Expert predictions: Charlotte Bobcats

Originally Published: October 22, 2010

ESPN.com

Predicted Finish For Charlotte Bobcats: 2010-11

ANALYST	COMMENT	PREDICTIONS
	J.A. Adande, ESPN.com \| Adande's picks It won't be enough, but Larry Brown will squeeze extra wins from this team. And speaking of extra, Boris Diaw looks as if he spent the summer saying "Plus de croissants."	Southeast: 5 East: 11
	Chris Broussard, ESPN Mag \| Broussard's picks Ray Felton wasn't great but his presence will be missed. Plus, I'm betting Larry Brown is going to wear out his welcome this season and usher in a bit of chaos.	Southeast: 5 East: 12
	Chad Ford, ESPN.com \| Ford's picks The Bobcats made the playoffs last season, but I don't see them repeating the feat this year. Not after losing the team's starting point guard and center. Larry Brown has a knack for getting the most out of players, but I struggle to believe that they can repeat last season's performance with this squad.	Southeast: 5 East: 12
	Zach Harper, Daily Dime Live \| Harper's picks It's hard to see a D.J. Augustin-run team in the playoffs. But it's also hard to think about Larry Brown sitting idly by and not making a trade to address this need at point guard. The Bobcats' defense is still good enough to lift them to back-to-back playoff berths.	Southeast: 4 East: 8
	John Hollinger, ESPN.com \| Hollinger's picks They lost Raymond Felton unnecessarily and replaced him with Shaun Livingston. They traded Tyson Chandler in a salary dump that saved no money. They have no draft pick and no cap space. Barring a minor miracle (say, Boris Diaw for Devin Harris), they're hosed.	Southeast: 5 East: 12
	Tim Legler, ESPN \| Legler's picks They are a team that plays hard and they defend. The question is when a group of guys plays for Larry Brown for a while, their shelf life gets a little stale. I wonder if he will be able to stay with this team for the entire season. They won 44 games a year ago. Big question is at point guard.	Southeast: 4 East: 6
	Chris Sheridan, ESPN.com \| Sheridan's picks Over/under on when Larry Brown proclaims he's thinking of leaving the profession for good because it is too hard living apart from his family: Feb. 1. Over/under on when Brown proclaims he misses Ray Felton's toughness: Dec. 1. Over/under on wins: 37.	Southeast: 5 East: 10
	Marc Stein, ESPN.com \| Stein's picks The playoffs are still a decent possibility with only six East playoff locks. Yet it's equally possible MJ's first full season of majority ownership will be spent confronting the possibility that this roster has peaked, struggling to overcome the Bobs' payroll and managing his shaky partnership with Larry Brown.	Southeast: 5 East: 9
	Michael Wallace, ESPN.com \| Wallace's picks Larry Brown is testing the theory of addition by subtraction, having parted with starting PG Raymond Felton and center Tyson Chandler after leading this version of the franchise to its first playoff appearance. Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace sneak this squad back into the playoffs.	Southeast: 4 East: 8
	Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com \| Windhorst's picks How did the team respond to finally making the playoffs? By losing ground over the summer. This team still has quality pieces but it simply isn't as good as it was last year while the rest of its division has been in an arms race. How long will Larry Brown stand for it?	Southeast: 5 East: 9
AVERAGE RANKING Southeast: 4.7 \| Standings East: 9.7 \| Standings