MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Gerald Wallace's numbers weren't dramatically better than in past seasons, but he benefited greatly from Brown's coaching. He plays smarter and more precisely at both ends. He cut down on the gambles for steals that compromised teammates defensively and took fewer bad shots early in possessions.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: Everyone was relieved when Adam Morrison was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in early February. He melted under the pressure of being the third overall pick, and asked for a trade. Vladimir Radmanovic didn't have a great season, in exchange for Morrison, but he made as many big shots in a week as Morrison had the previous three months. FREE AGENT FOCUS: The major issue is point guard Raymond Felton's restricted status in July. D.J. Augustin was drafted as insurance against losing Felton, but he's been more effective as a shooter than as a distributor. F Sean May's contract also expires, but it seems unlikely the Bobcats would tender him a $3.6 million qualifying offer, as little as May has played this season.
PLAYER NEWS:
--F Sean May has lost about 45 pounds since mid-summer and hopes to be back with the Bobcats. He plans to spend most of the summer in Charlotte, improving his conditioning.
--C Nazr Mohammed made a rare start in the season finale in Orlando. Any chance this was an attempt to showcase Mohammed, in the event some other team would take his contract?
--F Vladimir Radmanovic finished the season in a deep shooting slump. He was 12-of-40 from the field in his last six games, five of them Bobcats losses.
--F Juwan Howard looks like he can still be effective. Denver might regret not re-signing him, after waiving him in the early season to facilitate the trade that brought Chauncey Billups to the Nuggets.
MEDICAL WATCH:
--G Raja Bell (calf strain) missed the last six games. Once the Bobcats were eliminated from the playoff race, there was little sense in pushing the injury in the final three games.
