If anything, the Charlotte Bobcats have proven one thing for certain and perhaps a second through the first six games of the NBA season. They are inconsistent, but may have a resilient streak in them, too.
The Bobcats aren’t steep in game-changing talent, their bench options don’t include a great deal of experience, and they are working for a coach who joined the fray in the middle of last season, so the system still needs some fine tuning.
But these guys have offered some interesting glimpses so far that should intrigue a city hungry to field a competitive club. Look no further than Wednesdays win at New York as Exhibit A.
Following a one-point loss at home to the Miami Heat nine days ago, the Bobcats were blown out at home by Orlando by 21 points, lost at Miami by 39, and fell at Cleveland by 14 points. The positives of the first two games seemed like eons before.
But almost inexplicably, Charlotte pulled off a 118-110 stunner at Madison Square Garden courtesy of Boris Diaw’s 27 points, which were 27 more than he netted versus the Cavaliers.
Bobcats coach Paul Silas challenged Diaw, a 6-foot-8 post player who is quite comfortable shooting 3-pointers and passing. Along with his 27 points versus the Knicks, Diaw handed out six assists.
“He was outstanding,” Silas said. “Every time we needed something, he came up with a big rebound and big points, passing the basketball, he had a great game.”
Diaw failed to score in the loss in Cleveland, but Byren Mullens didn’t. The 7-footer continues to amaze off the bench with his shooting touch. Mullens matched a career-high 10 points in the season-opening win over Milwaukee, and has since set new marks three times with 12 points versus Orlando, 14 against Cleveland, and an impressive 16-point performance at New York.
Mullens left Ohio State after just one season despite averaging only 8.8 points per game. He was selected in the first round of the NBA draft, however, but has spent most of his professional in the NBDL and riding BA benches.
Charlotte took a fly on him at the end of training camp, and so far it’s worked out pretty well. Mullens is averaging 10.7 points per contest, but he’s only grabbing 3 rebounds per contest. He’s more comfortable away from the basket, where he has room to hit jump shots.
But as his shot helps him gain more confidence, Mullens should add more tenacity to his game and raise his rebounding numbers. Given the smallish nature of the Bobcats, they need their bigs to crash the boards and grab rebounds.
Maybe that process will begin Friday night when the Atlanta Hawks visit, followed up by a game at the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. Both games are 7 p.m. starts.
The 2-4 Bobcats now have something they can build off of and are beginning to be able to single out what each player must do differently to get wins.
Diaw is proof that, with a nudge from the coach and a little fire in the belly, a goose egg one night can turn into an all-star performance the next.
Note: Veteran forward Corey Maggette injured his ankle Wednesday night and is questionable for the game versus Atlanta.
