<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">With a little over a week to go until the NBA draft, staff writer Rick Bonnell handicaps the various options that could be open to the Charlotte Bobcats. They currently hold the fifth and 13th picks, and have no second-round pick. 10 percent chance -- TRADE DOWN Generally speaking, trading down is a great strategy in the NFL draft, and a poor one in the NBA. That speaks to the difference in the two sports. There are 22 starters in football and the high injury rate places a premium on depth. In the NBA, there are five starters and quality trumps quantity. Despite what the Detroit Pistons have accomplished, this is a league defined by stars. Any team with a Tim Duncan or a Shaquille O'Neal is a lock to advance deep in the playoffs. 20 percent chance--TRADE UP TO THE SECOND PICK If the Milwaukee Bucks choose Utah center Andrew Bogut No. 1, then take it for granted the Bobcats will approach the Atlanta Hawks about acquiring Marvin Williams at No. 2. 20 percent chance--TRADE UP TO THE THIRD PICK The Bobcats did themselves no favors by winning that last game against the Detroit Pistons. Losing that game would have guaranteed them no worse than the fourth pick, and in this draft three or four gets you an elite point guard. Assuming Bogut and Marvin Williams go 1-2, the top two point guards -- Wake Forest's Chris Paul and Illinois' Deron Williams -- figure to be next up. Portland has the third pick, and with Sebastian Telfair on the roster, the Blazers would rather choose a shooting guard. New Orleans at No. 4 needs a point guard, and is reportedly enamored with Deron Williams. The logical step is Charlotte and Portland swapping picks. Then the Bobcats get their choice of point guards, and Portland could take a shooter (Gerald Green or Martell Webster?) at No. 5. But the Trail Blazers want more to move down than the Bobcats will give up. Wait and see whether the Blazers' price drops closer to the draft. 50 percent chance--STAND PAT WITH THE 5TH AND 13TH PICKS It's the simplest route, and perhaps the best one. At No. 5, the Bobcats could select from Raymond Felton, Antoine Wright and Charlie Villanueva. (And if Portland chooses Green, Paul or Deron Williams would slip to Charlotte).</div> Source
Contrary to what I've said before, I think the Bobcats should just keep the two picks they have. None of the players in this draft are significantly better than the other. So why get one good player instead of two? Now I don't even think the Bobcats desperately need a point guard. Sure this draft has some of the best point guards we've seen in recent years, but I'm becoming fond with just adding more talent to this team at almost anywhere. We could grab a guy oozing with talent like Gerald Green and develop him into a star while also drafting someone who is ready to play in the NBA like Danny Granger with our second pick. We have two capable point guards in Brevin and Hart. Brevin averaged 9 assists and led the league in A/T ratio, while Hart didn't do bad either ranking in the top 5 in A/T ratio. Hart was also a capable scorer for the Bobcats in the clutch. Sure it would be nice to have a great young point guard locked up for the future. And we still could draft a PG with our 5th pick. But now I think the Bobcats should just be focused on adding more talent and depth to this team rather than focusing on needs. If we're not going to re-sign Brevin, then it would be logical to think PG first in this draft. Otherwise, we shouldn't look past other players who could offer a bigger reward. As far as trading up goes, if we can get a higher pick for cheap, as in not giving up our second pick then I'd be ok with that. If we have to take another Jahidi White to do that then I'd be ok with that. We also have Toronto's future first-rounder to offer to teams which I'd also be ok with trading away. But I don't think the Bobcats should package 5 and 13 just to move up a couple spots. Top 5 players I'd like to see us draft in order of preference: Marvin Williams Chris Paul Gerald Green Deron Williams Raymond Felton
