Mouth of the South

by Gary Lloyd
Love of Sports Correspondent

Because college football is the dominant sport and religion in the South, it will eventually take up this space for the next few weeks. I’m just trying to hold my horses until then.

This week, then, I’ll examine one more NBA team and its search for the playoffs – the Charlotte Bobcats.

Sure, I know Charlotte finished with the 12th-best record in the Eastern Conference last year with a 32-50 record, but it is the Eastern Conference - and this column was written while I was in a very optimistic mood.

Here’s why I’m optimistic.

HEALTH

Last season, only two Bobcats played in all 82 regular season games – Jason Richardson and Emeka Okafor. Gerald Wallace, one of the more underrated stars in the NBA, missed 20 games.

Adam Morrison, the third pick of the draft a few years ago, missed the entire 2007-08 season with a knee injury. Wallace and Morrison should both be back to full strength this season, giving Charlotte two solid options at the small forward position.

Sean May’s had three knee injuries in the past three years, and has played in only 58 games of a possible 246. May has said he’ll be ready for training camp in the fall.

Raymond Felton and Richardson should be a nice tandem in their second season together, and Okafor will be a double-double guy for sure.

Depth was a thorn in Charlotte’s side last season, but this go-around should be healthier.

ROOKIES

D.J. Augustin going ninth in the draft to the Bobcats left me a bit jaw-dropped, but he hasn’t disappointed in the Las Vegas Summer League. In three games, Augustin averaged 19.7 points, even going for 30 in his third game.

Alexis Ajinca is the type of big guy Charlotte needs, but he’s still a few years away from making an impact in the NBA. In five summer league games, Ajinca averaged just less than three points and just over three boards.

Kyle Weaver could end up as a steal in last month’s draft. Why? Because he can run a team, score when needed and defend on the perimeter as well as any other rookie. His numbers won’t jump off a boxscore, but his intangibles will make him a serviceable rookie.

OVERALL QUESTION MARKS

At this point in the summer, it’s likely Okafor will remain in Charlotte. However, after turning down a contract offer a year ago, Okafor might be an unrestricted free agent this time next year. If frontcourt health remains an issue, Okafor could end up as the team’s center yet again this year, a position he doesn’t thrive at. I mean, look what he did alongside Josh Boone at UConn.

If the knees of Morrison and May remain wounded, then I’ll shut my mouth on this topic because the team would essentially be the same as last season.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Ya know, my heart says the Bobcats will surprise a lot of people by making a strong playoff push, but my head says this team is still a year or two away.

But, for the sake of discussion, I’ll say Charlotte, under first-year head coach Larry Brown, will make the playoffs this season. Maybe I’m as confused as a cow on Astroturf, or maybe I’ve got more guts than you could hang on a fence.

Larry Brown has a history of turning teams around sooner rather than later, so having him at the head of the bench makes sense. Having a healthy, deep team makes things as easy as sliding off a greasy log backward. The pieces to this Charlotte Bobcats puzzle make sense.

Perhaps my chicken-with-its-head-cut-off prediction will be a piece of the Bobcats puzzle as well.