"The bad news for the Charlotte Bobcats: They're just staying afloat in the playoff race. The good news for the Bobcats: They have plenty of company in that regard. The NBA standings are telling: The vast majority of teams are either winning 60 percent or better of their games, or fewer than 40 percent. That means teams like the Bobcats and Milwaukee Bucks can have 8-13 starts and still be tied for the eighth-best record in the East. This doesn't particularly surprise Bobcats coach Larry Brown. He said the theme in last summer's mega-free agent class was a greater divide between haves and have-nots. "The good teams got a lot better. Miami was good and they got better. Chicago was good, and they got (Carlos) Boozer," Brown said. "The teams that struggled (last season), not all the draft picks are going to help them'' immediately or significantly. The key exception to this might be the New York Knicks, who haven't made the playoffs since 2005. Two free-agent signings have them 14-9 and on a six-game winning streak." Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/12/08/1899740/brown-not-surprised-by-gap-between.html
