The Bobcats are a playoff contender. I know it sounds weird. If you need to take a few minutes to repeat that to yourself in order to suspend belief in pursuit of finishing this column, feel free. I'll wait.
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Ready? Okay, let's begin. The Bobcats are a playoff contender, and have been since Larry Brown decided to dump his best player (Jason Richardson) to Phoenix for jack-of-all-trades-master-of-awkward-spacing Boris Diaw and older than dirt Raja Bell. When that trade occurred, there was universal questioning of what in the carolina blue blazes Larry Brown was thinking. You don't ditch your best player!
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
Duke star Gerald Henderson was just drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats. He's only 6-foot-5 but has good hands and can do it all on both ends of the court. In this FanHouse exclusive, we talk to Henderson about everything, from making to the NBA, handling the media, to the time he watched Kobe Bryant play in high school.
LAS VEGAS -- Expect the Utah Jazz to match the Portland Trail Blazers' offer sheet for forward Paul Millsap. The Blazers offered Millsap a front-loaded four-year deal at about $33 million. The Jazz badly want to retain Millsap and will match if it can find a taker for Carlos Boozer.
In the weakest NBA draft in years, sitting out might have been the best thing to do. All the fireworks were done before it even began. The Cavs traded for Shaq. The Magic added Vince Carter. The Wizards snagged Mike Miller instead of the No. 5 pick. Several teams showed little interest in getting involved.
Keep reading after the jump for the Eastern Conference rundown.
The day of reckoning has arrived for some 90 or so prospects hoping to be an NBA Draft pick. The day of reckoning has also arrived for some 9,000 mock drafters, who desperately try to get it right even though no one ever could on a consistent basis.
And, if I may, a word about the recent backlash against mock drafts from the key mock draft writers. The major draft experts from ESPN and DraftExpress told the New York Times last week that they hate mock drafts. But the mock draft is like their version of a test. It's too arbitrary, too black and white. It creates an impossible task. But thems the breaks when you're in a field in which performance matters. If Chad Ford didn't have to put out a mock, he could forever avoid criticism, basically. It's his job to analyze and predict the draft. How could we judge his efficacy without looking at his mock the morning after? It's like Amar'e Stoudemire telling everyone he hates to rebound. (Oh wait ...)
I love mock drafts! You'll find my final version after the jump.
The Bucks are the first of four Central Division teams that will be picking in the range from No. 10 to No. 16, giving the rivals a chance to match wits through the middle of the draft board.
Mock drafts are fun, but if you want the real inside scoop on who's expected to be a high draft pick, you need to see the list of the players the NBA has invited to the draft. Generally speaking, it's limited to players the league has been assured will go in the top half of the first round.
There are always exceptions, but ever since Rashard Lewis awkwardly hung around until the second round, the league has done a respectable job making sure no one gets too embarrassed. The league hasn't yet released an official list, but thanks to some sleuthing by DraftExpress, we know at least 16 players have been extended invitations, although only 13 have confirmed their attendance. Keep reading for the full list:
If FanHouse owned one of those jumbo countdown clocks, I would be parked in front of it for the next four days. The ecstacy! The anguish! NBA Draft Day is like Christmas and Dia de Los Muertos wrapped into one.
As the draft hits Thursday, everyone is warning not to believe everything you read this week. My advice is a bit different: don't believe anything you've read ever. Just follow your heart. Follow it ... after the jump, where we unleash our second-to-final mock draft of the season. (The last one will come Thursday morning.)
The New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets, picking at No. 8 and 11, respectively, are busy preparing their teams for next summer's free agent class, trying to add complementary pieces now for the new stars they are hoping to attract.
The Toronto Raptors, at No. 9, are trying to make sure that free-agent-to-be Chris Bosh, doesn't go anywhere in 2010. All three teams should be able to get decent players where they are picking. In the Atlanta Division, the Knicks are the most likely of the three to trade up to get what they want.
With only one lottery pick (Washington), there isn't a lot of draft buzz around the Southeast Division. The Orlando Magic, who reached the NBA Finals, don't have any picks, and the Miami Heat, who lost in the first round of the playoffs, have only picks in the second round.
Washington Wizards
Picks: No. 5 (first round), No. 33 (second round). Needs: After such a disastrous season, they need one of those Obama Stimulus giveaways. They need a quality big man who can rebound, but they also need help on the perimeter so that Gilbert Arenas can limit his minutes and avoid getting hurt again. They need depth, and most importantly, they need some durability because there were too many guys sitting out too many games last season.
FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.
Duke star 
Gary Washburn empties his notebook from the 
In the weakest NBA draft in years, sitting out might have been the best thing to do. All the fireworks were done before it even began. The 
The day of reckoning has arrived for some 90 or so prospects hoping to be an 
The 
If FanHouse owned one of those jumbo countdown clocks, I would be parked in front of it for the next four days. The ecstacy! The anguish! 
The New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets, picking at No. 8 and 11, respectively, are busy preparing their teams for next summer's free agent class, trying to add complementary pieces now for the new stars they are hoping to attract. 
