Sunday, January 20, 2013
Bobcats ready to trade
By Tom Carpenter
According to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan has instructed his front office to be aggressive at the trade deadline.
"We’re very active – our owner wants us to be active,’’ team president Bob Higgins told the Observer in regard to the Feb. 21 trade deadline.
Specifically, Bonnell wrote that trades "could range from pursuing a star player, to adding a complementary big man, to facilitating some deal between other teams to acquire a future draft pick."
The Bobs are desperate for a big man, so they may take aim at some potential targets who may well be available like DeMarcus Cousins, Al Jefferson or Andrea Bargnani. The trouble is they don't have much in the way of assets beyond what is sure to be another high draft pick in this year's draft. Perhaps that would be enough to pry Bargnani away from the Toronto Raptors, though:
Chad Ford
Trade Watch: Who's on the block?
"GM Bryan Colangelo loves Bargnani, whom he selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft. That's the only reason the Italian big man wasn't shipped away years ago. At various times in Bargnani's career, Colangelo has compared the sweet-shooting big man to Dirk Nowitzki. The problem is that Bargnani hasn't come close to living up to that comparison. If the Raptors can package Bargnani and point guard Jose Calderon for picks and expiring contracts, they could be major players in free agency next summer. Or perhaps they try again to ship them to the Lakers in return for Pau Gasol. Colangelo may no longer have the patience to wait on more rookies to turn the team around."
