Paul Abell – USA Today Sports Images
The Charlotte Bobcats were basically grasping at straws by the end of the 2012-2013 NBA season, trying almost anything they could to improve their team. They showed that by trading for Josh McRoberts and playing him significant minutes over the last month of the season in their frontcourt. Considering how poorly the Bobcats were playing, it honestly couldn’t get much worse.
Another move that the Bobcats made was to sign veteran guard Jannero Pargo late in the season, giving him minutes off the bench due to injuries to Ramon Sessions. Pargo also spent time with the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks early in the season, but was waived by both teams.
Pargo made his first appearance with the Bobcats on March 15 and played in 18 games for Charlotte from that point on. He averaged 16.2 minutes per game and put up 8.4 points, 1.9 assists, 1.2 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game on 40.1 percent shooting from the field and 38.2 percent shooting from long range. Surprisingly, Pargo actually provided a nice offensive spark off the bench for the Bobcats.
He is a free agent this summer, and the Bobcats will need to decide if they want to try to re-sign him or if they should just let him walk. Though he played relatively well for the lowly Bobcats at the end of the season, the team should not pursue him in free agency, especially as they try to rebuild their franchise.
The Bobcats already have an overloaded backcourt, particularly at point guard with Sessions and Kemba Walker, so Pargo would just be taking up space on the roster and salary cap. Pargo is also a 38.9 percent shooter for his career and is a sub-par defender. Considering the Bobcats struggles with getting efficient offensive production and that they had one of the worst defenses in the league this past season, the last thing they need is another inefficient shooter that can’t defend.
Pargo will turn 34-years old in October before the start of the 2013-2014 season. Though he gave the cellar-dwelling Bobcats nice minutes off the bench this past year, he doesn’t fit into the plans that the franchise has moving forward. There’s no telling whether he will end up on an NBA roster next season or not, but, if Charlotte is wise, he shouldn’t end up on the Bobcats.
Cody Williams is an NBA Blogger with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20 and like his Facebook page.
