Charlotte Bobcats season preview

CHARLOTTE, N.C. --- The uncertainty surrounding the Charlotte Bobcats is such an issue that two days before the start of the regular season, the team was trying out small forwards in hopes of adding some scoring punch to its roster. The Bobcats open the season Monday night at home versus the Milwaukee Bucks, and while the starting lineup is set, much of the roster was influx this past week. Among the moves, the most surprising was cutting big man Melvin Ely and acquiring 7-foot Byron Mullens from Oklahoma City. The need for a big capable of banging and providing some scoring is crucial as long as 6-8 Boris Diaw mans the post. Diaw has averaged scoring in double figures the last four seasons, with a high of 15.1 in 2008-09, but defending and balancing the boards are potential huge problem areas, especially if the help from the bench is minimal. Charlotte expects to score some points, though. And going a bit small plays into coach Paul Silas' desire to have this team run, run and run some more. The Bobcats are young and they believe the condensed 66-game schedule plays into their favor, especially when taking on older teams on back-to-back nights, or some of the stretches when teams play four games in five days. D.J. Augustin is in his third year and will start at the point with third-year man Gerald Henderson at the shooting guard, Corey Magette at small forward, Tyrus Thomas at power forward, and Diaw in the post. Rookie guard Kemba Walker, who guided Connecticut to a miracle national championship run last spring, will push Augustin but also play alongside him. Silas is anxious to try and make that small-but-fast combination work. "With a zone we can play Kemba and D.J. together, and that can create some problems on the other end where it can go," Silas said. "Kemba's shooting the ball so much better, D.J. is always a great shooter, and those two guys together we can really get up and down the court." Veterans Matt Carroll, Eduardo Najera and Derrick Brown should provide scoring off the bench. Bismack Byombo, the team's lottery pick last summer in addition to Walker, is more of a project, but Silas believes at some point the 6-9 native of The Congo can help. What could go wrong: Charlotte might really struggle in the post. It traded Kwame Brown for Corey Magette, but the former Duke Blue Devil is s slasher. Diaw down low along with DeSagana Diop, Mullens and slight forward rotating to help isn't exactly a recipe for success. What needs to go right: Magette must be the scorer he's been. Charlotte traded Kwame Brown to get him, and he must produce. It will take pressure off of Henderson, whom the team thinks can end up as its leading scorer. This will also allow more operating room for Augustin and Walker to flash their skills. Schedule breakdown: From Jan. 1 through Feb. 7, the Bobcats play 22 games, but 15 are on the road, including two trips to New York as well as games at Orlando, Miami, Chicago, Boston, and a three-game trip out west to Portland, Phoenix, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Then in mid-March, the Bobcats play in four cities in five days: Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Houston and Dallas. The longest home stand is four games and occurs twice, first in early march and then in mid-April.