(Sports Network) - Charlotte is coming off its best season in franchise history but the team is still on the prowl for the franchise's first ever postseason bid.

A great coach in Larry Brown and a few minor tweaks in the offseason have the Bobcats thinking playoffs despite playing in a Southeast Division that looks significantly improved this season.

Charlotte was on the verge of a playoff berth last year and the team won a franchise best 35 games but dropped seven of the last eight, finishing four games behind the eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons.

Like most Brown teams, the Bobcats were one of the better defensive clubs in the NBA last year but need a lot of help on the offensive end after scoring a league-low 93.6 points per game.

The acquisition of a legitimate center in Tyson Chandler should make Charlotte much tougher on the interior.

Meanwhile, having Boris Diaw, and Vladimir Radmanovic in the mix from the start of the season should make things easier on Brown. The team also drafted talented swingman Gerald Henderson out of Duke and was able to bring back athletic point guard Raymond Felton.

2008-09 Results: 35-47, fourth in Southeast. Missed playoffs

ADDITIONS: G/F Gerald Henderson, F Derrick Brown, C Tyson Chandler, G Flip Murray

SUBTRACTIONS: F Sean May, C Emeka Okafor, F Juwan Howard

PROJECTED STARTING FIVE:

PG- Raymond Felton SG- Gerald Henderson SF- Gerald Wallace PF- Boris Diaw C- Tyson Chandler

KEY RESERVES: G Raja Bell (injured), G D.J. Augustin, G Flip Murray, F Vladimir Radmanovic

FRONTCOURT: Chandler was acquired from New Orleans for Emeka Okafor by the cost-conscious Bobcats in a move designed to dump Okafor's contract, which runs three years longer than Chandler's. That said, provided Chandler's healthy (he played in only 45 games last season due to ankle and toe problems), the big man is the real deal in the paint. A solid shot-blocker and upper echelon rebounder, Chandler improves an already good defensive team. He isn't very skilled offensively, however, but that's where Brown's vaunted teaching skills come to the forefront.

"They never ran a play for me in New Orleans," Chandler told NBA.com. "None in Chicago, either. I just had to go get it. That was my whole offensive game. Get a rebound and stick it back in. I was never taught the fundamentals of the game.

"I want to be able to score when I have to. I want to be more of a complete player. My goal is to be an All-Star and one of the best at my position."

Gerald Wallace is certainly the most potent offensive weapon in Brown's arsenal but is probably the least impressive "go-to-guy" in the NBA. An extremely athletic wing man, Wallace is more of a slasher and a scorer than shooter.

Diaw joins Wallace as one of Brown's top offensive options but also won't scare many opposing coaches down the stretch of a close game. Diaw is, however, a spectacular passer and can really make a Princeton-type offense go.

BACKCOURT: The Bobcats don't have one big-time scorer but they have a host of guys who can put the ball in the basket, meaning Brown wants a true quarterback at the point guard position. Felton is the team's best option and did register 6.7 assists per game last season but he isn't as selfless as Brown would like, leaving the door open for D.J. Augustin. Felton also needs to improve his shaky three-point shot.

Charlotte suffered a big blow when presumptive shooting guard Raja Bell tore a ligament in his left wrist. Bell is one of the more underrated players in the league and a real Brown-type player. In fact Bell actually made his NBA bones as a defensive specialist under Brown in Philadelphia, so you can bet L.B. would have latched on to him as a point man for his defensive scheme. A great teammate, Bell loves doing the dirty work. He's a solid perimeter defender, good ball-handler and an above average scorer.

Bell is seeking a second opinion from a Chicago hand specialist but his options are limited to surgery -- a course that could cost him the next four months -- or attempt to recover through rest and non-surgical treatment. Bell expects to make a decision over the next week and it's a complicated process since he is in the final year of his contract.

Brown's options for replacing Bell in the starting lineup are veteran Flip Murray, who has been hampered with a stress reaction in his left shin, backup point guard D.J. Augustin and rookie first round pick Gerald Henderson.

My guess is Brown throws his prized rookie into the deep end. Henderson brings a high basketball IQ, a winning mentality and solid on-court skills to Charlotte.

BENCH: Augustin had a solid rookie season and reportedly had a very good summer. The Texas product will be the Bobcats' starting point guard at some point and can provide solid minutes for Brown off the bench at both guard positions. He's a natural scorer that thinks shot first, however.

Radmanovic needs to have a consistent year shooting the ball from beyond the arc since he doesn't offer much on the defensive end.

Murray comes over after a solid offensive year on the bench in Atlanta while Alexis Ajinca, DeSagana Diop or Nazr Mohammed must give Brown some productive minutes up front.

Diop lost about 15 pounds over the summer in an effort to garner minutes. Brown, a notorious tough love kind of guy, was disappointed in the offseason of second-year big man Ajinca. The Bobcats need a backup power forward and they need it to be Ajinca but Brown didn't like the effort he saw from Ajinca when he was trying out for the French national team.

"I was going (to France) to drink the wine and eat the food and enjoy myself," Brown said. "After watching him, nothing tastes good. He showed no interest in making their team or playing hard."

The Bobcats also like second-round pick Derrick Brown, a 6-foot-8 forward out of Xavier. Brown claimed the youngster was 20th on the team's draft board and can swing between both forward spots.

COACHING: Brown is a great teacher and one of the better X's and O's coaches of all-time. That said, he often hammers his defensive philosophy home at the expense of a consistent offense and at the end of the day, this league is all about putting the ball in the basket.

STEVE SCHWARZ'S FANTASY FOCUS: The Bobcats own three solid fantasy starters and one questionable one. Wallace (16.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.7 apg), Felton (14.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 6.7 apg) and Diaw (13.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.1 apg) are all worthy of your attention. The problem is figuring out which Chandler will show up. The 11.8 ppg, 11.7 rpg 2007-08 version or last year's injury- prone 8.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg variant. I'd bet on the later, particularly without Chris Paul feeding him great passes for easy buckets, and will pass on him until I see him produce.

OUTLOOK: Looking at the team's roster, it is hard to imagine where the offense down the stretch of a close game will come from and that could cost the Bobcats eight to 10 games and a playoff bid.

The talent is solid and improving but the Southeast is the toughest division in the Eastern Conference with Orlando, Atlanta, Miami, and Washington all arguably better teams. Brown will need big years out of Wallace, Diaw and Radmanovic to get over the hump this season.











































































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