2012-13 Record: 22-60

 Season Lowlight

Times have been hard for Bobcats fans. The team, which has been synonymous with poor trades and bad basketball for a few years now, finished dead last in the East. The Bobcats are one of those resource-poor teams that seem to fade into the background. Blame falls squarely on GM Loose. He is one of the least proactive GMs in the league, one who has traded away many of the team’s best pieces since he took over. In 2009, the Bobcats made the playoffs. They’ve been nothing but getting worse ever since.

Season Highlight

The 22 wins. With a roster like this one, it’s amazing that they didn’t finish worst in the league (you can thank the Warriors for that feat). There are still enough fans to cheer and cheer loudly the Cats got those wins. I guess reclaiming that Hornets name may help wash away the sour taste of the Bobcats era.

Best Trade

The Brooklyn Nets send Al Harrington, CJ Miles, Daniel Gibson and Omer Asik to the Charlotte Bobcats. The Charlotte Bobcats send Tyson Chandler, Dahntay Jones and Dante Cunningham to the Brooklyn Nets.

A lot of marginal, loose change changed hands in this deal, but the Bobcats walk away with a good piece in Omer Asik. Young, up-and-coming players like Asik are what the Bobcats should be trading for at this point of the game. Which makes the trade listed below even more heartbreaking….

Worst Trade

The Charlotte Bobcats send Marc Gasol to the Indiana Pacers. The Indiana Pacers send Eric Gordon to the Charlotte Bobcats.

Okay, so you get Tyson Chandler. That doesn’t make too much sense since you already have Marc Gasol (and don’t give me that Twin Towers crap). One of them has to go. Strike one: you trade Gasol rather than Chandler. Strike two, three and four: you trade Gasol for a guard who seems averse to playing basketball. If you do trade Gasol, get some young players like Asik, not guys on a fattie contracts who don’t play.

Other Notable Trades

The Charlotte Bobcats send Marcus Camby to the Phoenix Suns. The Phoenix Suns send Chauncey Billups to the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Charlotte Bobcats send Chauncey Billups to the Phoenix Suns.

The Phoenix Suns use their trade exception over $ 3,000,000.
The Charlotte Bobcats trade -12 GM points.The Phoenix Suns receive 12 GM points.

See how these guys manipulated the system? A rule was created to stop stuff like this. That makes this deal notable enough.

The Oklahoma City Thunder send Nolan Smith to the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Charlotte Bobcats use their trade exception over $ 1,404,960.

The Charlotte Bobcats send Chris Duhon to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder use their trade exception over $ 3,680,000.

Nolan Smith = Serge Ibaka  vs Nolan Smith = Chris Duhon. Only notable for the sad story that came before it.

Best FA Signing

The Bobcats didn’t sign any FAs of note.

Worst FA Signing

The Bobcats didn’t sign any FAs of note.

Star

Anthony Randolph –C/F- With no one else to help out, Randolph became the face of the Bobcats. He averaged nearly 20 ppg with 8 rpg. It’s funny that the team’s best player didn’t even want to be there. The Cats matched the offer sheet he signed with the Celtics at the beginning of the season.

Surprise

Omer Asik- C- The jury has been out on this guy, but this season he quietly proved that he is a defensive force to be reckoned with. And he somehow found his way back to Charlotte, less than one year and two trades later.  Let’s hope that Loose keeps him for awhile.

Goat

Man, this was a tough one. Could it be Loose for taking this team on an elevator ride straight to the bottom? Could it be Richard Jefferson for making more than $10mil and starting in only 29 games (why Loose doesn’t buy him out is beyond me). Nope. The Goat award goes to Eric Gordon who appeared in only 49 basketball games after being acquired for Marc Gasol. You know which team got the better end of this deal.

Draft Report Card

The Bobcats drafted Anthony Bennett, but shipped him the Chicago Bulls soon after for Kemba Walker.

Looking to the Future

Things can only get better for the Bobcats, right? Let’s assume everyone stays healthy. The team has a legit starting center, shooting guard and point guard in Asik, Gordon and Walker. RJ, Kyle Singler, Iman Shumpert and Al Harrington can all start at small forward if need be, but Loose should ditch RJ and Harrington before the season begins. I think Randolph numbers at power forward are limited. Last season is a fluke and with a strong supporting cast, Randolph will likely get lost in the mix. The Cats will only get scraps in free agency, so it’s best to trade. It may be wise to spend the points buying out RJ and Harrington and then absorb unwanted contracts of players with potential via trade and let the big dogs duke it out over the big free agents.

Upcoming Free Agents

Omer Asik- He is restricted and the Cats will retain him.

Andris Biedrins- Poor Andris. So many teams signed him and cut him last season. The Bobcats should not re-sign this guy, no matter what.

Nolan Smith- The sad story of Nolan Smith ends with the point guard signing a contract overseas.

Daniel Gibson- Gibson indicated he would like to be back. Depending on the price tag, he could be a good back-up to Walker. That said, Gibson is notorious for injury and another player made of glass is not something the Bobcats should invest in.

Damien Wilkins- Just let him go.