May 2, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) dunks the ball above Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee (34) during the third quarter of game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Right now I can only think of two guys worth missing out on Anthony Bennett or Ben McLemore for.

Both of them make a lot money (and are worth the money), both of them have a history of injury, and both are still in the playoffs… Well… Technically.

The first guy I’m talking about is Danny Granger.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Bobcats already have their small forward of the future.

If they could get Granger, the Bobcats would have their small forward of the present. Granger is a career 18 pts per game scorer, 5.2 rbs per game rebounder and 38 percent three point shooter.

Also, the Pacers don’t really need Granger. They’re not (I’m assuming) moving Paul George to the bench to make room for him in the starting lineup once he’s healed next year. They’re also not (I’m assuming) putting Granger (and his massive salary) on the bench next year either. Something’s gotta give.

The other guy the Bobcats should be making calls about is Andrew Bogut. He’s averaged 12 points and nine rebounds for his career, but he’s also averaged over two assists and 1.5 blocks. He’s rarely played more than 70 games in a season, but he’s also only played in less than 65 contests just twice (excluding the lockout shortened year).

Bogut would give the ‘Cats a great paint defender, rebounder and offensive presence inside.

If the Bobcats do trade their first rounder, it would be surprising if they moved it for neither of these two.

March 28, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats mascot Rufus during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Time Warner Cable Arena. Timberwolves win 88-83. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

While the playoffs continue, so does the coaching search for the Charlotte Bobcats.

It stinks that the ‘Cats are floundering around in a cesspool of mediocrity, but it is pretty relieving to be able to watch the playoffs and not care about the outcome of any games (unless you’re a Knicks fan like me…).

So who is that guy who will be able to make Charlotte basketball fans care about the playoffs again?

Early, secretive, source-laden signs seem to point to Alvin Gentry, but we’ll keep you posted on any developments, and give you our opinions on who should get the job.

We’ll also keep you abreast of any developments as far as the 2013 NBA draft goes, and we’ll give you all the free agent news, rumors and opinion you can handle.

Be on the lookout for polls embedded in our posts this week; We can no longer put them on our front page.

Name-change rumors are still floating, but their intensity has tapered off recently. Expect a few polls on that front, and stick with us for any updates that develop.

Things might seem slow for the ‘Cats right now, but their front office is buzzing and doing whatever it can to get a leg up this offseason.

March 3, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Charlotte Bobcats head coach Mike Dunlap (far left) instructs his team in a huddle against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings defeated the Bobcats 119-83. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY SportsCharlo

The Charlotte Bobcats are looking for their sixth head coach since becoming a franchise in the middle-2000′s.

They can’t afford to get this hire wrong.

Only one coach in the young history of the franchise has brought the team to the playoffs… and we was ousted not too long after.

Whoever Charlotte hires has to be willing and able to build this team long term.

The Bobcats are not getting into the playoffs overnight. They’re not getting to 41 wins (.500) overnight. They might not even be able to get to 35 wins overnight.

But they can grow into a solid team in the next few years with a coach who knows how to develop players, get them to play defense, and get the most out of them offensively.

We’ve listed several candidates for this position, and Chris Brousard says plenty of people are interested in the job.

The difficult part of the search is the fact (I think it’s a fact) that the ‘Cats have to get a guy in place before the draft, and well before the team starts signing free agents.

If you look at the best teams in the league over the past few years (sans Miami), most of them take on the personality of their coach: The Spurs and Pop, the Bulls and Tom Thibodeau,  the Celtics and Doc Rivers… Even teams that are just now rising to prominence are taking on the mentality of their coach; The Warriors mimic Marc Jackson’s playing style, the Pacers are become a basketballification (TM) of Frank Vogel, and the Houston Rockets wouldn’t be the same without Kevin McHale.

The Bobcats need to hire someone who can impose their personality on the team without actually imposing it. Instead, they need to be able to let that happen naturally.

If the ‘Cats can find a guy who can do this, it won’t take long for them to reap the benefits.

November 2, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker (15) pulls up to shoot during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Yeah, this post is a little late, but it took a while for my blood temperature to get back to normal after it boiled over when I learned Paul George, and not Kemba Walker, had won the NBA’s most improved player award.

There’s really only one point I have to make to prove that Walker improved more, but I’ll list several others to drive this fact far into your skull.

For one, George and Walker got better at an equal rate in almost every statistical category this year. George went from 12.1 to 17.4 points per game. Walker made a jump from 12.1 to 17.7. George went from 2.4 to 4.1 assists per game. Walker jumped from 4.4 to 5.7. George’s rebounds per game went from 4.8 to 6.5. Walker’s didn’t go anywhere (3.5 to 3.5).

Walker’s shooting percentage went from 36 to 42 percent, while George’s got worse, falling from 44 to 41 percent. Walker also became a better three-point shooter this year, making the jump from 30 to 32 percent. George got worse at three-point shooting falling from 39 to 36 percent.

George required a significantly larger number of plays to improve his game than Walker; The Pacer’s usage rate (estimate of percentage of team plays used by a player while on the floor) jumped from 19 to 23 percent this season. Walkers stayed steady at 25. George’s offensive rating fell, while Walker’s got better. But, Walker’s defensive rating stayed the same, while George’s plummeted (that’s good for a D rating).

Now that you know all of that, here’s the one thing you really need to know to figure out why Walker should’ve been picked over George: Walker’s PER (a measure of per minute production) went from 15 to 19. George’s? Just 16.5 to 16.8.

So the per game stats got better for each player in a similar way, as did their advanced statistics. Walker’s per minute production significantly improved, though, while George’s didn’t get any better.

If that’s the case, who’s really “most improved” this season?

Jan 21, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Indiana Pacers assistant head coach Brian Shaw talks during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum. Indiana defeated Memphis 82-81. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

According to the Charlotte Bobcats, the search for a new head coach is already underway.

The ‘Cats fired Mike Dunlap Tuesday afternoon, and now the big question in Charlotte is “who will replace him?”

To be clear, we’re very early in the game, but the following is a short list of guys the Bobcats are probably, and should be calling right now.

Jerry Sloan
Sloan was a candidate for a while last offseason before he dropped out of the ‘Cats search. The ‘Cats roster is nowhere near ready to contend for a playoff spot, but it is miles ahead of where it was last year, when Sloan was at the very least considering taking over the job.

Brian Shaw
Shaw was also a candidate for Charlotte’s head coaching vacancy last season, but he ultimately decided to take an assistant job with Indiana. Who knows what it will take to pry him away from that post. The ‘Cats should press him on the issue, though. He’s been an assistant for a while. He has to be itching to take the reigns of some NBA team.

Mike Brown
His run with the Lakers was tumultuous and ended unfairly. His time in Cleveland was dominated by LeBron James and didn’t last long after the King took his talents to South Beach. If Brown wants a job with little pressure and plenty of time to build a winner, there probably isn’t a better opportunity than the one Charlotte can offer him. If he wants to win now, he probably won’t even pick up the phone if Rich Cho calls him.

Apr 9, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Charlotte Bobcats head coach Mike Dunlap reacts during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Charlotte Bobcats 94-75. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden–USA TODAY Sports

I hate to say I told you so, but I knew this was coming. Mike Dunlap is no longer the coach of the Charlotte Bobcats.

In a statement, Rod Higgins said:

“Rich Cho and I conducted our season-ending review and met with Coach Dunlap to reflect on this season. As an organization, it was decided that we needed to make a change with the head coach position,” Higgins said. “We want to thank Mike for his contribution and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

The Bobcats say the search for a successor will begin immediately.

We’ll have more on that part of this story as the day (and week) draws on, but for now, we feel confident saying: Phil Jackson is not going to coach this team. Don’t even bring it up.

Dunlap took over the worst team in NBA history, and under him, the Bobcats became three-times better in just one season (based on record). Still, like I wrote in the story I linked to at the top, Mike Dunlap was never the longterm answer to Charlotte’s problems. He was a guy the Bobcats could justify firing after just one season.

Whoever the ‘Cats hire, he’ll have to be the longterm answer, though, or there might never be one.

Nov 30, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; The Charlotte Bobcats mascot Rufus performs on the court during a timeout in the second half during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Time Warner Cable Arena. The 76ers defeated the Bobcats 104-98. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

There are no more games, but that doesn’t mean the Charlotte Bobcats have nothing going on this week.

The Twitterverse (and Facebook-verse) is ablaze with rumors of a name change back to the Hornets, and those rumors aren’t going to go away soon.

Plus, free agency and the NBA draft is right around the corner. Roberto Gato is on top of both, and will bring you constant updates on who the Bobcats could be and should be looking at signing and drafting.

We’ll also continue our player recap series. We’ve already looked at Tyrus Thomas, who’s almost assuredly going to be amnestied this off season. Ben Gordon is on deck, and we’ll then go right on down the line.

We also recently looked at what it would take to get the ‘Cats back to the playoffs. We’ll continue to look into that, but like Mike Dunlap told the AP:

“I want more wins,” Dunlap said. “I never thought that we were going to blink our eyes and have 35 wins. I thought it was always going to be a slog. We’re slowly moving this thing around and again, what’s perspective? The worst team in the history of the NBA (last season), all right, so how do you go from seven wins to, say, 40 wins? That’s pretty tough to do.”

So stick with Roberto Gato throughout the week (and forever and ever) for nonstop Bobcats news, rumors and opinions.

April 17, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker (15) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Bobcats win 105-98. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

In short, it will take a lot for the Charlotte bobcats to get to the playoffs. They have holes at every position, but one. Their coach is inexperienced. They are one of the worst teams in the NBA (but not THE worst! Thanks, Orlando!).

In lieu of bashing Charlotte and making jokes about the team, here is an actual answer to the question posed in the headline: The Bobcats will need a solid 2013 NBA Draft to get back to the playoffs.

They’ll also need to make the right free agent signings this summer and next.

Both of those are easier said than done, but they’re not impossible.

Despite what some say, I believe the top of this draft (with the exception of Nerlens Noel) is loaded with NBA talent. Ben McLemore is NBA ready, and Anthony Bennett is NBA starter-ready.

Also, this summer’s free-agent class is full of talented players that Charlotte realistically has a shot at landing.

The problem is the ‘Cats won’t be able to fill every hole via this year’s draft and free-agency. That means they don’t have much of a chance at landing in the 2014 NBA playoffs.

Still, making the right move in the 2013 NBA draft (taking McLemore or Bennett) and making smart signings this off season could lead to an early appearance in the 2015 NBA playoffs.

Apr 15, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats power forward Josh McRoberts (11) drives on New York Knicks small forward Iman Shumpert (21) during the second half at Time Warner Arena. Mandatory Credit: Curtis Wilson-USA TODAY Sports

There are plenty of Charlotte Bobcats coming off the payroll this offseason, but how many of them should management try to keep?

First, let’s start with the unrestricted free agents. These are guys that any team can make a stab at without Charlotte being able to outbid them.

A clear number one on that list is Josh McRoberts. The former Duke Blue Devil basically averaged 10 points, eight boards and three assists as a starter in Charlotte. If he can continue this play into next season, he’ll be the clear starting power forward for the ‘Cats (unless they draft Anthony Bennett), and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him average close to a double-double the entire season. The price to keep him around shouldn’t be too high.

Next, the Bobcats should think about keeping Jannero Pargo around. He came to Charlotte on a 10 day contract to fill in for the injured Ramon Sessions, and he performed that duty admirably. He’d be a solid third point guard for ‘Cats, who really don’t have much to worry about at that position with Kemba Walker and Ramon Sessions under contract through next year.

There’s no way the Bobcats are retaining ‘Gana Diop or Reggie Williams, but they could try to keep Jeff Adrien, who played well off the bench this season.

As for the restricted free agents on Charlotte’s roster? The Bobcats have to keep Gerald Henderson. He’s gotten better every year, and he’s turning into a real threat at the two-guard position. His three-point shooting improved drastically this season, and towards the end of the year he showed signs of what could be to come: An offensive beast capable of carrying his team for stretches of games. There is the possibility that he could regress, but for the decent price the ‘Cats probably can retain him for, I don’t see any reason to let him walk.

Byron Mullens, however, has to be let go. It was a fun experiment, but the Bobcats can’t afford to keep hoping he develops into the stretch-four threat they thought he could become when they traded a second round pick away for him. He did start off the year doing work offensively and on the glass, but he’s never been a good defender, and, after he came back from injury, Josh McRoberts basically rendered his services useless.

Apr 14, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Hornets mascot Hugo holds up a sign thanking fans for support following a loss to the Dallas Mavericks at the New Orleans Arena. The Mavericks defeated the Hornets 107-89. The game was the final home game for the Hornets franchise as they will be rebranded as the New Orleans Pelicans starting next season. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

There have been several rumors indicating the Charlotte Bobcats will be changing back to the Charlotte Hornets sometime soon.

Those rumors, are, well, still rumors, but they’re heating up again after a round of talks, town halls, and meetings in the Queen City.

First came a meeting between fans, management and NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. Based on tweets and facebook posts from the two biggest proponents of bringing the Hornets back to Charlotte, “We Beelieve” and “Bring Back the Buzz”, that meeting went well.

After the other two events, one a town-hall style meeting and then a season ticket holders only event, Michael Jordan was asked by WBTV about a possible name change, and Jordan said they’re working on the possibility, and that the Hornets name, “sounds good.”

Also, on April 19th, Bring Back the Buzz tweeted (during a discussion with @BringBackSonics) “we are closing in on it. An announcement about them applying for the name change should be coming soon.”

A name change would take 18 months, but there’s debate as to whether or not the beginning of that process has already taken place in Charlotte.

If it has taken place, and an announcement about applying for a name change comes soon, it’s feasible that Charlotte could be the Hornets as early as next season.

After all, unlike most names, likenesses, logos, etc, the NBA owns the “Hornets” and could always expedite the name change process for Charlotte.