Charlotte Bobcats Schedule

Whoopie!  The NBA released the 2011-2012 regular season schedule today.  However, with no scheduled talks between the NBPA and the owners, who knows if any of those games will take place at all?

As you may have guessed, the Bobcats have no nationally televised games unless you count the token showing on NBA-TV.  They’ll play at Sacramento on November 27th, at 6 pm, oh yeah, the NFL should be going then as well, so good luck finding that on at any local sports bars anywhere.  That game is certain to be televised because it’s the Jimmer/Kemba Show that everyone wanted to see last year.  Jimmer Fredette might get starters minutes in his first month in the league playing for the Kings but I don’t know about Kemba Walker playing behind DJ Augustin that early in the year.

Again, I feel like I have to say this after every statement:  “IF” there is a season and if it starts on time.  Who knows what will happen if the NBA Lockout extends into December or January.  I don’t know if they’ll completely re-work the schedule or if they’ll just chop it off at some point.  I think everyone has basically accepted that there will be lost games.

But IF the games are played as scheduled, the Bobcats have an interesting run.

The home opener is against Milwaukee and while no NBA related media (Bobcats.com especially) can say their names, I guess I have to.  The home opener against the Bucks presents the return of Stephen Jackson, sent in the draft-day trade that brought Bismack Biyombo and Corey Maggette.  Jack wasn’t here nearly as long as Gerald Wallace, but would expect him to get just as large an ovation.  His intro-presser in Milwaukee didn’t completely burn the bridges to Charlotte, and the fact he was pissed when he was traded will endear fans to him, I think.  Plus he’ll start in Milwaukee, whereas in Portland Gerald was coming off the bench.

The Bobcats have 21 sets of games on back-to-back nights.  That’s over half their games either the front or back end of a back-to-back.  I guess it’s a good thing the team got younger.  January is like murders row, with only a stretch of 3 games that aren’t part of a back-to-back and the annual circus road-trip coming at the end of the month.
I know it’s the circus because it’s when my (and Desagana Diop’s) birthday falls and one year, long long ago there was actually a home game on my birthday but no, not now.  Ringling Brothers have to come in and let their elephants crap in the arena on my B-Day and the days surrounding it.

That’s the longest road trip of the year; 5 games from January 31st against the Lakers through February the 8th in Denver.  I like the fact that the season, for once, ends on a home stand with 3 games against Cleveland, Boston and Detroit.  Not that I’d expect the Bobcats to neccessarily be pushing for the playoffs but I like that it’s the actual end of the season in our house, rather than, see ya next year and hope people watch the final few games from home.

If you read the Bobcats’ release you’ll not see any players’ name.  That’s one of the oddest things of all with this lockout.  The teams, owners and everyone on an NBA teams’ payroll isn’t allowed to speak the name of a player.  OOOOOOHHHH.  The boogie man is going to get you if you do.  No, in that release the Bobcats play up the opponents.  Which, I guess you have to do to sell tickets to people who aren’t just fans of the Bobcats, but since you’re here, we all are fans here, right?  I don’t see the point in saying “The defending Champion Dallas Mavericks in town on Friday February 23rd!!!!”  Or telling you when the Heat are going to on display…because that’s what they are, a museum display.

Instead of all that, I’d rather look at winnable games.  So, yeah, looking down the list…HEY!  Boston comes to town early in the year!  Be sure to get your tickets early!