Charlotte Bobcats
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Charlotte Bobcats | |
 |
|
| Conference | Eastern Conference |
| Division | Southeast Division |
| Founded | 2004 |
| History | Charlotte Bobcats 2004-present |
| Arena | Charlotte Bobcats Arena |
| City | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Team Colors | Orange, Blue, Black and Silver |
| Head Coach | Bernie Bickerstaff |
| Owner | Robert L. Johnson |
| Championships | 0 |
| Conference Titles | 0 |
| Division Titles | 0 |
The Charlotte Bobcats are an American
basketball
team which began play in the National
Basketball Association in 2004-05.
The team is located in Charlotte,
North Carolina. They are the brother team
to the WNBA's
Charlotte
Sting.
Contents |
Franchise history
When the Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans for the 2002-03 season, the city and the NBA agreed to create a new team in Charlotte for the 2004-05 season. Several ownership groups, including one led by former Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, made bids for the team. In the end, a group led by BET billionaire Robert L. Johnson won out. Johnson is one of the first prominent African-American owners in U.S. sports. Another notable co-owner is minority owner and rapper Nelly.
The Charlotte Bobcats' name was voted upon, the other possible choices having been the Charlotte Dragons or the Charlotte Flight (which actually won the public vote). Despite not winning this vote, ultimately it was Robert Johnson's call all along, as he went with his personal favorite, "Bobcats". The bobcat is one of the few indigenous predators to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County area of North Carolina. That paired with the fact that Charlotte is home to the Carolina Panthers made the cat-theme a natural choice to carry over to its new basketball team. It is often quoted that another reason for the team's name is a derivation of the owner's name since he is a "cat named Bob".
One of the ironies in the formation of the franchise, was the fact that despite numerous failed attempts at the ballot box to fully fund a new arena downtown, the city politicians decided to go ahead with the plans anyways and lay on a hotel and leisure tax in Charlotte to help pay for it. It was George Shinn, owner of the Hornets, who wanted the city of Charlotte to pay for a new arena all on it's own as well, but didn't get it, and subsequently left town. Robert Johnson waltzed in and received probably an even better deal, as he actually receives the profits made off of the Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
The team plays in the Eastern Conference's Southeastern division, along with the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Wizards.
The Bobcats held their expansion draft on Tuesday, June 22, 2004, picking up such seasoned players as Predrag Drobnjak and talented youngsters such as Gerald Wallace. However, Drobnjak would never play for the team, instead signing an one year contract with the Atlanta Hawks. They also traded with the Los Angeles Clippers to acquire the second pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, which they used to select Emeka Okafor. He went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2005.
Their first game was a 103-96 loss to the Washington Wizards on November 4, 2004. They won their first game in franchise history over the Orlando Magic 111-100 on November 6. Later, on November 23, the Bobcats posted a 91-89 win over the Detroit Pistons, becoming the first expansion team since 1971 to defeat defending NBA Champions. After the regular season, they finished with the best record in one of the NBA's summer leagues, the Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. In the 2005 NBA Draft, the Bobcats drafted two UNC players: guard Raymond Felton and forward Sean May. With these two players, in addition to Okafor, the Bobcats hoped to build a young, solid foundation for future success.
Players of note
Basketball Hall of Famers:
None
Retired numbers:
None
Current roster
| Charlotte
Bobcats Current Roster |
||||
| Head Coach: Bernie Bickerstaff | Edit | |||
| G/F | 15 |  |
Alan Anderson | (Michigan State) |
| PF/C | 35 |  |
Lonny Baxter | (Maryland) |
| C | 7 |  |
Primož Brezec | (Slovenia) |
| PG | 12 | |
Kevin Burleson | (Minnesota) |
| SG | 13 | |
Matt Carroll | (Notre Dame) |
| PF/C | 2 | |
Melvin Ely | (Fresno State) |
| PG | 20 | |
Raymond Felton | (North Carolina) |
| PG | 22 | |
Brevin Knight | (Stanford) |
| PF | 42 | |
Sean May | (North Carolina) |
| PF | 34 | |
Antonio Meeking | (Louisiana Tech) |
| PF/C | 50 | |
Emeka Okafor | (Connecticut) |
| SF | 21 | |
Bernard Robinson | (Michigan) |
| SG | 4 | |
Kareem Rush | (Missouri) |
| C | 43 | |
Jake Voskuhl | (Connecticut) |
| SF | 3 | |
Gerald Wallace | (Alabama) |
| (FA) - Free Agent | Charlotte Bobcats | |||
Media Coverage
Charlotte Bobcats basketball is heavily covered by News 14 Carolina which is owned by Time-Warner cable. Select games will be shown on WJZY(UPN) in Charlotte and on WRDC (UPN) in Raleigh
External links
- Official Charlotte Bobcats website
- Summer Pro League where Bobcats will play in the summer
- Charlotte Bobcats InsideHoops.com coverage
- Sports E-Cyclopedia
| National Basketball Association (2005–06) |
| Eastern Conference |
|---|
| Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics | New Jersey Nets | New York Knicks | Philadelphia 76ers | Toronto Raptors |
| Central Division: Chicago Bulls | Cleveland Cavaliers | Detroit Pistons | Indiana Pacers | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Southeast Division: Atlanta Hawks | Charlotte Bobcats | Miami Heat | Orlando Magic | Washington Wizards |
| Western Conference |
| Northwest Division: Denver Nuggets | Minnesota Timberwolves | Portland Trail Blazers | Seattle SuperSonics | Utah Jazz |
| Pacific Division: Golden State Warriors | Los Angeles Clippers | Los Angeles Lakers | Phoenix Suns | Sacramento Kings |
| Southwest Division: Dallas Mavericks | Houston Rockets | Memphis Grizzlies | New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets | San Antonio Spurs |
| Other Articles: NBA Finals | NBA All-Star Game | NBA Draft | Current team rosters | |
