Live 2005 | Charlotte Bobcats [2-0] - The Start Of An Era |

[BASiC]

Settings:

Team - Charlotte Bobcats
Version - NBA Live 2005
Season Length - Short (29 games)
Quarter Length - 12 minutes
Difficulty - Superstar
Rosters - The ones that game with the game
Season - 2004-2005
Playoff Length - 3-3-3-3
Sliders - Mine

Additional notes:

All games will be played from start to finish
Decided to pick the Bobcats and play with the original rosters as they start their first NBA season.

Roster:




The Story:

Majority Owner - Robert L. Johnson
Head Coach - Bernie Bickerstaff
Arena - Charlotte Coliseum
Cap Room - 22.36 Million
Roster Space - 0

Immediately after the Hornets left for New Orleans in 2002 the NBA granted Charlotte an expansion team to begin play in 2004. Before the team even hit the floor it made history as it would be owned by Robert Johnson the founder of Black Entertainment Television and the first Majority Black owner in Major Professional sports, as the team got its nickname from their owner. The Bobcats would get one major player to build around in the draft as with the 2nd overall pick they would select UConn star Emeka Okafor who had just come off leading the Huskies to a National Championship.

The 15 man roster looks solid at the most. All positions are covered nicely and the starting lineup looks decent but the bench isn't that good. The Bobcats are arguably one of the outsiders in the next few years. It's up to Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff to run this team as best as he can.

The Bobcats are holding a press conference in a few days. Is is said that Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff, Majority Owner Robert L. Johnson and Managing Member of Basketball Operations Michael Jordan will answer all our questions.



The Charlotte Bobcats Franchise Records:

Most Points In One Game - 32 | E. Okafor (Nov 3, 04 vs Nuggets)
Most Rebounds In One Game - 14 | A. Mourning (Nov 3, 04 vs Nuggets)
Most Assists In One Game - 10 | B. Knight (Oct 28, 04 vs Jazz)
Most Steals In One Game - 7 | B. Knight (Nov 3, 04 vs Nuggets)
Most Blocks In One Game - 5 | E. Okafor (Nov 3, 04 vs Nuggets)
Most Minutes In One Game - 41 | E. Okafor (Nov 3, 04 vs Nuggets)
Most 3 Pointers In One Game - 3 | E. House (Oct 28, 04 vs Jazz)

Biggest Score - 109 (Oct 28, 04 vs Jazz)
Lowest Score - 104 (Nov 3, 04 vs Nuggets)
Biggest Win - 104:92 (Nov 3, 04 vs Nuggets)
Biggest Loss -
Biggest Winning Streak - 2
Biggest Losing Streak -
Best Record -
Worst Record -

[BASiC]

The Press Conference

Q: What do you think about your roster?
A: B. Bickerstaff - I really like our roster. We have a few talented young players in Okafor, Wallace and Kapono plus we have the veteran players in Knight and Smith. We have players who can shoot from outside and players who can score in the paint. Overall I'm very happy about the roster.

Q: You have a lot of cap space. Are you planning on signing any free agents?
A: R. Johnson - We are looking to strengthen our interior defense by signing a center. But we also have a lot of expiring contacts in the end of the season and we would also like to keep some cap space available to sign free agents in our first off season.

Q: Who are you looking to sign?
A: R. Johnson - I can't name any names at the moment. There are a few players that we have considered signing but we're not 100% shore.

Q: You have 15 players on your roster. If you want to sign a free agent you have to waive someone. Who might that be?
A: R. Johnson - I can't tell you that either. The decision will be made after the training camp or after the season starts. We want to give everyone a chance to prove themselves before we waive anyone.

Q: What are your expectations this year?
A: B. Bickerstaff - There are none. I believe setting expectations will only pressure the players. We are a new franchise so obviously we won't win the championship. But we will play as good as we can, you can bet on that.

Q: Michael, what do you think about Emeka Okafor?
A: M. Jordan - I think he's a very promising player. Definitely one of the most dominant big man in the league to come. He can score, rebound and block very well. He does need some training in his free throw shooting because with a body like that he will get to the line very often. It'll be interesting to build a franchise around him.

Thank you for the answers and good luck in the season!

[Martti.]

Your Denver dynasty looked awesome, was inspired myself. Holy crap, how awful was Bobcats Roster.. Good luck with it.

[BASiC]

Thanks. I hope this dynasty will get more feedback than the Nuggets one. The roster does suck but it's a good challenge.

[Cornerthree]

I'll bet you'll sign a major superstar in the upcoming draft and maybe make the playoffs next year, this year you got nothing..

[TomCat]

yep, i will follow. it will be great to see how you go with that TERRIBLE roster.

cant wait!!..............................any idea when 1st game recap will be??

[Elbeen]

what a weak roster . good luck, though.

[BASiC]

Pursuer - You never know..besides the upcoming draft is rated 'very weak'

ScoopDoggyDogg - The first game is already played, but I don't have time right now to post the recap. I hope to get it up in the next 24h.

Elbeen - Thanks.

[BASiC]

Cats Stun Jazz, Win Season Opener



Charlotte 109:101 Utah
October 28, 2004 | Boxscores

The Charlotte bobcats played their first game today as they visited the Utah Jazz. Although Utah is not a very good team, the Bobcats vere still the underdogs.

Jason Kapono hit the first ever basket for the Cats and it was a three. The Jazz couldn't get going as the Cats played very good defense. Head, Kapono and Wallace made shore noone would get an open look. White and Okafor played good interior defense, not allowing anyone score in the paint. The Bobcats however were scoreless after the three from Kapono as the Jazz also managed to be effective on defense. After a few minutes Mehmet Okur got his second foul and was benched. Now the Cats had the advantage in the paint. White and Okafor immediately went to work and soon the Cats had a 14-4 lead. The Jazz took a time out, hoping to end the run but the Cats came back even stronger. Their superb defense continued and soon the lead was 20-9 with 5:55 on the clock. Both teams managed to score 10 more points during that time and Charlotte had an 11 point lead after the first quarter.

The Bobcats continued their superb all-around effort in the second quarter. Substitute P. Brezec was vital in Charlotte's success as the 7-1 power forward was unstoppable in the paint. Noone even thought that he would play today and that made in even more impressive. White and Okafor continued raping the Jazz in the paint witch eventually led the Bobcats to a 66-41 lead at the half.

The Jazz turned things around in the second half as they came back with more energy. They managed to keep Charlotte scoreless for the first 4 minutes and cut the lead to 9 points. A timeout by Bernie Bickerstaff, followed by Gerald Wallaces' monster dunk got the Bobcats back in the game. The Jazz continued to push the ball down the court for easy baskets from Arroyo and Giricek. It payed off eventually as Bobcats' lead shrinked to only 3 in the next few minutes. Bernie took another timeout at this point and put Okofor and White back on the floor. He took advantage of the big lead and let the bench get some minutes. Wallace, who had scored 2 points in the first half, exploded, scoring 10 points in the third and increased the lead to 18 after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter the Jazz had lost all motivation to play defense. They did close the cap by ten points but Charlotte had the win for shore. They relied on their great low-post presents throughout the game as White and Okafor combined for 44 points, 20 rebounds and 4 blocks. Mehmet Okur's constant foul trouble meant that Boozer had to work with unexperienced J. Collins. The duo failed to stop Charlotte and it cost them the game.

Word With The Winner:
B. Bickerstaff: "We came prepared tonight and it paid off. Okafor played superb basketball and proved that he is a player who you can build a franchise around. White impressed me with his 20 points. I was able to give everyone some time on the court to prove themselves. Someone might be waived before the next game as we are trying to sign a free agent. "

[Slizz]

Nice Dynasty keep it up!! Great Win in the first game.. I love Okafor and Gerald so make a push and try to get into the playoffs

[TomCat]

nice win. i like your screens, they look very nice. Kapono for MVP!!

[Lamrock]

Wow. Everyone is doing a Live 2005 dynasty! This is looking really good!The screens are great, and I really hope you keep this up. Good luck building the Bobcats. I know the game's draft is weak, but can't you Download the NLSC's? Sure, The 2005 draft wasn't the strongest ever, but Chris Paul would be a great addition.

[theKING]

hey im loving your screen shots of the game and this dynasty overall...ill be following

[Effekt]

Nice, to see that the Bobcats are going good. You got a reader!

[BASiC]

Slizz - Thanks. I'll do my best to make the playoffs.

ScoopDoggyDogg - Thanks.

Lamrock13 - I figure Live 2005 is a bit better that 07. Is there a 2005 draft mod for this game? Oh and thanks for the feedback.

theKING - Thanks. Nice to know I got readers for this dynasty.

Effekt - Thanks. Nice to know I got readers for this dynasty.

[looser]

Nice screens...
WTF!!
what is Kirilenko doing in the first screen?

Is he dancing?

[BASiC]

Charlotte Waive Hunter, Sign Mourning



In and effort to strengthen their lineup, the Bobcats have signed free agent Alonzo Mourning. The 6-10, 261 center hasn't played for 3 years. He played three games for the Heat in 00-01 season, where he averaged 11.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. His longest season was in 96-97 when he played 17 games averaging 17.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks.

B. Bickerstaff: "We are very happy with the signing of Mourning. He is a great center but he has had health problems in the past. The doctors say he is good to play again. Mourning is an excellent rebounder and a shot blocker but he can also score in the paint. We need him if we want to have a chance against Cleveland, Houston and Miami. Jahidi White did score 20 points against the Jazz but he was matched up against Collins most of the time. I don't think he can guard the bigger centers in the league.

The bad thing was that we had to waive someone. This wasn't easy for us at all. We decided to waive Hunter as we figured he wouldn't get much playing time anyway.

Alonzo Mourning will make his debut tomorrow as the Cats visit Denver Nuggets.

[BASiC]

looser - He was taking a shot but Wallace knocked the ball loose from his hands. In think the pic is hilarious.

[TomCat]

nice pickup of mourning. just out of interest, what is his overall ranking??

[BASiC]

I think it was 70

[BASiC]

Clash Of The Titans. Cats Victorious In Denver



Charlotte 104:92 Denver
November 3, 2004 | Boxscores

Nuggets were the favorites today, but the Bobcats did stun the Jazz just 3 days ago. Everybody expected a very interesting game and that's exactly what they got. Both teams are strong in the paint, Camby and Martin teaming up against Okafor and newly acquired Alonso Mourning.

Charlotte took the lead at the start with quick baskets from Knight and Okafor. Nuggets recovered quickly and tied the game. Lenard was hot from everywhere as he scored 8 of the Nuggets first 12 points. Charlotte had a though time covering him and lost the lead by the 6 minute mark. There was a fierce battle going on between the big men. Marcus Camby had 3 blocks in the first period, making it very hard for the Cats to score in the paint. Okafor and Mourning still did a very good job scoring a combined 12 points in the first. Baskets from Smith and Kapono helped as well. After the first quarter the teams very tied at 22.

The Nuggets opened the second quarter strong with baskets from Carmelo and Voshon. Andre Miller chipped in with 6 points before collecting his third foul. He was replaced by 5-6 Earl Boykins. Earl did a good job at scoring but didn't distribute the ball that good. The Nuggets team combined for only 7 assist during the game. Charlotte on the other hand had 20 with 8 of them coming from Brevin Knight. This led to the Bobcats taking a 3 point lead after the second. The score was 48-45 at the half.

The third quarter saw the Cats extending their lead. Mourning and Okafor were wrecking havoc on the offense. Nuggets defense looked helpless and they called a timeout. Melo and Lenard once again held their team in the game but Charlotte did extend their lead to 8 points as the score was 73-65 after three periods.

The last quarter started with both teams trading baskets for a few minutes. The Nuggets closed the cap but were unable to take the lead. Emeka Okafor exploded in this period as he scored 16 of his 34 points. Mourning made his debut scoring 18 points and collecting 14 rebounds. Camby and Martin combined for only 15 points with 13 coming from K-Mart. Camby did however block 8 shots. Charlotte managed to win the game by 12 points and will get a day off before visiting the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Word With The Winner:
B. Bickerstaff: "This is a very good start to our season and for the franchise. Two games and to wins is very good result. The signing of Alonzo paid off as we could all see. We will face the Cavs in two days and we need all the help we can get. "

[TomCat]

very surprising start to the season. keep it up!!

i love kapono!! averaging 12.5 PPG to start the season, that is fairly good. looking forward to more

[Pistol]

I love bobcats, fav team, I will be following this for sure. Awesome signing on Mourning, and good luck on season...GREAT start so far.

[Marquis]

This is great presentation and very nice screens

The team is just so weak by overalls, but you are winning and its good

[BASiC]

ScoopDoggyDogg - I like Kapono too. He can score from everywhere and can play SF or SG. Very versatile guy.

trigger42 - Thanks. It'll be a real challenge tuning this team around.

Marquis - Thanks. 2-0 is definatly good when you look at the roster. I've already played the Cavs game and the recap will be up soon.