Fantasy Basketball 2010-2011 Team Preview: Charlotte Bobcats (9/15/10)
Sep 15, 2010 Blog
The Charlotte Bobcats lost Raymond Felton over the summer and now must choose a point guard from either D. J. Augustin or Shaun Livingston. There were some earlier rumors about Jose Calderon joining the club, but his defense is so horrible that I think he just has no shot in Charlotte. The Bobcats were the top rated defensive team in the league in 2009. Stephen Jackson will start at SG, Gerald Wallace at SF and Tyrus Thomas at PF. Erick Dampier was just waived, so the center position is uncertain. Kwame Brown and Nazr Mohammed could share minutes at the spot. Jackson and Wallace are the dependable fantasy options, while Thomas and Augustin make for nice fantasy gambles in the later rounds. Post your comments over on the Fantasy Basketball Daily Facebook Page.
Projected Fantasy Depth Chart
PG: D. J. Augustin, Shaun Livingston
SG: Stephen Jackson, Gerald Henderson, Matt Carroll
SF: Gerald Wallace, Dominic McGuire
PF: Tyrus Thomas, Boris Diaw
C: Kwame Brown, Nazr Mohammed
2009 Team Stats
Pace: #26, 90.4 (avg. 92.7)
Offensive Rating: #24, 104.4 (avg. 107.6)
Defensive Rating: #1, 102.8 (avg. 107.6)
Team eFG%: #25, 49.0 (avg. 50.1)
Offensive Rebounding: #17, 26.5 (avg. 26.3)
Defensive Rebounding: #10, 74.2 (avg. 73.7)
Opponent’s eFG%: #11, 49.1 (avg. 50.1)
Points Per Game: #28, 95.3 (avg. 100.4)
Charlotte is a team built on defense, and when you combine that with the leagues 26th slowest pace, it’s a fantasy nightmare. There were many games last season when I benched questionable players versus Charlotte and it was usually the right decision. The slow pace of a Bobcats game also hurts the stats for big names like Jackson and Wallace.
Playing Time and Usage Rates
Usage rate illustrates a player’s involvement in the team’s offense.
Player (2009 MPG) Usage (2009/Career)
Augustin (18.4) 17.9/19.6
Livingston (22.1) 15.9/16.4
Jackson (39.3) 27.8/24.3
Wallace (41.0) 20.3/20.9
Thomas (21.7) 25.1/20.3
Diaw (35.4) 16.2/16.4
Mohammed (17.0) 21.3/19.6
Brown (13.8) 14.7/16.1
The first thing to notice is that the Bobcats have a problem at point guard with two guys who both have below average usage rates. One of them is going to have to step up this season and my guess is that it’s going to be Augustin. Stephen Jackson is being leaned on much too heavily with a usage rate of 27.8. On most other teams he would fall somewhere around 23-24. I expect that he will once again be asked to carry the load on offense, especially with the weak point guard situation. Tyrus Thomas saw his usage rate rise with the trade to Charlotte and he could maintain that figure if he gets the starting PF spot over Boris Diaw. Kwame Brown simply isn’t an offensive player and Boris Diaw didn’t show much involvement either in 2009.
Shooting Ability and Shot Location
Player Career eFG% Career 3PT Jumper/Inside
Augustin 49.6 1.2/2.8 (42.0%) 71/29
Livingston 45.8 0/0 77/23
Jackson 47.4 1.5/4.5 (33.9%) 65/35
Wallace 50.1 .4/1.4 (31.6%) 42/58
Thomas 45.2 0/0 48/52
Diaw 51.8 .4/1.1 (33.2%) 54/46
Mohammed 49.1 0/0 38/62
Brown 48.8 0/0 28/72
The first thing that jumps out from these stats is the lack of a a true perimeter threat. The team is mostly comprised of guys who can take it to the basket just about as much as they take the jumper. The only two jumpshooters on the team are Augustin and Livingston, and Livingston has absolutely no range at all. The entire frontcourt has a nearly even Jumper/Inside split, which is rare for an NBA team.
Augustin may earn the point guard minutes with his shooting, especially his ability to hit the three. Jackson, Wallace and Diaw are all very inefficient long range shooters.
Rebounding
Player Off/Def/Total
Augustin 1.0/7.2/4.2
Livingston 3.3/9.8/6.6
Jackson 2.9/10.7/6.8
Wallace 5.9/18.2/12.0
Thomas 8.4/20.8/14.6
Diaw 5.6/13.0/9.4
Mohammed 13.6/21.2/17.4
Brown 5.6/13.0/9.4
The Bobcats have the luxury of good rebounders at the SF, PF and C spots. Gerald Wallace had a career year rebounding in 2009 and he should be able to keep it up this year, if he can stay healthy. Tyrus Thomas and Nazr Mohammed are both excellent rebounders and should make life difficult for opposing teams in the paint. Kwame Brown and Boris Diaw are weak rebounders for their position.
Defense
The Bobcats led the league in defensive rating in 2009 and should again have a solid defense.
PG: D. J. Augustin is a good defender, which may make him the favorite at the PG spot. Shaun Livingston has lost a little lateral quickness after his knee injury, but he’s still decent on defense.
SG: Stephen Jackson is an excellent defender.
SF: Gerald Wallace is the leader of this defense with his hustle and energy.
PF: Tyrus Thomas has all the raw skills to be a great defender and hopefully he can put it all together this season. He is an excellent shotblocker.
C: Nazr Mohammed is a decent defender and rebounder, which is his primary role.