How to Fix NBA Awards Voting Process
For the most part, the right players went home with the hardware during the recently completed award season for the 2012-13 NBA campaign. But the strange, often nonsensical processes that produced the winners could still use a little work.
Most recently, the league announced the players named to the All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams. The voters that selected LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul to the First team did a swell job; it’s hard to quibble with any of their decisions.
But stop and think for a second. Do you even know who votes, or what the actual process is? And if, for some reason, there was a crazy, inexplicable result, wouldn’t you want to be able to nail the responsible party?
The sheer variety in voting processes is a little shocking. The All-NBA teams are chosen by a panel of 119 members of the media. The All-Defense selections are made by the 30 NBA head coaches. Of course, the Defensive Player of the Year is voted on by 121 different sportswriters and broadcasters.
In what world does it make sense to have the defensive player of the year decided by a different voting body than the one that decides who’s on the All-Defense team? Crazy, right?
The rest of the voting processes are similarly haphazard. Generally, the media is in charge, but in some cases, there are different numbers of voters and the votes count for different “point totals.” Yep, it’s time to streamline this sucker.
Here are some key overhauls that could not only help avoid the few head-scratching choices we saw this year, but also make sure that when mistakes are made, the proper parties receive the requisite amount of public ridicule.
Transparency
When Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe ruined LeBron James’ unanimous MVP award by giving his first-place vote to Carmelo Anthony, there was something of a public outcry. After seeing James dominate the league, post the highest PER mark of any player by a healthy margin and captain his team to 27 straight wins, there was really no logical vote for anyone besides LBJ as the league’s Most Valuable Player.
But Washburn ticked the box next to ‘Melo’s name on his ballot.
To his credit, Washburn wrote a column explaining the logic behind his decision. His argument was flawed, reeking of the type of old-school shortsightedness that still somehow persists in the increasingly analytical NBA world. It took Grantland’s Zach Lowe very little time to swoop in and highlight just how ridiculous and baseless most of Washburn‘s defense truly was.
So Washburn‘s reasoning was absurd, but he at least had the guts to defend his highly unpopular opinion.
The problem is that he didn’t have to do that.
The NBA doesn’t post a list of the media members who vote on these awards, and nobody requires said voters to publicize their picks. That’s a system that invites irresponsibility, homerism and downright foolish selections. Without accountability, there’s not as much of an incentive for objectivity as there otherwise could be.
So the first fix for the awards voting process is to make the entire thing totally transparent.
Whenever a voter makes a selection, we need to know who made it. We might not always agree with the reasoning behind the picks, but at least the voters will be forced to explain themselves if they go too far afield with their ballots.
And if you’re a media member who doesn’t want to have to justify a dubious pick, well…you either need to bone up on your NBA knowledge or give up your voting privileges altogether.
A Penalty System
This one’s kind of fun. We need to build in disincentives for ridiculous votes.
Combined with the transparency tweak outlined above, this would really serve to deter thoughtless or biased selections.
I’m proposing that any vote deemed “questionable” by the committee would subject the voter (whose name we’d know because of the whole transparency thing) to either probation or a full repeal of voting privileges—depending on the egregiousness of the vote in question.
Who’d be on that committee? Well, it would be a panel of three people: Gregg Popovich would obviously be one of the adjudicators because he’s basically allergic to nonsense and wouldn’t stand for any stupid selections.
Shane Battier would be the second member of the tribunal, mostly because he reads more NBA scouting reports than any human being on earth and would be a great authority on individual awards.
The third member would be me. Because these are my rules and I can do what I want.
Anyway, an offending voter would be subject to discipline, which we’d call “being Washburned.” More than two consecutive violations would lead to a lifetime ban. There are plenty of voters out there who’d love to participate, so there’s no reason to keep folks around who aren’t appreciating the privilege.
All-Inclusive Voting
As I mentioned earlier, the seven major awards (MVP, All-Defense, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year and the All-NBA teams) each have slightly different rules.
So why not just combine all of the voting pools into one big one and do away with the points systems in each award?
This way, you’d have all of the media members with votes, the 30 head coaches and the fans (who get one measly vote in the case of the MVP) deciding the races one vote at a time. There’d be no more breaking things down into first-place votes and second-place votes; each person would just cast his individual ballot, and whichever player ended up with the most would be the winner.
It’s ridiculously simple, but there’s nothing wrong with that. And it’d probably help avoid what happened this year with the votes for Defensive Player of the Year and the All-Defense team. Because the two voting bodies were totally different for those awards, Marc Gasol ran away with the individual honor but wasn’t even named to one of two center spots on the First Team.
Where’s the sense in that?
Could Be Worse
On the bright side, the voting process for the NBA’s major awards is a lot better than many others in professional sports (Major League Baseball’s arcane Hall of Fame voting comes readily to mind), but a few simple changes could make it a heck of a lot better.
Does anybody know Adam Silver’s direct phone number? I’d like to present this to him before he takes over as NBA commissioner next year.
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Kevin Ware Harnesses Inner Kobe Bryant During Rehabilitation Process
With the 2013 NCAA tournament in the books, the journey back to the basketball court has begun for Louisville’s Kevin Ware.
The sophomore guard who suffered a horrific leg injury during the Midwest Regional final is beginning his arduous rehabilitation process. In an effort to motivate fans and quell their worries, Ware decided to quote another athlete healing after surgery: Kobe Bryant.
Here’s Ware’s tweet, which shows him working out and harnessing his inner Black Mamba:
If you’re wondering where the motivational words come from, Ware is referencing Bryant’s Facebook page post after the Lakers star suffered a torn Achilles tendon against the Golden State Warriors Friday night.
That particular injury has a six- to nine-month timetable attributed to it and brings doubt that Bryant will ever be the same player.
Always one to draw a great amount of motivation from detractors, Bryant delivered an impassioned rant early Saturday morning. The most pertinent section can be seen below:
There are far greater issues/challenges in the world then a torn achilles. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, find the silver lining and get to work with the same belief, same drive and same conviction as ever.
One day, the beginning of a new career journey will commence. Today is NOT that day.
“If you see me in a fight with a bear, prey for the bear”. Ive always loved that quote. Thats “mamba mentality” we don’t quit, we don’t cower, we don’t run. We endure and conquer.
On the other end of the sports spectrum, Ware is beginning his own humbling trip back to the hardwood.
Yahoo! Sports reminds us that Ware suffered a compound fracture of his right tibia during Louisville’s Elite Eight victory over Duke. His team would go on to win the championship with Ware sitting courtside to support his teammates.
As the report states, the injury—while very serious and forever etched in the minds of those who witnessed it—should not be career-ending. As for his own specific timetable, Bleacher Report’s own Dave Siebert offers, “A number of variables can and will affect his prognosis in the weeks to come, but he could be sidelined for the rest of the calendar year.”
Ware will enter his junior season with the hopes of coming back even better than he was before breaking his leg.
Along the way, he will use the plight of another athlete trying to perform a similar feat. If you are looking to push yourself to great heights, there is hardly a better athlete to fashion a comeback after than Bryant.
Here’s to hoping they both return better than ever.
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Denver Nuggets’ George Karl Goes Nuclear; Shoves Wilson Chandler In Process (Video)
An often heard complaint from Denver Nuggets fans is that head coach George Karl doesn’t show enough emotion during games; it’s safe to say he made up for the entire season Saturday night during a matchup that had the Denver Nuggets pitted against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It would be during the third quarter when Ty [...]The post Denver Nuggets’ George Karl Goes Nuclear; Shoves Wilson Chandler In Process (Video) appeared first on The NBA Mistress.
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Blueprint for LA Lakers Rebuilding Process After Kobe Bryant Retires
The Los Angeles Lakers need a strong combination of coaching, superstar talent and a consistent culture to fill the massive void that Kobe Bryant will leave when he retires from the NBA. Kobe has been the face of the Lakers for over a decade now, but his departure does not have to mean stormy seas ahead for L.A.
Despite his greatness, the Lakers are a premier professional sports franchise with proven longevity. Their prowess is consistent and undeniable; therefore, rebuilding should take less time and creativity than it would for teams with a weaker brand. And despite many Michael Jordan comparisons, Los Angeles has a significantly brighter immediate future than the Bulls did in 1998.
For starters, let’s assume that Kobe will relent and hang ‘em up once his contract—which will pay him an atrocious $30.453 million for his final season—expires in 2014. Unless Dwight Howard signs a max contract with the Lakers during the upcoming offseason, the Lakers will have incredible cap flexibility come summer ‘14. Not only will Kobe’s salary be off the books, but so too will those of his highest-paid friends in Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace.
As you can clearly see, the Lakers are financially prepared for a remodel. And wouldn’t you know it, the free-agent market in 2014 is chalk full of superstars who could re-insert the Lakers into a title hunt. LeBron James tops the list of attractive candidates, but for argument’s sake, let’s say he decides on an alternative location.
In my opinion, the best start would be to ink Dwight to a long-term deal as soon as possible. Despite the drama and media circus that has followed D12 in his short tenure as a Laker, general manager Mitch Kupchak would be hard-pressed to find a comparable replacement at his position.
Let us not forget that just a year ago, Howard was tops at his position in scoring and rebounding while finishing second among centers in blocks. This in a lockout-shortened season that wasn’t his most impressive year. Signing Dwight in 2013 would be a preemptive measure against the potential for a post-Kobe decline.
B/R’s own Ehran Kahn broke down the list of available free agents come 2014 back in December and his opinion is worth a read. From his list, Luol Deng, Kyle Lowry and O.J. Mayo pique my interest most. Andre Iguodala also may be on the market and would be a great sign, but I have a hunch he will receive a max contract offer from Denver.
With over $100 million soon off the books, President of Basketball Operations Jim Buss and the aforementioned Kupchak will have the flexibility and procurable talent to design the team of the future in L.A. My prediction is that they will look to sign the youngest talent—Mayo will be 27, Lowry 28 and Deng 29—after this season’s experience.
Now, who will be the head coach, the front man, the glue? Coach Mike D’Antoni’s contract lasts through 2015 with an option for 2016, but something tells me he won’t be around that long given how this season has played out. It may be time for a fresh start at the helm as soon as Kobe retires.
My ideal man for the job is current Pacers assistant coach and former Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw. Shaw was part of the Lakers team that won three consecutive titles from 2000-2002, and coached with Phil Jackson for two titles in ’09 and ’10.
Simply put, Brian Shaw knows the ins and outs of Lakers culture, what it takes to win a title and was already a candidate for the head coaching position. It wouldn’t take much to persuade Shaw to claim the job that he was spurned in favor of Mike Brown at the start of the 2012-13 campaign.
The final piece of the blueprint that will determine how quickly the Lakers rebound from the loss of their greatest player ever will be the attitude within the franchise. As I’ve detailed above, the Lakers are in a great position to move on quickly and effectively once Bryant retires.
But, events as seismic as Kobe’s departure could seriously shake the spirit of the team. This year, Jim Buss has been at the core of talks about organizational chemistry. After dragging Phil Jackson through the mud—the Lakers couldn’t afford him anyway—Buss’ leadership has constantly been in question. Luckily, most of Kobe’s on-court comrades—only Nash has guaranteed money in 2015—will be on their way out as well.
Having the right coach makes all the difference at a time like this, and D’Antoni is not the man for the job. Whatever change the Lakers seek to make after Kobe calls it quits needs to reflect a feeling of youth, energy and intestinal fortitude. The team needs someone to absorb all of the media heat, work successfully with the management and understand how best to employ the athletes.
A fresh start will soon be the motto in Los Angeles. Have no fear Lakers fans, the franchise has the resources to make the post-Bryant leap short and painless.
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Why Process Will Always Beat Improvisation in the NBA
First, let us marvel at how San Antonio constructed their game-winner against Los Angeles on Tuesday night. The sequence went ball screen, pass, cross screen, down screen, pass—ending with a Danny Green three-point attempt.
The aforementioned sequence took three seconds to unfold.
Now, perhaps the average fan would feel more comfortable with a star taking the final shot, but this execution can make a role player into a star—if only for a possession. A good NBA rule of thumb: An open shot by an average player is a better bet than a contested shot by a good player. Example: This contested shot by good NBA player, Pau Gasol:
The Spurs keep on chugging by virtue of systemic prowess, most exemplified by their humming “motion weak” offense. The attack relies on timed screens and multiple options. At this point, it looks like Tony Parker and Tim Duncan can run it reflexively.
In the motion-weak set, point guard Tony Parker often hands the ball off, before looping through the opposing defense and emerging on the other side of the perimeter. When he gets the ball back, the defense has been probed, slightly discombobulated. Not only that, but Parker often receives the pass, right as a cross screen is springing an open man.
This puts Tony at an advantage that most playmakers lack. When your average point guard initiates offense, the defense is set. When Parker initiates, he does so after the D has been shaken like a snow globe, and he does it just as someone springs open.
It doesn’t end there, though. Everyone on the San Antonio offense keeps moving, keeps setting cross screens. Against most defenses, the Spurs exhibit a triumph of logical organization over talent.
This can fall apart once the playoffs start, as opposing coaches have over a week to break down and prepare for motion-weak sets. But most coaches can’t prep for this whilst grinding through the NBA regular season schedule.
The same could be said (from a defensive perspective) of Tom Thibodeau’s Chicago Bulls. Despite losing a lot of defensive talent over the offseason, they remain an elite defensive unit. To see why, check out this defensive possession from last year’s playoffs. (It features only players that Chicago still has.)
The skill level impresses, but so does the communication involved. Joakim Noah shows on a screen, flashing out to hound the ball-handler before quickly returning to his man.
The Bulls are sound enough defensively to handle another screen in a different fashion. When Rip Hamilton gets blocked by a pick, Taj Gibson steps up and switches out onto Rip’s man (Taj has the ability to guard wings, and Chicago takes full advantage). Rip, knowing that he and Taj can switch according to scheme, seamlessly guards Taj‘s man.
Like the Spurs on offense, the Bulls are of one mind defensively.
It remains to be seen as to whether organization can trump talent in the playoffs. I suspect that both these clubs will meet a Waterloo in the postseason. But for now, with limited talent, the Spurs and Bulls are demonstrating the tremendous benefits of good coaching.
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Did Kobe Bryant Defend Mike Brown or Speed the Firing Process?
No story has caught the attention of the national media quite like the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 1-4 start to the 2012-13 NBA regular season. As a result of their overwhelming shortcomings, USA Today reports that the Los Angeles Lakers have fired head coach Mike Brown.
This has been confirmed by Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and the fact that assistant coach-turned-interim head coach Bernie Bickerstaff led the Lakers to a 101-77 victory over the Golden State Warriors. That now brings their record to 2-4.
As for why this firing transpired in the first place, quiet speculation suggests that franchise shooting guard Kobe Bryant had a hand in the decision. Bryant infamously gave Brown the “death stare” during the Lakers’ 95-86 loss to the Utah Jazz on November 7.
Two days later, Brown is out of a job.
Keep in mind, the Lakers failed to confer with Bryant when they hired Brown in the first place (via Los Angeles Times). In the ensuing months, the team would discover mediocre regular-season success and a 4-1 series defeat in the Western Conference Semifinals.
So was it Kobe who ran Brown out of town? Or was he an innocent bystander in this affair?
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles, Kupchak made the move based off of an evaluation of team success and progression. Not Bryant’s personal morale.
“Today we relieved Mike Brown of his head coaching duties with the Los Angeles Lakers. Mike is a good man. Very hard working, maybe one of the hardest-working coaches that I’ve ever been around,” general manager Mitch Kupchak said. “The bottom line is that the team is not winning at the pace that we expected this team to win and we didn’t see improvement. We wish Mike well and we’re sorry it ended this way. So, we’ve decided to move in another direction and make a change.”
Kupchak would proceed to explain the specific reasoning behind the firing of Brown. The main source of the decision came because of the risk that would be taken in displaying any form of long-term patience.
The following comes via Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times.
“After five games, we just felt that we weren’t winning,” Kupchak said. “We made a decision. Maybe it would have changed a month or three months down the road, but with this team we didn’t want to wait three months and then find out it wasn’t going to change.”
Regardless of who had the final word in this issue, Kupchak was justified in making the move.
Had Kupchak remained patient, there would be the potential for the Princeton offense to flourish. The Lakers could have thrived with their motion offense and become the championship contender we’ve all come to expect.
But what if it hadn’t gone as planned?
The Lakers would have spent the next two to three months struggling to reach the level of success expected of them. As a result, they’d enter the postseason hunt far behind the likes of the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
So far behind that they may not have been able to recover.
For that reason, it becomes irrelevant as to who was behind the firing of Brown. The basis for his termination was beyond reasonable, and the Lakers are now in a better place than they were mere hours ago.
With Brown out of the picture, look for Kobe to thrive and the Los Angeles Lakers to discover victory. More importantly, expect their new head coach to be one that is not only a great basketball mind, but a perfect fit.
Unfortunately for Brown, he only fit the bill for one of those two labels.
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Charlotte Bobcats: Creating Winning Culture Is Going to Be a Mutli-Year Process
There is an air of optimism in the Charlotte area. The new banking center of the United States, and one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country, is getting stronger, jobs are being created and people in this city and the areas surrounding it are starting to look ahead to a brighter future.
A microcosm of the city of Charlotte, in ways extending the fact that they’re located in the city, is the Charlotte Bobcats.
The financial disaster that began in late 2007 was tough on Charlotte as a city. The Bobcats, like the team they call home, have been going through some tough times.
While the city of Charlotte didn’t crash and burn due to the financial crisis, jobs were lost, the city was stagnant and what was previously a quickly growing city began to crawl. I’m not going to pretend to be an economic expert, but I have taken my fair share of economics classes in college, and I know that Charlotte has effectively turned things around.
Construction is apparent everywhere in the city, jobs are being created everywhere, and most importantly, people in this city are starting to see the optimism that looms ahead for the city.
The Charlotte Bobcats went through a disaster of their own, though theirs was not concurrent with the city’s.
This is a sports site. You’re probably well informed about what happened to the Bobcats last year, but just in case you’re not, I’ll give you a quick refresher.
The Bobcats completely restarted their team prior to the 2011/2012 season. Michael Jordan, owner of the Bobcats, controversially sent off Gerald Wallace, the centerpiece and the face of the franchise, for virtually nothing in return, and then did the same thing to Stephen Jackson not long after. Jordan made it clear that the Bobcats, somewhat like the city of Charlotte, were rebooting.
Charlotte had a young core of talent that they were planning on building around. Guys like D.J. Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Tyrus Thomas were going to help drive the Bobcats to at least a passable season while their two lottery picks—Bismack Biyombo and Kemba Walker—developed into a solid cornerstone for the team to build on. To top things off, Corey Maggette, tabbed as the veteran leader, was designated as the team’s main scorer. While there were signs that he was aging, there was no way anyone could predict that he would be as ineffective as he was for the Charlotte Bobcats.
To make matters even worse for the Bobcats (and for the NBA in general), the world of the NBA was put on hold by a lockout in a disagreement between the players union and the owners of the teams, and the season was temporarily put on hold. For a while it looked like there would be no season at all, but mercifully a new collective bargaining agreement was reached, and a compact, 66-game season was planned.
For teams with established players like the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat and many others, this was nothing more than an inconvenience. For the Bobcats it was a death sentence.
Rookies Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo (as well as additions like Byron Mullens) were denied their summer of training and improvement, there was no summer league to begin to acclimate them to their teams and on top of it all, Biyombo was tangled in a contract dispute of his own that almost prevented him from playing in Charlotte at all.
But still the Bobcats had to go onto the court every night and do what they could do to win. An opening night win against the Milwaukee Bucks, and a very near-win against the Miami Heat, had fans (including myself) optimistic that they were going to at least be decent.
They weren’t. The veterans who weren’t injured either gave up or played severely below their capabilities. Young guys like Walker and Biyombo were thrust into starting roles well before they were prepared, and while they performed admirably, the Bobcats put together a team that had no business calling itself an NBA team.
Together they were good enough to win seven games. Seven. They didn’t win enough games for me to be able to type out the number with digits according to B/R’s writing standards. When you get 66 chances to win and you can only pull off seven victories, things aren’t going good for you.
They’re going disastrously.
But that is in the past. Dead weight (like Boris Diaw, who cried his way to the San Antonio Spurs), was lost, and while the losses of D.J. Augustin and Derrick Brown might sting a little bit, as they were both decent players, the Bobcats have players who can replace them more than adequately.
Young guys like Walker and Biyombo now have the NBA style and pace under their feat. Byron Mullens looks like he wants to be a superstar, and by all accounts is a great presence in the locker room. Additions of solid veterans like Ramon Sessions, Ben Gordon and Brendan Haywood are going to improve the young players and provide valuable minutes.
And most importantly, the ‘Cats had an excellent draft.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has everything a winner needs built into one incredibly polite, hard-working, dedicated and outrageously athletically built body. I hate to be generic and compare him to our former face Crash (Gerald Wallace), but it’s an apt comparison. The main thing is that I think MKG is going to exceed what Wallace did in Charlotte. He’s going to become the face of the franchise, and he’s going to turn things around.
Adding to that, their first overall pick in the second round, Jeffery Taylor, is a first-round talent, and he showed glimpses of it in the summer league. Together, the two form a very solid two-deep at the small forward position, and they both come from winning teams and have great attitudes.
Kemba wants to win. Biyombo wants to win. MKG and Taylor want to win. This team wants to win.
Unfortunately for Michael Jordan and the Bobcats, the valiant efforts of Rich Cho will not be overly evident this year. After all, Rome wasn’t built in one day.
The Bobcats are going to require some time to build a winning mentality. This is a team that has only ever had one winning season, and in that winning season they were crushed out of the playoffs in four games by the Orlando Magic. When the Hornets left, so did Charlotte’s winning mentality in basketball.
But when you look at the Carolina Panthers, two seasons ago they were 1-15.
Cam Newton came, and they were the best worst team in football, and while they only went 6-10, it was obvious great strides were made.
The Bobcats are following in those footsteps. Don’t expect the Bobcats to win more than 30 games this year, but do expect them to be exciting again. Expect them to win more than they did last year, and expect them to stay in games and be competitive.
And eventually, the genius of Rich Cho will lead the Bobcats to a winning culture.
Something that the Bobcats have never had.
Something that I absolutely can’t wait to see.
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Kevin Love Apologizes for Free-Throw Shooting, Takes Jab at Shaquille O’Neal in Process
Team USA survived a scare on Saturday, outlasting Lithuania 99-94. A win is a win, but Kevin Love thought an apology was is order. Shortly after Team USA, which actually trailed in the fourth quarter, overcame Lithuania’s upset bid, Love sent out the following tweet. Shaq on the free throw line today!!! My bad USA. Good win for us. Needed a game like that. On to the next. — Kevin Love (@kevinlove) August 4, 2012 Clearly, Love wasn’t in love with his free-throw shooting in the contest. The Timberwolves power forward went 3-for-8 from the charity stripe while scoring seven…
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Pistons star Greg Monroe feels jerked by Olympic process.
The Detroit Pistons star Greg Monroe is upset right about now. With a situations like Pro Bowls, All-Star teams and anything else that involves a selection process that aims to choose the greatest of the great, somebody is going to feel jerked.
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Ben Gordon to Bobcats: Charlotte Makes Big First Step of Building Process
After one of the worst seasons in NBA history, the Charlotte Bobcats are doing everything they can to rise from the league cellar. The first move of that process was a big one, when they traded for Detroit Pistons guard Ben Gordon.
The Pistons sent Gordon and a 2012 lottery-protected first-round pick to Charlotte for swingman Corey Maggette, according to ESPN.
Gordon had high hopes upon entering the NBA after leading Connecticut to a national championship and being selected third overall by the Chicago Bulls. He quickly became very hyped and was bestowed with the responsibility of replacing Michael Jordan, which he obviously didn’t nearly achieve, but still put up good numbers (averaging more than 20 points in two seasons).
His three-point shot is one of the most lethal parts of his game and he’s currently one of the streakiest shooters in the league. Last season, he tied his own NBA record by hitting nine straight 3-pointers without missing in a 45-point effort.
By adding Gordon, the Bobcats have adequately addressed a huge area of concern on their roster. They had absolutely no problem beating out the rest of the NBA for the league’s worst three-point percentage at 29.5, while the next worst team finished at 31.6 percent.
Did I say a huge area of concern? Sorry, I meant huuuuuuuuuuuge.
Gordon should feel some distinct commonality with his backcourt counterpart in Charlotte. Fellow UConn star Kemba Walker was Charlotte’s ninth overall pick last year and was a bright spot on a spectacularly under-talented Bobcats team.
Both Gordon and Walker were insanely impactful in their national championship seasons with the Huskies and won each of UConn’s last two national titles. I think it’s safe to say they’ll be comfortable with each other after enduring longtime head coach Jim Calhoun’s system, whether they’ve actually played together or not.
The Bobcats also enjoyed great return for Maggette. The 12-year vet didn’t give Charlotte much experience in return for the lack of youth he brought, and he shot 37.3 percent from the field, by far the worst percentage of his career.
Charlotte now will turn their focus toward making something happen with their second overall pick in Thursday’s draft. They’ve made it known that they aren’t opposed to shopping the pick, but adding a formidable big man like Thomas Robinson or a swingman like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could pay huge dividends.
One thing is for sure: They answered the gaping hole in their backcourt and did so in spectacular fashion.
Now, they’re only a couple hundred moves away from becoming a contender.
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