charlotte bobcats history
charlotte bobcats history
2004 was a disappointing year for the brand new Charlotte Bobcats. Despite the best efforts of 2005 Rookie of the Year Emeka Okafor, Bobcats ticket holders suffered through a typical inaugural year, finishing at 18-64. Charlotte surely missed the Hornets, but the faithful Bobcats season tickets holders were rewarded this year with a new stadium, the Charlotte Bobcats Arena located in the heart of Uptown Charlotte. The state-of-art facility is one of the NBA's premiere venues, and promises to be one of the best arenas to take in an NBA game. Every Bobcats ticket, even the nosebleed seats,offer a spectacular view of the court.
The 2005 draft was a controversial one for the Bobcats. With two first round picks, they took point guard Raymond Felton and power forward Sean May, both from the University of North Carolina. Critics dismissed the picks as an attempt to sell more Bobcats tickets by drafting players "from the neighborhood," familiar to local UNC fans. Charlotte bypassed Martell Webster (now with Portland) and Gerald Green (now with Boston) to take Felton and May. Either of the two high schoolers, Webster or Green, could have filled the Bobcats need for a shooting guard. Was the team management more interested in selling Bobcats tickets than in improving the team? It's tough to say, as May and Felton aren't exactly slouches on the court. Together with Okafor, they can provide the additional firepower the Bobcats offense needs to complement their stingy defense.
2004 was the Bobcats' first year, and as such, it was a year of building and shaping the team for the future. The Bobcats are a very young team, but that youth will be the foundation for success in the future. Head coach Bernie Bickerstaff's vision is one of a team that doesn't quit, that doesn't give up, and that stays in the game to the very end. He felt he got that in 2004. What will be important in 2005-06 is the development of the new players in forming a cohesive unit that opponents will not take lightly. Bobcats tickets holders can't expect a large amount of wins, but they can expect to see an improvement in each and every game, as the youthful players grow around each other and gel on the court. The Cats are following their expansion blueprint and expecting immediate improvement in their second NBA season.
That's not to say that Bobcats tickets for the 2005-06 aren't worth buying. Charlotte has more depth than most fledgling franchises. Power forward Emeka Okafor proved he will be a fixture in the NBA for a long time by winning the Rookie of the Year Award, while point man Brevin Knight was a big surprise finishing second in the league in assists and averaging double-digits in points for the first time in his career. Center Primoz Brezec and forward Gerald Wallace rounded out a strong front-line for a brand new team. The gaping hole in the Bobcats' starters is at the shooting guard position. Matt Carroll came on strong late last year at the position, but the team sorely needs to address the position soon.
An interesting tidbit for Charlotte fans: in 2004-05, the Bobcats had 16 games decided by three points or less, with eight losses coming in the final three seconds. Be sure to catch all the heart-stopping, nail-biting action of these cardiac Cats with Bobcats tickets this year!
