Gerald Wallace has re-signed with the Charlotte Bobcats to the tune of 6 years and $57 million, ending speculation that he would end up in Dallas or elsewhere. Thea deal also includes a total of $12 million in bonuses, so the total value of the contract could be pushed up to $69 million. If you read the site reguarly, you are probably already aware that I like Gerald Wallace quite a bit. Why? Wallace has done things the right way on the way to his big payday. He plays hard on D, rebounds, and operates within the team scheme on offense. Think of him as Shawn Marion Lite. I guarantee you that Wallace will be a much better player six years from now than Rashard Lewis, even though Lewis will be making more than twice as much money.
Now that the signing is official, on to two big questions that concern the Bobcats:
Is This A Playoff Team?: Last season the Bobcats finished 33-49, seven games out of the playoffs. That finish continued the general upswing of the team, as they have improved their record in every season of the franchise's existence. Now consider this; the Bobcats posted that record while only getting partial seasons out of Sean May (35 games), Walter Herrman (48 games), and Primoz Brezec (58 games). So will healthy campaigns by those three, coupled with the acquisition of Jason Richardson to start at the 2, lead to the Bobcats having a .500 record next year? On paper it seems to be almost a certainty. Consider; how many teams in the East can boast a frontcourt that rolls six deep (Okafor, Brezec, Wallace, Herrman, May, Morrison) like the Bobcats? Not many. The trouble of course for the Bobcats has been that their backcourt in recent years has been underwhelming in comparison to their young and talented forwards. The Jason Richardson trade along with the re-signing of Matt Carroll will go a long way in righting this imbalance. The only glaring weakness on the roster is at PG, where Ray Felton has looked promising but will no longer have Brevin Knight around to help carry the load. So will Richardson and a healthy stable of forwards put the Bobcats in the playoffs? The answer is only maybe at this juncture, only because a .500 record may not be an automatic ticket into the Eastern playoffs next year. The two bottom playoff teams (Orlando and Washington) should be improved next season, and the Knicks also appear to be poised to make a postseason push with the acquisition of Zach Randolph. That being said, the Bobcats will certainly be in the mix for the final playoff spots.
What About Adam Morrison?: This is the question that I find truly interesting with the Bobcats. Just last season they invested the #3 overall pick in Morrison, with the general assumption that he would ascend to the lead role on the team when Wallace left this Summer. A funny thing happened on the way to Morrison being the next Larry Bird however, as he completely laid an egg last season (366th in PER) and the Bobcats re-signed Wallace. And Carroll. And they traded for Jason Richardson. And they drafted another 1st Round SF in Jared Dudley. If you judge the Bobcats thought process solely based on their transactions this offseason the conclusion is obvious; they are moving on from Morrison after just one season. Remember, Michael Jordan has soured quickly on top draft picks before. (See: Brown, Kwame) Now Morrison will have two $10 million a year swing players in front of him, a backup SG signed to a 6 year deal, and a brand new first rounder to battle him for the backup minutes at SF. The only real question left with Morrison is whether or not the Bobcats will even bother to pick up the final three years on his contract after next season.
