The second round of the NBA playoffs has started, and the Charlotte Bobcats are on the sidelines, this time after a disappointing showing in the first round against the Orlando Magic.

In case you didn’t know it, the Cats were the only team swept in the opening round.

Sure, it was their first year, but the Oklahoma Thunder was in the same boat and still won a couple of games against Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers. The Bobcats came close, but close only counts in horseshoes.

Well, I find the best way to get over something like this is let go and look forward and see what areas the Bobcats need to improve. That’s not rocket science, since the Magic, whose All-Star center and two-time Defensive Player of the Year – Dwight “Superman” Howard -- looked more like Clark Kent most of the series sitting on the sidelines in foul trouble every game, which really exposed the glaring weaknesses of Charlotte.

So what does new owner Michael Jordan and GM Rod Higgins need to address first? Let’s start with the player situations.

This is a little more complicated, especially considering the issues surrounding the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the players and owners and the ramifications it could have on contracts.

Without working through all of possible scenarios for each Bobcats player or a new potential player in reference to the CBA, here are a couple of obvious areas of improvement.

Securing a legitimate big man is first on my list. The Bobcats don’t need a player at the level of the Lakers’ Pau Gasol, Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs or even the Magic’s Howard, though that would be nice. They just have to get a guy who can be a threat to score or get fouled whenever they have the ball on the blocks.

It’s obvious that teams don’t have to double down low unless one of the Bobcats’ wing players – Stephen Jackson or Gerald Wallace -- posts up, but Charlotte can’t rely on those guys to do that. Tyrus Thomas, who comes off the bench at power forward, provides some scoring, but I’m thinking of someone in the starting lineup like a Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz or a lesser-known Joakim Noah with the Chicago Bulls.

Right now Theo Ratliff (scoring is not his game), Tyson Chandler (he’s injured all the time), Nazr Mohammed (too old) and DeSagana Diop (no offensive skills) don’t fit the bill. Bobcats fans probably won’t admit it but former player Emeka Okafor, who was traded to the New Orleans Hornets for Chandler, is a much better threat down low than any of the other guys.

No one would ever mistake Okafor for being as smooth with the ball as Hakeem Olajuwon or having “go to” moves like the baseline fade-away or 15-foot jumper like Patrick Ewing, but he could get you double figure scoring every night (averages 13 per game for his career).

The other area that sticks out is the point guard situation. Considering Charlotte has no chance at choosing John Wall in the draft this year, especially since they have no draft picks, the best thing to do is re-sign Raymond Felton to a longterm deal, continue to let D.J. Augustin back him up and then see what happens with any trade opportunities.

I know Felton was scorched by JaMeer Nelson in the playoffs, but overall he’s been solid and he believes in the system, especially with head coach Larry Brown in charge.

Besides Chris Paul, who seems to be disgruntled in New Orleans, New Jersey’s Devin Harris is interesting, but there are no other point guards that tickle my fancy around the league.

Speaking of Brown again… everyone knows that the Bobcats coaching job is his for as long as he wants it (well, at least through the end of his contract). He and MJ have a good relationship, but Brown has a few family issues to sort out.

Word is that he may have been in the Philly area this past weekend to begin those discussions with his wife and two teenage children. Personally, I’m hoping he’ll stay.

The players believe in him and don’t mind his ‘fatherly’ ways of coaching and challenging them, and what the Bobcats need more than anything else is consistency starting at the top.
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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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