MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Jason Richardson carried them as a scorer the second half of the season, particularly with Gerald Wallace injured much of that span with a concussion and later a groin strain. He had the fourth-most three-pointers (243) in an NBA season.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: The Bobcats signed Earl Boykins at mid-season, hoping he'd offer a pop as both a scorer and playmaker. Not much happened, but in Boykins' defense, he hadn't played in over six months and his minutes were sometimes sporadic in what was always a chaotic rotation of point guards. BIGGEST NEEDS: The Bobcats can't go into next season without another point guard to complement Raymond Felton. Second to that need is another big man, and a power forward likely makes more sense than a center.
FREE AGENT FOCUS: The major focus is obviously on Emeka Okafor, who becomes a restricted free agent after turning down a long-term contract extension before this season. Okafor already turned down over $12 million a season, and though he says he wants to remain here long-term, it wouldn't be shocking if he signed a one-year qualifying offer to reach unrestricted free agency in July of 2009.
Ryan Hollins, Derek Anderson and Boykins are also free agents and it's a given the Bobcats won't exercise a team option on Othella Harrington for next season. Of those four, restricted free agent Hollins -- a young, athletic, but unpolished, big man -- seems the most likely to return to the Bobcats.
PLAYER NOTES:
--GM Rod Higgins saying the Bobcats need a point guard isn't slap at Raymond Felton. Even if Felton was the best point guard in the league, the Bobcats would need a backup, with Jeff McInnis cut and Earl Boykins an unrestricted free agent. Right now, the Bobcats include more ex-NBA point guards (coaches Larry Brown and Phil Ford) than current ones.
--Texas point guard D.J. Augustin would seem a great fit to play for Brown. He's a pass-first, cerebral guy and Brown wants his point guards compliant to his run-the-offense/play defense credo.
--The Bobcats need to accept that Emeka Okafor functions better at center than power forward in a Southeast Division where the power forward has to chase Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu and Washington's Antawn Jamison out to the three-point line or guard Atlanta's Josh Smith or Marvin Williams off the drive. That suggests any big man the Bobcats draft or sign should be a complement to Okafor's goalie-at-the-rim skill set on defense.
--Adam Morrison and Sean May both missed the season with knee injuries. Morrison is ahead of May in the recovery process. There's some small chance Morrison would play in the Vegas Summer League. May, recovering from micro-fracture surgery, won't be ready before October training camp at the earliest.
