rufuspaul
04-29-2014, 09:33 AM
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The team no one wanted. The city of Charlotte was only 2 years removed from being fvcked in the ass by George Shin (who went on to fvck New Orleans in the ass), and had soured on NBA basketball. It was a hard sell, especially with an owner who lived in D.C. and had the gall to name the team after himself. There were some moments early on (Emeka Okafor winning ROY over Dwight Howard) but they weren't enough to draw interest. Bob Johnson was bleeding money and publicly chastised the city for not supporting the team. He soon decided to cut his losses and move on.
Say what you will about Michael Jordan, lord knows he has his faults, but I will always be grateful to him for buying the team and keeping it in Charlotte. Any other buyer would have moved the team to Seattle. Because of MJ we got to enjoy Larry Brown's drama and a Knicks style roster of Felton, SJax, Wallace, Diaw and Chandler. We (the few Bobcats fans) got to see that bloated roster get blown up and then endure 2 seasons of severe tanking. The lowest of the low.
Yet last season brought hope back to the queen city. The young squad out performed even the most optimistic expectations. Jordan finally hired a great coaching staff of Steve Clifford, Patrick Ewing and Mark Price. The Hornets name is back and they are going into the off season with a nice young core and plenty of cap space. There are weaknesses, primarily at the 2 and 3, but a solid foundation is in place and the future looks bright.
The Bobcats era will be remembered as a learning process. One that was painful at times but ultimately successful in cementing a permanent NBA presence in Charlotte. RIP
The team no one wanted. The city of Charlotte was only 2 years removed from being fvcked in the ass by George Shin (who went on to fvck New Orleans in the ass), and had soured on NBA basketball. It was a hard sell, especially with an owner who lived in D.C. and had the gall to name the team after himself. There were some moments early on (Emeka Okafor winning ROY over Dwight Howard) but they weren't enough to draw interest. Bob Johnson was bleeding money and publicly chastised the city for not supporting the team. He soon decided to cut his losses and move on.
Say what you will about Michael Jordan, lord knows he has his faults, but I will always be grateful to him for buying the team and keeping it in Charlotte. Any other buyer would have moved the team to Seattle. Because of MJ we got to enjoy Larry Brown's drama and a Knicks style roster of Felton, SJax, Wallace, Diaw and Chandler. We (the few Bobcats fans) got to see that bloated roster get blown up and then endure 2 seasons of severe tanking. The lowest of the low.
Yet last season brought hope back to the queen city. The young squad out performed even the most optimistic expectations. Jordan finally hired a great coaching staff of Steve Clifford, Patrick Ewing and Mark Price. The Hornets name is back and they are going into the off season with a nice young core and plenty of cap space. There are weaknesses, primarily at the 2 and 3, but a solid foundation is in place and the future looks bright.
The Bobcats era will be remembered as a learning process. One that was painful at times but ultimately successful in cementing a permanent NBA presence in Charlotte. RIP