The Charlotte Bobcats: New Arena, New Players,
New Season
By:
Scott Veith
It
happened in Cleveland when the doors opened at
Jacobs Field. It worked for the Patriots when
Gillette Stadium was christened. Now it’s the
Charlotte Bobcats’ chance to translate the
excitement of a new venue into a big season.
Your chance to join in on the excitement will
last all winter.
Charlotte Bobcats
arena will be rocking for the regular season
opener. After a few preseason dates, the Bobcats
will don the white and orange at their new home
on Saturday, November 5, versus the storied
Boston Celtics, marking the first time the NBA
will ever play a regular season game in the
heart of the Queen City. In all, Charlotte will
play host to six NBA games during the month of
November.
The new arena,
located at 333 East Trade Street, gives the
Bobcats a strong connection to the city and
makes a night at the ballgame more convenient
for many fans. The arena sits next to a major
bus terminal and is a
stop on the line for the Charlotte Trolley and
the Gold Rush Circulator. Parking officials are
still working out the kinks.
The arena will
also play host to the Charlotte Checkers ECHL
minor league hockey team this winter and the
Charlotte Sting WNBA in the spring. The Checkers
have bounced around locations for the past few
years but are now in a steady spot in the center
city. In addition, the arena will host a number
of hot-ticket concert tours including Elton
John, U2, Bon Jovi, and the Rolling Stones and
will be home to events for Arenacross, The
Harlem Golbetrotters, and a number of college
basketball events.
The arena’s
headliners, the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats, have
invested in a pair of local players to help keep
pace in the highly competitive Eastern
Conference Southeast Division. University of
North Carolina products Sean May and Raymond
Felton will look to carry on with the success
they shared as collegians. The Tarheels were
national champs a year ago, and Felton and May
were keys to the success at Chapel Hill. May is
a strong power forward who dominated the NCAA
tournament a year ago with brute strength on
blocks and a soft touch around the rim. Felton,
originally from South Carolina, is a smooth
point guard who made a name for himself as an
assist man at Chapel Hill.
May
and Felton will get the chance to fight the
battle of Tarheels alumni as the Washington
Wizards come to town on Saturday, November 26,
and again on Tuesday, March 14. Brendan Haywood
and Antawn Jamison pace the Wizards and will be
ready to defend their Tarheel bragging rights.
Also, Tarheels Vince Carter and Jeff McInnis
will visit the arena with the New Jersey Nets on
Wednesday, December 7, and Wednesday,
February 15.
The rest of the
schedule will be a grind as well for the
Bobcats. The Southeast Division has a number of
strong opponents, including the Shaq-powered
Miami Heat. In all, Shaquille O’Neal, Dwayne
Wade, and the boys from South Beach will face
off with the Bobcats four times this season. Two
of those match-ups will be in the Queen City,
Friday, January 27, and Monday, March 6.
Head Coach Bernie
Bickerstaff, the only front man and general
manager the Bobcats have ever known, is back for
year two of the expansion project. This year
Bickerstaff has a strong core of young talent to
work with.
NBA Rookie of the
Year in 2004-2005, Emeka Okafor, returns looking
to improve on his 15 points-per-game and 10
rebounds-per-game. Okafor ranked in the top 10
in the NBA in five categories and is clearly the
leader in the locker room for the Bobcats.
Okafor and May
look to lead a frontcourt, which will also
include Slovenian center Primoz Brezec who
emerged as top-notch rebounder last season.
Melvin Ely, Jake Voskuhl, and Gerald Wallace are
also fighting for time under the boards.
Okafor and Voskuhl,
both UCONN grads, will face a former Huskie and
NBA big shot when Ben Gordon visits with the
Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, December 28, and
Friday, March 31.
The Charlotte
backcourt has improved with the addition of
Felton to an already steady core of performers,
including Brevin Knight and Kareem Rush. Knight
brings eight years of NBA experience and has
consistently been one of the league’s most
reliable and creative ball handlers despite his
track record as a journeyman. Rush earned a
championship ring with the Lakers and has
breakout potential. He’s explosive and shows
good rebounding skills for a part-time player.
The team will get
one of their toughest challenges when Chauncey
Billups and the Detroit Pistons bring their
impenetrable defense to town on Saturday,
December 17.
Local college fans
can look forward to more than just former
Tarheels. Wake Forest fans get a shot to root
for their pride and joy early. Tim Duncan and
the San Antonio Spurs visit on Wednesday,
November 9. Duke fans can see Shane Battier,
Dahntay Jones, and the Memphis Grizzlies on
Wednesday, April 12.
Great seats are
still available for all of Charlotte’s home
games as well as the hot hockey action that the
Checkers will bring to Charlotte. For more
information on tickets to any event at the arena
call 1-800-495-2295 or visit
www.charlottebobcatsarena.com.
