The mandate for change is in force with the Bobcats. They spent the days leading up to the draft assessing the trade value of their players. They had serious discussions with the Toronto Raptors about a deal that would have sent Gerald Wallace to Canada in return for Raptors point guard T.J. Ford.
Ford will instead go to the Indiana Pacers, in a deal for forward Jermaine O'Neal that will be consummated in July. But there's little doubt that the Bobcats are re-evaluating everything under new coach Larry Brown. The Bobcats addressed their areas of need -- point guard and big man -- with their two first-round picks Thursday. However, there's little reason to assume those rookies -- Texas point guard D.J. Augustin and particularly French pro Alexis Ajinca -- will have immediate impact on a team that needs to start making the playoffs.
That Wallace's name was in play shows how willing the Bobcats are to shake up their mix. The Bobcats also tried to trade up, reaching as high as the Seattle Supersonics' No. 4 pick, hoping to acquire a rookie of greater impact.
SEASON HIGHLIGHT: For the second straight season, the Bobcats did their best work against the Los Angeles Lakers. Last season, it was a triple-overtime victory in Charlotte, in which the Bobcats fouled Kobe Bryant out of the game. This time it was a March visit to Los Angeles, and the Bobcats so frustrated Bryant that night he was ejected with two technical fouls, the second for kicking a ball at a referee.
TURNING POINT: They knew (because of college basketball commitments at their arena) that 26 of their last 41 would be played on the road. They never built sufficient momentum in November and December to overcome that schedule imbalance, and four straight losses out west -- Sacramento, Golden State, Denver and Phoenix -- did them in during early February.
