Offseason Moves for the Bobcats

Pro Sports NBA
1

So what do you all think they’ll do this summer, if anything?

I’d like to see us go after some big men who can rebound and add some toughness in the paint. Maybe guys like Anderson Varejao, Fabricio Oberto, or gasp, even Darko. Varejao and Oberto aren’t superstars by any means, but they’re big and they’re decent rebounders and can give Okafor some help in the paint. A starting 5 of Okafor, Varejao, Wallace/Herrmann, Richardson, and Felton would be a very energetic team that could definitely get out there and run the floor

2

File this one under “Holy crap the Bobcats make a good move for once”: The Bobcats pick up the 2nd year option on forward Walter Herrmann. I liked what he showed at the end of last season and with playing time from the start, he can put up a very good season.

Jake Voskuhl opted out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent…I think the 'Cats should look to re-sign him unless they have some other option(s) at the center position. Jake isn’t a star by any means, but I like the energy he gives the team off the bench, particularly when Lurch is in the starting lineup.

And I know this doesn’t necessarily need to be said, but this is the Bobcats we’re talking about: RE-SIGN MATT CARROLL!!!

3

If they re sign Carroll and Wallace, and manage to keep all their other parts in place, this is easily a playoff team (remember people, they play in the East…).

I know I’m in the minority here, but damn I can’t wait to see what this team can do.

4

Matt Carroll has told the media that he has agreed to a long-term deal to stay with the Bobcats! HUZZAH!

5

I don’t agree that Matt Carroll deserved 6 years, $27 million. He is more like a 6 years, $18 million player. But he can shoot so they had to overpay before another team did.

Varejao, Darko will both be over-priced relative to what they could give this team. Varejao already has an offer above the Mid-Level Exemption (around $6 million per year). Darko wants $9-10 million annually. I would easily sign Darko for $7 million a year, but that extra 2-3 million is too much.

Oberto re-signed with San Antonio for 3 years, $10.5 million. I would have definitely given him that deal if I were the Bobcats; then again he wouldn’t have taken that deal from Charlotte so …

Voskuhl is a stiff. Sure he’s big. But he’s literally stiff. He can’t move. I’d much rather see them go without, or sign someone who can at least jump and move.

Mikki Moore and Chris Mihm (a little less stiff than Voskuhl, but not by much) might be mid-level type players to help in the middle. I like Moore a lot. I also like 3-types Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus if Wallace leaves.

Other players that I really like are Nocioni, Blatche (Wizards center), Pavlovic (nice defender), Des Mason.

Big men, unfortunately, are at a shortage as usual. Tar Heel haters will scoff, but Haywood is good and could be available (they’d prefer to move Etan Thomas but won’t because of his salary). I’d also love to see Ron Artest as a Wallace insurance piece, but what do the Bobcats have to trade except expiring contracts … not much. (Unless you make that move and then try to spin him to the Knicks for David Lee, but the Kings would cut the middle man if they could do that).

Most of what the Bobcats will do depends on Gerald Wallace. The longer it takes to sign him, the longer the Bobcats will go without any other major moves I think.

Right now they should still have about $16.5 million under the cap after Carroll’s deal. Should they choose to open the pocketbooks, they could offer Gerald $9 million to start and still have $7.5 million left over. If they signed Darko and Gerald Wallace, I’d splooge. (Felton, JRich, Gerald, Okafor, Darko with Morrison, May, Carroll, Hermann, Brezec and Dudley as the top rotation guys. They’d still need a backup PG, badly).

If they don’t sign or even go after Darko, then they will likely throw some money at a backup point guard type player. I like Earl Boykins and Steve Blake, but both want MLE money ($6 million).

6

I agree that the Carroll contract was a tad much, but if he can give us the same production he gave us last season on a more consistent basis, then it’ll be worth it.

Chris Mihm isn’t the greatest big man, but I think he’s serviceable…yet I doubt he’ll be coming to Charlotte, it looks like the Lakers or Bulls are the only teams on his radar. I’ve read tons of reports that Mikki Moore, while putting up decent numbers in his one good season, is not a good rebounder at all. Darko would be an amazing pickup for the Bobcats, and I think it’s a possibility because only the Bobcats, Bucks, and one other team (I forget who) have the cap space to give him the long-term deal he wants. He showed a lot of improvement last season and a long-term deal at $10M per as he wants is a huge gamble. If we can get him to come down on that number and he plays anywhere near his potential, we could have a very good, young, athletic team.

I like the possibility of Nocioni if we can’t hold on to Wallace, and Haywood would even be a nice addition even if he adds to the Tarheel numbers.

7

Carroll was a bit much, but it was a needed. At his pay scale he could have taken the mid level exception with about 12 teams. Once Kapono, who couldn’t cover his shadow on D, got his deal it was clear that it would take this type of deal to keep him hear.

Wallace won’t need that type of over payment, with Orlando signing Lewis there aren’t any big cap spots other than with the Bucks. If Wallace wants a 5 or 6 year deal this is his only real option.

8

If we can keep Wallace, this team will make the playoffs next year. I don’t think they’ll do any better than Orlando did this year, but they will make the playoffs. I firmly believe that, and not just in the idealistic way I believed we could make the playoffs last year.

9

Since not a lot of teams have cap room, it’s also possible that if Wallace wants to leave, we might sign-and-trade him rather than signing him outright if we think that $10 million or something is a lot of money for him. I’m not sure exactly where he’d end up in that scenario, but if he wants to leave anyhow it’s better to get an asset for him and help him get the sixth year of the deal tacked on as a gesture of good will. For example if Sacto wanted to admit their mistake and get him back into the fold in a sign-and-trade for Artest, I’d do that. Or three-way it with David Lee coming to Charlotte.

10

[QUOTE=Brick Tamland, Weather;246884]Since not a lot of teams have cap room, it’s also possible that if Wallace wants to leave, we might sign-and-trade him rather than signing him outright if we think that $10 million or something is a lot of money for him. I’m not sure exactly where he’d end up in that scenario, but if he wants to leave anyhow it’s better to get an asset for him and help him get the sixth year of the deal tacked on as a gesture of good will. For example if Sacto wanted to admit their mistake and get him back into the fold in a sign-and-trade for Artest, I’d do that. Or three-way it with David Lee coming to Charlotte.[/QUOTE]

While Artest is a defensive beast, I really don’t want that psychopath on such a young team, he’d be nothing more than a distraction. David Lee is an awesome rebounder, I like his toughness. Overall, I like the idea of the sign-and-trade if we can’t keep Wallace. Dallas wants him badly, but who would they offer us? Dampier?! UGH! Orlando had shown interest in Wallace, but with their signing of Lewis, I don’t know if they’re still interested…maybe we could work out something involving Darko, but I’m not so sure if they both deserve anywhere near the same pay yet. Our old buddies Golden State were apparently interested too and rumor has it Al Harrington is on the trading block. He’s a really talented player and can add a lot to the team. Miami can only really offer Udonis Haslem, IMO, and that would be a ripoff. Finally there’s the Bucks, but who would they offer? Villanueva?

Hopefully Gerald Wallace makes a decision soon…that’s what’ll drive the rest of our offseason moves, IMO. If we can keep him, we’ll have a great team. If not, hopefully we get something good in return or have some other major move on the horizon because the team will be pretty mediocre

11

According to the Gaston Gazette, the 'Cats are supposedly close to signing Gerald Wallace to a new deal worth over $60million

12

I’m no NBA financial expert (nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night). But I don’t see why its taking this long for the Wallace deal to be finished.

I’ve heard (thru various local media sources) that they are making progress but, even with Richardson possibly making more, they should’ve been able to solve this, by now…unless they’ve been seriously looking at the “sign and trade” route.

13

http://www.charlotte.com/bobcats/story/193233.html

Source: Wallace, Bobcats agree to deal
DAVID SCOTT
dscott@charlotteobserver.com
The Charlotte Bobcats and free-agent forward Gerald Wallace have agreed to a contract, the Observer has learned.

A source close to the negotiations said Wallace will sign a six-year deal worth $57 million. The sixth year of the contract will be Wallace’s option. He also can earn bonuses worth as much as $2 million each season.

Wallace’s contract with the Bobcats, who obtained him in the NBA’s expansion draft in 2003, expired at the end of last season, and he briefly became a free agent.

14

Good news for the Bobcats. Regardless of how you feel about the NBA, it can’t hurt to have a good NBA squad in your back yard.

15

So here is what you’re looking at with the Bobcats, with roughly $6 million in cap space remaining.

This is 13 players, 2 away from the 15-player maximum.

PG - Raymond Felton
SG - Jason Richardson, Matt Carroll
SF - Gerald Wallace, Adam Morrison, Jared Dudley
PF - Walter Hermann, Sean May, Othella Harrington, Jermareo Davidson
C - Emeka Okafor, Primoz Brezec, Ryan Hollins

16

[QUOTE=Brick Tamland, Weather;247974]So here is what you’re looking at with the Bobcats, with roughly $6 million in cap space remaining.

This is 13 players, 2 away from the 15-player maximum.

PG - Raymond Felton
SG - Jason Richardson, Matt Carroll
SF - Gerald Wallace, Adam Morrison, Jared Dudley
PF - Walter Hermann, Sean May, Othella Harrington, Jermareo Davidson
C - Emeka Okafor, Primoz Brezec, Ryan Hollins[/QUOTE]

ah Primoz…he’s like a crappy Rik Smits…which is SAD

17

You know what’s even more sad? At 2.5 million a year, he’s probably one of the best bang-for-the-buck players in the NBA. Really sad.

18

I think signing someone like Magloire to play Center and Boykins for the backup PG position would be two great, affordable pickups for the Bobcats

19

Actually we can likely forget Boykins. He opted out of a deal that would have paid 3.5 million to take a run at his last big contract (getting old). He’s going to want 5 million, and with only 6.3 million left to get to the cap … they won’t.

Maybe someone like Jason Hart will be coming back to Charlotte for real cheap.

20

A good backup PG to look at is Jason Hart. He averaged around 9 points and 4 assists a game for the Clippers in 30 games.