By Brandon Niles, Explorebigsky.com Sports Writer
The 2012 Charlotte Bobcats officially became the worst team in NBA history as they fell to the New York Knicks by 20 points in the final game of the season. Despite being owned by Michael Jordan, one of the most competitive and successful basketball players of all time, the Bobcats have been awful this season, and their fan base is undoubtedly happy to see the season finally end.
The Bobcats finished the season with only seven wins and 59 losses in this strike-shortened year, giving them a winning percentage of just over 10 percent, the worst in NBA history. The team finished the season on a 23 game losing streak, tied for the third longest losing streak by any team in the history of the league.
This year was about rebuilding for the Bobcats. Guided by two rookies, C-F Bismack Biyombo and G Kemba Walker, the Bobcats were a young team looking to acquire new talent and grow as an organization. It was expected that the team would struggle this season, but few thought it would end up quite so bad.
Walker and Biyombo each had their positive moments, and each struggled greatly at points throughout the season. Additionally, many of the team’s other capable players were injured at times, making matters worse. As a result, a team with very little talent to begin with was left short-handed at times and unable to keep up with the other talented rosters in the league.
Bobcats fans can be hopeful for the future however. With a high pick in a loaded draft this year, the team will be in a great position to add some more talent to the team. Additionally, the team will have some room under the salary cap to try and upgrade the roster through free agency.
Fans and media have been critical of the Bobcats for bottoming out this season and for trading away talented players like Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson in the last couple years as a means to rebuild. However, Charlotte had maxed out the potential of that roster, and it makes sense to move on now. Still, few believed that the team could be as bad as it was this year. Some of the key Bobcats would struggle to even make the roster on other teams, let alone play for extended minutes.
Unfortunately, even getting the number one pick and drafting Kentucky big man Anthony Davis probably won’t solve all of the Bobcats’ problems. They simply lack the talent to compete. At least fans can look forward to something next year though. The only place the team can go from here is up!
