Thomas, Newcomers Looking To Right Ship
Buried deep in the pit of a seemingly never-ending losing streak, the Charlotte Bobcats are resting their playoff hopes on some newly acquired players, along with the recovery of defensive ace Tyrus Thomas.
For nearly two months now, the Bobcats have been eagerly anticipating the return of Thomas from a tear of the lateral meniscus in his left knee. The wait could come to an end as early as this Friday and, if Stephen Jackson returns from a minor hamstring injury on Friday as well, head coach Paul Silas will have a full deck at his disposal to deploy over the final 18 games of the season.
Let’s take a look at some of the key newcomers — both acquired before the trade deadline and coming off of serious injury — that the Bobcats hope to utilize down the stretch to try and sneak their way into the playoffs.
(In order from the least expected impact to greatest.)
Joel Przybilla
Acquired in the theft trade of Gerald Wallace from the Bobcats to the Portland Trail Blazers, center Joel Przybilla was expected to bring some added girth in place of the recently departed Nazr Mohammed. Unfortunately for Charlotte, Przybilla’s right knee — gruesomely injured during a Dec. 22, 2009 meeting with the Dallas Mavericks, then re-injured less than three months later in a freak shower accident — isn’t sticking to the script.
"Przybilla, his knee is hurting him — a lot. I want him to get well," Silas said before last night’s game against the Chicago Bulls. "He wants to play, he thinks he’s letting his players down when he doesn’t play, but I think he’s really letting himself down and the team down when he’s hurt. I told him today [Wednesday] that I can’t have that."
Silas said Przybilla’s soreness was so bad in the knee that he was unable to run in yesterday’s practice, and subsequently had to stop due to the pain.
"I don’t like to play players when their hurt," Silas said. "It doesn’t do us any good to have him continually play and re-injure the thing and never get any better. So I’m not sure how long he’ll have to sit out and get better."
Two knee surgeries ago, Przybilla would’ve been a key addition for Charlotte both at the center position and in the pocket book come season’s end. As of Wednesday night, however, Przybilla was struggling with soreness in that same right knee and was unable to play against the Bulls. It’s unknown in what capacity, or even if Przybilla will be able to play again this season.
Przybilla has averaged 1.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per off the bench during the course of five games with Charlotte.
Dante Cunningham
Along with Przybilla, Charlotte received second-year forward Dante Cunningham in the deadline deal for Wallace. Cunningham has played sporadically with the Bobcats, and Coach Silas says he hasn’t been able to get a feel for the young player.
"Dante Cunningham, I really haven’t had a chance to play him as much, but I see him in practice," Silas said. "I have him more at the 3, but he played 4 and 5 in Portland so it’s different for him."
Although he had two DNP, Coach’s Decision coming into Wednesday, Cunningham had his most productive game in a Bobcats’ uniform against the Bulls. The former Blazer was the first player off the bench for Silas; scoring 15 points and grabbing six rebounds for his highest totals in those categories since joining the Bobcats on Feb. 24.
"Cunningham surprised me with his shooting," Silas said after Wednesday’s 101-83 loss at home against the Bulls. "He shot the ball very well. Defensively, he needs some work…. but I thought he played well."
In 33 minutes of action against Chicago, Cunningham flashed a nice midrange jumper along with some athleticism in the paint that could bode well in the Bobcats’ playoff chase.
"I’m getting more and more comfortable every day," Cunningham said. "It is a pretty open offense and Coach (Paul) Silas has a lot of confidence in each one of us. He lets us go out and play offensively."
While his contract comes off the books at season’s end (like Przybilla’s), a stretch of games with some quality minutes off the bench from Cunningham could help Charlotte make the playoffs and also earn him a fatter contract at season’s end. If he can buy in to what Silas is preaching on both ends of the court, the lanky and athletic Cunningham (listed at 6’8) could flourish in Silas’ up-tempo offense.
D.J. White
When Charlotte shipped backup center Nazr Mohammed to the Oklahoma City Thunder, few thought the seldom-used D.J. White would end up being the Bobcats best acquisition of the deadline. White played less than 10 minutes per game in 23 appearances with OKC, but has relished with an expanded role in Charlotte.
"I didn’t really play much in OKC, we had a deep roster," White said. "But change is good. I got a chance to come in here and show what I can do, so I’m just trying to make the most of my opportunity. When I’m out there I just want to make open jumpers, rebound the ball, defend and help the team out any way I can."
White has had no problem fitting in to Silas’ system right away, logging over 20 minutes per game in six contests with the Bobcats.
"It’s still that time period where your trying to get used to your teammates and they’re trying to get used to you, all while your trying to get used to the play calls," White said. "But, in such a short time, I think I’ve [integrated] pretty well with the guys."
Wih his new team, White is averaging 8.4 points on 50 percent shooting to go along with 5.6 rebounds.
"D.J. White has been a pleasant surprise for me," Silas said. "He shoots well, he hustles, he rebounds — he does it all."
As the only acquired player with a contract that doesn’t expire at the end of the season, White looks to be an integral part of the Bobcats for the duration of his two remaining years… and possibly beyond.
"I like it here. They give me the opportunity to play and we’ve got a bunch of young guys, talented guys," White said. "We just need to put it together. We’re one spot out of the eighth spot of the playoffs. I’d love to be here and stay here."
Of the three players Charlotte acquired and subsequently kept, White has made the most of his opportunity and will be an impact player off the bench for the duration of this season.
Tyrus Thomas
Seemingly the forgotten man in Charlotte up until about a week ago, Tyrus Thomas is back in the headlines as he is nearly ready to return from a left knee injury that sidelined him for almost two months. In 34 appearances with the Bobcats this season, Thomas has had solid production: averaging over 11 points (on an efficient 47.5 percent shooting from the field) to go along with nearly six boards.
{AUTHOR_BOX}Thomas has gone through one full-contact practice and will go through another before Friday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers to see if he’s ready to give it a go before the Bobcats go on the road this weekend.
"One thing in practice [Silas noticed] yesterday is he blocked a shot. We haven’t had a player that can block shots in I don’t know when," Silas said, forgetting that Charlotte traded away shot-blocker Gerald Wallace less than two weeks ago.
The 24-year old power forward leads Charlotte in blocks per game this season (1.6) and, with Wallace gone, will have more time on the court once he is fully healthy and back in game shape. With Boris Diaw struggling, Silas alluded last week that Thomas could even become a starter before the end of the season.
As an added bonus, and in accordance to Silas’ system, Thomas has worked hard during the rehabilitation process to sweeten his shooting touch. In fact, Thomas was often the last player to leave the floor during pregame shooting over the last few weeks.
"His rebounding, his toughness and the one thing he’s done is work on his shooting, diligently," Silas said. "I look for him to be a big part of the success that we’re going to have because he’s very athletic and we depends on him for a lot of things."
The impact of Thomas returning will be felt on both ends of the court as he brings another dimension with his tenacious defense and finishing ability around the basket. Tack on an improved jumper, and Charlotte may have added a starting-caliber player to aid in it’s push for the playoffs.
There’s not much time left, but Charlotte hopes the collective impact of these four players can propel this beleaguered team back into respectability.
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