25-year old starting point guard Raymond Felton will never be the kind of guy who can carry a team to the promised land. But, not being a pure pass-first point guard is a good fit for the Bobcats. Felton has played in 63 games (all starts) for the Bobcats this season and he is averaging 32.7 minutes, 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The Bobcats don’t have a lot of outstanding offensive players on the team so it doesn’t hurt that Felton wants to make sure that he gets his points every night.

Tyrus Thomas has been playing well since joining the Charlotte Bobcats, but unfortunately for them it has not resulted in many wins.  The Bobcats are only 2-5 since Thomas joined the Bobcats, but you can’t put the blame on Thomas’ production on the court.  It may have to do with the Bobcats giving up a lot of depth at the guard position with Flip Murray and Acie Law gone.  Thomas has been more productive with the Bobcats than he was with the Bulls, and in 7 games with the Bobcats he is averaging 13.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 steals.  He is also shooting 52% from the field.  In 29 games with the Bulls this season he was only averaging 8.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 steals.  He came off the bench in Chicago, just like he has been here with the Bobcats, and he is getting similar minutes (23 mpg in Chicago, 27 mpg in Charlotte).  This is a good sign for the Bobcats, but they need their guards to step it up.

The trade that brought shooting guard Stephen Jackson to the Bobcats earlier this season was a stroke of genius as they got a good player for pretty much nothing. Jackson has played in 48 games (all starts) for the Bobcats this season and he is averaging 40.7 minutes, 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game. The Bobcats were a good defensive team when Jackson came over in the trade but he has really helped boost the offense which will give them a good chance of making the playoffs this year.

Power forward Tyrus Thomas and center Theo Ratliff are both making good first impressions with the Bobcats. Thomas has played in 2 games off the bench for the Bobcats so far and he is averaging 28 minutes, 10.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 5.0 blocked shots per game. Larry Brown wants to start giving Thomas even more minutes but he hasn’t learned the whole offense yet which makes his numbers even more impressive so far. Theo Ratliff has played in 2 games off the bench for the Bobcats so far and he is averaging 15.0 minutes, 1.0 point, 2.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. The Bobcats wanted to improve the defense and rebounding in these two trades and they look to have been successful so far.

The Bobcats could decide to move Gerald Wallace to small forward and start Tyrus Thomas at power forward. That would improve the defense and rebounding of the team. If they decide to go that route then Boris Diaw will be the sixth man which was a role he filled so well with the Suns as he played all five positions on the court. Diaw has played in 52 games (all starts) for the Bobcats this season and he is averaging 35.4 minutes, 10.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. The Bobcats might decide to bring Diaw off the bench because they traded Flip Murray to the Bulls. Murray was instant offense off the bench and Diaw is a better player than him. Or the Bobcats could just bring Tyrus Thomas off the bench and leave Diaw in the starting lineup. Time will tell what the Bobcats decide to do.

With the latest injury to starting center Tyson Chandler the Bobcats have turned to Nazr Mohammed and he has been solid. Mohammed has played in 44 games (19 starts) this season and he is averaging 15.5 minutes, 7.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. He is also shooting 55.7% from the floor for the Bobcats. Mohammed is doing a good job for the Bobcats this season and look for his minutes to continue to increase even after Chandler returns from injury.

The Charlotte Bobcats’ forward Gerald Wallace does anything that will help his team win, often times laying his body on the line.  Wallace always plays hard and will out-hustle most players on the court.  Usually a guy that hustles as much as Wallace does is making up for his lack of skills, especially on the offensive end.  That is not the case for Wallace, as he has loads of talent.  So far this season Wallace is averaging 18.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.o assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks while playing a team-high 41.8 minutes per game.  Wallace also shoots for a very good percentage (47.8%), especially lately.  In the Bobcats last nine games, in which they won eight of nine, Wallace has been hitting 52% of his shots and is averaging 20.4 points.  The Bobcats are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now, and Gerald Wallace is one of the main reasons why.  This guy is no doubt an All-Star in my opinion.

Since coming over from the Warriors in a trade Stephen Jackson has been given the Bobcats’ offense a needed jolt. He has played in 26 games (all starts) for the Bobcats so far this season and he is averaging 41.0 minutes, 20.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. On the downside, Jackson is selfish with the basketball and he is not shooting too well for the Bobcats hitting 39.8% of his shots from the floor and 29.3% from three point range. Even with Jackson hogging the ball too much at times the offense of the Bobcats is better with him than it was without him.

The return of Raja Bell and Flip Murray from injury has given the Bobcats’ offense a much needed jolt. Bell has played in 3 games (all starts) for the Bobcats this season and he is averaging 30.7 minutes, 12.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The Bobcats hope the Bell will be able to continue playing through his injury. Flip Murray has been a huge spark off the bench in his 2 games this season as he is averaging 16.0 minutes, 11.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. The Bobcats have the defense to be a good team but they need guys like Bell and Murray to stay healthy because you still need to put points on the board to win games.

The Charlotte Bobcats are off to a 2-2 start so far this season and Gerald Wallace has been their best player.  Wallace does whatever the team needs, whether its rebounding, defending, or scoring.  Through four games, Wallace is averaging 15.8 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.25 steals, and .75 blocks.  Wallace will never take a night off and is always playing hard, something head coach Larry Brown loves.  Other Bobcats players should take notice of the effort Wallace gives, as they will need all of their players to play as hard as him if they want to have a successful season.