I have been debating with myself for days over what should be the first post on my blog. I am an opinionated, self-righteous loudmouth when it comes to most things and the sports world is definitely no exception. The past year has been an excellent one for sports fans and so there is a virtual plethora of subjects I could rant and rave about. However, with it being so fresh in my mind (and with me still fuming over it) I have decided to tackle the NBA draft and my local team's handling of it.

I am completely and utterly disgusted with the handling of this year's draft by the Charlotte Bobcats. First off, I think it was very clear to anyone who follows the team that we needed a big man and a VETERAN point guard. Some people in the area have already given up on Raymond Felton, and I can't blame them. However, he is a UNC point guard who will be playing for MJ and Larry Brown, both UNC alumni. Larry Brown has a knack for grooming point guards, so most Bobcat fans would have liked to see the team chase down a seasoned veteran as a backup for Felton and spend their draft picks on a big man and a wing man. Getting a center that could step in and immediately play would have allowed for Okafor to move back to PF and Gerald Wallace to move back to SF, both of which are their natural positions and where they are MUCH more effective. Let's not forget that Okafor has an expiring contract that is still being negotiated so it is not even guaranteed he will be in Charlotte this season. That would kind of make getting a big man a little bit more of a priority, right?

With that in mind, imagine how thrilled I was when Charlotte made the trade early on draft day to land the 9th and 20th pick in the first round. Now add to that thrill the fact that Brook Lopez was somehow still available when our 9th pick rolled around. Now imagine me yelling at the TV and throwing the remote when they selected DJ Augustin! Look, Augustin is a good player, but he's no more NBA ready than Felton is. In addition, Derrick Rose made Augustin look like a middle school bench rider in the NCAA tournament.  Many have said that Augustin was the 2nd best guard available in the draft. Is there really THAT much drop off in skill level between the number 1 and 2 available guards? Augustin looked absolutely helpless in the meeting with Memphis and while his stats for the year were impressive, college stats don't always lead to productive professionals.

I am still grumbling over the selction of Augustin when, half an hour later, they manage to put the icing on the crap cake while at the same time forcing me to put my head through my living room wall. Alexis Ajinca with the 20th pick? WHAT?! A seven footer from France who has averaged 5 points a game in the European league?! WHAT?!?!?! Do we need a project player that isn't going to be available for a couple of years? The man looks like a smaller version of Manute Bol - he's long and rail thin. If you are a seven footer who can't manage to score more than 5 points a game in the European league then how do you plan to compete in the NBA? The first time he catches an elbow from Shaq or Wallace he might have to be flown back to France via life flight!

Now let's pretend for a minute that the Bobcats had used some commons sense (something that has evaded the front office during the draft for three years running). Brook Lopez gets picked 9th overall. Boom - there's your big man problem solved. Hell, if you don't like Brook then take Robin Lopez or even Roy Hibbert. Half an hour later you spend your 20th pick on Mario Chalmers, who in my humble opinion is the second most NBA ready guard in the draft behind Rose. Boom-Boom - both problems solved. I would have preferred they went with a SG or a SF, but if they had their hearts set on a PG they should have gone down this path in order to get the most bang for their buck. Does anyone think that Augustin's skills are head and shoulders above Chalmers?

We could have solved our roster problems with our first two picks and we would have still had a 2nd round pick in our pocket to pursue another avenue of interest. Now instead we are stuck with a position battle or a trade bait situation with our point guards and we have a useless big man who will probably spend the next two years in France. What the hell is this franchise thinking? Michael Jordan is hands down the greatest basketball player to ever step on to an NBA court. However, the man has NO CLUE how to run a franchise. This franchise has bumbled their way through the draft for three years in a row. We have endured two years worth of draft picks that were intended only to attract fans and sell tickets (Sean May, Adam Morrison) and now we have to sit through two very useful picks being flushed down the toilet!

Look, I hope I am wrong. I hope that Larry Brown had a hand in these picks and that he saw something in these two players that got him excited. I hope Augustin can come in and light it up every night. I hope Okafor gets resigned and can hold down the center position until our French project is ready to take over. Hope does not equal optimism, unfortunately and how can I be optimistic about any pick Larry Brown makes when you have to worry about him running off to coach another team at the end of every season? Add to that the fact that our GM, Air Jordan himself, is only in the state 30% of the time and has no idea where his own office is located and it doesn't leave a whole lot of room for optimism. Of course, don't forget our GM's fantastic draft day track record. Anyone ever heard of Kwame Brown?

I will continue to follow and support the Bobcats, despite the idiotic front office decisions. However, if anyone wants to purchase my season tickets, drop me a line. If I don't immediately respond then I'm probably busy patching the head sized hole in my living room wall...