Larry Brown didn't have much fun during the Charlotte Bobcats' preseason.
Injuries kept him from getting a good look at his new front line, no one stepped up to provide depth at power forward, and he was fined $60,000 after tangling with the NBA's replacement referees.
With his second season paired with managing partner Michael Jordan starting tonight in Boston (7:30, FSCR Ch. 46), Brown will have his coaching skills and patience tested as he tries to get the sixth-year Bobcats into the playoffs for the first time.
One thing is certain: Brown's second Charlotte team is much more to his liking -- and nothing like the team that started last season. His famous tinkering was behind four trades involving 13 players. Only five players remain from last season's opening-night roster.
"Coach (Dean) Smith came last year to the first couple practices, and he didn't think we'd win the ACC," Brown said. "I think he was probably right. I think this team is a little better than we were at the beginning of last year."
That team was 7-18 before a flurry of deals brought in a playmaking power forward (Boris Diaw) and a defense-first shooting guard (Raja Bell). Players who weren't Brown fits -- Jason Richardson, Adam Morrison and Matt Carroll -- were jettisoned, and the Bobcats recovered to stay in the playoff race until a late-season fade coincided with injuries to Bell and leading scorer Gerald Wallace.
"We have a great team," said point guard Raymond Felton. "I like our chances. Other teams got better, but we got better, also."
Although teams that finished behind Charlotte (35-47) last season improved, namely Washington and Toronto, the Bobcats made one major offseason move, dealing center Emeka Okafor to New Orleans for Tyson Chandler. Owner Bob Johnson's orders not to get into luxury-tax territory prevented them from bidding for the top power forwards in the free-agent market.
The Bobcats slogged through most of the preseason without Chandler (recovering from offseason ankle surgery) and Diaw (sprained ankle), and Nazr Mohammed, DeSagana Diop and Alexis Ajinca provided Brown with little confidence up front.
"So disappointed in our big guys," Brown said after one of many exhibition losses.
Oklahoma City rescinded a trade for the 7-1 Chandler in February because of concerns over a toe injury. An ankle injury slowed him in a first-round playoff loss to Denver, and Chandler then had surgery on his toe and ankle. He was held out of the first six exhibition games, but Brown said he thinks Chandler will provide versatility up front.
"He's more in line with some of the centers we see now," Brown said. "A lot of teams don't have a true center. I think Emeka is one of the true centers we have in the league. Tyson is more like that hybrid type."
Brown said he thinks that Chandler will allow Charlotte to run more, and fit in with a team full of athletes.
The slashing Wallace thrived late last season as he adjusted to Brown's system. The speedy Felton signed a one-year qualifying offer and is back sharing the point guard duties with D.J. Augustin. Diaw can bring the ball up the floor and is one of the better passing power forwards in the game. Rookie Gerald Henderson has an NBA body.
Although the Bobcats allowed only 94.9 points a game last season, ninth best in the NBA, they were last in scoring at 93.6 points. Then they traded Okafor (13.2 points) for Chandler (8.8 points).
"I think the fact that we need to score more, he'll be more involved, I think, with this group than maybe he had to be in New Orleans," Brown said.
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