http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12982 It may seem a small accomplishment, but in 2008-09 the Charlotte Bobcats actually recorded the best record in franchise history. Sure, they only won 35 games, but hey, progress is progress. What's more significant is that right up until the final two weeks of the season they were very much in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff chase. In fact, for a stretch of games in January they were looking like they might even challenge for home court advantage. Between January 10th and January 27th the Bobcats started turning heads. They went 6-2 through that stretch with notable wins over the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Lakers, and one of their two losses was a two-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs in which Boris Diaw's buzzer-beater fell just short of giving the Bobcats a victory. The Bobcats were on the rise . . .until that game against the Lakers deprived them of their leading scorer for seven games. Gerald Wallace collided with Andrew Bynum, resulting in a collapsed lung and cracked ribs, and without him the Bobcats lost their next five games. Once Wallace returned and got back into top form the Bobcats were still in the hunt, and went 9-6 in March as they continued to chase their first-ever playoff berth. Unfortunately, the team fell apart in April. Even though the door to the playoffs was still wide open, the Bobcats went 1-7 in April and fell short of that goal. Still, a lot went right for the Bobcats this season. Handing Larry Brown the coaching reins was about more than simply changing the culture of the team on the basketball court, but also about changing the makeup of the team off the court. Brown wasted little time putting his imprint on the Bobcats, helping bring about a trade that landed Boris Diaw and Raja Bell in Charlotte. Diaw and Bell brought their defense and veteran experience with them, and promise to be important members of this team's success going forward. A subsequent trade for Vladimir Radmanovic added outside shooting, and the later addition of DeSagana Diop added some front court defense, but there is still plenty of work to be done . . .starting with next week's draft. Immediate Needs For The Draft The trade which landed Diop in Charlotte also sent one of the team's primary shooting guards to Dallas. Matt Carroll never cracked the Mavericks' lineup, but he was a significant player for the Bobcats, who now need to replace his production. Expect them to address that need in the draft. While the top two shooting guards in the class will be gone before the Bobcats get on the board at 12, it's reasonable to assume that Duke's Gerald Henderson will be there. Aside from the automatic draw of a Duke grad starting his pro career in North Carolina, Henderson would also be a nice fit in Larry Brown's offense. Henderson may lack the three-point game that would make him a truly well-rounded NBA shooting guard, but his mid-range game, his transition offense, and his ability to defend multiple positions will help him earn playing time while he works on his long-range jumper. He won't be an effective starter, but playing behind Raja Bell and with the extremely fast DJ Augustin, Henderson would be able to have an impact off the bench for the Bobcats. He would be an additional scoring threat for a second unit that was often offensively challenged this season. The Bobcats also own New Jersey's second round pick, the 40th overall, and the Spurs' at 54, and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see them go for size at both spots. There are some decent project big men who will be be available late in the draft, and with Sean May potentially taking a hike the Bobcats will need some big bodies. Not that they're likely to make the rotation come November. Immediate Needs For Free Agency Free agency will be more complicated for Charlotte. They will have cap space, it's true, but with the financial situation being somewhat bleak you have to wonder how much they'll be willing to spend. Their biggest need is still up front, despite the acquisition of Diop. They're spending a bunch of money on seven-footers, but still really only have one - Emeka Okafor - who truly belongs in the starting lineup for a playoff team. Diop can't score, Nazr Mohammed can't get in good enough shape to earn playing time, and Alexis Ajinca is somewhat of a project until he finds the weight room and eats a few sandwiches. The Bobcats are set at point guard, where Raymond Felton and DJ Augustin form one of the best one-two punches in the league, they're set at small forward with Gerald Wallace and Vladimir Radmanovic platooning. The shooting guard situation could be better - even if they add Henderson - and Boris Diaw is a solid option who causes match-up problems at the four. So in reality, if they could add one more scoring big man they'd be pretty well set. Of course, the same can be said of the majority of the teams in the NBA. 2008-09 was a good year for the Bobcats, and would have been better if Gerald Wallace hadn't been injured. If they can add a couple of contributing pieces through the draft and free agency they should be ready to challenge for a playoff spot again next season. Maybe they'll even make it this time. -- ◢██◣═════╮ TheAnswer3 ╭ ◢◣◢◣ ═╮ TheAnswer3 ╭═◢█ ◢██◣ █◤ ◥ ◢▌ ●╰═══════╯ ████ ●╰══════╯◢██ █◥█ █ ██◣ ◢ ◢█◣ ◢█◣ ████ ◢ ◢█◣ ◢█◣◢█◤█ █ █ █◣ ◢ █▌█ █ █◢◤ █▌█ █▌█◥◤█ █ █▌█ █▌█ █▌ █ █ █ ◥██◤ ◥▌◤ ◤ ◥█◤ ◥▌◤ ◥ ◤ ◤ ◥▌◤ ◥██ ████ █◣█ ╰════════════════════════════▄◤═══█ ◥██◤ --

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