2008-2009 Finish: 39-43

What went well

The 2008/09 season will be one of the most important years for the expansion team in Charlotte. Two major events marked this epic year for the fans of the Bobcats: longtime GM Brandon decided to quit and the 'Cats made the playoffs for the first time. Though all seemed lost when team leader Michael Redd went down for the season after only 25 games, the Bobcats persevered (in admittedly weak half of the Eastern Conference) to push into the postseason for the first time in its young history as an NLL team.

GM Brandon was never much of a deal-maker, but before the season kicked off, he made some key personnel changes. Having had enough of Darko Milicic and ready to declare his prized pick a bust, Brandon shipped him off to the Clippers for the small price of Greg Buckner. He also convinced Al Harrington and Keyon Dooling to join the club. As Ben Gordon tried to escape to Atlanta (Brandon retained the restricted free agent at an exorbitant cost), it seems LaMarcus Aldridge is more and more the heart and soul of this Bobcats club and he would relish that role by winning that season's Most Improved Player Award.

Though the Bobcats didn't make it out of the first round, this team of perennial underdogs went the distance as far as Charlotte fans were concerned. Under the guidance of replacement GM Xilca, whose radical postseason moves already have him under scrutiny, the Bobcats took a losing season and it into a winner. If only ex-GM Brandon can see his project now.


What went bad

The biggest blow of the season was losing Redd. After a phenomenal first season in town, Redd had to undergo surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Though Aldridge emerged as the team leader, the Bobcats couldn't stop the Wizards without their top scorer. They were swept 4-0 in the first round and playoff fever in Charlotte ended almost before it began.

Stars

- Ben Gordon, G-

Though it's no secret that Gordon wanted to leave Charlotte, he still played a great season after being retained by GM Brandon. Though his numbers dipped from previous seasons, Gordon still averaged 18.1 ppg. Since he signed only a one-year deal, Gordon is now an unrestricted free agent and if last season's attempted exodus proved anything, he will try to bolt again.


- LaMarcus Aldridge, PF – Aldridge won the Most Improved Player award and he deserved it. He averaged 19 ppg and brought in 11.2 rebounds, highs in his short three-year career. He also had 2 blocks per game. Aldridge is ready to step up and become the face of the Bobcats franchise.


Goats

- Jerry Stackhouse, GF –

Stackhouse gobbled up more Charlotte money, playing in only 4 games. This leads him to be being named Goat another year. Though the Cats finally shipped out at the end of the season, it is very possible Stackhouse will retire. He's been more or less retired for the past season anyway.



- Michael Redd, SG –

It's difficult to call Redd a goat, but when he assured the Bobcats he was healthy after a checkered history with the Bucks, they should not have believed him. After last season, GM Brandon must have thought Redd's injury woes were a thing of the past. But going down after 25 games is not a good return on an investment. Redd turned 30 this year and is slated to make more than $17 million.

Looking to the future

It looks like new GM Xilca decided to blow up the measured approach of his predecessor. Barely had the season ended and he already shipped Harrington, Tim Thomas and a 2nd rounder to Atlanta for Jamaal Crawford. Next came Centergate where the much publicized spat between him and Philly GM VT took form after Xilca traded youngsters Aaron Brooks, Brandon Rush and Denham Brown to Detroit for Nene Hilario. VT claimed a similar deal had been on the table for Ilgauskas but Xilca reneged at the last second. But perhaps Xilca may have fallen victim to the NLL "one trade too many" curse, sending Jerry Stackhouse (read: cap space) and both of his 2010 picks off to the Bucks for Amir Johnson and Shaun Livingston, both players who are at the end of their upside. The Charlotte press howled about Xilca's wanton gambling of the team's future for little return, but the Insider won't be surprised if he doesn't trade more when the season begins.

In the draft, the Bobcats selected VCU senior Eric Maynor at pick 16. Maynor is a terrific passing point guard with great court vision. He has tons of upside and one of the most solid point guards in the draft. Though the Bobcats will have little need, he is also an explosive scorer. One concern about Maynor is he doesn't have experience playing in a major conference in college and he's going to be 22 already when the season begins.

The Bobcats will have a new look as they start the season with Hilario, Aldridge, Redd and Crawford locked in to start. The biggest question mark is Gordon, who is likely to bolt now that the team has a new GM and didn't make it far into the playoffs. The team only has a few million under the salary, money that will vanish once they sign Maynor, so signing Gordon will push the team close to the luxury penalty. Beyond the starting lineup, the Bobcats don't have much of a bench with only Dooling, Tony Allen, Livingston and Johnson under contract. Besides Dooling, none of these players are anything too special. The team should let Buckner walk and only sign Aaron Gray and Steven Hill back in case of an emergency. With so much money tied up in the starting lineup, Xilca will have to use his MLE wisely to fill out his team. The Bobcats might be fierce up front, but if the injury bug comes knocking again, this team will not make the playoffs. Too bad he will have to watch the draft from home.