I thought that in the spirit of Thanksgiving, we could focus on what we are thankful for in Bobcats country.
Let’s first be thankful that leading scorer Jason Richardson has returned to the Bobcats starting lineup tonight. The Bobcats have played well in his absence, but he has the ability to help Charlotte pull out those close games.
Next, let us be thankful for the emergence of rookie point guard D.J. Augustin, who has kept the Bobcats competitive with Richardson sidelined. This past week, Augustin has gone for 26, 12, 25, and 13 points and has averaged just over six assists per game in what has been a breakout week for the ninth pick of the 2008 draft.
We can also be thankful for Raymond Felton stringing together a few strong performances this week. Felton put up 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and seven steals against Milwaukee and got 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists against the 76ers.
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Emeka Okafor woke up this week with averages of 13.3 ppg, 13.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg; something to be thankful for in a weak frontcourt.
Last but not least, let’s be thankful for a team that has played hard despite obvious flaws on their roster. The Bobcats pulled off an impressive win against the Sixers this week and stayed close in every other game without Richardson or any real low post threat.
Larry Brown tinkered with the starting lineup this week, inserting rookies Augustin and Alexis Ajinca for more energy. It has paid off, as the Bobcats have jumped out to some nice leads with the first-year players starting.
This week would be a good chance for the Bobcats to get some wins under their belt. Friday they travel to Indiana to face the Pacers (6-8) before coming back home Saturday to face the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics (14-2).
On Monday, the Bobcats play the Minnesota Timberwolves (4-11) and on Wednesday they will play the Oklahoma City Thunder (1-15). These are some games that Charlotte can win, so it will be nice to see if they can come away with a few victories.
The Bobcats hosted their annual “Hoops and Hope” Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday at Jillian’s in uptown Charlotte, and I think that through the spirit of giving it helps us put everything in perspective as we enter the holiday season.
I hope that all of you out there in Bleacher Report country had a great Thanksgiving with family, friends, and food. See you next week.
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