Charlotte Wildcats

[propthink]

Great read so far. Good luck bringing this franchise to respectability. I am going to be starting a new league myself and toyed with the idea of journaling it here on the forums. If I do, I'll be sure to not pick Charlotte.

That sounds awesome, I love reading through these, but don't feel the need to avoid Charlotte on my account (actually, it might be pretty neat to see someone else take the franchise in a different direction than myself, but of course picking the team that is right for you is what really matters).

Damn Morris' field goal shooting is truly terrible. I'm pretty sure that if I was given a season in the NBA I could shoot at that clip. Otherwise, great reading, keep it up.

Yeah, you could probably blindfold me and I could shoot about as well as Morris. I've actually been having field goal percentage problems with a few players; I am hoping it is simply the product of inexperience and that we will grow out of it eventually.

[propthink]

[font="Times New Roman"]Season 1, Chapter 7

Game 41: Charlotte Wildcats (16-24) @ Portland Pioneers (22-18)
Final Score: CHA 92, POR 100
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (15 PTS, 9 AST, 5 REB)
C Bismack Biyombo (7 PTS, 14 REB, 3 BLK)
PF Markieff Morris (10 PTS, 8 REB, 2 BLK)

Game 42: Philadelphia Freedom (29-15) @ Charlotte Wildcats (16-25)
Final Score: PHI 76, CHA 91
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (23 PTS, 8 AST, 8 REB)[Player of the Game]
PF Markieff Morris (10 PTS, 10 REB, 3 BLK)

Game 43: Charlotte Wildcats (17-25) @ Washington Americans (19-22)
Final Score: CHA 74, WAS 97
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (10 PTS, 7 AST, 4 REB)
PF Markieff Morris (11 PTS, 7 REB, 2 BLK)

Game 44: Cleveland Knights (18-26) @ Charlotte Wildcats (17-26)
Final Score: CLE 107, CHA 100
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (29 PTS, 3 AST, 6 REB)
PF Markieff Morris (10 PTS, 9 REB)
SF Stanley Robinson (17 PTS, 2 REB)

Game 45: Indiana Racers (11-32) @ Charlotte Wildcats (17-27)
Final Score: IND 100, CHA 93
Notable Performances:
PG Kendall Marshall (21 PTS, 7 AST, 4 REB)
PF Markieff Morris (15 PTS, 3 AST, 9 REB)
SG Ben Gordon (16 PTS, 4 AST)

Current Record: 17-28
We have lost four out of our last five games; definitely not a good sign when our team should be focusing on developing some kind of consistency. On the bright side, Markieff Morris recorded forty-three rebounds and one double-double during that five game span, boosting my confidence in his ability to take care of business as a starter.[/font]

[propthink]

[font="Times New Roman"]Game 46: Charlotte Wildcats (17-28) @ Toronto Dinos (9-39)
Final Score: CHA 97, TOR 88
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (18 PTS, 7 AST, 8 REB)[Player of the Game]
C Bismack Biyombo (10 PTS, 12 REB)
SG Gerald Henderson (17 PTS, 7 REB)

Game 47: San Antonio Outlaws (31-15) @ Charlotte Wildcats (18-28)
Final Score: SA 111, CHA 122
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (35 PTS, 5 AST, 3 REB)
PF Markieff Morris (18 PTS, 12 REB)
SG Ben Gordon (17 PTS)

Game 48: Sacramento Royals (22-26) @ Charlotte Wildcats (19-28)
Final Score: SAC 102, CHA 85
Notable Performances:
C Bismack Biyombo (16 PTS, 5 REB)
PG Kemba Walker (12 PTS, 7 AST, 4 REB)
SG Gerald Henderson (15 PTS, 6 REB)

Game 49: Charlotte Wildcats (19-29) @ Cleveland Knights (20-30)
Final Score: CHA 82, CLE 100
Notable Performances:
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (9 PTS, 5 AST, 10 REB)
SG Gerald Henderson (11 PTS, 6 REB)

Game 50: Brooklyn Hoops (18-33) @ Charlotte Wildcats (19-30)
Final Score: BKL 90, CHA 79
Notable Performances:
PF Markieff Morris (11 PTS, 11 REB)
PG Kemba Walker (18 PTS, 6 AST)
C Bismack Biyombo (6 PTS, 10 REB, 2 BLK)

Game 51: Portland Pioneers (27-25) @ Charlotte Wildcats (19-31)
Final Score: POR 107, CHA 110 OT
Notable Performances:
SG Gerald Henderson (24 PTS, 3 REB)[Player of the Game]
PF Markieff Morris (17 PTS, 11 REB)
SG Ben Gordon (20 PTS, 5 REB)

Current Record: 20-31
Our upset against San Antonio might have been one of the biggest upsets of the season (also, 35 points is a season-high for Kemba Walker). Unfortunately, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist seems to have been pretty quiet over the past few weeks. He is going to need more time to develop his knowledge and skill set. Markieff Morris has continued to impress; I am more confident than ever that I made the right decision by giving him the start.[/font]

[propthink]

[font="Times New Roman"]Regional Basketball Association All-Star Break
Our very own Stanley Robinson was crowned champion of the Slam Dunk Contest. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kendall Marshall were both invited to the rookie team, while Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo were invited to the sophomore team; the sophomores won 125-107. No players from the Charlotte Wildcats were selected for the all-star team; the Western Conference beat the Eastern Conference by a score of 154 to 133.

Heading into the final stretch of the season, one could say that the Wildcats were doing as well as could be expected of them. The team was still plagued with many issues that would need to be corrected going into the future, but we were establishing a very strong foundation upon which that future could be built. Getting the team close to thirty wins by the end of the season would be an important step forward for the franchise, and with thirty-one games left on the schedule, that accomplishment was within reach.[/font]

[Rizzo]

Damn Morris' field goal shooting is truly terrible. I'm pretty sure that if I was given a season in the NBA I could shoot at that clip. Otherwise, great reading, keep it up.

Yeah, you could probably blindfold me and I could shoot about as well as Morris. I've actually been having field goal percentage problems with a few players; I am hoping it is simply the product of inexperience and that we will grow out of it eventually.

I have rode the Morris express in my Seattle Sonics expansion league. I think he was actually my first pick in the expansion draft. DISASTER!

Unfortunately, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist seems to have been pretty quiet over the past few weeks. He is going to need more time to develop his knowledge and skill set.

I was wondering where his name was on the key contributors.

[propthink]

I was wondering where his name was on the key contributors.

Yeah, he is definitely going to need some more time to develop, but I still have some pretty good feelings about him going into the future.

[propthink]

[font="Times New Roman"]Game 52: Miami Burn (38-14) @ Charlotte Wildcats (20-31)
Final Score: MIA 95, CHA 101
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (27 PTS, 8 AST, 4 REB)[Player of the Game]
C Bismack Biyombo (12 PTS, 10 REB)
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (16 PTS, 5 AST, 3 REB)

Game 53: Charlotte Wildcats (21-31) @ New Orleans Hornets (29-22)
Final Score: CHA 92, NO 129
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (23 PTS, 4 REB)
C Bismack Biyombo (10 PTS, 8 REB)
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (13 PTS, 3 AST, 3 REB)

Game 54: Charlotte Wildcats (21-32) @ Miami Burn (39-15)
Final Score: CHA 85, MIA 82
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (19 PTS, 6 AST, 8 REB)[Player of the Game]
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (12 PTS, 7 REB, 3 STL)
C Bismack Biyombo (6 PTS, 8 REB, 4 BLK)

Game 55: Washington Americans (27-27) @ Charlotte Wildcats (22-32)
Final Score: WAS 95, CHA 91
Notable Performances:
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (25 PTS, 5 AST, 9 REB)
PG Kemba Walker (10 PTS, 5 AST, 8 REB)

Current Record: 22-33
Although King James has been riding the bench with a broken elbow (and will continue to do so for another month), two upset wins against Miami can only be a good thing. I was also glad to see that Kidd-Gilchrist put together such a solid performance against Washington, even if we did come up short in the end.[/font]

[propthink]

[font="Times New Roman"]Game 56: Charlotte Wildcats (22-33) @ Detroit Gears (21-35)
Final Score: CHA 103, DET 92
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (19 PTS, 5 AST, 5 REB)[Player of the Game]
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (11 PTS, 6 AST, 4 REB)
SG Gerald Henderson and SG Ben Gordon combined for 40 PTS

Game 57: Charlotte Wildcats (23-33) @ Boston Irish (19-37)
Final Score: CHA 89, BOS 99
Notable Performances:
C Bismack Biyombo (18 PTS, 7 REB, 2 BLK)
PF Markieff Morris (10 PTS, 7 REB, 3 BLK)
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (11 PTS, 4 AST, 6 REB)

Game 58: Milwaukee Moose (21-35) @ Charlotte Wildcats (23-34)
Final Score: MIL 107,CHA 81
Notable Performances:
SG Gerald Henderson (17 PTS, 7 REB)
PF Markieff Morris (14 PTS, 7 REB)

Game 59: Charlotte Wildcats (23-35) @ New York Metros (34-23)
Final Score: CHA 95, NY 109
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (17 PTS, 4 AST, 6 REB)
SG Ben Gordon (16 PTS)

Game 60: Golden State Spartans (34-25) @ Charlotte Wildcats (23-36)
Final Score: GS 108, CHA 75
Notable Performances:
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (20 PTS, 8 REB)
PG Kemba Walker (10 PTS, 9 AST, 6 REB)
SG Ben Gordon (14 PTS)

Current Record: 23-37
Dropping four games in a row is never a good thing, even when you are a team that is struggling to establish its identity. The games against Milwaukee and Golden State were particularly ugly. At least Michael Kidd-Gilchrist seems to make making a little bit more noise, and Markieff Morris is still holding his own.[/font]

[propthink]

[font="Times New Roman"]Charlotte Wildcats Quarterly Report
Current Record: 23-37 (0.383%)
5th in the Southeast Division; 10th in the Eastern Conference
Team Leaders:
PPG: K. Walker (15.6), G. Henderson (12.8), B. Gordon (11.0)
APG: K. Walker (5.5), K. Marshall (4.2), M. Kidd-Gilchrist (3.9)
RPG: B. Biyombo (7.3), M. Kidd-Gilchrist (5.3), M. Morris (5.1)
SPG: M. Kidd-Gilchrist (1.5), K. Walker (1.1), M. Morris (0.9)
BPG: B. Biyombo (2.5), E. Udoh (2.1), M. Kidd-Gilchrist (1.1)
FG%: J. Leuer (.581), S. Robinson (.531), T. Harris (.462)
3P%: S. Robinson (.379), B. Gordon (.352), K. Marshall (.351)
FT%: B. Gordon (.889), K. Walker (.836), M. Kidd-Gilchrist (.778)









The Charlotte Wildcats have continued to struggle as they have all season long, but they were able to pull off some pretty significant upsets including an eleven point win over San Antonio and two wins over Miami in the span of three games. At the very least, our overall record has stayed pretty consistent and the team has been competitive even against elite opponents.
Point guard Kemba Walker (15.6 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.8 RPG) still has a lot of development ahead of him, but his leadership has been instrumental in developing the team’s foundation. His twelve player of the game awards (in the span of only twenty-three wins) should speak to how important his performance on the court has been to this team. Gerald Henderson and Ben Gordon have been averaging a combined 23.8 PPG. This number has been on a very subtle downslide all season long, but the two have still managed to perform somewhat well and keep the Wildcats in games when it has counted the most.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (10.4 PPG, 3.9 APG, 5.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.1 BPG) has continued to search for his comfort zone, although this search has not always been fruitful. For the time being, the key to Kidd-Gilchrist’s development is keeping him on the court and letting him get as much experience as possible. Making significant improvements to his talent will have to wait until the off-season. Markieff Morris (6.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 0.9 BPG) has not been extremely impressive, but he has still managed to put up better numbers than Ekpe Udoh and I have little doubt that he is our best option at the power forward position for the time being. Bismack Biyombo (9.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.5 BPG) has slowed down his production considerably, but he has continued to have a pretty significant impact on the defensive side of the court.

All things considered, the team seems to be hitting a wall. Nagging injuries and unrelenting criticism from the media have obviously taken their toll, despite the fact that we had made some vast improvements compared to the previous year. Considering my expectations going into the season, I think that we have been very competitive despite our struggles. We have slipped down in the conference but I am not very concerned about that; a valuable draft pick is a lot more important than sneaking into the playoffs at this point.[/font]

[propthink]

[font="Times New Roman"]Season 1, Chapter 8

Game 61: Brooklyn Hoops (22-39) @ Charlotte Wildcats (23-37)
Final Score: BKY 73, CHA 99
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (22 PTS, 4 AST, 6 REB)[Player of the Game]
C Bismack Biyombo (12 PTS, 13 REB)
PF Markieff Morris (13 PTS, 4 REB)

Game 62: Charlotte Wildcats (24-37) @ Philadelphia Freedom (36-27)
Final Score: CHA 62, PHI 81
Notable Performances:
SG Ben Gordon (18 PTS, 2 REB)
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (11 PTS, 3 AST, 7 REB)

Game 63: Charlotte Wildcats (24-38) @ Milwaukee Moose (24-37)
Final Score: CHA 113, MIL 115
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (27 PTS, 9 AST, 4 REB)
C Bismack Biyombo (10 PTS, 10 REB, 2 BLK)
SG Ben Gordon (19 PTS, 3 REB)

Game 64: Detroit Gears (23-41) @ Charlotte Wildcats (24-39)
Final Score: DET 74, CHA 100
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (22 PTS, 5 AST, 9 REB)[Player of the Game]
C Bismack Biyombo (12 PTS, 13 REB, 4 BLK)
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (12 PTS, 6 AST, 6 REB)

Game 65: Charlotte Wildcats (25-39) @ Atlanta Eagles (36-29)
Final Score: CHA 92, ATL 106
Notable Performances:
PG Kemba Walker (17 PTS, 6 AST, 6 REB)
C Bismack Biyombo (12 PTS, 13 REB, 9 BLK)
SG Gerald Henderson (12 PTS, 7 REB)

Current Record: 25-40
Bismack Biyombo has really turned up the heat lately; his performance against the Atlanta Eagles was particularly impressive. At the very least, the Wildcats have been able to record twenty-five wins at this point in the season, a significant improvement over the previous year’s performance. There is still a lot of work ahead of us, but at least our foundation seems to be coming together rather nicely.[/font]