Rufus on Fire

Save the libraries, MJ (DA: What?)

2010-03-21T15:33:40Z

Save the libraries, MJ (DA: What?)

So help save the libraries, Michael. It's a very good cause, and talk about some serious bang for the civic buck -- this would do it. If I were Jordan, I'd get out in front of this issue quickly.

This was actually linked on the Observer's main page. Three observations/comments:

1 -- For some people, the Bobcats, and even Jordan, will never be able to do enough.

2 -- Fowler didn't even have the sense to link to the PLCMC donation page.

And 3 -- If I were in a position of influence on this matter, I'd look at the library crisis as an opportunity to move all books to one or two locations and convert the rest of the viable locations to information centers, with access to internet, periodicals, and where people could order books for either purchase or borrowing.

Miami Heat get ugly win over Charlotte Bobcats, 77-71; Cats fall to 7th spot in Eastern Conference playoff race

2010-03-21T02:22:03Z

More photos » Lynne Sladky - AP

Browse more photos »

The Charlotte Bobcats lost a slugfest to the Miami Heat, 77-71. Both teams played tough defense, and since both have issues scoring to begin with, the high-octane defense resulted in a rough game with lots of missed shots.

Even Dwyane Wade struggled, shooting 6-18 from the field and only getting to the line for 4 free throw attempts.

The loss pushes the Cats to 35-34, and they now occupy the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference, a 1/2 game ahead of the Toronto Raptors, who are 34-34 after defeating the New Jersey Nets.

Remember... DESIGN A T-SHIRT FOR RUFUS ON FIRE: WIN A PRIZE!

Game thread comments, lowlights, and highlights after the jump.

GAME THREAD COMMENTS

PanthersFTW -- Whenever you can be part of a list including immortals like Daequan Cook, you have to do it.

Ourdaywillcome -- That call was so easy a caveman could've called it.

BAD

-- The Bobcats shot 21-72 for the game. That's 29%. Ouch. Stephen Jackson was a prime contributor to the suck, shooting 4-21. He managed 18 points, thanks to 10-10 from the free throw line, but that doesn't make up for all the lost possessions, and everyone played a part in that. In fact, the Cats went more than 13 minutes over the 3rd and 4th quarters without scoring a field goal.

-- (Not really a "bad" game, but it wasn't exactly good, either.) The weird part about Gerald Wallace is that even though he plays a dynamic style and explodes to the rim on both offense and defense, and even though he barrels down the court like a locomotive on the break, his great games always seem quiet, and his crappy and mediocre games always seem quiet. He doesn't have the right kind of attention-getting flash that other stars in the league have. So even though he was merely adequate, with 15 points on 4-12 shooting (thanks to 7-8 from the free throw line), with "only" 8 rebounds, it didn't stick out the way Jax's games do.

-- Bad for the Bobcats, exhilarating for basketball fans in general: Dwyane Wade had 5 blocks, and the Heat had 13 blocks total.

GOOD

-- Tyson Chandler looked more like his old self, scoring only 4 points, but grabbing 11 rebounds and playing his typically strong defense over 33 minutes.

-- Boris Diaw couldn't shoot at all tonight (no one could), shooting 5-15 from the field for 12 points, but he did pull down 9 rebounds, doing dirty work in a game requiring everyone to get down and especially dirty. Yes, I've graded Boris and Gerald on a curve, because Gerald has set a higher bar for himself.

-- The Cats' free throw shooting kept them in the game. The Heat weren't great shakes on offense, though the Cats were worse, so Charlotte needed to hold Miami to only 20 free throw attempts while going 27-34 from the line, themselves, just to make the game interesting in the end.

-- About that Miami offense, the Heat shot 36% from the field for the game, and 25% from three, even though Quentin Richardson went 50% from three on 6-12 shooting all by himself.

SB Nation Survey + Chance to donate $500 to a charity of this community's choice

2010-03-20T00:48:02Z

>> Take SB Nation Survey

Hello sports fans! We're always striving to provide you with the best experience possible and it's been quite some time since we checked in with you.

So we're rolling out this survey to learn more about you and your sports world. It should only take about 10 minutes to complete.

We really appreciate your time and this is also going to help make a donation to a good cause.

By next Thursday (3/25) at 11:59pm PST the site that has the highest percentage of their community filling out the attached survey about their sports interests and consumption will win $500 to donate to a charity of their choice. We will leave it up to the discretion of the community manager(s) of the winning blog to decide how to choose the particular charity.

You can take the survey HERE

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WYR2WQT

Thanks for your support!

4th quarter overflow thread

2010-03-21T01:30:39Z

Stephen Jackson. Paging Stephen Jackson. Stop taking so many shots and missing. Thank you.

Open Gameday Thread Charlotte Bobcats at Miami Heat

2010-03-20T21:00:25Z

TV: Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio: 610 AM
SB Nation Heat Blog: Peninsula Is Mightier

If the Bobcats change their name, that could give singular team names a majority in the Southeast Division. We must not let this happen. Won't someone please think of the children?

Gameday Preview Charlotte Bobcats at Miami Heat

2010-03-20T15:33:36Z

Pump Up Music: Phoenix -- "Napoleon Says"

The Big Picture: The Hawks are a better team than the Bobcats. In retrospect, though the game was within the Cats' reach until the last moment, it's no great blow to lose to Atlanta. The Heat, however, have been a major disappointment this season, to me, at least, and the Bobcats should be able to take them down, even on the road and the day after an overtime game.

Dwyane Wade is his usual amazing self, Michael Beasley is pretty solid, Jermaine O'Neal has been a pleasant surprise, and Udonis Haslem is the good soldier, the kind of guy a lot of teams would love to have coming off the bench. Unfortunately for them, that's about it. Their point guard situation has been a disaster, and their bench has completely failed to show up. It's reminiscent of those crappy Lakers teams after Shaq left, when Kobe Bryant was disgusted with his teammates (more than he is now, the cynic would say). They're going to be dangerous in any playoff series because Wade and one other guy can play 45 minutes and take over, but there's no way they're making it to the Finals, like I thought they might when I wrote, before the season, that they were the best value bet on the Vegas boards.

Key to Victory: Wade plays taller than he is, so Stephen Jackson's usual advantage is partly nullified. Also, Wade gets to the rim so effectively, it will test the core of the Bobcats' defensive strategy, to use elite shot blockers behind guys who may not be especially shifty, but who are disciplined about getting to the right place and executing rotations well.

I'd instruct Jax to back Wade down a few times at the start of the game and see how the Heat react, because if they double, that opens up the lane for cutters, and if they don't, that forces Wade to defend in the way least comfortable for him.

Detail That May Interest .08% of You: Haslem has an amazing back tattoo.

Joe Johnson's OT buzzer beater lifts Atlanta Hawks over Charlotte Bobcats, 93-92

2010-03-20T02:23:57Z

More photos » Gregory Smith - AP

Browse more photos »

Joe Johnson hit a clutch jumper at the buzzer to give his Atlanta Hawks a win over the Charlotte Bobcats, 93-92. The Cats played well all night long, getting superlative performances from Gerald Wallace, who was returning from injury, and Raymond Felton, who sent the game into overtime with a basket in traffic with just a few seconds remaining in regulation.

Charlotte couldn't overcome an All Star making his best play of the game on the final play. They defended it perfectly, but even with ~~Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw~~ Felton and Ratliff flailing at him on the left wing, Johnson was able to swish a fallaway jumper.

The loss puts the Cats at 35-33. See you all tomorrow for the Miami Heat game.

Remember... DESIGN A T-SHIRT FOR RUFUS ON FIRE: WIN A PRIZE!

Game thread comments, lowlights, and highlights after the jump.

GAME THREAD COMMENTS

Charlotte Bobcat -- [The name "Charlotte Flight"] seems to be all anyone can come up with though. I feel like there is a reason we didn’t pick that name the first time, because it’s garbage. Sounds like a team you have to unlock on a video game or something.

Ft.Mill Bobcat -- Boris chose to make a pass. It was the polite thing to do.

StudMuffin15 -- I want to drown my sorrow at Waffle House.

BAD

-- Tyrus Thomas and Theo Ratliff have a similar problem. They're on the roster primarily for their defensive contributions (3 blocks for Theo, including a monster block in the final minute of overtime), but they seem to believe they're capable of being high-volume offensive producers, too. Ratliff shot 1-9 for 3 points in 31 minutes. That's 10.5 attempts per 36 minutes. Thomas shot 5-10 for 11 points in 20 minutes, or 18 shots per 36 minutes. For reference, Gerald Wallace takes 10.6 attempts per 36 minutes and Stephen Jackson, our most prolific (profligate?) shooter, takes 16 shots per 36 for the season. They've got to lay off and put the ball in our better scorers' hands. Take a cue from Wallace and Rayond Felton: those two ha've greatly increased their value this season by reducing their total attempts and greatly increasing their quality attempts.

-- Corollary 1: What the hell was Ratliff doing taking the Cats' final shot of regulation? Crikey.

-- Corollary 2: What the hell was Jax doing killing three straight overtime possessions by launching three point attempts?

GOOD

-- Wallace was his usual awesome self, scoring 20 points on 14 attempts and pulling down 16 rebounds. Welcome back, Crash.

-- Felton scored 25 points on 19 attempts, including 3-4 from three. There was an odd dynamic at times in the fourth quarter and overtime. Felton was scoring relatively easily early on because he was taking what he was given and making wide open shots. But then, after he realized that he was leading the scoring, he forced a few shots. Maybe the Chauncey Billups comparison really is apropos.

-- The Cats played solid defense through the first three and a half quarters. Even after a shaky crunch time, they only allowed the Hawks to shoot 42% from the field and 31% from three. Joe Johnson was a main black hole throughout the game, shooting 7-21 from the field, and Jamal Crawford also contributed a bunch of fruitless possessions by going 5-18.

4th quarter overflow thread

2010-03-20T01:18:54Z

I've been told this is the battle for I-85. We've already taken I-77 by winning the season series against Cleveland, so Charlotte will control the entire southeast if we can get this one.

Open Gameday Thread Charlotte Bobcats at Atlanta Hawks

2010-03-19T21:30:14Z

Remember... DESIGN A T-SHIRT FOR RUFUS ON FIRE: WIN A PRIZE!

= = =

TV: Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio: 610 AM
SB Nation Hawks Blog: Peachtree Hoops

Mike Bibby bothers me to no end. No reason. He just does.

Stephen Jackson on WFNZ: "Being a player in the NBA and to see the first actually NBA player to be...

2010-03-19T19:12:40Z

Stephen Jackson on WFNZ:

"Being a player in the NBA and to see the first actually NBA player to be the majority owner of a team, that’s something special."

Via SRI

Gameday Preview Charlotte Bobcats at Atlanta Hawks

2010-03-19T15:23:20Z

Pump Up Music: Coolio -- "Fantastic Voyage"

The Big Picture: Gerald Wallace returns! Let us all rejoice! Of course, this road back-to-back at the Atlanta Hawks and then at the Miami Heat is a killer, especially given the Bobcats' issues on the road this year. However, with Gerald back in the fold, assuming he's fully recovered, we're looking at a huge defensive and offensive upgrade over our other options. More importantly, Stephen Jackson will spend more time matched up against the nominal shooting guards of the league, which tends to be an advantage because he's so much taller than they are, yet quick enough to guard them. Apparently, Joe Johnson is still questionable, and may be a gametime decision.

Key to Victory: I've said this before. At their very best, the Bobcats are much better than a .500 team. However, it's unreasonable to expect them to be at their very best night in and night out. To beat teams like the Hawks, which have two All Stars, three more clear cut NBA starters, and at least one bench guy who could start for a number of teams, they have to turn it up to 11 and play better team ball than their opponents. The slightly less cliche way to put that is that the Bobcats' success is built as much upon the combination of their talents as the accumulation of their talents, and a major ingredient is playing at full throttle in the half court.

We saw in the first half of the OKC game what happens when they play a superior team and don't put pedal to the metal. There is no cruising past anyone with the Cats, so they need to find a way play their brand of high-energy defense over this stretch of four games in six days. Thankfully, the final two games are at Washington and home against Minnesota.

Detail That May Interest .08% of You: Zaza Pachulia was selected by the Bobcats in the expansion draft, then flipped to Milwaukee for the 45th overall pick of the 2004 draft, which turned out to be the immortal Bernard Robinson, who, in turn, was eventually traded to the New Jersey Nets for that most loathed Bobcat, Jeff McInnis.

Michael Jordan's post-press conference press conference, in Wordle form

2010-03-19T12:16:14Z

Michael Jordan did a post-press conference press conference with local print media, and Rick Bonnell kindly transcribed it for everyone. My contribution? I threw MJ's words into Wordle.

Weird. All I see is "Larry" "going" "away".

Michael Jordan's afternoon press conference: the Charlotte Bobcats' new controlling owner speaks

2010-03-18T23:36:52Z

Video via WCNC

Quick takeaway after the jump.

Michael Jordan knows what he's getting into. Early in his speech, he emphasizes that he and his family are going to be involved in the Charlotte community. He's already fighting perceptions that he might be an absentee owner, and he's prepared to do "Charlotte business". He won't be in Charlotte full time, but he's telling everyone who will listen that he'll be a neighborhood guy more than a bossman who just orders locals around.

That also means, and he said it explicitly, the JordanCats joke isn't far off the mark. He's going to increase his involvement in team publicity. Now that he's the controlling owner, he's going to lend his celebrity to the team operations, whereas previously he'd mainly worked behind the scenes.

@markcuban on MJ

2010-03-18T22:51:37Z

@markcuban on MJ

Welcome to the NBA Michael Jordan ! Glad to see you by the team bench. lets see if they fine you for doing the same things I did :)

Open NCAA Tournament Day 1 Thread

2010-03-18T17:16:36Z

Sorry this is a touch late. If anyone cares, here's my bracket.

Wait... Villanova's losing!?!?!?!?

The Rufus on Fire Podcast is coming; also, design a RoF shirt

2010-03-18T16:34:28Z

More photos » Chuck Burton - AP

"I want to ask David how he prefers his eggs. Do you think he'll respond to that on the podcast? I bet he likes 'em scrambled..."

Browse more photos »

I've got a programming announcement and a contest in this post, so be sure to check out the whole thing. First, the programming announcement.

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, we'll have the first Rufus on Fire podcast. It will be live, thanks to Blogtalkradio, before that night's game against the Washington Wizards, and I'll be taking phone calls. It'll be fun. Be ready to bring your A-game.

Second, the contest: I'm developing a Rufus on Fire t-shirt to be sold through the SB Nation store.

I have a couple ideas, but I want your input, too, and many of you have better design skillz than I do, anyway. Hence, a t-shirt concept design contest.

PRIZES

I will pick two winners. The First Prize winner will get to choose between a Gerald Wallace signed basketball and a Raymond Felton signed authentic jersey. The Second Prize winner will receive the other one. I don't have certificates of authenticity on these, so you'll have to take it on my word that I obtained both in my prize pack from the Bobcats for winning the Ultimate Fan contest.

Details after the jump.

INSTRUCTIONS

Email an image (or several images) to rufusonfireblog@gmail.com with the subject line: "T-Shirt Contest", and what name you'd like cited on the site. Include a brief explanation of what goes where, i.e.: which image goes on the back, which on the front, et cetera.

The deadline for all submissions is 11:59pm, March 31st, 2010.

IMAGE GUIDELINES

Do not use any logos or images you do not have the right to use. That includes the likenesses of NBA players.

Do try to be simple and direct. The best shirt design's message will be readily apparent at a glance.

DETAILS

By submitting images to the contest, you're agreeing that should I choose your image as a First Place winner or Second Place winner, you'll give me the design to use either as is or as the basis of a design for a t-shirt to be sold on SB Nation's store, without further compensation. If your design is not chosen as a winner, you're agreeing to let me post those images on the site, as I'll probably do to show the "honorable mention" designs in a future post.

It's possible, due to the vagaries of our t-shirt process, that none of the designs will be used on a shirt, but if that happens, I'll still pick winners for the prizes and post designs on the site. Any questions? Email me.

Charlotte Bobcats defeat OKC Thunder, 100-92; Cats recovered from abysmal 1st quarter

2010-03-18T02:25:58Z

More photos » Chuck Burton - AP

Browse more photos »

The Charlotte Bobcats looked like they were dead in the water, not only tired from the previous night's game, but demoralized. The Oklahoma City Thunder smoked them in the first quarter and for most of the second quarter. But then, the tide shifted. Rapidly.

The Cats stormed back with a run to close out the first half that energized the crowd. From the start of the second half until the end of the game, Charlotte first chipped away at OKC's lead, then slowly pulled away, led by Stephen Jackson and Raymond Felton.

Without Gerald Wallace, the Bobcats have now defeated the Orlando Magic and OKC Thunder, but have also lost to the lowly Indiana Pacers. While Wallace is their pillar, their best and most-worked player, and it was expected they'd miss him dearly, they've been able to survive on an upswing from Jackson, starting-quality production from the bench, and the best three game stretch of Stephen Graham's life.

That puts the Bobcats' record at 35-32. As of this writing, the Dallas Mavericks are thumping the Chicago Bulls late in the third quarter of their game. It hasn't been pretty. More and more, as the Bulls fade from the scorching schedule and the added burden of untimely injuries, it looks like the Cats are going to lock up a playoff spot sooner rather than later.

Game thread comments, lowlights, and highlights after the jump.

GAME THREAD COMMENTS

WhatAboutBob_cats -- Careless passes. What really makes doves cry.

Ourdaywillcome -- After the first quarter I thought we’d be tossing this one by 30 or more. I have no explanations.

BAD

-- Is it possible that Theo Ratliff doesn't understand what kind of baller he is? Dude was 3-9 shooting in 20 minutes. On a team that plays as slowly as the Bobcats do, they can't afford to distribute so many shots to the -- how should I put this? -- less premium offensive talents on the squad.

GOOD

-- Tyrus Thomas came off the bench, played only 21 minutes, and took far too many shots in that time (4-11 from the field), especially the mid-range jumpers. Don't do that, Ty. Take it. To. The goal. Otherwise, he was fantastic, pulling down a team-high 9 boards and contributing 2 blocks to the Cats' collective block party. Charlotte ended up with 12 blocks total.

-- I was ready to write off Stephen Jackson late in the first quarter. He looked frustrated for the second night in a row, turning it over a couple times, and he'd only scored 1 point. However, second half minutes are more valuable than first half minutes, and he stepped up big after intermission, ending the game with 20 points on 15 attempts, with 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

-- All I've asked of Raymond Felton over the months and years, as a fan, is that he exhaust all other options before he decides that he has to try to be the offense himself. Tonight, he did just that in the first half, waiting until everyone else had taken their cracks at shouldering the offensive load, and when they failed, he stepped in to the void. Felton started all over in the second half and spread the ball around more, ending the game with 17 points on 7-10 shooting, 7 assists, and no turnovers.

-- Stephen Graham scored 19 points again, tying the career high he first attained... last night. He did it on a remarkably efficient 7-9 shooting and added 5 rebounds. That's great. It helps, especially with Gerald out. All I want you to remember, though, is that if he was really this good a player, if this is his true talent level, he wouldn't have washed out with four different clubs before catching on with a thoroughly uninspiring Pacers team that barely played him, anyway, his first year there. Recently, Graham's given us a run of excellent play. That doesn't change that he shouldn't have been getting 600 minutes of playing time this year instead of our lottery pick and our steal of a second rounder.

Open Gameday Thread Charlotte Bobcats vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

2010-03-17T20:30:13Z

TV: Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio: 610 AM
SB Nation Thunder Blog: Welcome to Loud City

I'll be at this game, so the recap will be delayed a bit. Now, to share a knock-knock joke my brother made up when he was eight years old.

"Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Dwayne."

"Dwayne who?"

"Dwayne da' pool! I'm dwowning!"

Gameday Preview Charlotte Bobcats vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

2010-03-17T15:55:49Z

Pump Up Music: Billy Idol -- "Rebel Yell (Acoustic, Live)"

The Big Picture: Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder remind me that the Bobcats' biggest moment since being born is yet to come. When the Cats draft a transformative player, everything will change. I'm not talking about a Shawn Marion type, or a Gerald Wallace type, or even a Joe Johnson type. I mean 'Melo. Durantula. CP3. Dirk.

OKC has that one guy, and they're surrounding him with other young players that could, in theory, stick with him for the next few years. It's the perfect storm of talent sitting in the crock pot together and forming one gooey, delicious, concoction.

They're at 41-24 right now, and there's no end in sight to their run. Is it inconceivable that some aging superstar might think OKC represents his best chance at a title, if he's the final piece? They're already at the five seed in the West, so if they think they can land someone special this offseason in exchange for their excess young players, they could go for it next year. The difference between them and the Bobcats is that the Cats have attempted it without that one pole holding up the whole circus tent.

Key to Victory: I'd like to see Stephen Jackson restrain himself from jacking up shot after shot, just once. And Tyrus Thomas. I love them for what they represent on defense, especially, and because it's healthy to have one and a half potentially unhinged characters around, just to keep everyone on their toes, but the clock is finite, and there's better use for that time than launching contested jumpers at the edge of their range.

Detail That May Interest .08% of You: James Harden's beard has over 100 fans on Facebook. Too bad he's out for this game with injury.

Bobcats Can't Keep Pace, Lose 99-94

2010-03-17T01:39:08Z

More photos » Darron Cummings - AP

Browse more photos »

Stephen Jackson was frustrated all night. His shots weren't falling, and it seemed as if he felt the referees weren't helping him out either. Jax gathered a technical foul late in the second quarter, but that failed to spark the team, and the Bobcats simply couldn't overcome the hole they'd dug, even with a frantic fourth quarter comeback, losing to the Indiana Pacers 99-94.

Troy Murphy had a huge game for the Pacers, double-double machine that he is, and several supporting players stepped up in limited minutes, including Roy Hibbert, Dahntay Jones, and A.J. Price, who each shot over 66% from the field.

Game thread comments, lowlights, and highlights after the jump.

GAME THREAD COMMENTS

Ourdaywillcome -- There’s no energy. They’re playing listless. If the Pacers actually come out of their coma for a minute or two they’ll be a problem unless we step it up.

Stevarino -- You know it's getting bad when Dell Curry is doing impressions of Charles Barkley.

BAD

-- Stephen Jackson scored 20 points on 8-22 shooting. For the first three and a half quarters, he couldn't do much right, but he made up a lot of ground in the fourth quarter. He was solid otherwise, with 9 rebounds and 7 assists, but all those misses early in the game represent a lot of lost possessions that were a major part of putting the Cats down.

-- D.J. Augustin exemplified an extreme of the efficiency aesthetic on offense tonight -- a bad extreme. At a certain point, doing little of note in a game means that you're not directly to blame for any negative play. But at a point similar to one, doing little of note is indicative of basketball nihilism, which is, in a sense, even worse than attempting and failing, because playing four on five is always a losing proposition. Augustin shot 0-1 in 19 minutes, with 1 assist. Really? Come on. That's deferring responsibility for the offense, not creating it.

-- For his part, Raymond Felton shot 3-9 from the field for 7 points and had dished only 3 assists until the furious fourth quarter flurry. Gotta find that balance, again, between trying to be a pure creator and trying to be a one-man offense, where he's facilitating the offense.

-- I'm grateful that Gerald Henderson is getting valuable playing time, Larry. Please don't forget that Derrick Brown was pretty damn impressive earlier this year.

-- The free throw shooting was poor, at 25-36, 69%.

GOOD

-- Stephen Graham scored a career-high 19 points on 8-10 shooting. The man is on a two-game tear! That said, Henderson and Brown still deserve the PT going to him.

-- Boris Diaw has been quietly doing solid work in recent weeks, combining quality with quantity and a greater willingness to do dirty work down low. Tonight, he scored 20 points on 7-10 shooting.