Welcome! Come one, come all, to the main event! It's season preview time, and Upside and Motor is ready to rock your world. The previews will be both concrete and lyrical in this magical world, both by numbers and by prose. To take a look at all the previews, click here.
Straight Up
Straight Up features all the stuff you actually want to see in your team previews: who are the new kids on the block, who skipped town, and where the team stands for the upcoming season. Along with my projection and standing for the upcoming season, it'll also feature three individual awards: Team MVP (let's not get into the debate over exactly what that means), the Most Important Reserve, and the Most Unheralded Asset.
Projected Record: 38-44 (3rd in the Southeast Division, 9th in the Eastern Conference)
Off-season Acquisitions: D.J. Augustin, Alexis Ajinca, Shannon Brown, healthy Sean May, healthy Adam Morrison
Notable Losses: Jeff McInnis (THANK THE BASKETBALL GODS)
2008-2009 Team MVP: Gerald Wallace - Emeka Okafor would be very difficult to replace. Raymond Felton has become a part of this team and sometimes even plays as well as his talent indicates he should. Jason Richardson provides the otherworld scoring punch...but this team just seems 'off' when Gerald's not around. That's why this team has been in a continuous state of disarray practically since inception; Wallace hurls himself at the basket, in front of defenders, and into brick walls. Sometimes that means a shoulder injury and sometimes that means a concussion. Either way, the 'Cats just don't...pounce?... the same way without him.
Most Important Reserve: D.J. Augustin - The youngin's important, no matter how you slice it. Larry Brown pushed for Augustin over Lopez, so barring implosion he is going to be the point guard of this team. Sorry, Ray :( But Augustin's play and development will be essential to Charlotte's success both in the short-term and the long-term. Let's see what you've got.
Most Unheralded Asset: Jason Richardson - Like it/respect it/understand it or not, he's one of the league's most talented two-way players, especially compared to the rest of the shooting guard crop. Yes, I said two-way. And yes, I said most talented. J-Rich can be hellish on D at times (I mean that in a good way), and while he may not be the most disciplined defender in the world, his athleticism helps him compensate. You don't need me to tell you what this guy can do on offense: he throws it down with such force and such style and he shoots the hell out of the ball from deep. You can argue that he's not worth his contract, but you cannot say that this guy isn't a helluva offensive talent and anything less than a solid defender. I simply will not stand for it!
Poetry in Motion
Photo from Getty Images.
Poetry in Motion will feature my feeble attempts at mimicking the sonnets of one William Shakespeare, complete with a weak, liberal interpretation of iambic pentameter and an identical rhyme scheme. As they say, the NBA imitates art...I mean poetry...err, life imitates the NBA...or I imitate poetry while writing about the NBA. Something like that. Either way, each preview will contain two sonnets: one focusing on a wider, team outlook and another focusing on the roles and futures of individual players. Revel! Criticize! Enjoy!
My friends: four score and seven years ago,
Larry Brown brought forth on this continent
A new/old strategem, troubled although
Conceived in lib'rty; brought his play'rs' torment.
Now he's engaged in a difficult trial,
Testing whether this team, or any team,
So youthful, lotteried, and versatile,
Can long endure playoff contending dreams.
In a larger sense, they must dedicate
Themselves to the playoff frontier,
And though we may forget the lengthy wait
We can never forget what they did here.
The 'Cats will be a team of playoff worth,
A little luck will earn a playoff berth.
The 'Cats are more than "America's Team,"
Each part as interesting as the whole,
Whether the rookie D.J. Augustin,
Or big Nazr, the offensive black hole.
Gerald "Crash" Wallace is all that is man,
And J-Rich nothing short of fantastic,
But who can forget where it all began?
'Meka's shot-blocking makes me ecstatic.
It's do or trade for young Raymond Felton,
And he's fully equipped to succeed,
It would be a shame if he was dealt when
The Charlotte Bobcats finally do the deed.
It doesn't stop there: Dudley, AmMo, May,
There's something beautiful 'n the disarray.
Player Preview Spotlight: Adam Morrison
Photo from Getty Images.The Player Spotlight feature highlights just one of the many cogs that make up the team. They may not be the best player on the team and they may not be the most recognizable (or who knows, they may be both), but I can guarantee that they're interesting. Their game, their on-court persona, their role within the greater scope of the team. Something about the player in the spotlight deserves your attention, and as usual, I'm more than willing to point it out to you.
I know, I know, there's been much ado about both Morrison good ol' J.J. Redick lately, but for some strange reason I feel compelled to put digital ink to page on The Stache. There are basically three viewpoints when it comes to Morrison (Adam, not Van):
1. Dude, he was the worst player in the league. He's white, he's unathletic, and he's a waste of space. Cut him loose, man, just cut him loose. I mean the guy cried because he lost. Seriously.
2. Dude, sometimes rookies have bad years. It's cool. He was a great scorer in college, and he can be a good scorer in the pros if you just give him time. I know the he cried, but it's only because he's so passionate about the game!
3. Dude, I heard that guy sucks...and didn't he cry?
So yeah, there may be some nuances of argument that I'm neglecting, but you get the gist of it. I'm sure you'll find out shortly which camp I fall into.
His rookie year was certainly abyssmal. Catastrophic. Jeff McInnis-ian. There may not be a word in the English language that accurately describes just how awful it was. But year one is in the books, year two went down the drain, and now year two part B is about to begin. All I ask is this: what reason is there to cast Morrison aside now? Since when is one season an accurate sample size to determine a player's worth? Morrison won't be a star, and I wouldn't dare try to convince you that he will be. All I ask is that he be given a shot as a rotation player, because frankly, I think that's his place in the league. He's talented. So are plenty of other role players. Low-end projection, I think he could be a valuable reserve. He won't do anything groundbreaking aside from break off a high-scoring game every once in awhile, but he can help teams win games. High-end, I think he could be a very capable sixth man. I'm not sure that he'll ever reach the level of an above average starter, but allowing him to play off the bench grants him some wiggle room against the weaker competition of the second unit while still allowing him the time to fully utilize the many facets of his offensive game.
It's so easy to give up on Morrison right now. I know MJ isn't a fan anymore, and Woj wrote yesterday that the GOAT's trying to use the preseason to improve Morrison's trade value. That's perfectly fine. Morrison doesn't have to be a Bobcat. But he does have a place on a roster. Give him his year of being caught like a baby deer in the headlights of an Escalade. No one said the translation process was going to be easy. But Morrison's work ethic is the stuff of legend, and he's characteristically painted as a "student of the game." He's not withering away into nothingness just as he's not exploding into stratospheric levels of production, but he is improving, and this year will be markedly better than theyearthatshallnotbenamed.
Basketball is a game of positive feedback loops, after all. If you make shots and score well, then your all-around game becomes infused with an extra energy. You feed off your own success. That extra boost gets you more opportunities to score and increases your assertiveness, likely helping you to get to the foul line or to the basket. So on and so forth. Morrison's caught somewhere in the opposite cycle: his shot doesn't hit, so he collapses in upon himself. I sincerely think he's trying to jump-start his game, at times even just throwing up shots to see what can go in. But as a rookie with a "college game" in a league of a completely different style and much more capable defenders, you can't expect that to work. Give it time, man. Give it time.
And yeah, yeah, he cried.
Season Previews, F'real
For those poor, conservative souls trapped in normativity, I'll make sure to send you to a few places where you can read through more conventional, in-depth season previews. Most of these links will be from team bloggers whose trade is knowing what there is to know about their respective teams, so tell your ears to perk up; it's time to listen.
Queen City Hoops
Bobcats Planet
Ball Don't Lie
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