O fi n
®I)e Cbarlotte ^oist
Spoils
THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2007
SEaiON C
Bobcats
bank on
trade to
pay off
By Mike Cranston
ThE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Michael Jordan has a mes
sage for Charlotte's skepti
cal fans: the expansion
Bobcats are through build
ing and ready to become
winners.
Shedding their label as a
frugal franchise with a hard
working yet starless roster,
the Bobcats shunned a
group of young college
players
m
Richardson
draft night
for a proven
veteran scor
er with a
hefty con
tract.
Jordan, a
part-owner
with the final
say on per
sonnel moves, pulled the
trigger Thursday night on a
deal that brought in Jason
Richardson from Golden
State. Jordan is convinced
Richardson - who will earn
about $51 million over the
next four seasons - is the
missing go-to scorer that
will put the Bobcats in the
playoffs for the first time.
“I think we've got a great
makeup and a chance to
make noise in the East,"
Jordan said. "That's what a
Jason Richardson brings."
A sense of urgency has
surrounded the Bobcats
since the offseason began.
The day Sam Vincent was
hired to replace Bernie
Bickerstaff as coach, Vincent
said he would be "incredibly
discouraged and disap
pointed” if Charlotte didn’t
make the playoffs next sea
son.
Strong words for a team
that won only 18, 26 and 33
games during its first three
seasons. But the Bobcats
feel they need to become a
playoff team to win over
fans who soured on the NBA
five years ago, when the
Hornets moved to New
Orleans.
It’s why the Bobcats were
unwilling to wait for a young
player to develop. On draft
night, they sent the eighth
pick - 19-year-old Brandan
Wright of North Carolina - to
the Warriors for Richardson.
The move may end the fan
apathy, but it will be costly.
On top of Richardson’s big
contract, the Bobcats are
hoping to re-sign leading
scorer Gerald Wallace, who
could command about $10
million a year.
The Bobcats earned a rep
utation for thriftiness under
owner Bob Johnson, but
their league-low payroll will
spike considerably.
"I don’t know if Bob knows
how much we spent,”
Jordan joked. "We said from
day one that if we could go
out and find someone sig-
Please see BOBCATS/2C
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
The Carolina Panthers suspect running bock DeAngelo Williams will benefit from new offen
sive coordinator Jeff Davidson’s zone-blocking scheme.
if it’s July, it’s
football season
Panthers off national radar, but there’s potential for return
By Herbert L. White
tierb.wti/fe@fhechorio fleposf.com
Expectations will be decidedly
lower when the Carolina
Panthers head down Interstate
85 on July 27 to training camp
in Spartanburg, S.C.
At least nationally.
In 2006, Carolina was the
trendy pick to at least advance
to the Super Bowl. Of course, it
didn’t happen, which is what an
8-8 record usually does to
championship aspirations.
That’s not to say the Panthers
have no hope of realizing title
dreams in 2007. Carolina went
housecleaning during the off
season, jettisoning wildly
unpopular offensive coordina
tor Dan and receiver Keyshawn
Johnson in search of some
offensive spark.
On defense, the Panthers
would love to move Pro Bowl
defensive end Kris Jenkins and
his reportedly excessive waist
line to a new address and are
holding their collective breath
for a healthy season from line
backer Dan Morgan and end
Mike Rucker.
There’s plenty to lookforward
to this month, so between now
and the start of camp, here are
some issues to chew on:
Can this team get to the play
offs?
Please see SINCE IT S/2C
Onetime CIAA lightning rod shifts gears
RALEIGH - Joel Hopkins is
one happy man. And he looks
it. At the Salvation Army Boys
& Girls Clubs’ youth banquet
last month, Hopkins looked
10 years younger.
It’s been almost seven years
since Hopkins was introduced
as the Shaw men’s basketball
coach. Two years later he gave
the university its one and only
men's championship.
But the fairy tale didn’t have
a happily ever after ending.
Hopkins and the university
bitterly parted ways at the end
of that championship season.
Since then he has received his
master’s from N.C. Central,
where he once played basket-
Groundbreaking golfer honored for eontributions
Charlotte native
Charle SIfford (center)
holds a statuette hon
oring his achievement
in breaking racial bar
riers in pro goif. On left
is New York Times
columnist William
Rhoden. Wendell
Haskins, founder of the
Original Tee Golf
Classic is on the right.
ORIGINAL TEE GOLF CLASSIC
By Herbert L. White
hefb.wh/te@fhecharfotteposf.com
Charlotte native Charlie
Sifford’s golf legacy earned
another honor last month.
Sifford, the first African
American to play on the PGA
Tour, was honored at the
eighth annual Original Tee
Golf Classic at the Wild
Turkey Golf Club in
Hamburg, N.J. New York
Times columnist William
Rhoden presented Sifford a
statuette in his likeness to be
known as the True Original
Award.
“I've been to a lot of golf
events in my lifetime, but
I’ve never seen anything like
this before,” said Sifford,
who is the first black induct
ed to the World Golf Hall of
Fame. "So many black people
getting together to celebrate
See SIFFORD/2C
THIRD WARD S NEW
CATALYST/6C
Catalyst, a mixed-use
residential and busi
ness development, is
planned for Third Ward
ball, and he is now CEO of
Dominion Health Care, a pro
gram that serves low-income
and at-risk families.
Nothing like being your own
boss.
At the MEAC tournament
last March, Hopkins bought
tickets so hundreds of kids
Please see ONETIME/2C
Bonds
deserves
All-Star
start
Giants slugger still
productive at age 42
By Mike Fitzpatrick
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Barry belongs.
And not just because the All-Star
game is in San Francisco.
All sentiment (and loathing) aside,
Barry Bonds is having a strong enough
season to warrant a spot in the starting
lineup for the National League.
Sure, he's not the unstoppable hitter
he once was. Sure, the aches and pains
in his 42-year-old legs have rendered
his defense ... well... indefensible.
Still, he’s been one of the most pro
ductive outfielders in the league this
season, and that’s what matters most.
Bonds leads the majors in on-base
percentage by a wide margin, thanks in
large part to all those walks he draws.
Pitchers and managers remain afraid of
him. That’s a pretty good gauge of his
worth.
He ranks among the NL leaders in
slugging percentage, too. And he has
15 homers for the last-place Giants, a
Please see TRY P1CK1NG/2C
DAVIDSON PHOTO
Davidson’s Slephen Curry hit 5-of-6
shots Monday for the USA Men's
under 19 team in a 91-75 win over
China in an exhibition game In
Dallas.
Curry a quick
study onU.S.
U-19 squad
By Herbert L. White
hefb.wtiiteSthechorioffepost.com
Stephen Curry is taking to interna
tional basketball just fine.
The Davidson sophomore earned a
spot on the U.S. 19-under World
Championship team June 30, then went
5-of-6 for 16 points in a 91-75 exhibi
tion win over China in Dallas on
Sunday. Curry connected on all four
three-point shots.
"For never going against a zone, 1
thought we did a pretty good job,” USA
coach Jerry Wainwright said.
"Tajuan (Porter of Oregon) and
Stephen played really well.”
Curry helped the U.S. break open a
close game by hittting five points dur
ing a 10-1 stretch to give the Americans
a 47-34 lead at halftime.
The U.S. will play in the FIBA World
Championship July 12-22 in Novi Sad,
Serbia.