Walter

Herrmann

Hermann will sign a one-year deal and is expected to be a reserve at both forward spots. Once they get the Hermann and Jake Voskuhl deals done in the coming weeks, Charlotte will have 15 guaranteed contracts, plus a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Melvin Ely.

Terms were not disclosed, but the Argentinian star should be nothing more than a backup for the Cats.

Coach Sam Vincent is apparently leaning toward taller guys (Ryan Hollins and Jermareo Davidson) to complement Emeka Okafor inside for the Cats this season. This doesn’t make sense to Bonnell or us, and we still think Herrmann will find a way to earn minutes this season. There’s a lot of talk about Hollins starting at center on opening night, but we’ll believe it when we see it. And if he does start, we’re guessing it won’t last until Thanksgiving.

“Walter, for sure, gets his chance,” Sam Vincent said. “And D.A. (Anderson) is definitely more in the rotation now.” Herrmann started on Sunday at forward, while Emeka Okafor started at center. The Bobcats appeared to do anything they could during the preseason to keep Okafor at forward, but Vincent finally scrapped the plan and started him at center last night. If Okafor starts in the middle (pushing Ryan Hollins and Primoz Brezec to the bench), Herrmann would start at power forward. He should be available late in your draft, but he appears to have a lot more value today than he did earlier in the week.

This contrasts with what was coming out of Charlotte over the last few days, but we still think that Brezec’s minutes will be limited and Herrmann will see plenty of action. It’s also possible that Vincent tries to go this route for a few games and then just puts Okafor at center and plays his best lineup.

The MRI revealed a partial to complete tear of the ligament. “Our medical staff has had a chance to review the MRI, and they’re saying right now they believe there is some sort of tear,” coach Sam Vincent said. “Until they get in there and do whatever they do, who knows? But they are saying there’s a good chance he will be out for the year.” The Bobcats won’t be terribly hurt by this loss though, as Walter Herrman and Matt Carroll will now be relied upon for increased minutes off the bench.

With Adam Morrison likely shelved for the season, Herrman is going to have some value this year. He’ll slip in many drafts, but he was quietly the Bobcats most dependable player down the stretch last year.

Herrmann tore it up the last month of the season and proved he’s capable of handling a larger role. With J-Rich added to the mix and the team still hopeful of re-signing free agents Gerald Wallace and Matt Carroll, the ‘Cats are looking at Herrmann more as a power forward this season.

Herrmann obviously hasn’t won the favor of new coach Sam Vincent, and should be cut if you want to pick someone else up. He may have value later in the season, but it’s probably not a good idea to wait for that to happen.

It’s a move that makes the Bobcats smaller, but likely better defensively. Vincent confirmed the change at shootaround Monday, saying “when you lose five games, you look at something different.’' Given the fact the Raptors will be without Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani, it’s hard to say if the move will be permanent, but if you play in a league deep enough to own Brezec, you should probably think about grabbing Dudley. Water Herrmann could also see additional minutes at PF as a result of the move.