats will be missed, and we wish him well with his new team.”

The Charlotte Bobcats, who became the NBA’s 30th franchise when they joined the league in 2004-05, enter their sixth season in 2009-10.

Read NBA fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum thread.

Sacramento Kings sign Sean May

The Sacramento Kings and forward Sean May today reached an agreement in principle on a contract, it was announced by Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We are all excited to have him join the team,” said Petrie. “It’s a great opportunity for him and us as well. We look forward to this being a chance for him to combine his talent with his health and motivation.”

May amassed career averages of 8.5 points (.457 FGs, .333 3FGs, .760 FTs), 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game through 82 games with the Charlotte Bobcats in three seasons, sitting out the 2007-08 campaign due to injury. His best year, statistically, occurred during 2006-07 when he averaged 11.9 points (.500 FGs, .667 3FGs, .768 FTs), 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game over 35 contests.

The 13th pick of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Bobcats out of the University of North Carolina, May led the Tar Heels to the 2005 NCAA National Championship and was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

AUGUST 3 UPDATE: KINGS OFFICIALLY SIGN SEAN MAY

The Sacramento Kings today signed forward Sean May to a contract, it was announced by Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Charlotte Bobcats sign second-round draft pick Derrick Brown

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed second-round draft pick Derrick Brown. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 40th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Brown earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors last season as a junior at Xavier University. The 6-8 forward led the team in rebounding (6.1 rpg) and three-point percentage (.433) and ranked second in scoring (13.7 ppg) and field goal percentage (.504). Brown ranked among the Atlantic 10 conference leaders in scoring (15th), rebounding (T-10th) and free-throw percentage (10th). He scored in double figures 27 times, including four double-doubles.

In 106 career games at Xavier before declaring for the 2009 NBA Draft, Brown averaged 10.3 points and 5.6 rebounds, while shooting .573 from the field and .415 from beyond the three-point line. Brown, who was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team in 2006-07, ranks 36th on Xavier’s all-time scoring list with 1,096 points in his career.

“I’m blessed to be in this position,” Brown said. “I’m looking forward to getting in here soon and working hard to show everyone that the Bobcats made a great pick.”

Charlotte Bobcats sign first round pick Gerald Henderson

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed first-round draft pick Gerald Henderson. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This is standard, as all first round picks are guaranteed to receive a contract should they decide to actually play in the NBA.

The 12th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Henderson earned First Team All-ACC, Wooden Award All-America and Third Team AP All-America honors last season as a junior at Duke. The 6-4 guard led the team in scoring (16.5 ppg), while ranking second in rebounding (4.9 rpg), assists (2.5 apg) and field goal percentage (.450). He scored in double figures 31 times in 37 games played, including a career-high 35 points on 11-15 shooting from the field and 12-14 from the free-throw line on Feb. 22 against Wake Forest.

“I’m excited to get my NBA career underway,” said Henderson, who will participate in the 2009 NBA Summer League with the Minnesota Timberwolves entry. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the NBA and I’m looking forward to getting started.”

In 103 career games at Duke, Henderson averaged 12.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Despite playing just three seasons, Henderson ranks 20th in school history with 69 blocks and 39th all-time with 1,262 points.

NBA team, D-League team affiliations announced

The National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League, the official minor league of the NBA, today announced the affiliation system for the 2009-10 season, including the announcement of a direct single-affiliation partnership between the Houston Rockets and Rio Grande Valley Vipers. For the fifth consecutive year, each NBA team has one NBA D-League affiliate to which it may assign players in their first or second NBA season.

The Rockets became the first NBA team to enter into a direct single-affiliation partnership with an NBA D-League team, granting the Rockets full control over the basketball operations of the Vipers. With the move, the Rockets will be the only parent-club of the team.

In a structure similar to other minor leagues, this new partnership model, previously referred to as the “hybrid affiliation,” allows for NBA teams to secure control over and cover the expenses related to the basketball operations of an NBA D-League team, while partnering with existing local ownership, who maintain responsibility for the off-the-court business operations of the team.

The list of affiliations is on our NBA D-League page.

Former Rockets president group wants to buy Bobcats

The Houston Chronicle (Jonathan Feigen) reports: A group headed by former Rockets president and chief executive officer George Postolos has entered into negotiations to purchase the Charlotte Bobcats, a person with knowledge of the talks said Saturday. Postolos, who shepherded the Rockets through the arena referendum and move to the Toyota Center and helped the value of the franchise grow from $166 million to $422 million during his tenure, left the team in May 2006 after 7½ years to form The Postolos Group, a company that helps with the acquisition of sports franchises.

Michael Jordan wants to buy Charlotte Bobcats

The AP reports: The Charlotte Bobcats are for sale and Michael Jordan is interested. First, he has to put an ownership group together. Addressing the issue on Thursday night for the first time since the news last month that majority owner Bob Johnson is seeking to sell, Jordan shied away from going into detail about his plans. But Jordan, who holds a minority stake in the team and runs basketball operations, made it clear he’d like to gain majority control. “I would like to put together a team to do that, yeah,” Jordan said.

Bobcats extend qualifying offer to Raymond Felton

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has made a qualifying offer to point guard Raymond Felton, making him a restricted free agent. The qualifying offer allows the Bobcats to match any offer he receives from another team.

Felton, who appeared in all 82 games for the first time in his career last season, averaged 14.2 points, 6.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 37.6 minutes. He ranked 11th in the NBA in steals, 13th in assists and tied for 15th in minutes played. In addition, Felton set single-season career highs in points (1,162), field goals made (442), rebounds (310), steals (126), blocked shots (30) and minutes played (3,086).

Originally drafted by Charlotte with the fifth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Felton has appeared in 319 career NBA games with averages of 13.6 points, 6.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals. Felton is the Bobcats’ franchise leader with 2,127 career assists.

Bobcats had nice finish to season

The Gaston Gazette (Richard Walker) reports: Assuming the team can reach a deal with free agent point guard Raymond Felton, Charlotte is expected to have each of the key players who helped the team finish the season 28-29 after a disappointing 7-18 start. The Bobcats finished four games out of what would’ve been a first-ever playoff appear-ance by the five-year-old franchise. Felton and Raja Bell were the most frequent starters at guards, Gerald Wallace and Boris Diaw at forwards and Emeka Okafor at center. Top reserves were guard D.J. Augustin, forward Vladimir Radmanovic and center DeSagana Diop. So, where do the Bobcats turn in this draft?Do they pursue a defensive-minded off-guard since Bell suffered nagging injuries late in the season? Do they add another athletic presence on the front line? Or do they simply go for the proverbial “best available talent?”