http://www.nba.com/blog/blog16.html from: NBA.com --- Bernie Bickerstaff General Manager & Head Coach, Charlotte Bobcats On Oct. 16, 2003, the expansion Charlotte Bobcats entrusted NBA veteran Bernie Bickerstaff to build their basketball team from scratch. Bickerstaff brings nearly three decades of NBA experience to guide Charlotte's basketball operations. Bickerstaff has been a busy Bobcat since last October, scouting numerous NBA games, conducting clinics, reading to children, returning countless phone messages and accommodating media requests. But with this blog, he'll take time out here to let into what's going on with him and the Bobcats. Bobcats Thinking Big Posted by Bernie Bickerstaff Aug 17 2004 3:36PM The trade of Predrag Drobnjak to Atlanta on Monday helped clear a little bit of a log jam with the big men on our roster. It will give the guys we have more of an opportunity for playing time. We are going to be able to build our team with a good group of basketball players down low. We were very fortunate to be able to move up and get Emeka Okafor in this year's draft. Defensively, we can be the team we want to be by building around his tremendous defensive instincts. He's a great shot blocker, so we can make mistakes on the perimeter because he is back there to clean things up. And here's a bonus. I think people will be fairly surprised at his offensive skills because of his quickness around the basket. Don't get me wrong, my philosophy hasn't changed. I think it always takes three to four years for a player to develop, but I don't think you get better through osmosis. You've got to get out on the court, and he will be on the court. Emeka will not have to handle everything in the post by himself. Primoz Brezec is a very good basketball player and he can shoot. When you can shoot the basketball, teams have to react. All you have to do is show you can do it -- even on bad nights. That's what a lot of these guys need to learn. Shooting the basketball will open up the drive for you. They've all been surprised that it works. Primoz illustrates the great thing about the summer league. He needed an opportunity to play. We have some pretty good bigs who need a chance to play. You talk about Jamal Sampson, Brandon Hunter, Melvin Ely and Primoz ? teams are looking for bigs, and we feel like we have some good ones. We need those big men considering the division we play in. You know, they laughed about the Southeast Division last year. You think about what Atlanta is doing in adding Al Harrington and Antoine Walker, and they're trying to get Erick Dampier. You think about the trade in terms of Orlando getting Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley and that crew, and then Shaquille O'Neal comes into Miami. Jahidi White now becomes a real factor for us with the big fella in the division. Although we believe we have an outstanding collection of big players, we need to play the team game. We looked at Milwaukee, Memphis and Utah last year and how they played the game. And that was before Detroit showcased its team concept in the NBA Finals. They did it on execution, coaching, showing up every night, playing hard and sharing the basketball. We want that kind of effort for the Charlotte Bobcats. --

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