Charlotte Hornets Blog – Page 79 – NBA Blog

Bobcats sign Linton Johnson

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed forward Linton Johnson III. The Bobcats roster now stands at 15 players.

Johnson (6-8, 205 pounds) appeared in four preseason games with Washington this season with averages of 1.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.8 minutes.

Over his five-year NBA career, Johnson has appeared in 147 games (27 starts) with averages of 4.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14.6 minutes with Chicago, San Antonio, New Jersey, New Orleans, Toronto and Phoenix. Johnson went undrafted out of Tulane University in the 2003 NBA Draft, but was signed as a free agent by the Bulls before the start of the 2003-04 season.

The Bobcats will open the 2008-09 season on Thursday, Oct. 30 at Cleveland, with their home opener slated for Saturday, Nov. 1 against Miami.

NBA opening night rosters

The NBA’s opening day rosters are official, and now posted on InsideHoops.com.

This evening was the deadline for NBA teams to trim their rosters down to 15 players or less.

The 2008-09 regular season starts Tuesday, October 28. InsideHoops is your online basketball home. We’re pumping out more content this season than ever.

Enjoy the season!

Bobcats waive Jermareo Davidson

The Charlotte Bobcats today requested waivers on forward Jermareo Davidson. The Bobcats roster now stands at 14 players.

Davidson appeared in three preseason games with averages of 2.0 points, 0.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shot in 8.8 minutes.

Originally drafted by Golden State with the 36th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Davidson’s draft rights were acquired from the Warriors, along with Jason Richardson, in exchange for Brandan Wright, whom the Bobcats selected with the eighth overall pick.

In his rookie season, he appeared in 38 games with averages of 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.4 minutes.

Oct 23: Lakers 88, Bobcats 77

The AP reports: Pau Gasol scored 13 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Charlotte Bobcats 88-77 on Thursday night without the ailing Kobe Bryant… Adam Morrison scored 13 points for the Bobcats, who finished the preseason 0-7. The fifth-year team will open the regular season Oct. 30 at Cleveland under Larry Brown, who is coaching his ninth NBA team following the firing of Sam Vincent in April… Despite Jason Richardson’s 1-for-8 shooting in the first half and Charlotte’s 27.0 field goal percentage, the Lakers led only 36-30 at intermission.

Bobcats waive Justin Williams

The Charlotte Bobcats today requested waivers on forward Justin Williams. The Bobcats roster now stands at 15 players.

Williams appeared in three preseason games with averages of 0.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.7 blocked shots in 4.0 minutes.

The Charlotte Bobcats play their final preseason game tonight against the L.A. Lakers in Anaheim, California. Tipoff is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET and can be seen nationally on TNT.

Oct 21: Lakers 102, Bobcats 98

The AP reports: Kobe Bryant injured his right knee in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 102-98 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night and did not return to the preseason game… The extent of Bryant’s injury is not known… Andrew Bynum scored 16 points, Trevor Ariza added 14. Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher scored 12 points apiece for the Lakers in limited playing time. Jason Richardson and Gerald Wallace each had 16 points for the Bobcats, who close out their preseason schedule on Thursday against the Lakers.

Oct 20: Suns 111, Bobcats 108 2OT

For Phoenix, Shaquille O’Neal shot 6-of-10 for 18 points and 9 rebounds. Matt Barnes shot 8-of-16 for 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals but 6 turnovers. Robert Hite shot 6-of-11 for 14 points. Grant Hill had 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists but 5 turnovers. Steve Nash didn’t play. Amare Stoudemire played just a bit, off the bench. For Charlotte, DJ Augustin shot just 4-of-20 but had 11-of-12 free throws for 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, but 5 turnovers. Jason Richardson shot just 5-of-14 for 15 points and 4 assists. Andre Brown shot 6-of-9 for 14 points and 8 rebounds. Emeka Okafor had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. Adam Morrison scored 12.

Larry Brown digs Jared Dudley

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.

Bobcats owner not selling team

The AP reports: The first black majority owner of a major professional sports team is not interested in selling, even as he loses millions in a bad economy. Bob Johnson said Monday he remains committed to the Charlotte Bobcats, who have struggled to win and attract fans since he paid $300 million for the expansion franchise four years ago. Johnson laid off nearly 40 employees in the past month to save money, and three top executives have left the organization. But in an interview with The Associated Press, Johnson said he has no intention of unloading the team, and will spend what it takes to get the Bobcats to the playoffs for the first time.

Oct 18: Hawks 102, Bobcats 96

The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 22 points and Mike Bibby added nine of his 14 points in the final 3 minutes—long after May was disqualified—as the Hawks beat Charlotte for the second time this week… Flip Murray came off the bench to score 18 for Atlanta (4-2), which overcame spotty shooting, plenty of foul trouble and growing pains with its new, bigger lineup… Emeka Okafor had 18 points and 11 rebounds, but got little help up for the frontcourt-deficient Bobcats (0-5), whose disjointed offense produced 20 turnovers.