I fear the NBA Charlotte Bobcats will always be losers

[woffordgrad94]

Alan Iverson turned down a trade that would have sent him to Charlotte. Man, that sucks. That could've improved the team dramatically, Iverson can be a stud! But as it stands, the team gets low attendance, they win few games, their is little interest in them, and no one wants to play for them. How can they ever get better this way?

[TexasTerror]

The Bobcats will turn things around...

I grew up with Emeka Okafor and he's going to be one of the top shot blockers in history, joining Dikembe Mutumbo, who just moved into the #2 spot and Hakeem Olajuwon, the NBA's all-time greatest shot blocker...

There are a few young guys in their second or third year in the league. If they can grow together for a few more years and throw some players who fill the mold, they can compete...

We used to think the Clippers would always be losers, right?

[woffordgrad94]

I hope they can become competitive in Charlotte. Right now on local radio, they've been talking about how poor attendance is and how much financial trouble the team is in. They say Bobcats' owner Robert Johnson has asked for some help (finanacially). I'd hate to see them become the second NBA team to leave the Carolinas.

[SuperJon]

I'm actually glad that AI didn't end up in Charlotte. They've got a ton of cap room and can go out and sign a big name this off season.

[B&G]

Robert Johnson is a piss poor owner. Dude is a BILLIONAIRE. He doesn't need financial help. I could type a thesis paper on why Johnson's poor ownership is the reason for the Bobcats being in the red.

[jstate83]

Robert Johnson is a piss poor owner. Dude is a BILLIONAIRE. He doesn't need financial help. I could type a thesis paper on why Johnson's poor ownership is the reason for the Bobcats being in the red.

AHH................The Bobcats are only 3 years old.xlolx
They are gonna operate in the RED for a couple of years to come just from the START UP expenses, etc alone.

They were in the red with their first signee.
They were in the red when he hired all the people needed to run an operation of this size.

It's not like the BOBCAT's franchise was worth a billion dollars when he bought it.xlolx

A man is piss poor manager yet his business endever's have made him a billionare. xlolx

[Peems]

if the talent that the bobcats have develops they will be good. Felton, Okafor, Morrison, May, wallace, theyve got some guys, just give it time.

[B&G]

AHH................The Bobcats are only 3 years old.xlolx
They are gonna operate in the RED for a couple of years to come just from the START UP expenses, etc alone.

They were in the red with their first signee.
They were in the red when he hired all the people needed to run an operation of this size.

It's not like the BOBCAT's franchise was worth a billion dollars when he bought it.xlolx

A man is piss poor manager yet his business endever's have made him a billionare. xlolx

I know... my post was hilarious huh! I don't know anything about business or the Bobcats yet I still share my opinion! What a silly person I am.

Well riddle me this... how is it that a billionaire is asking for financial help from the city of Charlotte because his product isn't making him any money yet? Or how is it that such a smart businessman could have started the failure that is CSET which only managed to piss off most of his fanbase. This is the same fanbase that was already turned off to the NBA due to George Shinn's transgressions with the Charlotte Hornets.

See that is the issue here... Bob Johnson didn't start the Bobcats expecting to lose money the first few years. He started the team in the Charlotte Colisseum and charged the same amount for season tickets that he planned to charge at the new arena the city was building. In the first couple of years wouldn't you think that gaining a fanbase would have been an important thing to future success? Then he starts CSET to expose the fans at home to the Bobcats. Good idea right? Well not if part of that idea is to charge viewers for the station midway through the season as if his product was like crack that people just had to have. So those were two things that he could have used to generate good will and loyal fans while chalking it up as a loss because to make money you have to spend money.

Obviously Robert Johnson is a success as a businessman. He is responsible for BET being what it is. But that doesn't mean he has a clue when it comes to owning a sports franchise. Even before he bought the team many people in the know were worried b/c he had a reputation for being a pennypincher and having a large ego. Naming the team the BOBcats did nothing to end that speculation even if it was purely coincidental that his first name is part of the team nickname. I should have been more specific... the man has done nothing to show he isn't a piss poor at owning an NBA team. You will have a hard time finding anyone in the local media who would sing his praises.

I would say the first positive thing the Bobcats have done happened this year when they reduced some ticket prices and offered affordable season tickets... albeit in the cheap seats they wouldn't have been able to sell anyway. But most people seem to buy those season tickets and move down to the decent seats at halftime.

[PenguinPride23]

Just because AI wouldn't go there the sky is falling, wow.... Charlotte will be a very good team one day, probably sooner than later. They're currently hanging with my Cavs which a lot of small teams do...

[Mountaineer]

The Bobcats will be fine. They're way under the salary cap right now and next year is looking good from a FA standpoint: Vince Carter, etc.

This year they're probably looking at another lottery pick and then I imagine things will really start clicking. Wouldn't count on Bernie being around for it though. :thumbsup:

Charlotte is a piss-poor major league town. There are scrapes and broken bones all over with the amount of folks jumping off the Panthers bandwagon. :rolleyes:

[AZGrizFan]

Alan Iverson turned down a trade that would have sent him to Charlotte. Man, that sucks. That could've improved the team dramatically, Iverson can be a stud! But as it stands, the team gets low attendance, they win few games, their is little interest in them, and no one wants to play for them. How can they ever get better this way?

2 questions: How can the supposed hotbed of college basketball be so apathetic towards professional basketball?

and

How many chances is Charlotte going to get before the NBA says "enough is enough".

[jstate83]

I know... my post was hilarious huh! I don't know anything about business or the Bobcats yet I still share my opinion! What a silly person I am.

Well riddle me this... how is it that a billionaire is asking for financial help from the city of Charlotte because his product isn't making him any money yet?


I got a better riddle for you.xlolx

Why is the owner of one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world asking his city for over $350 million to help build a $1 billion Stadium.:eek:
And BTW..................He got more BILLIONS than BOBCAT Johnson.xlolx

Even better...................Why would any BILLIONARE OWNER ask JOE PUBLIC to fund his dreams.xlolx

Answer those riddles and you will have the answer to your BOBCAT JOHNSON riddle.


Yep..............You are silly. :nonono2:

[jstate83]

Charlotte is a piss-poor major league town. There are scrapes and broken bones all over with the amount of folks jumping off the Panthers bandwagon. :rolleyes:

B@G won't see this reality.
I put them in the same class as ATLANTA sport's fans. xlolx

[bandl]

2 questions: How can the supposed hotbed of college basketball be so apathetic towards professional basketball?


Because College Basketball is a million times more interesting and exciting to watch than the NBA. The NBA might possibly be the most boring sport, at any level, to watch on TV. In person it is only SLIGHTLY better, but that is due only to the free booze in the box seats. Why does NC need an NBA team when they have Duke and UNC???

[B&G]

B@G won't see this reality.
I put them in the same class as ATLANTA sport's fans. xlolx

No, I agree with you. Although they are definitely above Atlanta's sports fans because there is one sport they are rabid about... NASCAR. I am not a fan of any of the Charlotte teams. I live here but I'm not from here. My opinion is that of an outsider who works every day with their fickle fans and media.

Personally I think Bob Johnson made a lot of mistakes in the first two years of the team from a marketing aspect. Unless you live in Charlotte or in the vicinity I don't feel you can argue that point with me. If you do live here, then I would love to hear why you feel he has done a good job. Is it too late for the Bobcats to right the ship and increase attendance? Certainly not. Charlotte is a bandwagon city. If the team is doing well, then people will go. However I do think they could have easily been a lot closer to where they wanted to be if they had done a few things differently. I know hindsight is 20/20 but many people could see such things as CSET were mistakes when they happened. :twocents:

As for the "Bobcat Johnson Riddle", the other billoinaire has had his team just a wee bit longer to ask for such a thing. I am sure Joe Public would be happy to help him out more than a guy who blew into town a couple years ago so I don't think that is an even comparison. The Robertcats are far from being America's team. Hell, they aren't even Charlotte's team right now.

There is a difference between you not agreeing with my opinion versus the validity of my argument. My main point is that the Bobcats could have done a lot better at connecting with the fans during the two years of the franchise. My view can't be proven right or wrong so it's fruitless for me to defend it much further.

By the way, I'm from Miami which is a city whose fans rank below even Atlanta's. I will always be a Miami fan in all sports (with ASU being the only addition to that) but I won't defend our overall lousy fanbase.

Thanks for the debate. See you around.

[The Gadfly]

I hate to be the gadfly here and bite the horses ass, but having the old owner from BET own a team in the South (especially that "neck" of the woods) might have been a bad idea. Plus a lot of people in that area felt that Larry Byrd should have been awarded a team there. Come on! We're talkin' NASCAR country here.

[AZGrizFan]

Because College Basketball is a million times more interesting and exciting to watch than the NBA. The NBA might possibly be the most boring sport, at any level, to watch on TV. In person it is only SLIGHTLY better, but that is due only to the free booze in the box seats. Why does NC need an NBA team when they have Duke and UNC???

I could NOT agree MORE. Ranks right up there with hockey. xcoffeex xcoffeex xcoffeex xcoffeex