Five 2010 predictions on the Charlotte Bobcats:
1. The team is finally sold: I hear Bob Johnson is serious again about selling the team. If that's so, then perhaps he's gotten realistic about what it's worth in this economy.
A lot of fans will rejoice at the prospect of Johnson's departure. Certainly he's made numerous miscalculations and gaffes. But anyone who thinks Johnson selling is a panacea is missing the real issue.
The Bobcats are well over the salary cap this season and will be again next season. Meanwhile, they're losing tens of millions annually. If you think new ownership will start spending like the Cavaliers or Lakers, while facing the same limited revenues, you're dreaming.
2. Larry Brown could be gone after this season: I sure hope this doesn't happen, because Brown has injected energy and hope into the place. They're a smarter, tougher team for his presence.
But he's close to the end of his career and he misses his family terribly, back in Philadelphia. I don't know that he wants to spend what time he has left in coaching presiding over a franchise treading water.
3. Boris Diaw will keep looking out of place: He is extremely smart, both in general and basketball-wise. And yet he still hasn't figured out how to impact games with the ball in his hands less.
Stephen Jackson's presence means Diaw functions less like a point forward than last season. He isn't finding other ways to help; over the six games prior to Saturday's trip to Miami, Diaw was averaging 10 minutes between rebounds. His 3-point shooting percentage has plummeted, from 41 percent last season to 30 percent this season.
The Bobcats brought him here because he's an unorthodox power forward. The Bobcats had the worst ball movement in the league, so Brown needed someone beyond Raymond Felton to initiate the offense.
Now the Bobcats need a more orthodox power forward. It's unrealistic to expect Diaw to be that guy.
4. Either Felton or D.J. Augustin is gone: I'm not saying in the next month or even next summer. But it seems highly unlikely the Bobcats will commit long-term to retaining both point guards.
The only way I could see the Bobcats affording them both is if Augustin continues to struggle so much his eventual free-agent market dries up. And if that happened, I'd think he'd want to get a fresh start somewhere else.
5. Gerald Wallace misses the All-Star Game: Of course he's good enough. Of course, the coaches (who select the reserves) should value the extraordinary effort Wallace provides night after night.
But there are too many high-quality forwards on Eastern teams with better records not to anticipate he'll be squeezed out of a 12-man roster.
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