On new Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown: The Charlotte Observer (Rick Bonnell) reports: Brown was named the franchise’s coach, replacing Sam Vincent. He’ll be demanding, meticulous and relentless. And something else not quite so appealing. “I’m nuts,” Brown joked, or at least half-joked. Brown has spent the past three decades in compulsive pursuit of coaching perfection. He’s uncompromising in that regard, which helps explain why this is his 12th stop between the pros and college ball. Sooner or later he exasperates the players or the players exasperate him. The joke around the NBA is he makes you better, he makes you crazy, then he makes his exit. Former Duke player Billy King worked for Brown with the Indiana Pacers (assistant coach) and Philadelphia 76ers (defacto general manager). King says it’s lost sometimes in the melodrama what a great teacher Brown is. “He demands that they play the correct way all the time. Down 20, up 20, you still have to play the right way,” King said. “Most pro coaches don’t do that. But Larry will keep coaching, keep teaching, up 30 with the subs on the floor.”
Category: Charlotte Hornets Blog
Hornets Blog – Charlotte Hornets blog
Bobcats to name Larry Brown coach Tuesday
The Charlotte Bobcats will make a major announcement in a press conference on Tuesday, around 1 p.m. ET. It’ll be to name their new head coach, Larry Brown.
A nomad who bounces around to a different team seemingly every 15 minutes, Brown is a perfect coach to properly mold a team. The issue is if he’ll stick around.
Brown will have to figure out exactly how Raymond Felton should be used, how to properly mix and match Jason Richardson and Gerald Wallace, help Emeka Okafor continus his development, and help Adam Morrison make the most of his talent.
It’ll be fun seeing his effect on the squad. Terrific hire by Michael Jordan’s Bobcats.
Hornets owner feels love in New Orleans
The Charlotte Observer (Tom Sorensen) reports: George Shinn, who owns the Hornets, is almost as beloved in New Orleans as he once was in Charlotte. And you might recall that he was once so popular here that his fans urged him to run for governor. And he considered it. You know the story. The Hornets, who came to town in 1988, were our first big-league team. Oh did we fall for them. We were beautiful in our naivete. We gave them everything. For years, they gave us everything they had. “The whole situation in Charlotte will never be duplicated in any city in any sports league,” Shinn says as he walks through the Quarter. “It was an incredible love affair. And I owe all of my knowledge and experience and drive and everything else I have to what happened to me there.” The relationship ended poorly, of course, and Shinn was the culprit. We felt he had turned against us, so we turned against them. By the time he left for Louisiana, almost nobody cared. Shinn admits he made mistakes. He says he committed no crimes, but he committed sins. He paid dearly. He grew up in Kannapolis and the family of his wife, Susan, still lives here. Our town was his town and his team was our team. “I love Charlotte and I always will,” Shinn says.
Apr. 16: Bobcats 115, Sixers 109
The AP reports: Jason Richardson scored 29 points and the Charlotte Bobcats recovered from blowing a big lead to beat Philadelphia 115-109 on Wednesday night, sending the 76ers to the playoffs on a four-game losing streak… Willie Green scored 27 points and Andre Iguodala scored 24 for Philadelphia. They were the only starters to play more than 24 minutes… Richardson was 3-of-7 on 3-pointers to finish with 243 this season, the fourth-most in NBA history. But it was one of few bright spots for the Bobcats, with first-year coach Sam Vincent facing an uncertain future after Charlotte’s fourth straight season out of the playoffs. Emeka Okafor added 24 points and nine rebounds in his final game before becoming a restricted free agent for the Bobcats, who finished 32-50.
Apr. 15: Nets 112, Bobcats 108
The AP reports: For the New Jersey Nets, missing the playoffs took a lot the fun out of rallying from a 20-point deficit to beat the Charlotte Bobcats. Richard Jefferson scored 28 points and hit a go-ahead jumper in overtime and the Nets limited the Bobcats to 47 points in the final 29 minutes in a 112-108 meaningless victory on Tuesday night… Vince Carter added 18 points, Devin Harris had 17 and eight assists and Bostjan Nachbar added eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Nets won their second straight… Jason Richardson had 31 points (and 8 steals) to lead Charlotte in the game between two non-playoff teams. Nazr Mohammed added 19 points, Raymond Felton had 18 and Okafor had 15 rebounds.
Apr. 12: Bobcats 107, Pacers 103
The AP reports: Jason Richardson scored 26 points, and the Charlotte Bobcats beat the Pacers 107-103 on Saturday night to deal a severe blow to Indiana’s playoff hopes. The Pacers entered the night two games behind Atlanta for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference with three games to play… Indiana’s Danny Granger scored a career-high 37 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter while playing with five fouls… Mike Dunleavy added 22 points and seven assists for Indiana, which had its four-game winning streak end… Nazr Mohammed had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Emeka Okafor had 14 points and 18 rebounds and rookie Jared Dudley scored a career-high 19 points for the Bobcats, who outrebounded the Pacers 59-46.
Apr. 9: Knicks 109, Bobcats 107
The AP reports: Fred Jones made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:47 left and scored 15 points, and the Knicks beat the Charlotte Bobcats 109-107 on Wednesday night to match a season high with their third straight victory… Wilson Chandler added 12 points and Nate Robinson had 11, joining Jones to give the Knicks a huge advantage off the bench. New York’s reserves outscored Charlotte’s, 54-14… Jamal Crawford scored 18 points for the Knicks, who seemed in control after an 18-0 spurt in the second quarter, but blew all their lead before pulling back ahead to win three straight for only the second time this season, having also done it from Jan. 13-16… Jason Richardson scored 25 points, and Raymond Felton and Emeka Okafor had 24 apiece for the Bobcats, whose franchise-record four-game road winning streak was snapped. Okafor missed a jumper at the buzzer that would have tied it.
Bobcats home now called Time Warner Cable Arena
The Charlotte Observer (Jefferson George and Rick Bonnell) reports: Tuesday night’s Charlotte Bobcats game aired on Fox Sports Net South, the team’s new cable TV home. Game tickets listed the venue’s new name, Time Warner Cable Arena. Those were the first visible results of two deals announced Tuesday that give Charlotte’s NBA team two things it has lacked since its inception: wide TV exposure and a corporate sponsor for the uptown arena. Time Warner Cable released the Bobcats from a TV contract that kept games out of many Charlotte-area homes, allowing the team to make a deal with Fox Sports Net South, which is available on cable and satellite TV systems across the Piedmont. In return, Time Warner Cable got the naming rights to the arena, which has carried the Bobcats name since opening in 2005. Executives with the Bobcats, Time Warner Cable and Fox Sports Net South all declined to discuss the money and years involved in the deals, saying only that they were “long-term” and “multiyear.”
Apr. 8: Bobcats 121, Wolves 119
The AP reports: The Charlotte Bobcats nearly blew an 18-point lead, missed key free throws and had a strategy decision backfire. The Minnesota Timberwolves roared back behind their new star, only to have a key turnover and a missed shot at the buzzer… Behind Jason Richardson’s 36 points and some good fortune down the stretch, the Bobcats overcame their near collapse and a big night from Al Jefferson to hold off the Timberwolves, 121-119… Jefferson matched a career high with 40 points and had a chance to force overtime, but his open 19-footer bounced off the rim as time expired… Raymond Felton, who had 15 points and 11 assists, missed two free throws with 13 seconds and Charlotte leading 120-119. After Foye’s turnover, Matt Carroll, who scored 22 points, hit his first free throw, but Vincent told him to intentionally miss the second with 1 second left.
Jobs Kevin Garnett had as a kid
The Boston Globe (Marc Spears) reports: Kevin Garnett’s résumé has a lot more than pro basketball player on it. Garnett worked at Burger King, manned a cash register at a restaurant called Cheers, worked at an Ingles Markets grocery store, and mowed lawns while growing up in South Carolina. He mopped gym floors at a Boys’ and Girls’ Club his senior year in high school in Chicago. But of all the jobs he has held – including playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves – he says his current gig with the Celtics is the least taxing. “Since I’ve been 14, I’ve probably had seven jobs, and since I’ve been working, this is the most rest I’ve ever had in my life,” said the Celtics forward yesterday. “It’s so much that I don’t know what to do with myself. It’s coming at a great time. “You put your heart and soul in this. I’m staying afloat being a vet, being a leader. It’s been good. It’s coming at the right time for this team.”