Charlotte
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
Chukwuemeka Noubuisi Okafor grew up in Houston, a fan of the legendary Hakeem Olajuwon, but tomorrow night as the Bobcats host the Rockets for the first time in franchise history, the men manning the middle will be Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo. There are no Rockets left from the time when Okafor was a high school fan except for Maurice Taylor so now he has no choice but to put the hurt on his former favorite team.
Okafor, it could be said, is exactly what is missing from the Rockets team: a powerful inside presence to complement Yao on the boards and in the paint. He would grabs the rebounds that Yao can't as he's shooting fallaway jumpers and he scores the points in the paint to keep defenses from doubling Yao repeatedly. He also blocks shots. In fact, Okafor and assists guru Brevin Knight on Houston would make them not only championship contenders but a multi-year dynasty.
Alas for Houston, that's not going to happen. The Bobcats are building around their franchise rookie and he hasn't disappointed. He is now in the midst of an 11-game stretch of continuous double-doubles, with 13 total for the season, ranking him fifth in the league behind Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Shawn Marion, Shaquille O'Neal, and Dirk Nowitzki.
Lofty company for a rookie.
NEXT GAME
The Bobcats (5-12, fourth in the Southeast) host the Houston Rockets (10-12, third in the Southwest) on Saturday, December 18th at 7:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Central time. The game will be broadcast on WJZY in Charlotte, Channel 51 in Houston and NBA League Pass. Tickets are still available for this game at Charlotte Coliseum.
TEAM NOTES
The Bobcats have opened a new Team Store at Southpark Mall, adjacent to The Bombay Company and off the Hecht’s entrance. The store, open through January 15, 2005, carries a comprehensive selection of team merchandise.
Primoz Brezec, Jason Kapono and Emeka Okafor represent the Bobcats on the 2005 NBA All-Star Ballot. This year’s All-Star festivities will be held in the Mile High City of Denver on Sunday, February 20. So far, both Brezec and Okafor have made their presence felt by being in the top 10 in voting in their respective categories. According to the latest results, Okafor is the eighth most popular Eastern forward with 95,967 votes, just ahead of Magic Dwight Howard's 65,467 votes and just behind Piston Tayshaun Prince's 107,003 votes, while Brezec is the tenth most popular Eastern center with 17,638 votes, just behind 76er Samuel Dalembert's 18,925 votes. Remember, your vote can change EVERYTHING.
INJURY UPDATE
Theron Smith(right knee injury),Bernard Robinson(knee), andTamar Slay(left foot) are on the injured list.Brevin Knight(arm) is questionable for tomorrow night's game against Houston.
Richard Rubin ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: The city of Charlotte added one last steel beam to the top of the uptown arena Thursday afternoon. That step ends about a year of building up the framework and starts 11 months of filling in. So far, Charlotte has spent $82.3 million of the $200 million construction budget. The land and infrastructure cost another $65 million. The roof will go up soon, while the city and the Charlotte Bobcats are still making some final calls on interior touches.Just this week, they tested several different seats in a corner of the building.
Rick Bonnell ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: Theron Smith never lost his head for the game of basketball. But his legs and lungs need a refresher course. Smith missed the Charlotte Bobcats' first 18 games this season following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Coach/general manager Bernie Bickerstaff waited for Smith's return the way an 8-year-old waits for Christmas morning. The Bobcats activated Smith for the game Tuesday against New Orleans. Smith played eight minutes, grabbing one rebound and missing his only shot. Bickerstaff, though, expects far more in the future from 6-foot-8 Smith. Bickerstaff is high on Smith's versatility -- he can play either forward position -- and his rebounding ability.
Rick Bonnell ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: Bickerstaff's son, assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff, asked Okafor what his first thought is when the ball hits his hands in the post. Okafor's reply: "Oh (expletive), what do I do now?"... Okafor appears a lock to play in the rookie game at All-Star weekend in Denver, and so far looks like the rookie-of-the-year favorite, over Orlando's Dwight Howard and Chicago's Luol Deng.
Rick Bonnell ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: Center Primoz Brezec will make an appearance at the Bobcats' team store tonight from 7 to 8. The store is at Southpark Mall, near the entrance to the Hecht's department store... The Bobcats are second-worst in the league in field-goal percentage defense (allowing 46.8 percent shooting) and in points allowed (100.8 per game). Is Charlotte's defense as bad as that suggests? "Yes," Bickerstaff said Tuesday... The Bobcats are the only NBA team without a road victory this season, and that might not change anytime soon.Their next six road games are against likely playoff teams, before they play the Hawks in Atlanta on Jan. 15.