Charlotte
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
The Bobcats are involved in at least three controversial news items, some dragging into their second week or longer: the lack of prayer before games by the Bobcats, the possibility that the young players will be demoralized by a 9- or 10-win season, and Emeka Okafor's comments on dunking on Shaq. But they are not real controversies. They are merely overblown facts.
What makes a controversy false? It is when there are really few people worrying but everyone is worrying about what other people think. A common phrase to hear is, "I worry how this will affect so-and-so?"
The clearest example is the "demoralization" that could potentially occur to the young Bobcats if they have a very poor season. Please. These guys are just so happy to be playing. GM/coach Bernie Bickerstaff picked them precisely because they were young, hungry, and rotting on the teams they were on .
Yes, losing hurts, but even the hurt is better than the void of not playing. Besides, by definition half of the games must be losses on average. Is the NBA full of demoralized players?
Okafor's comments about dunking on Shaq in front of young kids is so overblown, and so out-of-context, as to be tabloid-esque. Okafor tried to rally some young kids into a frenzy and when they were not responding, he yelled something like, "Come on, guys! Don't you want to see me dunk on Shaq?"
Of course they do. So do I. Who doesn't? Of course it's not exceptionally likely, but so what? This is such a non-issue it's ridiculous.
And the prayer thing is a false controversy as well. The Hornets used to pride themselves on being the only team to participate in a public team prayer before each game but the Bobcats will not be following in that tradition.
Fine. That's their prerogative. It's not an affront to God.
The good thing is if all the Bobcats have to worry about are false controversies, then they should consider themselves in good shape.
NEXT GAME
The Bobcats host the Washington Wizards on Thursday, October 14th at 7:00 p.m. EDT in their first-ever pre-season game. There are no scheduled broadcasts of this game at this time.
TEAM NOTES
24 days until the opening tip!
The Bobcats are holding a tip-off luncheon Oct. 29 at the Ballantyne Resort, to benefit the team's charitable foundation. The players and coaches will attend and tickets are priced at $85 ($75 for season-ticket holders). For more information, call the Bobcats at (704) 424-4860.
INJURY UPDATE
None to report at this time.
Tom Enlund ofThe Milwaukee Journalwrites: The early word on the expansion Charlotte Bobcats is that they may be hard-pressed to win 10 games, and coach Bernie Bickerstaff is trying to shield his young players a bit from such prognostications."I don't think it's malicious," he said. "But it has to affect you sometimes."
Continued: Charlotte rookie Emeka Okafor raised some eyebrows when he told a group of school kids that he would dunk on O'Neal during an Oct. 26 exhibition game in Charlotte.That game is a late-morning freebie for kids with good grades. Okafor later backed away from his comment. "Will I dunk on Shaq?" he said. "The likelihood of that happening is very small. You've got to put in perspective where I said that."
Mary C. Curtis ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: Making a big deal of being the only NBA team that starts the game with a prayer struck me as so self-congratulatory. Have people forgotten that the last owner, a stickler for public piety, failed to live up to his own moral rules... If you offer a silent prayer, only God knows. Isn't that the audience you want?