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For current sports news on this topic, see 2007-08 Charlotte Bobcats season |
| Charlotte Bobcats | |
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| Conference | Eastern Conference |
| Division | Southeast Division |
| Founded | 2004 |
| History | Charlotte Bobcats 2004-present |
| Arena | Charlotte Bobcats Arena |
| City |  Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Team colors | Bobcat Orange, Blue, Black, Silver and White |
| Owner | Robert L. Johnson Michael Jordan Cornell "Nelly" Haynes |
| General manager | Rod Higgins |
| Head coach | Sam Vincent |
| NBA D-League affiliate | Sioux Falls Skyforce |
| Championships | 0 |
| Conference titles | 0 |
| Division titles | 0 |
The Charlotte Bobcats are a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team is part of the the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets, relocated to New Orleans and became the New Orleans Hornets.[1] The Bobcats play their home games at Charlotte Bobcats Arena in uptown Charlotte. The Bobcats support a NBA Development League team Sioux Falls Skyforce, located in South Dakota with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Charlotte supported the Fort Worth Flyers with fellow NBA teams Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers for two years until the franchise was declared defunct in 2007. The Bobcats were also the brother team of the Charlotte Sting of the WNBA before the Sting folded on January 3, 2007.[2]
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Franchise history
Creating a new team
When the Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans for the 2002-03 season, the city and the NBA agreed to create a new team in Charlotte for the 2004-05 season. Several ownership groups, including one led by former Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, made bids for the team.[3] In the end, a group led by Black Entertainment Television founder Robert L. Johnson was awarded the franchise.[4] Johnson is one of the first prominent African American owners in U.S. professional sports.[5] On June 15, 2006 it was announced that NBA legend Michael Jordan would become the second largest shareholder in the Bobcats.[6] Another notable co-owner is the rapper Nelly.[7] In June 2003, the new team was named the Bobcats.[8] Bobcats, along with Charlotte Flight and Charlotte Dragons were the top three choices as voted by fans.[8] The Charlotte Regional Sports Commission aided with the "Help Name The Team" effort that drew over 1,250 suggestions. The bobcat is one of the few indigenous predators to the Carolinas.[8] Charlotte, already being home to the NFL's Carolina Panthers, made the cat-related name a natural choice for the area's new basketball team. The name is also a nod to owner Robert L. Johnson, "Bob" being an abbreviation of "Robert." One of the ironies in the formation of the franchise was the fact that despite failed attempts at the ballot box to fully fund a new arena downtown, city politicians decided to go ahead with plans and implemented a hotel and leisure tax in Charlotte to help pay for it.[9][10] George Shinn, owner of the Hornets, also wanted the city of Charlotte to pay for a new arena, and subsequently left town for New Orleans when the city failed to do so.
2004-2007: Early years
The Bobcats held their expansion draft on Tuesday, June 22, 2004, picking up such seasoned players as Predrag Drobnjak and talented youngsters such as Sacramento Kings's former forward Gerald Wallace. However, Drobnjak would never play for the team; the Bobcats traded Drobnjak to the Atlanta Hawks for a 2005 second round draft pick. They also traded with the Los Angeles Clippers to acquire the second pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, which they used to select Connecticut Huskie's center, Emeka Okafor. He went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2005. Their first game was a 103-96 loss to the Washington Wizards (formerly co-owned by Michael Jordan) on November 4, 2004. They won their first game in franchise history over the Orlando Magic 111-100 on November 6. After losing their next seven games, the Bobcats stunned the defending champion Detroit Pistons 91-89. On December 14, the Bobcats really gave their fans something to roar about, beating the New Orleans Hornets 94-93 in overtime in the team's first trip to Charlotte after the move. The Bobcats would go on to post an 18-64 record finishing in 4th place in their division. After the regular season, they finished with the best record in one of the NBA's summer leagues, the Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. In the 2005 NBA Draft, the Bobcats drafted two North Carolina players: guard Raymond Felton and forward Sean May. With these two players, in addition to Okafor, the Bobcats hoped to build a young, solid foundation for future success. The Bobcats selected Adam Morrison from Gonzaga University with the third pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. In late November 2006, the Bobcats waived guard Alan Anderson, who played 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10.2 minutes, to make room for the acquisition of veteran Derek Anderson. After an injury to part-time starting point guard Brevin Knight that would sideline him for at least a month, the Bobcats traded Bernard Robinson to the New Jersey Nets for point guard Jeff McInnis and cash considerations on January 3rd, 2007.[11] On March 13, 2007, a statement issued by part-owner Michael Jordan indicated that Bobcats head coach Bernie Bickerstaff would not return to coach the 2007-08 season. Jordan stated that Bickerstaff would finish the rest of the current season and that he remained an integral part of the organization.[12] Candidates interviewing for the head coaching position included Stan Van Gundy, Paul Silas, Herb Williams, and Mike Fratello. On May 25, 2007 the Bobcats announced that Sam Vincent, a former assistant with the Dallas Mavericks, would be the second coach in franchise history.[13]
2007-present: The Sam Vincent era
The front office has been a key issue for the Bobcats during the 2007 offseason. Rod Higgins was hired on May 31, 2007 as general manager, assuming the same role he had with the Golden State Warriors.[14] Phil Ford and Lee Rose were tapped to join Vincent's coaching staff on June 6, 2007.[15] Buzz Peterson was hired from Coastal Carolina University, where he served as head basketball coach, to become director of player personnel on June 13, 2007.[16] Brandan Wright was selected with the eighth pick by the Bobcats in the 2007 NBA Draft. He was subsequently traded to Golden State for swingman Jason Richardson and big man Jermareo Davidson. Shortly after the Richardson trade, the Bobcats resigned Gerald Wallace to a reported six-year, $57 million contract. Wallace was the team's leading scorer for the 2006-2007 season. The 6-foot-7 Wallace has been with the team since the 2004 expansion draft. The Bobcats also waived team veteran Brevin Knight who was formerly the starting point guard but lost the job to Charlotte draft pick Raymond Felton. On December 14, 2007, the Bobcats acquired center Nazr Mohammed from the Detroit Pistons for Walter Herrmann and Primož Brezec.
Alternate logos and uniforms
Logos
The Bobcats' alternate logo features an orange bobcat head on a blue and silver basketball.
Jerseys
Since their creation the jerseys have donned a white home uniform reading Bobcats in orange with dark blue, light blue, and black trimming. The Bobcats' primary away jersey is orange reading "Charlotte" in white with dark blue, light blue, and black trimming.[17] In the 2006 off-season, the Bobcats announced a new alternate away jersey which debuted during the 2006-07 NBA season. Bobcats president and chief operating officer Fred Whitfield told reporters "Alternate uniforms have proven to be very popular with fans across sports and we are proud to introduce our third uniform to Charlotte Bobcats fans". The new uniform will be Bobcat blue which reads Bobcats in white with black, orange, and white trimming. The blue alternates will be used for 25 away games starting in the 2007-08 NBA Season, and were reported to be the official away uniforms of the Bobcats in the 2008-09 Season, ditching the current orange road unis in the process. [18]
 Home jersey |
 Away jersey |
 Alternate jersey |
Season-by-season records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win-Loss %
| Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Bobcats | |||||
| 2004-05 | 18 | 64 | .220 | ||
| 2005-06 | 26 | 56 | .317 | ||
| 2006-07 | 33 | 49 | .402 | ||
| 2007-08 | 11 | 20 | .355 | ||
| Totals | 88 | 189 | .318 | ||
| Playoffs | 0 | 0 | .000 | ||
Home arenas
The Charlotte Bobcats first played their games at the Charlotte Coliseum as a new replacement, Charlotte Bobcats Arena, was being built. The city closed the Coliseum in the offseason of 2005, and opened the new arena with a Rolling Stones concert shortly before the new NBA season.
- Charlotte Coliseum (2004-2005)
- Charlotte Bobcats Arena (2005-present)
Players of note
Statistical leaders
- Raymond Felton: Team leader in assists per game: 2006-07, 2007-08. Also played a franchise-high 57 minutes December 29, 2006.
- Brevin Knight: Team leader in assists per game: 2005-06. Also became the first team captain (along with veteran Steve Smith). Got the franchise-first assist. [19]
- Emeka Okafor: Team leader in rebounds per game: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08. Team leader in blocks per game: 2006-07, 2007-08. Also became just the second player drafted first overall by an expansion team to record a double-double in his first game. Grabbed the franchise's first (defensive) rebound, as well as the first offensive rebound.[20] Nearly had the Bobcats' first triple-double with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and a franchise-best 10 blocked shots. Also has the franchise-high in rebounds with 25 (December 29, 2006).
- Gerald Wallace: Team leader in points per game: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08. Team leader in minutes per game: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08. Team leader in blocks per game: 2005-06. Team leader in steals per game: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08. Also the first player in franchise history to be named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week (November 28, 2005). Scored a franchise-record 41 points, and a franchise-record 27 points in the second half, on March 28, 2006.
Other notable players
- Derek Anderson: Tied a franchise-best with six 3-pointers in one game, January 12, 2007.
- Primoz Brezec: Scored the first points in Bobcats history. Also made the first turnover and made the first free-throws in franchise history.
- Matt Carroll
- Melvin Ely
- Jason Hart: Made the first steal in Bobcats history.
- Walter Herrmann
- Jumaine Jones
- Jason Kapono: Made the first block in Bobcats history.
- Sean May
- Nazr Mohammed
- Adam Morrison
- Jason Richardson
- Kareem Rush
- Steve Smith: Unanimously became the first team captain (along with veteran Brevin Knight). Scored the franchise's first 3-point field goal.
Franchise leaders
(as of December 25th, 2007)
- Years with team: Gerald Wallace, Emeka Okafor, Matt Carroll (4), Primoz Brezec (3½), Raymond Felton, Brevin Knight, Melvin Ely (3).
- Games: Primoz Brezec (229), Gerald Wallace (221), Matt Carroll (200), Emeka Okafor (191), Raymond Felton (182), Brevin Knight (180).
- Games Started: Gerald Wallace (215), Primoz Brezec (201), Emeka Okafor (188), Brevin Knight (153), Raymond Felton (153).
- Minutes: Gerald Wallace (7568), Emeka Okafor (6660), Raymond Felton (6097), Brevin Knight (5568), Primoz Brezec (5546).
- Points: Gerald Wallace (3376), Emeka Okafor (2759), Raymond Felton (2413), Primoz Brezec (2245), Brevin Knight (1945), Matt Carroll (1903).
- Rebounds: Emeka Okafor (2082), Gerald Wallace (1434), Primoz Brezec (1199), Melvin Ely (642), Brevin Knight (508), Matt Carroll (482).
- Assists: Brevin Knight (1497), Raymond Felton (1154), Gerald Wallace (476), Jason Hart (367), Jeff McInnis (229), Emeka Okafor (192).
- Steals: Gerald Wallace (449), Brevin Knight (355), Raymond Felton (255), Emeka Okafor (166), Matt Carroll (128).
- Blocks: Emeka Okafor (393), Gerald Wallace (297), Melvin Ely (119), Primoz Brezec (113).
- 3-Point Field Goals Made: Matt Carroll (227), Raymond Felton (221), Jumaine Jones (115), Kareem Rush (106), Gerald Wallace (92), Adam Morrison (87).
Current roster
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Charlotte Bobcats roster
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Roster • updated 2007-09-26 |
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Further information:
Charlotte Bobcats all-time roster
Charlotte Bobcats draft history
NBA awards
Charlotte Bobcats staff
Head Coaches
Bernie Bickerstaff (2004-2007)
Sam Vincent (2007-present)
Media coverage
Bobcats basketball is heavily covered by News 14 Carolina which is owned by Time-Warner cable. News 14 games are also shown in the Greensboro and Raleigh markets. Select games will be shown on WMYT-TV (MyNetworkTV) in Charlotte. The Bobcats radio network covers nearly 3 million households throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.[21] The flagship radio station, located in Charlotte, is WNMX, "Mix 106.1".
Notes
- ^ Mary Foster. "Owners approve Hornet's move to New Orleans", USA Today, 2002-05-10.
- ^ Mike Cranston. "WNBA Franchise Charlotte Sting Folds", Washington Post, 2007-01-03.
- ^ Associated Press. "Bird, Carr thinking pro hoops in Charlotte?", USA Today, 2002-05-23.
- ^ Michael Hiestand. "Winning NBA bid just the start for Johnson", USA Today, 2002-12-19.
- ^ ESPN. "Johnson will be NBA's first black majority owner", ESPN.com, 2002-12-17.
- ^ Jenna Fryer. "Michael Jordan Named Part-Owner of Bobcats", ABC, 2006-06-15.
- ^ NBA. "Robert L. Johnson Adds Nelly To Bobcats Ownership Team", NBA.com, 2004-07-19.
- ^ a b c NBA. "NBA Expansion Franchise To Be Named Charlotte Bobcats", NBA.com, 2003-06-11.
- ^ Laura Williams-Tracy. "Arena bounces back", Charlotte Business Journal, 2002-08-09.
- ^ Erik Spanberg. "With new plan and new NBA team, arena project finally heads uptown", Charlotte Business Journal, 2002-12-27.
- ^ Rick Bonnell. "Bobcats waive guard Anderson", Charlotte Observer, 2006-11-27.
- ^ ESPN. "Jordan: Bickerstaff won't return as coach", ESPN.com, 2007-03-14.
- ^ Charlotte Bobcats. "Bobcats New Era Begins With Vincent", Charlotte Bobcats, 2007-05-25.
- ^ Rick Bonnell. "It's official: Bobcats will name Higgins GM", Charlotte.com, 2007-06-07.
- ^ Rick Bonnell. "Bobcats add Rose, Ford to coaching staff", Charlotte.com, 2007-06-07.
- ^ Rick Bonnell. "Bobcats lure Peterson from college ranks", Charlotte.com, 2007-06-13.
- ^ Charlotte Bobcats. "Bobcats Unveil New Team Uniforms", Charlotte Bobcats, 2004-08-21.
- ^ Charlotte Bobcats. "Bobcats Unveil Alternate Road Uniform", Charlotte Bobcats, 2006-08-16.
- ^ http://scores.nba.com/games/20041104/WASCHA/PlayByPlayPrint.html
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=241104030
- ^ Charlotte Bobcats. "Charlotte Bobcats Media", Charlotte Bobcats.
External links
- Official Charlotte Bobcats website
- Charlotte Bobcats News and Discussion
- BBF.com's Bobcat's Message Board
- Bobcats Den - Blog Devoted to the Charlotte Bobcats
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| Bickerstaff • Vincent |
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| 2004-05 • 2005-06 • 2006-07 • 2007-08 • 2008-09 |
