NBA JAM: CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

Here's the first of our rundown on the NBA season: Neil Acharya takes a look at the Charlotte Bobcats.

Last season: 26-56, tied for 13th in Eastern Conference
Coach: Bernie Bickerstaff
New faces: Othella Harrington
Funny-looking white guy: "Hey, is that the bass player from Stillwater?" "No, that's Adam Morrison."
Blogs: BobcatsPlanet

The Charlotte Bobcats finished last season tied for last place in the Southeast Division with the Atlanta Hawks. That won’t happen this season.

Bernie Bickerstaff must have spent many nights last season asking why he had to be saddled with such bad luck. His line-up was decimated near the halfway point of the the season, on most nights he did not have the services of 2004-05 Rookie of the Year power forward Emeka Okafor and also lost any depth the team had when injuries hit Sean May, Melvin Ely and Gerald Wallace, among others.

What Bickerstaff learned during this time was that Raymond Felton can play with anyone in the NBA, whoever fell asleep at the wheel and let go of Wallace and point guard Brevin Knight should be woken up and smacked. That includes only Sacramento in the case of Wallace but a handful of teams with Knight including Cleveland, twice. Not to be forgotten, Primoz Brezec played well at centre last season and didn’t suffer a letdown in his second season with the club.

The only remaining hole to filled was at small forward, which was taken care of on draft day when the Bobcats chose Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison.

The starting lineup played above their heads last season when most of them had to carry the weight with a depleted bench. This year the Bobcats are hoping they can get the same great performance from their big guns. If the bench stays healthy and provides little letdown, in regards to point production and commitment to defense, this could very well be a breakout season and one the toughest teams to play in the league.

Also in Southeast Division: Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards