Feb. 4, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Charlotte Bobcats shooting guard Jeffery Taylor (44) shoots over Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

It’s getting harder and harder for Bobcats fans to find positives as the loss total begins to climb higher and higher.

Here at Roberto Gato, we’ve tried focusing on as many positives as we can; Kemba Walker’s breakout sophomore campaign, Jeff Adrien’s welcomed contributions since being called up from the D-League, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeffrey Taylor with strong showings in their rookie seasons.

Yet there is one positive that hasn’t been mentioned which usually requires a bit of reading between the lines to discover.

The Bobcats currently have a .234 winning percentage, which is well over double the .106 winning percentage the team posted last year; however, this number doesn’t surprise  as much as another obscure number that’s continued to impress me throughout this season.

The Bobcats have lost 36 games so far this season (wait for it), and in those 36 losses, the Cats have dropped 11 of those games by 10 points or less to “playoff” teams.  Obscure?  Yes, indeed.  Drawn out?  You betcha.  Finding the silver lining in the midst of a third straight losing season?  Priceless.

Charlotte struggled mightily last season, losing a total of 59 games en route to setting the NBA’s record for winning percentage futility.  Many of those losses were blowouts, as Charlotte seemingly forgot how to score on most nights.

There were, however, some nights that the young Cats showed plenty of promise.  Throughout last year’s lockout shortened season, aside from the Bobcats’ seven wins, Charlotte lost against playoff teams by 10 points or less a total of 12 times.  Had Charlotte been able to win just a few more possessions in those games, the ’11-’12 Bobcats might not be remembered now as the worst team in NBA history, possibly earning themselves a few more wins and avoiding just a few more jokes.  Also, these “close games” showed two things: just how often Charlotte was losing by extremely large deficits, and that Charlotte could -on a good night -hang with the big boys in the league.

This season, Charlotte has already improved in the win-loss column alone.  There’s mathmatically no way that the Bobcats will perform as badly as last season (11 wins out of 82 games =.134 winning percentage), and they’ll continue to win games in which they come out firing on the defensive side of the ball and actually get the ball in the basket.  Even more impressive, though, is that 11 of the teams 36 losses have been by 10 points or less to playoff caliber teams.

Yet playoff caliber teams aren’t defined by a team with more wins than the Bobcats; playoff caliber teams are defined as teams that would be fighting in the postseason for the Larry O’Brien Trophy if the season ended today.

While the losses still aren’t very comforting, the close losses are showing Charlotte’s much improved ability to remain competitive in games for longer, and that this years team has much more talent (and even greater potential) than last years squad.  The Cats are, as apparent by last night’s close loss to Miami, refusing to quit down the stretch which is a great sight to see; by playing a full 48, Charlotte will continue to prepare themselves for the future and possibly steal a couple games from star-studded teams in the league, which in turn will help them to continue to gain confidence going forward.

After losing 27 of their last 31 games, it’s hard to seperate the good from the bad with this young Bobcats team.  Yet it seems as though they’re continuing to move in the right direction, no matter what their record is.

Oct 20, 2012; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Charlotte Bobcats power forward Tyrus Thomas (12) attempts to block the shot of Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe (10) during the third quarter at The Palace. Detroit won 85-80. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE

First you see him.  Then you don’t.  That’s the mystery of Tyrus Thomas.

Tyrus Thomas exploded in yesterday’s loss against Detroit, recording 14 points, 16 rebounds, and a block in only his second start of the preseason, helping to keep the Cats in contention until the final buzzer.  Thomas was 7-of-12 from the field, and four of his boards came on the offensive glass.

Until the showdown in Motown against the Pistons, Thomas had been seldom used in the Cats’ previous contests, with 14 minutes and four field-goal attempts as preseason highs.  Yet this game could either be the start of a very different (and good) trend for Thomas, or simply an outlier that won’t be witnessed again in several weeks.  Thomas was a highly-touted double-double machine from LSU who was drafted fourth overall in the 2006 NBA Draft, but has only averaged double-digit scoring in three of his seven seasons, and has yet to average double-digit rebounding numbers in a single season.  He has been plagued by inconsistencies on the offensive end, and sometimes lackluster effort when not getting the ball, resulting in him riding the pine so much last season.

Following the game, head coach Mike Dunlap said he feels that Thomas has been playing with more confidence recently.  This new-found confidence is something that Charlotte fans would have enjoyed seeing earlier in Thomas’ tenure with the team; however, late is better than never, and finding a double-double threat at the power forward position would be reassuring heading into the season.

Thomas still has plenty of work to do to obtain a starter’s role, or see significant minutes off the bench.  There’s still time for him to impress Dunlap before the preseason ends, yet Thomas may have the chips stacked against him, as Dunlap is sure to give Byron Mullins (who had the night off) more chances to show his expanded range at the four, or give Bismack Biyombo more time to develop.  Yet Dunlap has said that everyone has a shot to make a name for themselves this season, and Thomas is no exception.  While usually being labeled as a bust, Thomas has a fighting shot in Dunlap’s team-first mindset, where every player has a chance to make a name for themselves and become a leader for a very young team.

Thomas has had his share of disappearing acts in his time with the Bobcats.  It looks as if he’s back again.  And hopefully, he’s here to stay this time.

Jan 3, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Charlotte Bobcats center DeSagana Diop (7) against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE

Meet DeSagana Diop and Matt Carroll, two players the Bobcats acquired to get out of bad contracts. Two players who combine to make $10 million this season on the Bobcats payroll.

Carroll was traded by the Bobcats in 2009 after signing a six-year, $27million deal two years before. The player he was traded for? DeSagana Diop, who signed a contract worth over $30 million a year after Carroll. Diop made a noticeable impact on the defensive end in Dallas, but was dealt to Charlotte in exchange for Carroll and Ryan Hollins, as the Mavericks preferred Carroll’s frontloaded contract over Diop’s escalating salary and regressed play. That play, along with his health never picked up in Charlotte and Diop permanently became an immovable contract.

While Diop remains a lost cause on-court, Carroll has been the opposite as a Bobcat. Carroll was dealt back to Charlotte in 2010, and while he had a brutal season last year, management and coaches still see on-court value in the 10th-year veteran. Carroll currently has played the most seasons of any current Bobcat. If he plays in at least 58 games this season with Charlotte, he will be the all-time leader in games played as a Bobcat.

His first run with the team saw Carroll bring productive and efficient sharpshooting to the team and he was rewarded with a big contract, which he didn’t live up to initially. Currently though Carroll stands as a player coach for one of the youngest teams in the league and has been applauded for his communication and leadership skills. It’s no shocker that he was named one of the two team captains for this season.

But the most important value of these two might be on the trade market, where both combine to make over $10 million in expiring contracts. The Bobcats have a flexible payroll and could be open to taking on salary if it brings future assets or a player who could help make them better in the long-run.

We’ve seen how Rich Cho was able to use Corey Maggette’s $10M expiring contract to land Ben Gordon and a future non-protected first round pick. These are the type of deals the team is looking for, and Diop and Carroll could bring similar results. Both players could be bought out after a trade, and in Carroll’s case could be interested in returning to the team on a cheaper salary. It’s realistic both players could combine to bring nothing on the court this year statistically, but that’s not important. This time the focus is back on their monetary value, and it could potentially pay dividends this time.

According to multiple reports, the Bobcats have added Jeff Adrien, Dajuan Summers, Paris Horne and Josh Owens to their training camp roster. The name that stands out to me the most is Jeff Adrien.

The undrafted, former Connecticut forward stands at 6’7 and around 240 lbs and has played 31 games in two seasons with the Warriors and Rockets. Adrien signed a training camp deal with the Bobcats after reported interest from the Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, Clippers and Rockets. While it’s certainly likely that Adrien is just another training camp guy who will flame out, what he specializes in is something this team lacks dearly: rebounding. Last season the Bobcats ranked 29th in total rebounding and 26th in offensive rebounding. While it’s a limited sample size, Adrien averages 11.1 rebounds per 36 minutes for his career, a 23.4 total rebounding percentage and a 17.6 total rebounding percentage.

If you compare these numbers to last years Bobcats, Adrien would have led the team in each of the three categories. Rebounding is going to play a big part in the Bobcats renewed defensive focus, especially considering the tempo they’ll be trying to play at. It’s stating the obvious, but the best defensive teams have to be strong rebounding teams in order to close out a possession. Offensively, rebounding can give a poor scoring team more chances to get points.

This isn’t a campaign for Adrien, but just a mere look at the strength he brings that currently nobody else on the team has. Adrien is undersized, but in college he was known for having a terrific motor and being exceptionally athletic. This was the likely appeal for championship contenders such as the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs. Right now the Bobcats are in desperate need for a player like Adrien who doesn’t need the ball to put his imprint on the game, just like summer league standout Malcolm Thomas, who the Bobcats were very interested in. We’ll see how he does in training camp, but on a team with no power forward depth, it would make sense that Adrien starts the season with the team.

Photo Courtesy US Presswire

June 20, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins (left) , new head coach Mike Dunlap (center) and general manager Rich Cho (right) hold up a jersey during the introduction press conference at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-US PRESSWIRE

Sure, it’s too early to tell what will happen with the 2013 free agents. This year’s offseason showed us that you can never predict where a player will end up, even if you have the greatest “sources” in the world.

But, it’s not to early to take a look into our crystal ball and see which guys the Charlotte Bobcats might make runs at.

First off, the one position they didn’t improve this offseason (barring massive improvement from Bismack Biyombo or Byron Mullens) is power forward.

Here are some of the higher end guys that almost every team that needs an upgrade at PF will be looking at towards the season’s end: David West, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, Kenneth Faried, and Taj Gibson.

Other players teams might have to settle for are: Tyler Hansbrough, Lamar Odom, Charlie Villanueva and Trevor Booker.

I say keep your eyes on Booker and Millsap.

Booker almost doubled his production in his sophomore season last year. His points went from 5.3 to 8.4, steals from .4 to 1.0, and rebounds from 3.9 to 6.5.

His per 36 numbers are pretty good too. 12 points, 1.2 blocks, and 9.3 rebounds. If he continues to improve, I think Booker could end up being a 15 and 10 type of player the rest of his career.

Millsap is a guy who everyone knows what they’ll get out of. In his sixth year of NBA experience, the Jazz lifer scored 16.6 points, grabbed 8.8 rebounds and dished out 2.3 assists per game. A lot of teams will want Millsap, but Charlotte could be in position to make him an offer few other clubs can match.

I’m not sure there’s a center in the 2013 free agent class the Bobcats will go after. Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum are basically locks to re-sign (although nothing with Howard should be called a lock). Demarcus Cousins and Greg Monroe will almost certainly have their team options picked up and after them, the next best player is Samuel Delambert.

I think the Bobcats are going to go after their long term solution at center in the draft (Cody Zeller, please).

The ‘Cats are pretty much set at point guard right now. All indications say the team signed Ramon Sessions to back up Kemba Walker, so they probably won’t go out and make a big splash at the position next year. A suitable third PG like Shaun Livingston or Jeremy Pargo wouldn’t be a bad signing, though.

At the two guard, if a guy like James Harden becomes available, the Bobcats have to make an offer. Other than a player like him, Charlotte will probably hold pat with Gerald Henderson and Ben Gordon for another year.

The only spot left is small forward, and after drafting two of them in 2012, I doubt Charlotte will go hard after another one. Plus, there aren’t many unrestricted small forward out there worth making a run at in 2013.

Again, it’s too early to tell where any of these guys will go, but it isn’t too early to tell that Charlotte needs a power forward, and there are plenty to choose from next offseason.

April 16, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson (15) jumps to pass the ball as he is defended by New Orleans Hornets forward Al-Farouq Aminu (0) during the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Hornets win 75-67. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-US PRESSWIRE

The Charlotte Bobcats preseason schedule has been released, and it features two home games that won’t be played in Charlotte.

The ‘Cats will take on Miami in Raleigh at PNC Arena in Raleigh NC, and they’ll face New Orleans at the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston SC.

They open the preseason at home against Washington at 1pm on Oct. 7, then head to New Orleans for an 8pm matchup with the Hornets Oct. 9. They face ‘Nola in Charleston at 7:30 on the 11th, the Thunder in OKC at 8pm the 16th, and the Pistons in Detroit at 7:30 on the 20th. The Bobcats round out their preseason schedule with that game in Raleigh against Miami on the 23rd at 7pm, a home game against Milwaukee on the 25th at 11am and a trip to Dallas to play the Mavs at 8:30pm on the 26th.

It’ll be interesting to see Michael Kidd-Gilchrist go up against Anthony Davis in back-to-back games, and with a decently difficult schedule, fans will get an early look at how good, or bad, their Bobcats might be in 2012/13.

Mar 19, 2011; Tucson, AZ, USA; San Diego State Aztecs forward Malcolm Thomas (4) celebrates with fans after the Aztecs won a game against the Temple Owls in double overtime in the third round of the 2011 NCAA men

I’ve got to give props to Queen City Hoops’ Spencer Percy on this one; I found out that the Charlotte Bobcats and Malcolm Thomas were interested in each other from his twitter account.

I had no idea who he was, so I googled him.

Right away I was pretty happy. He’s a 6’9 forward. He can play power forward. The Bobcats need more power forwards.

He’s also young. He can be had for a reasonably cheap contract. Also, he was a pretty damn good player in the D League.

With the Los Angeles Defenders, the D League squad he saw the most time with, Thomas scored 14 points, grabbed 11.5 rebounds, two blocks and had 1.5 assists in 32.3 minutes per game.

In the playoffs, Thomas elevated his game and dropped 18 points, grabbed 16.7 rebounds and had 2.4 assists in 34 minutes a game (he played all the way through the finals, so it’s not like these numbers are just from one series where his team was terrible).

There’s really no reason not to give this guy a shot. He’s clearly improved since his college days where he scored 11.4 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had two blocks in 30.4 minutes per game during his last season at San Diego State.

Thomas even saw a little time with the San Antonio Spurs last season.

Charlotte has already started a youth movement, they might as well see if they’ve got a diamond in the rough with Thomas.

Yes, the Charlotte Bobcats did just finish the worst season in the history of the NBA.

Yes, the Charlotte Bobcats haven’t been very good (except for one year) since the team’s inception.

Yes, the Charlotte Bobcats will have a relatively inexperienced team and a roster filled out with many of the same players that made last year’s debacle possible

But, that doesn’t mean Charlotte can’t have high expectations for Mike Dunlap in his first year at the helm of the Bobcats.

Keep in mind that “high expectations” for the Bobcats don’t necessarily meet the standard for “high expectations” most every other team in the league.

The first thing Bobcats fans should expect from Mike Dunlap is for him to change the culture that pervaded Time Warner Cable Arena a year ago.

Lethargy, lack of hustle and boredom were the themes of the day almost every time the team took to the court last season.

This year, the themes will be hard work, determination, and excitement.

Which brings us to the next thing Bobcats fans should expect; Fun basketball.

Dunlap will install a fast paced offense tailored to Kemba Walker’s game, and the team will run that offense, and run next year. A lot. Expect more highlights in transition, more diving around and more points to be scored for the home team this season.

Finally, Bobcats fans can expect Dunlap to make Bismack Biyombo, Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeffrey Taylor better. He’s renowned in the basketball world for his ability to develop young players, and I expect those four guys to have good years. Gilchrist and Walker could have special rookie and sophomore seasons.

The season is months away, but there is already a different feeling in the collective thread that binds Bobcats fans together.

Which brings me to a completely unrelated thing to expect at TWC Arena next season… Energy in the stands.

March 23, 2012; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Charlotte Bobcats point guard Kemba Walker (1) during the game against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

The other day, RobertoGato took a look at the on little thing Bismack Biyombo could do to up his game and help the Charlotte Bobcats. Today, we’re looking at Kemba Walker.

Walker is the presumed starter next season, even though the ‘Cats brought in Ramon Sessions this off season.

The former college national champion had a good rookie year in 2011, but if he could just work on one thing this off season, his offensive production would see a solid increase.

That thing is the mid-range jump shot. According to basketball-reference.com, Walker took 87 shots between 10 and 15 feet from the basket last year and made just 33 of them. That’s 66 points on 87 shots… Not good. If he shot 50 percent on those mid-range jumpers last year, he would’ve scored exactly one point per shot

He also made just 22 of his 70 shots from three to nine feet away from the basket. If he would’ve shot 50 percent from that distance, he would scored 26 more points.

Those extra points might not seem like too much, but he would’ve scored almost a point more per game last season had those shots fallen at a higher clip. If he shot 60 percent from those two areas and all of his other shots (16 feet to three point line and layups) stayed the same, he would’ve scored well over a point more per game.

The most important aspect of this stat and the need for him to shoot more efficiently from those spots is the fact that he will see more playing time next season.

If he takes more shots and hits more of them, he could see his points per game total jump three or four points.

If he hits those added shots at around the same rate he did next season, that total will barely rise.

For the Bobcats to get better, their young guys have to increase their production. The easiest way for Kemba Walker to do that is by hitting more of his two-point shots, especially on mid-range jumpers.

Apr 23, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats point guard Kemba Walker (1) dribbles the ball against the Washington Wizards during the second half at the Verizon Center. The Wizards defeated the Bobcats 101 - 73. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

It seems like a no-brainer headline. Kemba Walker must develop for the Bobcats to be successful in the future.

Sometimes a simple truth is the most profound.

I’ll dig into some stats later, but speaking strictly from a visual standpoint, it’s clear that today’s NBA is a guard’s league.

Last year, the Bobcats didn’t have a single guard, at point or the two-spot, that would start on another team. With all due respect to D.J. Augustin (who I thought would finish top ten amongst point guards in many statistics before the season started last year), he, Kemba and Gerald Henderson (who’s no slouch) would have probably been backups on every team in the league last year except for Charlotte.  

Last year, every team in the Eastern Conference playoffs had one guard with at the very least a 15.1 PER (player efficiency rating). If it weren’t for the Magic, who made the playoffs basically on the shoulders of Dwight Howard, that “lowest” PER number would’ve been 16.6. Six of those teams had at least two guards with PERs above 14.

Just for a reference point, a 14 PER is below average. And there were teams that didn’t make the playoffs that had two guards with PERs on par with the numbers above.

BUT, Kemba Walker, with a 15 PER had the highest number on the entire Bobcats team. D.J. Augustin and Gerald Henderson were right around 14. Without the special circumstances surrounding the Pacers (very good scorer in Granger and All Star Center in Hibbert) and the Magic (All World center, Dwight Howard) there was no way the Bobcats were going to compete with many teams last year.

Walker is entering his sophomore season and Henderson is still very young. With a supporting cast that looks like it’s getting better, the two should continue to grow.

But, if the Bobcats want to be relevant within the next five years, one of them is going to have to up their PER to at least 17.5, a number which at least one guard on six of the eight E.C. playoff teams reached last season.