The Off Day: Is this the End of the Road?

The Bobcats lost to the Magic on Friday, what’s worse is they followed that up with a loss to the Wizards on Sunday.  Magic and Wizards, next Harry Potter and his pals will roll up and literally tie Kwame Brown’s tiny hands together so he has no chance of catching a ball at all.  Seriously though, I’m not a big “name” guy, but the Magic, the Wizards, the Heat, the Thunder, the Jazz (in Utah)?  If you bumped into an alien and he said “What are you doing tonight?”  “Oh, well, I was thinking about watching some NBA games.  Basketball is one of the most popular sports worldwide and the NBA is the best league and has all the best players, all adult males of our species, most think the greatest athletes of any sport.”  Alien:  “Cool, what units do these players join up under the banner of?”  “Well, like the Wizards play the Magic and the Thunder play the Jazz.”  Alien:  “I’ve heard of this Jazz, where do they hail from?”  “Utah”  Alien:  “I buzzed Utah on my way in, there is no Jazz.  Nothing really resembling it.”  “Yeah, well that’s what they’re called.”  Alien:  “For this you shall be probed.”  (You can’t do an alien joke without an anal probe joke, I’m sorry)

I just took a depressing look at Hollinger’s Playoff Odds at ESPN.com, eek.  If you clicked that and came back to a Bobcats focused blog, you’re one heck of a fan, or you love my Alien script, either way, you’re awesome.  It is bleak to say the least, truly rough, that is, assuming you want the Bobcats to make the playoffs.  Hollinger’s system, which, I don’t know, must be right, predicts the likelihood of the Bobcats making the playoffs at 1.9 and Indy’s at 97.8.  With Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, Tyrus Thomas all out against Washington, and likely out against Cleveland, plus the Bobcats lost to Washington (Cleveland might be “hotter”) I see it probably lower than that.

Jack told folks today, “It feels real weak and it’s a sharp pain. Every time I try to lock my leg, it feels like it’s giving out.” In regards to his sore, pulled, screwed up hamstring.  He continued:  “I’m not out for the season yet. I’m not going to stay that. You’ll have to hear that from somebody else.”  (this quoting Mike Cranston of the AP, as always).  Jackson is the focus of the offense, he’s the only guy you can rely on for 15-20 or more a game.  He’s only had 22 games of under 15 points, of those 22, 8 were single digits, including him getting tossed and leaving the game with injury.  Jackson IS the Bobcats offense.  DJ Augustin is the only other guy that comes close if Jack isn’t available, and the opponent finds it very easy to deal with him when they know that’s the case.  Washington didn’t because they’re Washington, and he went on a scoring streak.  Orlando didn’t because they had that game in hand most of the way, didn’t have to try that hard on defense.  So what can you do?

You look to Dante Cunningham, or DJ White to step up?  Yeah, but how can 2 new guys fit and flow in an offense that they don’t really know?  How can you expect them to save the day on offense when we know this team doesn’t have one guy to do it and they are somewhat incapable of facilitating for others?

Look down the list with me.

Jackson, out.  Wallace, traded.  Augustin, too easily shut down, can’t do it himself.  Boris Diaw, can’t be counted on for anything outside of riding a segway and eating.  Tyrus Thomas, out.  Gerald Henderson, gets the best wing defender when Jack is out (awesome suplemental guy right now, hasn’t found his ceiling).  DJ White and Dante Cunningham, great in spurts, bad if you have to count on them.  Nazr, traded.  Kwame, took 2 shots last night, they both got blocked, file him under the same heading as Diaw, but worse.  Livingston, out.  Carroll?  Hmm, Matty C.  Yeah, the Hammer can put up some points.  26 yesterday, 19 in that blowout at the hands of Denver, but wait, other than that, 12?  10?  then a bunch of 5’s (average still at 4.1 per game over the season)?  Can’t be relied on, shooters, by nature are streaky.  Cue the “you lose” music from Price is Right.  The Price is Right – Loser Sound

So yeah, 6 guys hurt on a roster of 15, plus 3 of the injured are significant contributors….sorry, click that sound again!  Season is over, it’s all she wrote.  As I said in a previous post, the Bobcats should play to get Paul Silas above .500 on the season.  He stands at 23-25 now.  I think that will put a lot of naysayers in their place.  Larry Brown got this team in too deep of a hole.  When you look at what’s changed and transpired over the course of the season, it’s one of the better coaching jobs I’ve ever seen out of anyone.  Plus, he’s got 2 assistants?!  2 guys to help with practice?  That’s amazing, Washington, by contrast, brought 7!

Injuries, yeah, certainly decimate the roster, the front office, the coaching staff by way of Charles Oakley and even ol’ Steve Martin is in a walking boot with a partially torn achillies.  It is a long season and asking guys like Dominic McGuire or Matt Carroll to step in for a Stephen Jackson or Boris Diaw or Gerald Wallace is going to put you behind the 8 ball.  But what got us in this position was Larry Brown.  I know, it sounds like I’m scapegoating here, but he cannot get enough blame for this season and the state of the franchise.  A great 2 years, but now things are bleak, and that sucks.