Shooting guard Stephen Jackson was only with the Bobcats for two short years, but he made his mark in franchise history.  Jackson had his best season with the Bobcats back in 2009-10, when he helped lead them to a 44-38 record (53.7%) and their only appearance ever in the playoffs.  Jackson played in 72 games (all starts) for the Bobcats in 2009-10 and he averaged 39.3 minutes, 21.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game.  He played in 139 games (all starts) in his two years with the Bobcats and he averaged 37.7 minutes, 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  Jackson is still #6 in three pointers made (239) in franchise history, despite only playing two years with the Bobcats.  He is also #10 in defensive rebounds (545), #10 in total rebounds (670), #7 in assists (499), #8 in steals (198) and he’s #7 in points scored (2,758) in Bobcats’ history.

30-year old shooting guard Ben Gordon was always in the Dog House of head coach Mike Dunlap.  With Dunlap gone and Steve Clifford the new head coach, Gordon could really benefit.  Gordon without a doubt is going to pick up his player option for 2013-14, valued at $13.2 million bucks.  Gordon played in 75 games (0 starts) for the Bobcats last year and he averaged 20.8 minutes, 11.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.  Gordon has now played in 669 games (269 starts) in his first 9 years in the NBA and he is averaging 28.8 minutes, 15.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

The Bobcats have hired long time NBA assistant Steve Clifford to be their new head coach.  He was given a 2-year, $6 million dollar deal with an option for a 3rd year.  He was an NBA assistant head coach in the NBA for 15 years, last year working for the Los Angeles Lakers.  Clifford has been a winner as an assistant, but he has a massive chore in front of him as he is taking over a Bobcats’ team that was only 21-61 (25.6%) last year.

The Charlotte Bobcats got decent work from their rookies in 2012-13.  19-year old small forward Michael-Kidd Gilchrist had a solid, but unspectacular rookie season for the Bobcats.  He played in 78 games (77 starts) for the Bobcats last year and he averaged 26.0 minutes, 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  He shot 45.8% from the floor and 74.9% from the free throw line last year, which isn’t too bad.  He also had six double-doubles for the Bobcats.  Kidd-Gilchrist had 35 games in which he scored 10 or more points, 51 games with 5 or more rebounds and 8 games with 3 or more blocked shots in 2012-13….which is impressive.  23-year old SG/SF Jeff Taylor was impressive for a second round pick.  He played in 77 games (29 starts) for the Bobcats last year and he averaged 19.6 minutes, 6.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  He scored at least 10 points in a game 17 times as a rookie, which is impressive given his limited minutes.  The Bobcats have high hopes for Kidd-Gilchrist and Taylor down the road.

The Bobcats have fired 55-year old head coach Mike Dunlap after only one year on the job.  He led the Bobcats to a 21-61 (25.6%) record, which is pretty awful, but it was a huge improvement over the 2011-12 season.  The Bobcats were only 7-59 (10.6%) in 2011-12, as they set a new NBA record for futility with the lowest win/loss percentage in the history of the league.  It’s going to be hard for Michael Jordan to lure a big time coach to Charlotte, as the Bobcats don’t have much talent and he doesn’t have much patience.

The Bobcats had nowhere to go but up this year, as they finished 7-59 (10.6%) in 2011-12.  This year they finished up with a 21-61 (25.6%) record, which had them in 4th place in the Southeast Division, 45 games behind the Miami Heat.  Here are the players who made the biggest impacts for the Bobcats in 2012-13, in my opinion:

TEAM MVP:  Kemba Walker – 22-year old point guard Kemba Walker really stepped up in his sophomore season in the NBA.  He played in 82 games (all starts) for the Bobcats last year and he averaged 34.9 minutes, 17.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game.  Walker only had 5 double-doubles, but that’s because he didn’t have many guys to pass the ball to.  He is a player the Bobcats can build around for the future.

BIGGEST SURPRISE:  Josh McRoberts – When the Bobcats dealt Hakim Warrick for 26-year old power forward Josh McRoberts, they couldn’t have had high hopes for him.  But, he surprised them.  McRoberts played in 26 games (19 starts) for the Bobcats last year and he averaged 30.8 minutes, 9.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.  McRoberts played in 67 games (22 starts) overall for the Magic and Bobcats last year and he averaged 22.2 minutes, 6.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT:  Tyrus Thomas – 26-year old power forward Tyrus Thomas has been getting this “award” since the day he arrived in Charlotte.  He has the potential to be a big time player, but he has never had his head into the game.  Thomas played in 26 games (2 starts) for the Bobcats last year and he averaged 13.8 minutes, 4.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

I look for the Bobcats to pull the trigger and use the amnesty clause on 26-year old power forward Tyrus Thomas this summer.  He has played in 25 games (2 starts) for the Bobcats so far this year and he is averaging 14.1 minutes, 4.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  Thomas is only shooting 35.1% from the floor so far this year, which is pathetic.  Thomas has played in 145 games (34 starts) in his first four years with the Bobcats and he is averaging 19.1 minutes, 7.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  Thomas has essentially been stealing money from the Bobcats with the way he has played for them the last four years.  Losing Thomas will really help the locker room in 2013-14 and beyond.

22-year old point guard Kemba Walker has really stepped up in his sophomore season for the Bobcats.  He has played in 80 games (all starts) so far this year for the Bobcats and he is averaging 34.9 minutes, 17.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game.  Walker has now played in 146 games (105 starts) in his first two years with the Bobcats and he is averaging 31.4 minutes, 15.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Walker gives the Bobcats a player that they can start to build around for the future.

20-year old center Bismack Biyombo is a solid rebounder and a good defensive center, but he’s really a liability offensively for the Bobcats.  He has played in 75 games (60 starts) so far this year for the Bobcats and he is averaging 26.6 minutes, 4.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game.  He has only 5 double-doubles this year because he has virtually no offensive game outside of dunking the ball.  He has played in 4 games (all starts) so far in April and he is averaging 30.5 minutes, 5.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game.  The Bobcats need Biyombo to work on his offensive game this summer.

26-year old power forward Josh McRoberts has now played in 18 games (11 starts) for the Bobcats so far this year and he is averaging 27.1 minutes, 7.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.  McRoberts is also shooting 47.5% from the floor so far for the Bobcats, which is impressive.  McRoberts has now played in 59 games (14 starts) overall this year for the Bobcats and Magic and he is averaging 19.9 minutes, 5.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.  The Bobcats are going to keep giving McRoberts minutes as long as he stays productive.