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Bobcats have tough but critical choices in draft

He's not the former player or coach GM, but a numbers-cruncher. A stats head. Maybe even a geek. More from the "Moneyball" school of thought.

Pair him with owner Michael Jordan, and maybe that's the combination the Bobcats need to make the shrewd offseason moves they've been lacking since the team's inception.

Unfortunately for Cho and Jordan, Thursday's NBA draft might not be the best opportunity. It's a notoriously weak draft, with everybody outside the projected top four picks — Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, Brandon Knight and Enes Kanter — either a gamble or a role player at best. As it happens, the Bobcats have two first-round picks in this draft, so if there is ever a need for a shrewd pick, a diamond in the rough that others missed, this is the year.

At the ninth pick, the Bobcats have a few options. There are a few areas of need, mainly perimeter scoring, with leading scorer Stephen Jackson at the age of 32. Gerald Henderson showed promise after fan favorite Gerald Wallace was traded last season (to the Blazers, who were managed by Cho at the time), but the NBA is a guard-oriented league now with most of its stars roaming the perimeter.

Still, Charlotte isn't too strong in the paint, either, and so most mock drafts have them taking Texas' Tristan Thompson or one of the Morris twins (Marcus and Markieff) from Kansas. The problem there is that those players are power forwards — where the Cats already have Boris Diaw and Tyrus Thomas, though pretty much every player on the roster is available for trade. A upgrade at center from Kwame Brown would be preferable. If he's still available at No. 9, Congolese big man Bismack Biyombo might be a worthy gamble. Unpolished as he is, he's big, long and athletic, and could be a defensive force in the NBA in a couple years.

Another player to watch for at that spot is Colorado's Alec Burks, a shooting guard that might help Charlotte's perimeter needs. He's not a great outside shooter, but Burks is athletic, a good ball handler and solid (82 percent) from the free-throw line. His upside is demonstrably better than someone like Jimmer Fredette, who will likely have a long NBA career as a role player but isn't someone to shoulder a team's scoring load.

The Bobcats' second pick is at No. 19. If he's still around, Florida State's Chris Singleton is the guy to choose. Singleton missed significant time this past season at Florida State due to injury and probably won't be an offensive force, but he can guard three to four positions. He's a solid NBA rotation player and could be a steal for some team in the mid to late first round.

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