33-year old Raja Bell is back to start at shooting guard for the Bobcats this year. He is a defensive player first but he’s o.k. offensively. Bell played in 67 games for the Bobcats and Suns last season in which he averaged 34.6 minutes, 11.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. The Bobcats just signed Flip Murray last week to back up Bell and he’s a offensive minded player. Murray played in 80 games for the Hawks last season and he averaged 24.7 minutes, 12.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game. 21-year old Gerald Henderson was the Bobcats’ first round pick in the NBA Draft (#12) last June. He will likely be brought along slowly as his game mirrors that of Bell.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2009-2010: C

The Bobcats have signed 30-year old SG Flip Murray to a 1-year, $1.99 million dollar deal. Murray played in 80 games (2 starts) for the Hawks last season and he averaged 24.7 minutes, 12.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He has now played in 412 games (90 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 22.8 minutes, 9.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. This was a smart move for the Bobcats as Murray brings offensive firepower off the bench. His main skill is putting the basketball in the basket.

25-year old point guard Raymond Felton has signed a 1-year qualifying offer worth $5.5 million bucks keeping him with the Bobcats for this season. Felton played in 80 games (54 starts) for the Bobcats last season and he averaged 30.1 minutes, 11.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. In four years with the Bobcats, Felton has played in 319 games (289 starts) and he has averaged 35.4 minutes, 13.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. This might be Felton’s last season in Charlotte as D.J. Augustin might be ready to take over the point soon.

25-year old Raymond Felton will be the starting point guard for the Bobcats if they sign the restricted free agent. Felton played in 82 games (81 starts) for the Bobcats last season and he averaged 37.6 minutes, 14.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Felton is a good leader on the court but the Bobcats do have a good backup plan. 21-year old D.J. Augustin was a first round pick last season and he had a solid rookie year. He played in 72 games for the Bobcats last season and he averaged 26.5 minutes, 11.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He will be the starting point guard if Felton goes elsewhere.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POINT GUARD POSITION IN 2009-2010: WITH FELTON: B
WITHOUT FELTON: C+

The Charlotte Bobcats lost a member of their basketball family today when their co-owner William “Skipper” Beck died in a plane crash at a small South Carolina airport.  The crash occured early Friday morning when they attempted to land back at the airport after turning around.  Beck was only 49-years-old and was a long-time native of Charlotte, North Carolina.  The Charlotte Bobcat’s main owner, Robert L. Johnson, expressed his condolences to Beck’s family and stated that without the help and influence of Beck, the Bobcats probably would not have been put in Charlotte.

The Bobcats have not done enough this off-season to improve the team. Larry Brown likes defense and that was the reasoning for the trade of Emeka Okafor bringing in Tyson Chandler. Chandler’s game is defense and rebounding but where will the Bobcats get points from this season? That is a good question that wasn’t answered in the NBA Draft when the Bobcats selected SG Gerald Henderson and forward Derrick Brown who are both known more for their defense. The Bobcats did let former first round pick Sean May leave the team to join the Kings as a free agent. He won’t be missed.

FRONT OFFICE GRADE THIS OFF-SEASON SO FAR: D