This took me a while to decide on, because I really think that the Bobcats are going to be a good team next year. However, I've come to the conclusion that they just aren't good ENOUGH yet to sneak into the Eastern Conference playoffs. If they played in last season's ECF, then yeah, I probably wouldn't even have to think about this. I'm positive that they'd be a better team than Orlando was last year. But this year the ECF has just gotten so much better. Mainly because of the Seattle imports. Rashard Lewis gives Orlando the #1 option that they've been missing for quite some time now. They were a playoff team last season, and this year there is no question that they've improved alot. Rashard Lewis is a big upgrade over Grant Hill scoring wise. They gave him a huge contract, and they're expecting him to score 20+. Dwight Howard might finally break through offensively this year and crack 19-20 a game. Jameer Nelson will get smarter as a PG, and overall he'll definitely improve as a player - same with JJ Redick.Boston will challenge Gilbert/Caron/Jamison for best scoring trio in the NBA. Seriously, they've got Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, AND Al Jefferson. When you add that up with their bench filled with good young players like Tony Allen, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Kendrick Perkins and co. the playoffs are surely in their plans next season. This team also is better than the Bobcats in my opinion.The Nets finished off the year as a very hot ball club. Their big 3 were working coherently, and guys like Jason Collins and Mikki Moore were giving them hustle plays, defense, and overall team spirit. When the playoffs came, they completely trashed my team; the Raptors. They held Bosh down to a minimum, and Jason Kidd was simply unbelievable. I think these guys will go back to what they did two years ago. Maybe they aren't quite that team, but I think they are a sure fire playoff team also.When you add in teams like Miami, Cleveland, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, and Washington, there isn't much room for the Bobcats, is there? Actually, one of the teams I just mentioned besides the Bobcats will be missing the playoffs next season. And I consider all of these teams as better ball clubs than the Bobcats. That reminds me, I gotta talk about the main part of this debate. The Bobcats of course.Okay, last season the Bobcats were trash again of course. Their offense sucked, they had no experience, Adam Morrison was dissapointing, etc....well, I've gotta say that those days are over. Here's why. Jason Richardson first of all. Before this upcoming season, the Bobcats have never had a true #1 option. Now they finally do. J-Rich is a great offensive player. He can shoot the ball from mid range, and from 3 pt range. He is about as athletic as you can get, and fully capable of driving. He's a 20+ capable guard, and he's been putting up those kind of numbers for a while now. Everyone knows what G-Force can do. The dude's an athletic freak, and he's strong as hell and fully capable of posting up weaker Small Forwards. He's amazing at rebounding, stealing AND blocking shots. He's probably as versatile of a player as you can get. The one thing he doesn't have is shooting, but he still gets a good amount of points. They've got Emeka who is a great defensve player, and a talented player on offense too. Ray Felton is quick, he's got a pretty good shot, and he's a more than adequate passer. He was only a sophomore, and although overshadowed by Deron Williams and Chris Paul, he put up a very nice sophomore season last year. The dude's a baller, and he's only going to get better. Then you've got shooters like Matt Carroll and Adam Morrison (although he was inconsistent as hell). But you know what? I still don't think this adds up the the talent that the other teams have. And the other teams have one thing that the Bobcats can't even dream of having right now. That would be experience. Veteran experience. I really want to know how many combined trips to the playoffs all of ther players have. I bet you I could count that on a hand. J-Rich never made the playoffs in GS until last year, and that was the year where he was injured and when he slipped off a fair bit due to the other guards on the team. You need experience in this league. How else can you bounce back from tough losses. How else can you fight off some great WC teams when you're going on a long road trip? How else can you take on the Spurs and not pee your pants at the same time? How else can you come back from a tough losing skid? That's what I'm talking about. Already these guys probably aren't equal to the other playoff calibre teams in the East. But without experience and coaching, they are going to be inconsistent. Too inconsistent to make the playoffs in my opinion.So I challenge any of you guys out there who thinks the Bobcats will be making the playoffs. Name me 1 or 2 of the teams I listed, and tell me exactly why you think the Bobcats will have a better record than them. Because really, I want to know.This was a long response, but I really wanted to go into detail with the teams I was talking about.
