<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Melvin Ely has a virtually new body, which has led to a new role with the Charlotte Bobcats. Makes you wonder if that will lead him to a new team come this summer. Ely is the most improved Bobcat. He also will be a restricted free agent in July. With the team committed to power forwards Emeka Okafor and Sean May, can it afford what Ely might draw on the open market? "I think it's premature to even discuss that" coach-general manager Bernie Bickerstaff said. "If it gets to that point, it's a pleasant problem to have." It's a new experience to think of the Bobcats as overstocked at a position. But over the summer Ely dropped 25 pounds, arriving in exceptional condition. He already had this team's best post moves. Now he's rebounding and making free throws. His 10 trips to the foul line in the second half were essential to Saturday's rally against Boston. A low-post scorer with a knack for drawing fouls is a valuable commodity. Ely will undoubtedly draw interest from other teams. But he'd rather stay for a reason that transcends paychecks: Bickerstaff believed in him when others wrote him off. "I'm extremely comfortable with the coaches, and when that happens, that's where a player wants to be," Ely said. "I'm trying to stay here; Charlotte has been my awakening. I don't want to go anywhere else." The 12th overall pick in the 2002 draft, Ely spent his first two seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. They were also loaded at power forward with Elton Brand and Chris Wilcox. Ely says he had a bad relationship with coach Mike Dunleavy and felt he didn't get a fair chance. Ely likes Bickerstaff's approach. He says Bickerstaff corrects without degrading players. "He doesn't do like some coaches do; Mike would whisper behind your back," Ely said. Bickerstaff "says it in front of you, but he doesn't hold a grudge. He'll say it to you right away." It comes down to understanding personalities. Bickerstaff recognized Ely needed confidence. So the two essentially made a pact: Ely would rebound and consistently play hard, and Bickerstaff would allow him to play through some mistakes. "Mel is just a free spirit, and you have to accept people for who they are," Bickerstaff said.</div> Source
