2006-2007 Finish: 32-50

What went well

The Charlotte Bobcats are a new team. They still are forming an identity. After only three years in existence, the team has emerged with the faces of its star player and GM.

Ever since he was drafted fourth by the Bobcats in 2004, Ben Gordon has known that a lot of responsibility would fall on his shoudlers. Maybe that is why he has averaged over 20 points in each of his three seasons. But Gordon is just the foundation.

GM Brandon, finding himself with a full salary cap for the first time, was elected as one of free agency's winners at the start of the season. It was with great hope that he lured Tim Thomas and Carlos Arroyo to play for the Bobcats. Things seemed good.

The Bobcats also had drafted LaMarcus Aldridge with the first pick overall in the draft. GM Brandon had hoped this big man would step in and produce right away, especially with the underwhelming play of (can we call him a bust yet?) Darko Milicic. Aldridge, though plagued with health problems at the end of the season, was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Week nine times and finished second in Rookie of the Year polling.

The Bobcats made no trades last season. GM Brandon knows he won't win it all anytime still and is still looking at the time as an experiment.

What didn't

For a growing franchise, a small goal would be to top the previous year's performance. But for some reason, with a full coffer to boot, the Bobcats actually finished worse than the season before. Why? Mainly one can blame personnel. Milicic failed to produce and Thomas underwhelmed. Wayne Simien, so good in his rookie year, sat out almost the entire season with salmonella. Other players who were supposed to breakout didn't: Martell Webster, Bostjan Nachbar. Finally, the Cats lost Tony Allen to injury, Eric Williams to inactivity and Eddie Griffin to drugs.

Star

- Ben Gordon, G -

Once again, Gordon finished with a great season. He has become the face of the Bobcats, an honor he would probably like to share with another high-caliber player. After only three short seasons, Gordon has etched a place for himself in the upper echelon of the league. He finished with his best season yet, averaging 31.2 points. He ranked 8th in the league in Points per game and 3rd in Three-Point Field Goals Made, hitting an astounding 47% of his shots from beyond the arc. He is entering a contract year and should put up even better numbers next season. It will be no surprise that other teams will try to lure Gordon away with the promise of glory. Hopefully, GM Brandon will convince his star to stay in Charlotte.

Goats

- Darko Milicic, C –

"There's no chance (Darko will play for the Bobcats). Put it in big capital letters," agent Marc Cornstein said. "You can say that as long as Brandon is the general manager of the Charlotte Bobcats, there's no chance." How did things deteriorate so fast between Milicic and the Bobcats? When GM Brandon selected Milicic during the expansion draft, everyone thought he had found a steal. Though Milicic did not live up to expectations during his first season in New Orleans, no figured that the Hornets would leave him unprotected. Flash-forward three years and Milicic may have worn out his welcome on another team. Drafted third in 2003 with big hopes, Milicic never turned into the defensive monster scouts had pegged him. Though he did finish 19th in Blocks per Game, the rest of Milicic's numbers were middling, especially for a starter. Rookie Aldridge even pulled down more boards per game.

- Eddie Griffin, PF –

After 14 games this season, Griffin hung it up for the season. Another player with tremendous upside, things also have gone horribly awry for Griffin. He had played well in his first two seasons with the Cats and many thought his checkered past was behind him. But in January, Griffin was suspended for violating the NLL anti-drug program and never came back. His future with the Cats is uncertain though he exercised his player option to stay. GM Brandon should hope for a buyout or return rather than paying Griffin another season to sit on the bench.

Looking to the future

Unlike the Celtics, the Bobcats come into the offseason with close to $20 million in free cash. There will be some big names out there and though the temptation may be great, the Bobcats would be better served using that cash on players who will commit to GM Brandon's vision and stick around. In the draft they scored forward Brandan Wright. With his scoring and defensive abilities, Wright will probably become an all-star in coming years. He can easily slide into the starting rotation immediately. The Bobcats also drafted Aaron Brooks, senior point guard from Oregon. Though there are concerns about his size and shooting ability, Brooks could potentially make a home for himself on the Charlotte bench.

After this season, the Bobcats will find themselves at another crossroads with the need to reinvent themselves again. Only Thomas and Wright will be under contract (as well as the team options guys) and Gordon will either leave or expect a big pay-out. GM Brandon should mold this team around Wright and Aldridge and sign his free agents this season accordingly. This franchise, like many of its players, has potential and potential needs to be handled with care.