We didn’t beat the Bobcats, but yet we still won. Excellent finish to a sloppy game. I went, so I feel qualified to make some observations:

1) Earl Barron looked much better than advertised. Dare I say he impressed me more than the supposedly improved Hilton…..
2) Darren Collison was fast and had excellent footwork while playing defense. He can give CP3 a big rest while CP3 is on the floor as a 2 guard by taking the bird-dog role. Not so great on the offensive end.
3) CP3, Devin, and Peja combined to miss 6 free throws that I counted. Too lazy to check the box score, but AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!
4) A line-up with Collison, Paul, and Posey will be one to watch. When they were on the floor they made life hell for OKC’s perimeter.
5) Darius Songalia plays some good defense, but seems to get smoked alot by faster players. His offense looked clumsy as well.
6) I was bummed that Ryan Bowen did not play. I wanted to cheer for him.
7) Julian Wright looks lost, on defense and offense. Chucking up ugly prayers, getting left behind by his man for open jumpers, and generally being ineffective. Peja wasn’t much tonight either, but he still has a sweet stroke when standing still. I hope the light bulb goes on in JuJu’s skull pretty soon, of we are in big trouble against San Antonio…..
8) The Honeybees are in much better shape this year. Quite impressive!
9) Replacement referees suck! No worse than regular referees, however…..
10) Thumbs down to the food vendors who didn’t show up for the game. Thanks to WOW Cafe for hanging in there to provide some non-institutional food choices. No Scooters, Creole food, Ice Cream of the Future, etc. I hope it’s an artifact of preseason that will be rectified for the regular season……
11) Possibly the lamest halftime entertainment ever. Lopsided pre-school basketball. I wanted a flaming hoop!

That is all.

I agree that West looked way off his normal game. He dropped some passes, misses some in-traffic layups, and clanked a few jumpers that are usually money. I really wish he would ditch the Ming The Merciless beard.

I disagree with those who say that CP3’s added muscle did not slow him down. He did not look as quick as I remembered. In fact, the whole team looked kind of stiff, with the exception of the rookies, until the last 3 minutes. CP3’s shot seems smoother than before, if that is possible, and he made some nifty passes as we have come to expect. Let’s keep him.

Marcus Thornton looks fast and confident on offense, but a little lost on defense. He was trailing his man by a few steps every time I was watching him. I excuse it much easier from him than from Julian, however.

I too have mixed feelings about Devin Brown. He missed both free throws then sunk a three the next trip. Obviously some mental issues. I don’t like ballhogs either, but he does hustle on every play, being one of the few I saw beating CP3 down the floor on the break a couple of times. He is also willing to draw contact, which only CP3 and Darius seemed willing to do. However, if you miss half your free throws what is the point? Bottom line is that I cringe every time he gets the ball. Bottomer than that is he picked up his option so we can’t cut him.

It’s good to hear Scott isn’t going to destroy any confidence Julian may have left by keeping him a starter. Sounds like it’s definitely mental if it was apparent Wright got worse as the game progressed. The coaches and players need to rally around him as he is quite vital to their success this year.