Emeka Okafor

[Johnnybravo4]

Bibby for a resigned Okafor. Any takers?

We put Marvin on the bench and have a 3 person 6'10 frontline

Smoove

Horford

Okafor

[Diesel]

Quote:

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Bibby for a resigned Okafor. Any takers?

We put Marvin on the bench and have a 3 person 6'10 frontline

Smoove

Horford

Okafor

Like I said in the other post, I would take Okafor all day.

Problem is Charlotte doesn't really need Bibs.

[coachx]

Quote:

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Bibby for a resigned Okafor. Any takers?

We put Marvin on the bench and have a 3 person 6'10 frontline

Smoove

Horford

Okafor

A 25 year old 6'10'' beast for a 30 year old almost broken down PG.

Where do I sign ?

And "heres your sign" to the dumbass GM who gives Okafor away for a 30 year old PG.

Lay off the brown whiskey before noon. This is nothing but another "homer" trade.

We got Bibby for Sheldon Williams. Don't confuse that talent for Okefor.

[Johnnybravo4]

I don't think they are too enamored with okafor in Charlotte. And Felton as seen as a underachieving PG...especially compared to Paul, Deron, and even Jack. It is possible that the Bobcats pick up a Big in the draft. Basically the only difference between us and them is that they need a vet pg to lead their team. IN addition they'd have a 14mill expiring contract and if one thing the Bobcats like is expiring contracts. If they get May back they could have a lineup of

PG: Bibby

SG: Richardson

SF: Wallace

PF: Sean May

C: Brock Lopez?

All I am saying is that it is possible. It isn't more of a homer trade than believing that Memphis would trade Gasol for Kwame Brown

Or KG for a journey men and Jefferson. All I am saying is that things happen.

[Johnnybravo4]

Here is an interesting article on the state of the Bobcats

http://www.gastongazette.com/sports/year_1...act_season.html

Big decisions to be made on Felton, Vincent

Ex-UNC guard recalls Doherty’s infamous exit

April 19, 2008 - 11:46PM

By Richard Walker

CHARLOTTE - Outside the Charlotte Bobcats locker room, there's a calendar with daily information and schedules of events for players.

The entry for last Friday read simply: "Start working for playoffs."

Given that Friday came only two days after the completion of a somewhat disappointing 32-50 season, point guard Raymond Felton say it indicates that a repeat is "unacceptable."

If anything, part of Felton's plea with the team to give him the lucrative contract extension he'll be eligible to receive this summer is that he'd like to continue being a part of the growth and improvement both he and the team have made.

"I've been here for three years and I feel like we're growing something," Felton said. "I think next year is going to be our breakout year. I thought it was going to be this year, but injuries hurt us. I think next year it'll be unacceptable for us not to make the playoffs. That's why I don't want to go anywhere."

Even if Felton isn't signed to a long-term deal, he can follow the path of teammate Emeka Okafor, who turned down a contract extension last October, had another solid season and will become a restricted free agent on July 1.

And Okafor shares Felton's sentiments.

"My process is to go into the summer, take some time off and come July, get signed back with the Bobcats," Okafor said.

For Felton, Okafor and the rest of the Bobcats, the situation could be further complicated by the uncertainty about the team's head coach Sam Vincent. Vincent has at least one more year left on his contract at $1.5 million, but owners Bob Johnson and Michael Jordan are currently in discussions over the future - and that could very well include replacing Vincent for a veteran coach like the available and apparently interested Larry Brown.

Of course, Felton has as much experience with coaching change (and rumors of change) as anybody on the current Bobcats' roster. During and following Felton's freshman year at North Carolina, he lived through the dismissal of Matt Doherty and the hiring of Roy Williams.

However, as has been Felton's way, he's trying to look at the positives - in both situations.

In Vincent, Felton had to learn his second coach in three pro seasons after Bernie Bickerstaff left the bench for a management job with the Bobcats after last season.

Perhaps because of what he went through at UNC, Felton's critique of Vincent's rookie coaching season is non-committal.

"It's been a learning experience for him. It's been a learning experience for us," Felton said. "That's a question I can't answer and will not touch on."

But Felton did see the similarities between what he went through in Chapel Hill and what he's already gone through in Charlotte.

"That situation at Carolina was another situation that was beyond my touch," said Felton, who eventually won a NCAA title in 2005 with Williams as his coach. "I had nothing to do with it. Coach Doherty was fine with me. He was a guy that did a lot of things before we got there that kinda hurt him in the process and caused them to get him out of there. I didn't have any problems with him. I think he did a great job of recruiting that class of guys that won that championship. That wasn't coach Williams' guys, but coach Williams did get us together as a team and got us together as one to help us win that championship. So you've got to give credit to both.

"You know, everything happens for a reason. That's how I look at it."

You can reach Richard Walker at rwalker@

gastongazette.com.

Season-ending player capsules

Derek Anderson

6-5, 195, 11th year (Kentucky)

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

2007-08 season: Averaged 5.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 14.1 minutes in 28 games.

Outlook: Veteran is unlikely to return after missing 54 games this season, many due to knee or back soreness. Has a goal of being a coach in the league and that could well be his next move.

Earl Boykins

5-5, 133, 10th year (Eastern Michigan)

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

2007-08 season: Averaged 5.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 16 minutes in 36 games.

Outlook: Midseason pickup is not likely to return,

especially since his minutes were inconsistent with Felton the starting point guard.

Matt Carroll

6-6, 212, 5th year (Notre Dame)

Contract status: Just finished second year of six-year, $27 million contract

2007-08 season: Averaged 9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 25.1 minutes in 80 games.

Outlook: The expensive offseason pickup seemed to struggle to find a consistent role with his new coach. Carroll did finish with a flourish, scoring 19 points and knocking down three 3-pointers in a season-ending win over Philadelphia.

Jermareo Davidson

6-10, 280, 1st year (Alabama)

Contract status: Bobcats can pick up option for $710,000 for next season.

2007-08 season: Averaged 3.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.4 blocks and 8.3 minutes in 38 games.

Outlook: Vincent sees Davidson as a potential solid NBA player and the franchise shipped him briefly this season to the NBDL for seasoning. The Bobcats will look for improvement from him next season.

Jared Dudley

6-7, 225, 1st year (Boston College)

Contract status: Will be entering the second year

of a four-year, $5.81 million rookie contract.

2007-08 season: Averaged 5.8 points, 3.9

rebounds, 1.1 assists in 18.6 minutes in 73 games.

Outlook: Was almost exactly as advertised, a wily player with veteran smarts who seems destined to find a way to be effective. Team would like to see a little better shooting from him, thinking it would help his post-up game.

Raymond Felton

6-1, 198, 3rd year (North Carolina)

Contract status: Just finished the third year of a four-year, $13.33 million rookie contract. He's also eligible to sign a long-term extension this summer.

2007-08 season: Averaged 14.4 points, 3 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 37.4 minutes in 79 games.

Outlook: Team used final 25 games (they went 13-12) to finally make him exclusively a point guard. Still, signing him to a long-term extension is a major decision and the team could wait until the following summer.

Othella Harrington

6-9, 235, 12th year (Georgetown)

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent.

2007-08 season: Averaged 2.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.2 blocks and 7.3 minutes in 22 games.

Outlook: Knee injuries and Vincent's lack of confidence makes his return unlikely.

Ryan Hollins

7-0, 230, 2nd year (UCLA)

Contract status: Restricted free agent

2007-08 season: Averaged 2.8 points, 1.8

rebounds, 0.5 blocks and 8.5 minutes in 60 games

Outlook: Vincent never truly seemed comfortable with Hollins. That makes his future with the team very uncertain.

Sean May

6-9, 266, 3rd year (North Carolina)

Contract status: Just finished the third year of a four-year, $7.88 million contract. He's eligible for a long-term extension this summer.

2007-08 season: Did not play after October 9 microfracture surgery

Outlook: Team officials publicly support May. Privately, they're very concerned that the promising post player's career is in serious jeopardy. If his knee doesn't improve next season, his Bobcats' career is likely over.

Nazr Mohammed

6-10, 250, 10th year (Kentucky)

Contract status: Just finished second year

of five-year, $30 million contract.

2007-08 season: Averaged 9.3 points, 6.9

rebounds, 0.9 blocks and 23.2 minutes and 61 games.

Outlook: Was his December trade acquisition made to protect against losing Okafor to free agency this summer? Either way, Vincent loves this veteran, so much that he said he'd like more players on the team like him next year.

Adam Morrison

6-8, 205, 2nd year (Gonzaga)

Contract status: Just finished the second year of a four-year, $16.93 million contract. Charlotte can

extend his contract next summer.

2007-08 season: Did not play after November ACL knee surgery

Outlook: This summer will be critical for Morrison, who lost a year of development with the devastating knee injury in the preseason.

Emeka Okafor

6-10, 255, 4th year (Connecticut)

Contract status: Just completed a four-year, $17.49 million contract and will enter the summer as a

restricted free agent

2006-07 season: Averaged 13.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 33.1 minutes in 82 games.

Outlook: The original "franchise" player, Okafor says he wants to stay in Charlotte. But he did turn down a six-year, $75 million extension before the season started. Will he accept the same deal now or is he waiting for more money?

Jason Richardson

6-6, 225, 7th year (Michigan State)

Contract status: Just finished fourth year of six-year, $70 million contract

2007-08 season: Averaged 21.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 38.2 minutes in 82 games.

Outlook: After taking some time to adjust to his new surroundings, Richardson was the scoring threat the team said it was getting when they acquired him last summer. Richardson and Felton are vowing to work harder together this summer to help complement their games.

Gerald Wallace

6-7, 220, 7th year (Alabama)

Contract status: Just completed first year of six-year, $57 million contract

2007-08 season: Averaged 19.4 points, 6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.9 blocks and 38.2 minutes and 62 games.

Outlook: Frightening concussion in February - his fourth in four years - raised fear with the team, but Wallace vows to be more diligent in conditioning this summer. Before the concussion, he was more than living up to his contract.

[exodus]

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Bibby for a resigned Okafor. Any takers?

I think they would prefer to let Okafor walk and save $14 million rather than have Bibby.

[AHF]

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Bibby for a resigned Okafor. Any takers?

I think they would prefer to let Okafor walk and save $14 million rather than have Bibby.

I would happily throw in an unprotected first round pick in 2010 to make this happen, though.

[exodus]

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Bibby for a resigned Okafor. Any takers?

I think they would prefer to let Okafor walk and save $14 million rather than have Bibby.

I would happily throw in an unprotected first round pick in 2010 to make this happen, though.

I have a feeling they can probably get a better deal than that for Okafor.

[Johnnybravo4]

Probably not. Okafor turned down a 12 million dollar contract. They can basically draft a center to replace Okafor, get a vet pg to make a playoff run and make money, then dump Bibby's salary in 2009. In the meantime they can decide whether to resign Felton or not.

[AHF]

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Bibby for a resigned Okafor. Any takers?

I think they would prefer to let Okafor walk and save $14 million rather than have Bibby.

I would happily throw in an unprotected first round pick in 2010 to make this happen, though.

I have a feeling they can probably get a better deal than that for Okafor.

Either way, they won't let him walk. Too bad they resigned Wallace and won't have an interest in Marvin.

[exodus]

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Probably not. Okafor turned down a 12 million dollar contract. They can basically draft a center to replace Okafor, get a vet pg to make a playoff run and make money, then dump Bibby's salary in 2009. In the meantime they can decide whether to resign Felton or not.

You seem to think it will be hard to trade Okafor. It won't be. It isn't even remotely the same situation as Gasol.

Okafor will be BYC. That means that the other team will only have to send back half of Okafor's first year salary in a SNT deal. That makes trading him much easier.

[Johnnybravo4]

You underestimate the cheapness of Bob Johnson. They already blew their wad in signing Richardson...they don't want to give Okafor 14 mil per. Whether we would or not is a totally different ques. Assuming that we would resign Smoove, getting Okafor means trading Marvin or letting him walk.

[Atlantaholic]

Bibby won't have any value until late next season when teams clearly out of contention will be looking to clear cap room.... Even then he's value won't be too high... Don't look for us to net anything much better than what we gave up for him.

[exodus]

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Bibby won't have any value until late next season when teams clearly out of contention will be looking to clear cap room.... Even then he's value won't be too high... Don't look for us to net anything much better than what we gave up for him.

I don't really agree with that. His expiring contract could be used along with one of our young guys to bring back a high quality player.

[Atlantaholic]

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Bibby won't have any value until late next season when teams clearly out of contention will be looking to clear cap room.... Even then he's value won't be too high... Don't look for us to net anything much better than what we gave up for him.

I don't really agree with that. His expiring contract could be used along with one of our young guys to bring back a high quality player.

Packaged, in an attempt to sweeten the pot, it probably could... But mostly, the trade value would come from Smoove/Marvin/Horford... Most teams won't look to trade their best players just for cap room (what happened in Memphis is incredibly unlikely to happen again soon).

[DJ_Money]

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Bibby won't have any value until late next season when teams clearly out of contention will be looking to clear cap room.... Even then he's value won't be too high... Don't look for us to net anything much better than what we gave up for him.

I don't really agree with that. His expiring contract could be used along with one of our young guys to bring back a high quality player.

I've been racking my brain the past few days to come up with a name...Boston was able to land KG only because they had Ratliff's expiring to match salaries.

I can't really come up with anybody decent that would be available for a large expiring and a young player(s)/draft picks.

I'm sure Indy would give away Jermaine O'Neal, but I don't want any part of that. Same with Carter in New Jersey.

PHX made the deal for Shaq, so they're certainly not going to blow it up and trade Amare now (not that we need another PF). Dallas may try to blow things up, but Cuban won't deal Dirk after his tearful speech last year.

I think we've seen all the blockbuster deals happen already...

[exodus]

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I can't really come up with anybody decent that would be available for a large expiring and a young player(s)/draft picks.

I would definitely take Redd for Marvin/bibby and the Bucks fans seemed open to the idea. They don't think Redd can be the number 1 option on a contender and the same could be said for JJ. But together they could be a tough combo.

Each night JJ faces the toughest perimeter defender on the other team as well as getting doubled. Redd faces the same thing. But together things would be much easier for both and their perimeter games would open up the middle for smith and Horford.

[AnakinJoe]

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I don't think they are too enamored with okafor in Charlotte. And Felton as seen as a underachieving PG...especially compared to Paul, Deron, and even Jack.

Jack? Jack who? Please, don't tell me Jarrett Jack.

Hornets only need to look at the person who evaluates the health of their draft choices to understand why they remain so bad. Other than Felton, haven't all of their lottery picks in the last 3-4 years missed at least 20% of their games since entering the league? OK, maybe Okafor got under that threshold by staying healthy this past season... but it's hard to improve when 2-3 lottery picks aren't healthy enough to play 65 games a season. (And you have NO money to invest in quality veterans).

[Johnnybravo4]

The problem is that Felton is not really a pg. This is why they have to run Felton with another point like Brevin Knight to maximize his scoring potential. Bibby might not be any different, but a vet pg who thinks he is a 2 is better than a 3 year pg that thinks he is a 2. Beside, it also prevents them from having to sign Okafor for a 80 million deal and Felton for a 50 million deal. They don't seem like a team that is looking to pay anyone long term. Bob Johnson is the Donald Sterling of the East.

[Diesel]

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You seem to think it will be hard to trade Okafor. It won't be. It isn't even remotely the same situation as Gasol.

Okafor will be BYC. That means that the other team will only have to send back half of Okafor's first year salary in a SNT deal. That makes trading him much easier.

I wasn't going to get involved but....

You're right the other team has to send back half of Okafor's salary... However...

The other team must have the CAPSPACE to take on the other half of his salary too.

That means if Okafor is making 10 million on the SNT.

The team that gets him must send back 5 million...

but they must have 10 million in the cap to take him.

That means, either they have 5 million in capspace...

or

they find a team that has 5 million in capspace and is willing to trade capspace for player.

Either way...

It's not easy to get around BYC.