Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Oct. 13, 2005, edition 1 / Page 11
Part of The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
3C SPORTS/tElie Clarlont $at Thursday, October 13, 2005 C. JEMAL HORTON It’s OK to call Panthers out for underachieving Continued from page 1C chise. That was easy, though. That wasn’t about expressing disappointment with the players; it was about showing a crazy owner with his own oflf-the-court issues that you won’t be run over. Show that same fire with the players, when necessary And that includes those no account Charlotte Sting, They’re pros, too. They can handle it. The Charlotte Bobcats are only entering their second NBA season. So perhaps com ing down on them for sub-par play is a little drastic. But the Carolina Panthers? After all the hype and that Super Bowl trip, they’re fair game. They should be held account able like players in other big- league cities. And I’m not just talking about the gaixieii variety boo ing when the Panthers call a running play that failed on third-and-27 or leaving early to beat the traffic when the team is losing in the fourth quarter. But be firm. Be heard. Panthers fans don’t have to morph into Philadelphia Eagles fans — seriously, if you’ve had a jail in your sta dium, you’ve got problems — but it’s time to toughen up a little bit. Example: If Julius Peppers played defensive end in New York or Pittsburgh, he’d con stantly be reminded that what he’s currently giving his team isn’t good enough. In the CaroliuEis, however, folks seem afi*aid to /:all out Peppers, or other stars, for underachieving. In most NFL cities, it’d be unacceptable for someone generally regarded as the best defensive end in the NFL to have zero sacks enter ing the sixth game of the sea son. Sure, Peppers gets dou ble-teamed, and that’s ham- p)ered his sack total — at least that’s what the Panthers are saying. That explanation doesn’t' wash with me. Especially since the Panthers barely are 3-2 and the defense has been flagrantly inconsistent. Indianapolis defensive end Dwight Freeney sees just as many double-teams as Peppers - and Freeney does n’t have another stud end playing opposite of him, like Peppers has with Mike Rucker. And the same can be said of the New York Giants’ ^chael Strahan and other celebrity defensive players. The great ones find a way And Peppers definitely is a great one. And the Panthers are a potentially great team. But with the exception of a few players, like Steve Smith, the whole team is under achieving. That’s where the fans come in. You’re beyond the point of feeling lucky to have an NFL fi-anchise. You shouldn’t be star-struck anymore. You rub elbows with pro stars in gro cery stores, on golf courses and in fast-food joints. So the next time you see a Charlotte sports celebrity, and he’s been playing honi- bly these days, go ahead; Give him hell. E-mail columnist C. Jemal Horton at seejemalwrite (ffjool jcom. Sixers gushing about Cheeks, atmosphere at training eamp By Dan Gelston THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DURIL^ — Maurice Cheeks learned in a week what Philadelphia never really figured out in the last two months of last year: Chris Webber is pretty good if he has the ball. How good and how effective he can be in this , system can’t really be answered until the sea son starts, probably deep into the season. But if the megawatt smile that returned to the five- time All Star’s face durii^ training camp was any indication, Cheeks may have figured out how to properly use him. ‘We’re trying to put our guys in position to learn how to play with him and I think we’ve done that,” Cheeks said. “That was one of the thin^ we were trying to do and one of the things that we accomplished, seeing when we put the ball in his hands the things that can get done. It’s the way the guys move, the con stant movement we get when we put the ball in his hands.” Webber was noticeably unhappy with the 76ers last year, but Cheeks brought a plan and an enthusiasm to Duke University that not only has revitalized Webber, but the rest of the team. Everyone fiom president Billy King down to the trainer gushed last week about Cheeks, fi*om the confidence and organization he instills on a daily basis to the way he kept prac tices fim. “Honestly, the atmosphere is different,” Allen Iverson said. “It’s a lot more relaxed.” While that’s all fine now, the true test will be seeing how long this cohesiveness lasts into the regular season. Iverson and Webber may have dicked durir^ camp, but they only practiced three days together with each veteran getting one of the last two days off! An encouraging sign, perhaps, just not enough for a Sixers fan to really feel good that this superstar tandem can coexist. Cheeks, though, sees no reason that their sharing act can’t carry over into the season. While Cheeks earned praise fix)m his players, he was quick to credit his All-Stars for the real reason camp was a success. “Chris Webber and Allen have a lot to do with it, particularly Chris when we put the ball in his hands,” Chedcs said. “I thought the chem istry was great.” Many reasons were tossed around last year for why Webber failed to integrate himself with the Sixers after coming over in a late-season trade - fiom coaching methods, to his own sore knees. But the players and coaches think they’ve got it all figured out tlus year. “Now we understand where he likes the ball, where he likes to shoot fiom,” said swingman Andre Iguodala. What didn’t work? The defeise sure looked like it needed some work. After focusing on defensive drills the first couple of days of camp, there were some break downs at the end of it, mostly with the first team’s defense during a sloppy scrimmage Friday night. When the preseason starts Thesday against Houston, Cheeks wants to see improvement because he knows the potential is there for the Sixers to create turnovers and score off* the fastbreak ‘We could see the pressure that we could put on people the way we’re able to defend,” he said. ‘Tf we can do it on a constant basis, we could be pretty good.” The Sixers also never got a complete look at thdr starting five. Center Samuel Dalembert missed all but one day with a quad iryury - and on the one day he did play he left early with a cramp and Webber had the day off! Forward Shavhk Randolph was hurt the first session of the first day and never practiced again, spoiling his return to Duke, his almA mater. The injuries gave former Villanova standout ^chael Bradley a week to practice with the firet team and he looked solid, hustling defen sively and working for easy baskets on the low post. Bradley can be a serviceable forward/cen ter off a thin bench, but the Sixers could be in trouble if he’s playing more than 5 minutes a game. But if everyone’s happy, why wony? New Jersey’s trio of Carter, Kidd and Jefferson eager for season By David Porter THE ASSOCIATED PRESS EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - It was the cruelest twist of fate in a season filled with them for the New Jersey Nets. The night \Tnce Carter made his debut with the team, Richard Jefferson made his exit. It was late December and the Nets appeared to be on the rise after they acquired Carter fiom Tbronto, giving New Jersey a hi^-scoring threat to go along with Jefferson and Jason Kidd The hi^ hopes changed with one hard fall. During a game on Dec. 27, Detroit’s Chauncy Billups knocked Jefferson to the floor. The fall ruptured a lig- ament in Jefferson’s wrist and eventually sidelined him for the rest of the regular season. The Nets finished . 42-40, but were swept in four games by Miami Jefferson is bac^ in camp and completely healed near ly 10 months after the injury, and the Nets are suddenly looking like a contender again. Or at least, talking that way “It’s exciting. It’s a great feeling talking about it and not being afi-aid to say Yeah, we have a good team, and we’re going to be capable of competing,”* Carter said “It’s great to see everybody think ing that way I think every body’s committed to this team because of the talent we have.” New Jersey’s power trio will have its first opportunity to play tc^ther this presea son when Indiana visits Continental Airlines Arena on TViesday night. It will be a coming-out party of sorts for the Pacers, too, as forward Ron Artest will participate in an NBA game for the first time since his suspension for his part in an ugly brawl last November at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Jefferson has been even more outwardly optimistic than Carter about the Nets, calling them one of five or six teams capable of winning the NBA title. Tb be in that class, the Nets will need to get more production out of their big men, starting with 7-foot ers Nenad Krstic and Jason Collins. PROFESSIONAL FLOORING MOBLEY’S Visit Our Showroom 4930- Albemarle Road Charlotte, NC 28205 Residential & Commercial Carpet Cleaning,Sales & Service • New Carpet Sales • VCT • Hardwood Flooring • Ceramic & Marble Tile Thmks thU U m% ^^25th AmmmctJM Speeud^^ New Carpet Installed Carpet Installed Carpet, Pad & Labor 99 per yard Only $21. Carpet Cleaning “3” Rooms & Hallway Only $105."" 400 Sq. ft. Vinyl Floor Congoleum & Armstrong 99 per yard Only $15. Duct Cleaning Only $20 per vent “For Your Health” Remove the Dust From Your Vents! “SPECIALS" Valid With This Ad Only Eddie Mobley, Sr. • Eddie Mobley, Jr. Ph: 704-531-0155 • Fax: 704-536-4272 Whether you're visiting Chapel Hill, Durham, or Raleigh, The Comfort Inn University is the perfect place to stay. With amenities such as a deluxe conti- . nental breakfast, full fitness center, outdoor pool, and free highspeed wireless Internet access, we know how to make you feel comfortable during your stay. Other amenities include: Guest laundry center Valet laundry service Free USA Today Newspapers Free local phone calls Jatair/i Whinpool Suites In room coffee, iron, & hair dryer Daily weather lorecasl Fax & copy service available Waterpik massaging shower lieaos Call today to book your room or visit choicehotels.com lOOI^O A! fcnr 7fQO^^ I40. UOCK NORIH on HWr lb/bO\ OUrUACK S’FMHOUSt Comfort Inn University 3508 Mt. Moriah Rd. Durham. NC 27707 919.490.4949 choicehotels.com Well see you there. mmm
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 13, 2005, edition 1
11
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75