Check out this ESPN simulation of the NBA season based on current power rankings across the league. Basically, the Bobcats are given no shot at the playoffs and a 12 percent chance of ending up back in the NBA ping-pong sweepstakes. Charlotte finishes last in Eastern Conference, behind even the soap opera NY Knicks.
I’ll make a further prediction: If the Cats only win 20 more games this year — their projected total is 26 — the NBA will swoop in and demand that the city of Charlotte rewrite the arena agreement as Bob Johnson will have — by definition — sustained another year of operating losses.
This continues to be a make-or-break year for the franchise. If ESPN is right — and the projection does seem a little harsh — we are headed for a breakdown.
