The NBA Draft is almost here and the Charlotte Bobcats have got to get in the game.

Right now the team doesn’t have a pick in Thursday night’s event, but there’s been a lot of buzz out there that the Cats are looking to make a deal to reverse its fortunes.

There was at least a hint that the Qcity ball club could make something happen, according to comments coach Larry Brown made to the Charlotte Observer.

“Michael (Jordan) might buy a draft pick or we might be able to move a contract to get a draft pick,” he stated.

I know Brown is being careful on how he chooses his words. He can’t afford to commit the Bobcats to anything since he doesn’t write any checks, but at this point, Charlotte doesn’t have much of a choice about getting a pick.

With the uncertainty surrounding the contract status of point guard Raymond Felton and the need for a young, athletic big man who can be a low post threat on the offensive end and adequately rebound and defend on the other, the Bobcats have to be more than observers during the draft.

I know most rookies don’t make a huge impact, but unfortunately the Bobcats don’t have deep pockets to entice one of the big name free agents.

So, the next best thing is to snatch up a college player who would hopefully become an exception – someone like point guard Darren Collison (New Orleans Hornets), who took over when Chris Paul went down with an injury last season, or DeJuan Blair (San Antonio Spurs), the backup center/power forward to Tim Duncan.

Regardless of what works out, I’m hoping Thursday’s “Open House” event that the Bobcats are sponsoring for fans from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. with free food, games and appearances by All-Star Gerald Wallace and former NBA players Muggsy Bogues and David Thompson turns into a celebration and “Welcome to Charlotte” event for a new player.

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Damon Ford is a former journalist who is now a public relations professional working in the public and private sectors in Charlotte.

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