Playing Small Ball

Published: 17^th Jan 12 7:05 pm

by Vince Cunningham
Featured Columnist

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Sam Sharpe-US PRESSWIRE

The Charlotte Bobcats are finally ready to turn their lottery pick Point Guard, Kemba Walker, loose on the league, only they’ll be starting him at the 2 guard spot. Much in same as the Golden State Warriors have done for the past couple years, the Bobcats are preparing themselves to go small, filling both guard spots with undersized distributors.

While I agree that Walker needs to see time on the court, much more then he has thus far, and also that D.J. Augustin is too good to merely be benched in favor of the rookie, I have my doubts in the two Point Guard system. Just as I believe that the Warriors need to make a decision and trade either Ellis or Curry for a different piece to the puzzle, the same is true for the Bobcats. The point guard position is deeper then it ever has been in many years, but there are still teams out there who desperately need that position filled. The Lakers for instance, being an obvious one.

Teams like Charlotte and Golden State should be looking around the league for potential suitors and mutually beneficial trade partners. For two teams, already defensively challenged enough, finding themselves in the bottom four of the league in the all crucial, points allowed category, it seems counter-productive to throw an undersized, out of position player onto the floor with the task of covering their opponents best scorer.

According to beat writer Rick Bonnell, this move sending Walker to starting 5, also makes Boris Diaw available for trade. And rumored to be interested in his services is Diaw’s former team, the Phoenix Suns. While the Suns, too, are not in a current position of excellence, they do offer a roster with a handful of potential trade pieces that could improve the Bobcats.

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