The Bobcats only shot 36.1% from the floor last night as they never had a chance.  Corey Maggette led the way for the Bobcats last night with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.  D.J. Augustin (14 points, 1 rebound and 4 assists), Byron Mullens (12 points and 2 rebounds in 16 minutes) and Boris Diaw (10 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal) also pitched in for the Bobcats last night.  The Bobcats are now 1-2 on the year.

29-year old Boris Diaw is off to a good start for the Charlotte Bobcats.  Despite being only 6’8″, 245 pounds, Diaw has been throwing his weight around so far this year in the paint.  Diaw has played in 2 games (both starts) for the Bobcats so far this year and he is averaging 34.5 minutes, 12.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.5 blocked shots per game.  He is shooting 47.8% from the floor so far this year and he is 3 for 7 (42.9%) from three point range.  The Bobcats don’t expect Diaw to keep his production anywhere near the level it is right now, but he has not shied away from banging bodies with the big boys in the paint so far this year.

The Bobcats outrebounded the Heat 53-30 last night and they were up 60-45 at the half…..and they still lost!  Gerald Henderson (21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots) and D.J. Augustin (20 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists) led the way for the Bobcats in this game.  Boris Diaw turned in a monster game at center with 16 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot last night.  Rookie guard Kemba Walker provided some zip off the bench with 14 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 1 steal in 20 minutes on the floor.  The Bobcats are now 1-1 on the year after this heartbreaking loss last night.

The Bobcats outrebounded the Bucks 52-39 and they outscored them 55-43 in the second half to get a nice home win tonight.  D.J. Augustin (19 points, 2 rebounds and 8 assists) and Gerald Henderson (18 points, 9 rebounds and 1 blocked shot) led the way for the Bobcats tonight.  Rookie Kemba Walker had a game to remember in his NBA debut as he hit the game winning free throws.  He only shot 3 of 10 from the floor but he still finished up with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.  Corey Maggette (12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal) and Byron Mullens (10 points, 2 rebounds and 1 blocked shot in 20 minutes) also pitched in with solid games for the Bobcats.  The Bobcats are now 1-0 on the year.

The Bobcats have acquired 22-year old center Byron Mullens from the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2nd round pick in 2013.  Mullens played in 13 games (0 starts) for the Bobcats last year and he averaged 6.5 minutes, 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.  He has now played in 26 games in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 5.3 minutes, 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.  Mullens is only shooting 34% from the floor so far in his NBA career.  This is a good deal for the Bobcats as they need size.  Mullens was a first round pick just a couple of years ago and he has been buried on the depth chart for the Thunder.  It will be interesting to see what he can do when given a real chance.

The Charlotte Bobcats have lost 35-year old forward Eduardo Najera for the next 6-8 weeks due to knee surgery.  Najera played in 31 games (0 starts) for the Bobcats last year and he averaged 12.0 minutes, 2.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  The Bobcats are losing players left and right to injury, so even the loss of Najera is going to hurt the team when the 2011-12 season starts.

The Bobcats have signed 25-year old small forward Reggie Williams to a 2-year, $5 million dollar deal.  Williams played in 80 games (9 starts) for the Warriors last year and he averaged 20.3 minutes, 9.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  He has now played in 104 games (19 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 23.2 minutes, 10.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.  This was a good pickup for the Bobcats, who are likely going to be offensively challenged this year.

UPDATE:  (12/16/2011) – The Bobcats will be without Reggie Williams for the next 6-8 weeks due to knee surgery.

The Bobcats have signed 33-year old power foward Melvin Ely to a 1-year deal.  Ely played in 30 games (2 starts) for the Broncos last year and he averaged 12.2 minutes, 2.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  He has now played in 373 games (55 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 16.0 minutes, 5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  Ely will likely play both power forward and center for the Bobcats in 2011-12.

UPDATE:  (12/23/2011) – The Bobcats have waived Melvin Ely.

The Bobcats have re-signed 24-year old forward Derrick Brown to a 1-year deal.  Brown played in 49 games (1 start) for the Knicks & Bobcats last night and he averaged 11.8 minutes, 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He has now played in 106 games (1 start) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 10.5 minutes, 3.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  Brown will serve as a backup forward for the Bobcats in 2011-12.