Two teams are still alive and vying for the title, but the other 28? They’re taking Tom Izzo out for steak dinners, preparing for the NBA draft, and trying to figure out ways to leave nameless, non-specific messages on LeBron James’ voicemail.
Or in the case of the Bobcats, doing what just about every NBA team should be doing: digging all the way to the bottom of the free agent pool in search of rotation value. There are so many NBA players that have fallen off the map after a delayed career or after never being given a proper chance, and a team willing to do the work and take a chance on a guy by giving him the minimum could turn out a happy customer. Of course, most teams will strike out doing the very same thing, but if we’re looking at roster filler -- especially on a team like Charlotte with pretty significant positional needs -- there are a number of guys under the rug that could be viable candidates.
Charlotte will be hosting a free agent mini-camp of sorts to figure out what’s what and who’s still got game, with a number of familiar faces invited. Darius Miles, Shawne Williams, Yaroslav Korolev, DeMarcus Nelson, and Othello Hunter will be there, along with a few other free agents from the bargain bin.
Nobody in that crop screams diamond in the rough, but what does Charlotte really have to lose? The Bobcats have had some fairly useless players under their employ in the past, and a mini-camp like this one at least demonstrates a willingness to further investigate potential signings and dig even deeper than before when it comes to roster additions.