SDH's 2013/2014 NBA Worst to First Previews and Predictions: 22. Charlotte Bobcats

+Charlotte Bobcats  Overall Win/Loss Record :  21-61, fourth place Southeast Division	Last Season’s Rank 30	Projected 2013/2014 Finish 22
Last season’s Team Statistics and League Rank Points Scored: 93.4 (26th) Points Allowed: 102.7 (29th) Team FG%: .425 (30th) Opponent’s FG%: .471 (27th) Team FT%: .750 (18th) Team Three Point FG%: .335 (27th) Rebounds per game: 40.3 (27th) Opponents rebounds per game: 44.1 (27th) Turnovers per game: 13.1 (4th) Opponents turnovers per game: 13.6 (21st)	Returning Individual Statistical Leaders Scoring (ppg): +Kemba Walker  (17.1) Rebounds per game:  +Bismack Biyombo  (7.7) Minutes per game: Kemba Walker (34.7) Assists per game:  Kemba Walker (17.1) Field Goal Percentage: +Michael Kidd-Gilchrist  (.458) Free Throw Percentage: +Ramon Sessions (.840)  Three Point FG Percentage: Ben Gordon (.385) Steals per game: Kemba Walker (2.0) Blocked Shots per game:  Bismack Biyombo (1.8)
Projected Starters Based on Talent, Tenure, and Potential Impact: C. Al Jefferson PF. Bismack Biyombo SF. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist SG. Gerald Henderson PG. Kemba Walker	Second Unit Roster Order Ranked on Talent, Tenure, and Potential Impact: G. Ramon Sessions G. Ben Gordon G/F. Jeffrey Taylor F/C. +Cody Zeller  F/C. Josh McRoberts
Analysis: For a team that once looked like a hopeless mess, the Charlotte Bobcats have reinvented itself to a potential playoff contender simply by executing one of season move.  Last season the Bobcats could not even buy a bucket as they were the worst shooting team in the league, but by adding just one player, they have systematically transformed themselves into a far more efficient and consistent offensive output.  This player has not gotten much exposure due to him spending most of his career on losing teams and was essentially swept under the rug; nonetheless, he gave his teams a 20 point and ten rebound per game player and had he been on a good team, he would have already been a multiple All Star selection.  Al Jefferson is by far one of the most underrated and under-appreciated players in the league as he has posted All Star worthy numbers, but with little or no recognition whatsoever. Even when he helped carry the +Utah Jazz to its last playoff appearance in 2012 and to a 43 win season barely missing the post season by just two games, Jefferson has yet to be given any credit for his contribution; however, now signed with Charlotte, Jefferson may finally have his moment in the sun as he will be called upon to be the Bobcats primary offensive option come opening tip off. The addition of Jefferson completely changes the dynamic of this Bobcats because not only does it give them a consistent 20-10 producer day in and day out, but also opens up the court for the other players as well.  Before Charlotte had to get most of their offense via the perimeter as the team did not have a viable offensive threat in the paint thus leading opponents to crowd them on the outside knowing full well that they had nothing to worry about in the paint.  Jefferson's presence changes all of that because he now forces Charlotte opponents to think twice on leaving the post alone on defense thus opening the court enough so players such as Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson have the spacing to attack the rim more and not settle for long jumpers.  Defensively, Jefferson adds another protector of the rim and more of a physical presence in the paint that will aid the much smaller yet feisty Bismack Biyombo who at time got overwhelmed despite his best efforts.  With Jefferson in the fold the Bobcats now look far more deeper and talented they have ever looked in their rather short history as an NBA franchise and a potential spoiler come late season when teams start making a push for the playoffs. Jefferson arrival to Charlotte somewhat resembles the same dynamic as when the +Chicago Bulls signed +Carlos Boozer turning a marginal team that scraped to get to the playoff to a major player in the Eastern Conference race and a hopeful spoiler to the current champion +Miami HEAT.  Similar to the Bobcats, Chicago was a team that struggled to put points on the board as their offense was very perimeter oriented with them living and dying by the jumper.  Boozer's presence changed all that turning the tide thus making Chicago one of the most dangerous teams in the league that was able to kills their opponents on both the outside and the inside.  In Boozer's first year on the team, Chicago went from being just a mediocre .500 team that got quickly ousted in the playoff in 2010 to being the Eastern Conference's best winning 62 games--the first time they ever did that since the +Michael Jordan led Bulls did it in the 90s.  That is not to say that the addition of Jefferson will suddenly turn Charlotte into a championship contender--far from it; however his signing is a sure sign that the Bobcats are on the right track when it comes to turning this wayward franchise around. Last season the Bobcats tripled their win total going from a league worst sevens game in 2012 to 21 in 2013, and that was without an ace presence in the paint such as Jefferson.  Now with Jefferson, the Bobcats have a chance to boost their win total yet again; however it will not be as dramatic as with the Bulls in 2011 when Boozer arrived, but nonetheless it will still be impressive to say the least.  Taking into account of all things being equal and not discounting such occurrences as injuries, league suspensions or other extenuating factors, the Bobcats most conservatively be estimated to win at least the same 14+ game rate as they did the previous season.  They are by no means a playoff team by any sense of the imagination--at least they will not be this season; however come the following season when the Bobcats will officially drop their name and colors in order to return as the Charlotte Hornets, they will certainly make their case for being a true contender in the Eastern Conference.  After years of fumbling around in the dark, it seem that team owner Michael Jordan and his brain trust have finally gotten things right and given a year or two by getting Charlotte a first class big man to be the central cog of the team's offense. Although Jefferson should by no means the player that Charlotte builds their team upon, he does give the Bobcats a strong buffer to aid in the development of the younger players--namely their most recent prize, Cody Zeller who the team selected fourth overall in this years's NBA Draft. Instead of throwing him into the fray like a lamb to a pack of wolves to simply get devoured, Zeller will spend much of his time learning the game under an excellent mentor in Jefferson for the next three years or so.  Once the time comes, the Bobcats can then part ways with Jefferson who will have just turned 30, allowing him to sign with a team that has a chance of going for a championship and have Zeller take his place as the center piece of this young budding new Charlotte Hornets team. Although this is all conjecture and speculation at best, it does give a sign of hope for a franchise that has struggled not only in the league but also in being accepted by the local population due to their traumatic loss of their previous team.  Now with a new name, which happen to just be the old one, Charlotte can finally return to the NBA basketball loving town that it once was and will finally bring back the prestige and honor that once surrounded professional basketball in North Carolina.