Charlotte Bobcats

The Charlotte Bobcats are a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team is part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets, relocated to New Orleans and became the New Orleans Hornets.^[1] The Bobcats play their home games at Time Warner Cable Arena in uptown Charlotte.

Charlotte's NBA Development League team is the Sioux Falls Skyforce (the affiliation is shared with the Minnesota Timberwolves). The Bobcats were also the brother team of the Charlotte Sting of the WNBA before the Sting folded on January 3, 2007.^[2]

Franchise history

Creating a new team

When the Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans for the 2002–03 season, the NBA promised Charlotte leaders that the city would be granted an NBA expansion team for the 2004–05 season. Several ownership groups, including one led by former Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, made bids for the team.^[3] In the end, a group led by Black Entertainment Television founder Robert L. Johnson was awarded the franchise.^[4] Johnson is one of the first prominent African American owners in U.S. professional sports.^[5] On June 15, 2006 it was announced that NBA legend and North Carolina native Michael Jordan would become the second largest shareholder in the Bobcats. As part of the deal, Jordan became head of basketball operations.^[6] Another notable co-owner is the rapper Nelly.^[7]

In June 2003, the new team was named the Bobcats.^[8] Bobcats, along with Charlotte Flight and Charlotte Dragons were the top three choices as voted by fans.^[8] The Charlotte Regional Sports Commission aided with the "Help Name The Team" effort that drew over 1,250 suggestions. The bobcat, an expert at survival according to the North Carolina Wildlife Commission, is athletic, fierce and an indigenous predator to the Carolinas.^[8][9] Charlotte, already being home to the NFL's Carolina Panthers, made the cat-related name a natural choice for the area's new basketball team.

One of the ironies in the formation of the franchise was the fact that despite failed attempts at the ballot box to fully fund a new arena downtown, city politicians decided to go ahead with plans and implemented a hotel and leisure tax in Charlotte to help pay for it.^[10][11] George Shinn, owner of the Hornets, also wanted the city of Charlotte to pay for a new arena, and subsequently left town for New Orleans when the city failed to do so.

2004–2006: Early years

Main article: Charlotte Bobcats early seasons

The Bobcats held their expansion draft on Tuesday, June 22, 2004, picking up such seasoned players as Predrag Drobnjak and talented youngsters such as Sacramento Kings forward Gerald Wallace. However, Drobnjak would never play for the team; the Bobcats traded Drobnjak to the Atlanta Hawks for a 2005 second round draft pick. They also traded with the Los Angeles Clippers to acquire the second pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, which they used to select Emeka Okafor, a center from the University of Connecticut. He went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2005.

Their first game was a 103–96 loss to the Washington Wizards on November 4, 2004. They won their first game in franchise history over the Orlando Magic 111–100 on November 6. After losing their next seven games, the Bobcats stunned the defending champion Detroit Pistons 91–89. On December 14, the Bobcats really gave their fans something to roar about, beating the New Orleans Hornets 94–93 in overtime in the team's first trip to Charlotte after the move. The Bobcats would go on to post an 18–64 record finishing in 4th place in their division. After the regular season, they finished with the best record in one of the NBA's summer leagues, the Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. In the 2005 NBA Draft, the Bobcats drafted two North Carolina players: guard Raymond Felton and forward Sean May. With these two players, in addition to Okafor, the Bobcats hoped to build a young, solid foundation for future success. The Bobcats selected Adam Morrison from Gonzaga University with the third pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. After an injury to part-time starting point guard Brevin Knight that would sideline him for at least a month, the Bobcats traded Bernard Robinson to the New Jersey Nets for point guard Jeff McInnis and cash considerations on January 3, 2007.

On March 13, 2007, part-owner Michael Jordan announced that Bobcats head coach Bernie Bickerstaff would not return to coach the 2007–08 season. Jordan stated that Bickerstaff would finish the rest of the current season and that he remained an integral part of the organization.^[12] Candidates interviewing for the head coaching position included Stan Van Gundy, Paul Silas, Herb Williams, and Mike Fratello. On May 25, 2007 the Bobcats announced that Sam Vincent, a former assistant with the Dallas Mavericks, would be the second coach in franchise history.^[13]

2007: Sam Vincent and the Bobcats

Main article: 2007–08 Charlotte Bobcats season

The front office has been a key issue for the Bobcats during the 2007 offseason. Rod Higgins was hired on May 31, 2007 as general manager, assuming the same role he had with the Golden State Warriors.^[14] Although Higgins has the title of general manager, Jordan retains full control over basketball operations.

Phil Ford and Lee Rose were tapped to join Vincent's coaching staff on June 6, 2007.^[15] Buzz Peterson was hired from Coastal Carolina University, where he served as head basketball coach, to become director of player personnel on June 13, 2007.^[16] Brandan Wright was selected with the eighth pick by the Bobcats in the 2007 NBA Draft. He was subsequently traded to Golden State for swingman Jason Richardson and power forward Jermareo Davidson. Shortly after the Richardson trade, the Bobcats resigned Gerald Wallace to a reported six-year, $57 million contract. Wallace was the team's leading scorer for the 2006–2007 season, and has been with the team since the 2004 expansion draft. The Bobcats waived team veteran Brevin Knight who was formerly the starting point guard but lost the job to Raymond Felton. Since assuming the starting point guard role, Felton has led the team in assists. On December 14, 2007, the Bobcats acquired center Nazr Mohammed from the Detroit Pistons for Wálter Herrmann and Primož Brezec. January 31, 2008 saw guard Earl Boykins, the shortest player in the NBA, sign with Charlotte, as the Bobcats looked to bolster their depth at the point guard position.^[17] Only lasting a year, Sam Vincent was fired as head coach on April 26, 2008 after a disappointing season that saw the Bobcats finish with a 32–50 record.^[18]

2008–present: The Larry Brown Era

Main article: 2008–09 Charlotte Bobcats season

On April 29, 2008 it was reported that the Bobcats have reached an agreement to hire Larry Brown as the third head coach in franchise history.^[19]

The 2008 NBA Draft saw the Bobcats select University of Texas Point Guard D. J. Augustin with the 9th selection of the first round, French Center Alexis Ajinca with the 20th pick (which had been acquired prior to the Draft from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for a lottery protected future first round pick), and Washington State University combination Guard Kyle Weaver.

On July 31, 2008 it was reported that the Bobcats had reached an agreement with the teams first ever draft pick, Center Emeka Okafor on a 6 year, 72 million dollar contract extension.^[20]

Season-by-season records

Main article: Charlotte Bobcats seasons

Home arenas

The Charlotte Bobcats first played their games at the Charlotte Coliseum as a new replacement, Charlotte Bobcats Arena, was being built. The city closed the Coliseum in the offseason of 2005, and opened the new arena with a Rolling Stones concert shortly before the new NBA season.

• Charlotte Coliseum (2004–2005)
• Time Warner Cable Arena (2005–present, known as Charlotte Bobcats Arena 2005–08)

In April 2008, the Bobcats reached a naming rights deal with Time Warner Cable, the Charlotte area's largest cable television provider. In exchange for the naming rights, Time Warner agreed to tear up the cable television deal that had limited the Bobcats' exposure over the team's first four years.^[21]

Current roster

Charlotte Bobcats roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From 5.0 C 21 FRA Ajinça, Alexis 84 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 220 lb (100 kg) France 1.0 PG 14 USA Augustin, D. J. 72 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Texas 1.5 G 19 VIR Bell, Raja 77 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Florida International 2.0 SG 12 USA Brown, Shannon 76 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Michigan State 2.0 SG 13 USA Carroll, Matt 78 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 212 lb (96 kg) Notre Dame 4.5 F/C 32 FRA Diaw, Boris 80 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) France 1.0 PG 20 USA Felton, Raymond 73 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 198 lb (90 kg) North Carolina 5.0 C 15 USA Hollins, Ryan 84 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) UCLA 3.5 F 5 USA Howard, Juwan 81 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 253 lb (115 kg) Michigan 3.5 F 42 USA May, Sean 81 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 266 lb (121 kg) North Carolina 5.0 C 6 USA Mohammed, Nazr 82 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Kentucky 2.5 G/F 35 USA Morrison, Adam 80 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Gonzaga 4.5 F/C 50 USA Okafor, Emeka (C) 82 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 252 lb (114 kg) Connecticut 1.5 G – USA Singletary, Sean 72 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Virginia 2.5 G/F 3 USA Wallace, Gerald (C) 79 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Alabama	Head coach Larry Brown (North Carolina) Assistant coach(es) Herb Brown (Vermont) Jeff Capel (Fayetteville State) Phil Ford (North Carolina} Dave Hanners (North Carolina) LaSalle Thompson (Texas) Athletic trainer(s) Steve Stricker (Iowa State) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent Injured Roster • Transactions Last transaction: 2008-12-12

Further information:
For the complete list of Charlotte Bobcats players see: Charlotte Bobcats all-time roster
For the players drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats see: Charlotte Bobcats draft history
2004 Charlotte Bobcats expansion draft
List of transactions involving the Charlotte Bobcats

Depth chart

Head coaches

Main article: List of Charlotte Bobcats head coaches

Franchise records and awards

Main article: Charlotte Bobcats accomplishments and records

Awards

Rookie of the Year

• Emeka Okafor – 2005

NBA All-Rookie First Team

• Emeka Okafor – 2005

NBA All-Rookie Second Team

• Raymond Felton – 2006
• Wálter Herrmann – 2007
• Adam Morrison – 2007

Alternate logos and uniforms

Logos

The Bobcats' alternate logo features an orange bobcat head on a blue and silver basketball.

Jerseys

Since their creation the jerseys have donned a white home uniform reading Bobcats in orange with dark blue, light blue, and black trimming. The Bobcats' primary away jersey is orange reading "Charlotte" in white with dark blue, light blue, and black trimming.^[22]

In the 2006 off-season, the Bobcats announced a new alternate away jersey which debuted during the 2006–07 season. Bobcats president and chief operating officer Fred Whitfield told reporters that "alternate uniforms have proven to be very popular with fans across sports and we are proud to introduce our third uniform to Charlotte Bobcats fans". The new uniform will be Bobcat blue (which reads "Bobcats" in white) with black, orange, and white trimming. The blue alternates were used for 25 away games during the 2007–08 season.

Media coverage

Main article: List of Charlotte Bobcats broadcasters

For the Bobcats' first season, Johnson partnered with Time Warner to create Carolinas Sports Entertainment Television (C-SET), a regional sports network. It aired 60 Bobcats games that also aired on Comporium Cable in the South Carolina portion of the Charlotte market. However, Time Warner placed C-SET on its digital package as an incentive to try to get customers to switch to its digital service, leaving analog customers in the dark. It also refused to allow DirecTV or Dish Network to pick up the network on their local feeds. As a result, most of the western Carolinas and those without digital cable were left to rely on radio coverage.

C-SET folded on the day of the 2005 NBA Draft, and most games then moved to News 14 Carolina, a cable news channel available on Time Warner Cable's systems in Charlotte, the Triad and the Triangle. However, this left viewers in most of South Carolina (except for the South Carolina side of the Charlotte area, which saw games on Comporium) as well as eastern and western North Carolina, out in the cold. News 14 was also not available on satellite.

As part of the Time Warner Cable Arena deal, the Bobcats signed over broadcasting rights to Fox Sports Net South. The last five games of the 2007–08 season, and 70 games during the 2008–09 season, will be shown on FSN South and sister network SportSouth in North and South Carolina. The deal is believed to be the first simultaneous naming rights/broadcast rights deal in the history of North American professional sports.^[23]

Select games also air on a network of over-the-air stations across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, fronted by WMYT-TV in Charlotte.

The flagship station for radio coverage is WOLS, a Charlotte-based oldies station whose frequency is 106.1 FM.

Notes

External links

• Charlotte Bobcats Official Website

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