April 21, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets power forward Luis Scola (4) shoots a free throw against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE

I’m not a fan of those Bleacher Report “(Insert team name here) Must Do This!” type of posts, but if there was ever a time for one of those articles, it’s now. The Charlotte Bobcats MUST grab Luis Scola off waivers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are interested, as are the Dallas Mavericks. Both of those teams already have quality power forwards. The Charlotte Bobcats do not (no offense to Bismack Biyombo and Byron Mullens. Nice off the bench, not in the starting lineup). The Mavs have $4 million left to work with this off season, so if Charlotte or Cleveland wants him, they’re going to have to put in a bid above that number. Cleveland might put in a $5 million bid, so what’s the harm in the Bobcats going with $5.5 million or $6 million?

That money for a guy who’s a career 17 point, 9 rebound a game player is chump change. It’s also a necessary risk for a team who could lose out on every single PF free agent they’ve targeted this off season (Hickson, Jamison, Humphries etc).

Carl Landry is available, but he’s an unrestricted free agent, and can pick the team he wants to go to.

The Bobcats need to talk to Antwan Jamison and tell him he’s their guy, but if he can’t commit, they’re going to focus their attention on landing Scola.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeffrey Taylor look like they’ll be solid NBA players, Ben Gordon will be instant offense off the bench behind Gerald Henderson, and Ramon Sessions was a nice pickup at PG. If Charlotte can get Scola and sign a true starting center (Brendan Haywood), the Queen City will see competitive basketball next year.

May 23, 2012; Philadelphia, PA USA; Philadelphia 76ers power forward Elton Brand (42) reaches for rebound against Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) during the second quarter of game six of the Eastern Conference semifinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

A new free agent-ish PF has entered the mix for the Charlotte Bobcats. Elton Brand will be amnestied by the Philadelphia 76ers and people who follow the Bobcats and basketball for a living think they’ll bid on his services.

Source confirms Philly to use the amnesty clause on the final year of Elton Brand’s contract worth $18.1 million. Comes off the cap July 11.

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 6, 2012

Bobcats will be one of those teams. RT @WojYahooNBA There will be significant interest with NBA teams to claim Brand off the amnesty wire.

— Spencer Percy (@QCsportscrave) July 6, 2012

A secondary waiver claim on Elton Brand (pay part of his guarantee) would be a bold move by the #Bobcats.

— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) July 6, 2012

A secondary waiver claim would be a bold move indeed, and, teams like the Bobcats who are under the salary cap, have first dibs on amnestied players.

Those teams will bid on Brand and he’ll go to the team with the highest bid… Unless he goes unclaimed, in which case he’ll become a free agent. I fully expect the Bobcats and Houston Rockets, among other teams, to be bidders, though.

The other guy who is 100 percent on the Bobcats wish list, free agent Antwan Jamison, is also in the mix for Golden State:

Jamison is intrigued by veteran role with Bobcats, but he works out in off-season with @StephenCurry30 and loves @warriors improving roster.

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 6, 2012

Jamison is 36 and he put up some good numbers in Cleveland last season. He scored 17 points, grabbed 6.3 rebounds and dished out two assists per game.

Brand is 33 and he scored 11 points, grabbed 7.2 rebounds and blocked 1.6 shots per game last season with the 76ers. Brand was far and away the better defender of the two. He put up a defensive rating of 96 last season (10 points per 100 possessions better than Jamison).

No player can be claimed/signed until July 11, but Jamison and the Bobcats could reach an agreement before that time. No team is allowed to amnesty a player before the 11th, so no team can bid on a player before that time, either.

Apr 26, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA Charlotte Bobcats dance team member holds up a jersey during a timeout during the second half against the New York Knicks. The New York Knicks defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 104-84 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-US PRESSWIRE

We’re minutes away from the 2012 NBA draft, and the Charlotte Bobcats are the team everyone’s watching right now.

I’ll keep this short and simple.

According to multiple reports, the Cavs have offered the Bobcats picks 4, 24 and 33 in return for picks 2 and 31.

The Rockets are also discussing a move with Charlotte. They have three picks in the first round, and they’re looking to move up and pick up an extra asset to throw at Orlando for Dwight Howard.

The Thunder want Bradley Beal, and they know they’ll have to move into the top three to get them. Apparently Harden is available, but the Bobcats will only take that deal if Harden agrees to a contract extension (he has just one year left on his deal).

Also, and this has nothing to do with the Bobcats or any trade rumors… If New Orleans is on the clock for longer than two minutes to start this draft off, I might just break something(s).

Jun 21, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden (13) against the Miami Heat during the third quarter in game five in the 2012 NBA Finals at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Via everyone tweeting about this subject: The Charlotte Bobcats have at least five legit offers for the second pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

The offers that we think we know for sure are:

Cavs trade #4 and #24 to the Bobcats for pick #2.

Thunder trades James Harden to the Bobcats for pick #2.

Memphis trades Rudy Gay to Charlotte for pick #2.

The Rockets and Trail Blazers are also reportedly interested in moving up to the second spot in the 2012 NBA draft. Houston wants to add another enticing asset to secure a deal with Orlando for Dwight Howard.

There’s also a rumor floating out there suggesting the Bobcats and Hawks are in discussions about an Al Horford, pick #2 swap.

The most likely deal to go down is probably the one between Charlotte and Cleveland. The Bobcats need multiple draft picks to address multiple weaknesses, and the Cavs want to make sure they can pair Bradley Beal with rookie sensation Kyrie Irving.

The deal that would make the Bobcats best in the short term is that which involves James Harden coming to the Queen City. The only problem is The Beard is a free agent next summer and he’ll likely draw intrest from a bunch of teams around the league after next season.

The wild card trade would have to be the Horford, #2 swap. I love Al Horford and I think he’d be an excellent young piece to build around. He’s got a natural big man’s inside game and he has range out to the three point line. He’d help the Bobcats in every area of the game, and he’d sell tickets.

The Draft is just hours away, and things will continue to heat up until Charlotte is off the clock.

If a team outside the top 5 wants to draft one of these guys, they're going to have to give up a lot.

Word around the sports universe is the Charlotte Bobcats are actively shopping the second pick of the NBA draft. The other word floating around there is that the Bobcats are asking too much for that pick.

But, how much is too much?

It is true that after Anthony Davis there isn’t a surefire franchise-changer in this draft. It’s also true that the players who will be drafted at spots two through six don’t have much separation between them.

Most people following the story agree that Charlotte is probably asking for at least two picks in return for the second pick, as well as requesting that their trade partner take on the salary of either Corey Maggette, Gana Diop or Tyrus Thomas.

Depending on who they make a deal with, those demands could be a little unreasonable…  OR, they could make a fair trade.

There are two teams with one pick in the top ten and another pick outside that range that the Bobcats would love to make a deal with.

Cleveland has picks four and 24. They don’t have much else worth trading for (that they’d be willing to give up, anyway). Trading their two picks and taking on a salary dump is the only way the Cavs could get Charlotte’s second overall pick.

The Portland Trailblazers, however, own the sixth and 11th picks. To give up both those picks and take on a mediocre (Thomas), over-the-hill (Maggette) or horrible (Diop) basketball player would be a bit of a stretch just to move up to the second spot in the 2012 NBA draft.

A trade could still happen, though. Pick two for picks six and 11 might still be a stretch, but if Portland wants to move up and get their man (some say Thomas Robinson, some say Michael Kidd-Gilchrist), they would have to consider that deal.

The other teams with multiple picks in this year’s draft don’t really have much wiggle-room if they want to make a deal with the Bobcats.

Houston has two mid level picks (14 and 16), so Charlotte is going to insist on receiving both of those picks and they’re probably not going to make a deal unless the Rockets take on someone like Thomas/Maggette/Diop. If I were Charlotte, though, I would ask for pick 14 and Goran Dragic in return for pick two and Thomas/Maggette/Diop, and I’d definitely consider that deal even if the Rockets wouldn’t take one of those three guys.

The Warriors also have two picks in this year’s draft (seven and 30). There’s no way Charlotte gives up the second pick solely for Golden State’s two first rounders, though. It would be hard to make the salaries match up in a trade involving players, though, so it’s hard to speculate on a deal that would work.

Boston has two picks, but they don’t seem interested in moving up, so it looks like if the second pick is going to be dealt, the team that gets it will also have to burden themselves with a high salary/low skill player.

Apr 26, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA Charlotte Bobcats point guard Kemba Walker (1) goes up for a shot during the second half against the New York Knicks at Time Warner Cable Arena. The New York Knicks defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 104-84. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-US PRESSWIRE

Once Charlotte lost out on drafting Anthony Davis with the top pick in the 2012 NBA draft, it was inevitable that Rich Cho and company would shop the second pick around.

The rumor with the most steam right now is #2 for Rudy Gay. It’d be pretty ironic if Jordan makes that trade, since he had the opportunity to draft him a couple years ago. Instead of Gay, he picked Adam Morrison.

I don’t think Charlotte should make that trade straight up, but I do think there are a few other scenarios that could happen.

First, Cleveland is looking to move up in the draft and if they could they’d love to get Charlotte’s #2 pick. The teams would swap picks (#2 for #4), but after that things would get tricky. Cleveland doesn’t have many players on its roster worth trading for and they probably won’t give up another first round pick. The Bobcats should offer Corey Maggette and his expiring contract to try and pry that 2013 first rounder away from the Cavs, though.

If Charlotte can get Cleveland’s first rounder this and next year for the second overall pick and Corey Magette, they should pull the trigger.

 Another possible trade partner is the Portland Trail Blazers, who have the sixth and 11th picks of the 2012 NBA draft. Word on the street is Portland really likes Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and he’s probably going to be gone by pick six.

A trade could be pulled off by a simple swap of the second pick for the sixth and the 11th, but Charlotte would probably throw in Corey Magette and his expiring contract as well.

If Portland doesn’t want to surrender both picks, something like the second pick for the sixth and Wesley Matthews might work, although the Trail Blazers are really high on him.

Another team with multiple draft picks is the Houston Rockets. They’ve got numbers 14 and 16, and the Bobcats might be able to entice them into a trade. Houston could really use a guy like Thomas Robinson or Andre Drummond, and Charlotte could really use two picks in this draft.

The Bobcats would also probably want a player back, since the picks they’d receive are in the middle of the draft. Goran Dragic might be too much too ask, but he would pretty much seal the deal.

There aren’t many other possible trades that make a lot of sense for Charlotte and their potential partner. The Knicks are looking to get into the first round, but it would take something crazy for them to make a deal with the ‘Cats. Utah and Brooklyn also don’t have first rounders, but a trade with either of those teams seems impossible.

Trade talk will only increase as we march closer to draft day, and in the end the Bobcats might just keep the number two pick. But it just wouldn’t  make sense not to shop the thing around.