The Charlotte Bobcats are bad. That’s not news to anybody. But just how bad are the spawn of Michael Jordan? The Bobcats are so bad, Air Jordan would be less of a detriment taking the floor at the age of 49 and having the hangtime of Phil Mickelson than he is running the front office. The Bobcats are so bad, Bill Walton can’t find words to describe their ineptitude. The Bobcats are so bad, the good people of Charlotte are reminiscing about the good old days when the city didn’t have an NBA team. The Bobcats are so bad, Adam Morrison would be a vast improvement to their current state. The Bobcats are so bad… well, you get the point.
With their hideous 101-73 loss against the Washington Wizards Monday night, their current record of 7-57 is on track for the worst season in NBA history. Their abysmal winning percentage of .109 now barely pips the .110 winning percentage of Fred Carter’s 1972-1973 Philadelphia 76ers that went 9-73. (Who doesn’t miss Fred and the way he would smile and point at the camera. We can only hope Gerald Henderson has as successful of a media career in store.) Incredibly, just two short years ago, the Bobcats were 44-38 and made the playoffs. Is it a coincidence Michael Jordan took over the team in March 2010?
If the Bobcats lose their last two games at Orlando on Wednesday and versus the Knicks on Thursday, they will officially be the worst team in NBA history. And at this point, why wouldn’t they lose those games, considering that pesky 21 game losing streak. The Bobcats haven’t won since St. Patrick’s Day and now have cracked the Top 5 for longest NBA losing streaks. Alas, we’ll have to wait until the 2012-2013 version to see if they can beat the record of 26 set by the Cavs last year.
So how bad are the Bobcats? In terms of this year’s NBA, they rank 30th, dead last, in the following categories:
*Points per game: 87.1 (League average: 96.3)
*Point differential: -13.7 PPG
*Field Goals per game: 33.4
*Field Goal percentage: 41.5% (League average: 44.8%)
*3 Point Field Goals: 3.9
*3 Point percentage: 29.4% (League average: 34.9%)
On top of that, the Bobcats rank 29th in total rebounding, rebounding +/-, Field Goal percentage defense, and steals and 27th in points allowed per game. Hey, at least it isn’t all bad news, right?
In that 21 game losing streak, the numbers are even more disturbing. The Cats lost those 21 games by an average of 16.2 points per game (101.9-85.7). Charlotte has lost 10 of those games by 20 points or more including three of the last four by 32, 26, and 28 points respectively. On April 9th and April 23rd, the Bobcats lost to the second worst team in the NBA, the Washington Wizards, by 28 points both times. The Wizards have won 18 games all season. The sad part is the Bobcats aren’t trying to tank like other teams around the league, they really are this bad.
Historically, these Cats stats are among the worst ever:
*In the shot clock era, their 87.1 PPG ranks 9th worst all-time and the worst since 2004, when the Toronto Raptors averaged 85.4 PPG.
*Charlotte’s +/- differential of -13.7 PPG ranks 2nd worst since the NBA/ABA merger. The only team that can “best” that number is the ’92-’93 Dallas Mavericks, who went 11-71 and lost every game by an average of 15.2 PPG. No team has had a negative double digit point differential since the ’99-’00 Los Angeles Clippers registered a -11.5.
*The Bobcats and their 29.4% from downtown is the third lowest 3 point percentage since 2000.
*Charlotte’s FG% of 41.5% is the worst in the NBA since the ’04-’05 New Orleans Hornets and seventh worst since 2000.
*The Bobcats are on pace to be the first team since the ’02-’03 Denver Nuggets (17-65) to finish last in the NBA in PPG, FG%, and 3PT%. The offensive triple crown of futility.
The Washington game paints such an ugly picture that you can’t help but stare at the ruins of the 2011-2012 Charlotte Bobcats. The starting lineup against the Wizards on Monday night – D.J. Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Derrick Brown, Byron (formerly B.J.) Mullens, and Bismack Biyombo combine for 48.1 PPG this season. Kemba Walker only played 14 minutes off the bench and Tyrus Thomas was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul. 13 players got into the game for the Bobcats, making up the Dream Team of journeymen. The Bobcats bench has combined to play for 21 different teams in their NBA career. It includes an ecclectic mix of busts (Tyrus Thomas), one-dimensional specialists (DeSagna Diop, Matt Carroll), D-Leaguers (Cory Higgins), and Jamario Moon. These are your Charlotte Bobcats.
Don’t worry Bobcats fans, now that the Blackhawks playoff run has ended Michael Jordan can get back to building a winner.
Photo via Daylife.com
