Thursday night the Charlotte
Bobcats selected Cody Zeller with the fourth overall pick.
Before you start to point the
finger at Michael Jordan, remember Rich Cho drafted Zeller, not Jordan.
With a draft party filled with Ben
McLemore supporters, the reaction from the fans during the selection inside
Time Warner Cable Arena was not a pleasant one to say the least.
Rich Cho did say earlier in the
week that the Bobcats would draft the best available player, rather than the
team’s need.
Zeller being the best available player
on the board can be argued.
Say what you want, but Zeller is a
complete player, despite his struggles during the NCAA tournament.
Zeller’s sophomore season complied
of averaging 16.5 points and 8.1 rebounds, both down from his freshmen season, but
made up for it with an above-average performance during the NBA Combine, slating
Zeller as a top-10, but going fourth was a shock.
I can’t say I’m completely shocked
by the pick, during the week I heard from a couple sources that the Bobcats were
high on Zeller. I just didn’t see them drafting him at four knowing the talent
that would be available of Nerlens Noel and Ben McLemore.
There are two things that people can
expect from Zeller: he’ll start the first game of the season, and now Steve Clifford
has the option of running the pick and roll with Kemba Walker and Zeller.
Zeller at 7’0 can stretch the floor knocking down the 18-foot jumper, along
with having a solid back to the basket game.
The Bobcats have been missing a
low-post presence, Zeller may be able to fill that void, having Patrick Ewing
on the coaching staff can not do anything but help Zeller rather than hurt him.
Popular opinion is not in favor of
the pick, CBSSports gave the Bobcats a grade of D+, but don’t be surprised with
Zeller has a solid rookie season.
Zeller must improve his aggressiveness to be successful, if not it will be a nightmare of a rookie season dating back to his last game at Indiana when he was bullied by the Syracuse big men.
One thing Charlotte should know is that it looks as if Gerald Henderson will be the Bobcats starting shooting guard in the upcoming 2013-14 NBA season, with the Bobcats passing on McLemore.
With Zeller coming in that means
somebody will be on the way out.Zeller must improve his aggressiveness to be successful, if not it will be a nightmare of a rookie season dating back to his last game at Indiana when he was bullied by the Syracuse big men.
One thing Charlotte should know is that it looks as if Gerald Henderson will be the Bobcats starting shooting guard in the upcoming 2013-14 NBA season, with the Bobcats passing on McLemore.
As of today the Bobcats starting lineup will consist of Kemba Walker, Gerald Henderson Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo.
Do the Bobcats match Byron Mullens
qualifying offer? Or do the Bobcats decide to let Mullens walk and resign Josh
McRoberts? McRoberts played well for the Bobcats down the back stretch of the season.
ESPN 730 Charlotte Bobcats Insider and Blogger
Twitter: @JTyree704
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/SportsFromMyEyes
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