Charlotte
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
Charlotte GM/head coach Bernie Bickerstaff has told The Charlotte Observer that not only are the Bobcats not interested in signing free agent Britton Johnsen, but that he was not pursuing any other free agents at all for the training camp roster. Is the roster now set in stone?
Bickerstaff suggested one long shot might be point guard Patrick Jackson, but that seems to be the only possible exception in his mind.
Left unsaid is the possibility of the free-dealing Bickerstaff to make more trades as opposed to signing more free agents but the implication seems to be that the roster is pretty much finalized. Bickerstaff will go into training camp in a month or so and let these guys, and these guys only, fight it out for minutes.
So if you're a free agent looking for a team to take a gamble on you... you can cross the Charlotte Bobcats off your list.
TEAM NOTES
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Rick Bonnell ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: Bickerstaff was baffled by an Internet report suggesting the Bobcats were about to sign former Orlando Magic forward Britton Johnsen.Bickerstaff said he was not pursuing Johnsen or any other free agents to fill out the training camp roster. Bickerstaff might bring point guard Patrick Jackson to training camp, but he'd be a long shot. Jackson played poorly at the Salt Lake City summer league, and the Bobcats have three other point guards: Jason Hart, Eddie House and recently signed Brevin Knight.
Rick Bonnell ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: The Charlotte Bobcats' Emeka Okafor was the ultimate spectator at the Olympics.He took in swimming, gymnastics, track and field, diving, softball ... "And I had a great seat for the men's games," he joked of being coach Larry Brown's last option on the basketball court. Okafor isn't bitter about his lack of playing time in Athens, Greece or Team USA's failure to win the gold medal. He said he'd jump at the chance to play in the 2008 Games and benefited from the experience. He figures the past two months count as orientation that the rest of the rookies haven't experienced.
Tim Sorensen ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: I demand a recount. I do not recognize the all-time Carolina Panthers team this newspaper picked, and I was one of the six folks who picked it. I bet if we picked an all-time Charlotte Bobcats team, my choices also would be ignored.I know now what it's like to live in a country where voters do not determine the outcome of an election.