The Charlotte Bobcats are an atrocious basketball team, as evidenced by their 7-57 record, a mark that has been helped along by a current 21-game losing streak.

They’re so bad, in fact, that they’re on the verge of becoming the worst team in the history of the league, at least in terms of win-loss percentage.

As one could imagine, that’s making life difficult for Charlotte head coach Paul Silas, a man who’s used to success after winning three NBA titles in his career, including two with the Celtics. He’s a nominee for the Basketball Hall of Fame for crying out loud.

That’s why it’s so tough to see a good basketball man, who by all accounts seems like a good human being as well, struggle through such a pitiful season.

And Silas certainly seems to be struggling, even with the end in sight. The head coach looked like a beaten man following another loss Sunday night, and rightfully so. The Bocats lost again, by 26 points to the Sacramento Kings.

A dejected Silas searched for something — anything — to say after the game. He handled himself pretty well all things considered, but it’s pretty evident it’s wearing on him. His team then came out on Monday and got beat down by the lowly Washington Wizards by 28 points to run the skid to 21 games.

See Silas’ postgame news conference from Sunday’s loss in the video below via SportsGrid.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jetlagged or not, the Sacramento Kings were determined not to be the team the Charlotte Bobcats beat to end their long losing streak.

The Kings made the most of a rare late-season cross country trip to the East coast and throttled the hapless Bobcats 114-88 Sunday night behind a dominant effort from DeMarcus Cousins, who had 29 points and 10 rebounds. It was Charlotte’s franchise-record 20th straight loss.

The Kings had lost nine of their previous 10 games, but this one was never in doubt as they scored 78 points inside the paint and led by 35 in the fourth quarter.

Cousins did most of the damage in the lane, but Tyreke Evans was masterful in slicing his way through a non-existent Bobcats defense, hitting 10 of 11 shots from the field — most of them on drives to the lane — and finishing with 22 points.

Jason Thompson flirted with a triple double, finishing with 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Kings.

“We did a good job getting to the hole,” Cousins said. “They didn’t have a lot of size and we took advantage of it.”

Bobcats coach Paul Silas agreed.

“It’s difficult,” Silas said. “We only have three big men (because of injuries) and it’s been hard on these guys to keep going. That’s basically all we have. When a team comes like they have with big guys and they’re banging it is hard.”

Kemba Walker had 13 points and 11 assists for the Bobcats, who are nearing an NBA record for futility.

If the Bobcats (7-56) lose their final three games, they’ll finish with the worst winning percentage in league history. They travel to face Washington and Orlando before closing the regular season at home Thursday night against New York.

The 26-point win was the largest margin of victory this season for the Kings.

About the only thing that didn’t go right was Cousins was picking up his 13th technical foul, which comes with an automatic one-game suspension. Cousins appeared to exchange words with rookie Bismack Biyombo as the two ran back down the court after a Sacramento basket, drawing a double technical.

Cousins shook his head when asked about it after the game, saying, “It’s part of being DeMarcus Cousins.”

He said he plans to appeal to the league.

The Bobcats simply had no answers defensively for the Kings, who scored at will in the lane and made the most of their transition game, scoring 38 points on fast breaks.

Evans was almost unstoppable when he put the ball on the floor, seemingly driving to the hole as easy as a knife going through warm butter.

“When he is in an aggressive mode, there are very few people who can keep him in front,” Kings coach Keith Smart said. “And then if he doesn’t look to attack, he gets his teammates involved. I’m trying to grow him into a new position and he’s still going to have the ball in his hands 60 percent of the time. It’s only going to help him. It’s going to bring his whole game and career on top to where he wants it to be.”

The Kings came in with the NBA’s worst defense, giving up 104.6 points per game, but the Bobcats only shot 44 percent and managed 88 points. It was the first time in 39 games the Kings held an opponent to fewer than 93 points.

“The biggest thing now is having some pride as men,” said Bobcats forward Tyrus Thomas. “Not so much as basketball players. We’ve got to fight it out every second until the horn blows.”

This horn might as well have blown in the first quarter of this one.

The Kings started quickly, bolting to a 22-6 lead eight minutes into the game after shooting 65 percent from the field.

All but four of those points came inside the paint and 11 came in transition.

Sacramento didn’t let up, building a 59-44 lead at the half behind 55 percent shooting.

Cousins scored 20 of his points in the second half as the Kings pushed their lead to 26 in the third quarter.

“When we flew in last night, we knew a fast start was something we needed to do,” Smart said. “I thought we had the right energy from our starting lineup. We got off to the great start that we needed and we sustained it through the half. We were a little lethargic to start the second half, but I kept the starters out too long because the other guys were playing well. But they regrouped and got it back together.”

NOTES: Bobcats guard Reggie Williams had cleared his concussion test before the game and was ready to play, but his knee tightened up and he wound up sitting out. … Former Boston Celtics star Robert Parish, who lives in the Charlotte area, was at the game. … The Kings shot 55 percent from the field, their best effort of the season.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Richard Hamilton scored 22 points in just 24 minutes as the Chicago Bulls took a step closer to wrapping up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 100-68 rout of the dreadful Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night.

Hamilton made his first seven shots from the field, including four from beyond the arc and the outcome was never in doubt.

Despite playing without leading scorers Derrick Rose and Luol Deng, the Bulls shot 48 percent from the floor and connected on 9 of 19 shots from 3-point range to bounce back from Tuesday night’s surprising 87-84 loss to the Washington Wizards.

The Bulls had struggled of late losing four of their last eight coming in, but they still have the NBA’s best record at 47-15 with four games remaining in the regular season.

Kemba Walker scored 16 points for the Bobcats, who’ve lost a franchise-record 18 straight games. If the Bobcats lose their final five games they will finish with the worst winning percentage in NBA history.

Omer Asik had nine points and 15 rebounds for the Bulls, while Joakim Noah and John Lucas each scored 12 points.

The Bulls shot 55 percent in the first half and led by 19 in the second quarter.

Charlotte continued to struggle putting the ball in the basket.

For the second straight game they shot just 30 percent from the field.

Meanwhile, the Bulls seemed to score at will from both inside and outside as well as in transition.

The Bulls extended the lead to 24 in the third quarter behind 10 points from Hamilton. Hamilton seemed to take the Bulls on his shoulders, finishing the night 9 for 13 from the field, including 4 for 5 on 3s.

The Bobcats’ night, and perhaps the season, could be best summed up in one embarrassing play when Matt Carroll had a breakaway layup but put if off the glass too strong and Byron Mullens, who seemed to be in position for a follow-up dunk, had the ball bounce off his hands and out of bounds for a turnover.

The crowed let out a collective “Ugh!” as Carroll clapped his hands together in disbelief.

NOTES: Tyrus Thomas, who was involved in a postgame locker room altercation with coach Paul Silas earlier this week, left the game with a sore right knee. He spent most of the first half riding a stationary bike trying to get it loose and only played three minutes. … Charlotte’s last win came on March 17.

The frustration of losing has started to boil over for the NBA-worst Charlotte Bobcats.

A Bobcats executive confirmed there was an altercation Sunday night in the team locker room between coach Paul Silas and forward Tyrus Thomas.

The incident, first reported by Yahoo!, took place after Charlotte’s 94-82 loss to the Boston Celtics. It was confirmed by President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins.

According to the report, Silas took exception to Thomas for fraternizing with some Celtics players and yelled at him after the game. Shouting ensued and the 68-year-old Silas shoved Thomas toward his locker stall and the two were separated.

Higgins says the incident has been handled internally. Silas declined to comment.

When asked prior to Wednesday night’s game against Chicago if he and Thomas are on the same page, Silas responded, “we always were.”

Thomas has three years remaining on his contract and is owed $26 million by the Bobcats. The team also owes the Bulls a protected first-round pick for Thomas as part of the trade that brought him to Charlotte.

Thomas is averaging just 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and is shooting just 36 percent from the field.

Thomas said he and Silas have put the incident behind them

CHANDLER OUT FOR SEASON: Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler needs surgery to repair a labral tear in his left hip and is done for the season.

Chandler played seven minutes Monday night against Houston after missing eight games with hip and groin injuries. But further discussions with team doctors determined he needs surgery as soon as possible.

Last month, Chandler agreed to a five-year deal with Denver worth nearly $37 million.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Richard Hamilton scored 22 points in just 24 minutes as the Chicago Bulls took a step closer to wrapping up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 100-68 rout of the dreadful Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night.

Hamilton made his first seven shots from the field, including four from beyond the arc and the outcome was never in doubt.

Despite playing without leading scorers Derrick Rose and Luol Deng, the Bulls shot 48 percent from the floor and connected on 9 of 19 shots from 3-point range to bounce back from Tuesday night’s surprising 87-84 loss to the Washington Wizards.

Kemba Walker scored 16 points for the Bobcats, who’ve lost a franchise-record 18 straight games. If the Bobcats lose their final five games they will finish with the worst winning percentage in NBA history.

CBSSports.com wire reports
April 16, 2012

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Bobcats appear to be a collision course with NBA futility.

The Bobcats lost a franchise-record 17th straight game 75-67 to New Orleans Monday night and took a step closer to finishing the season with the worst winning percentage in league history.

If the Bobcats fail to win any of their remaining games they’ll finish with a .106 winning percentage, which would be worse than the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, who finished 9-73 for a winning percentage of .110.

It would seem Charlotte’s best shot at a win is next Monday at Washington, the second-worst team in the league. However, that same Wizards team just throttled the Bobcats by 28 points in Charlotte last week, so the reality is Monday night might have been their best chance to win a game.

“The whole year has been frustrating but this game was more frustrating because we really got ourselves up for this one,” said Gerald Henderson, who finished with a game-high 27 points. “It was a close game the whole game but we couldn’t score. It was a struggle to score.”

Henderson seemed to be the only one who could score for the Bobcats, who shot 30 percent from the field.

Stephen Silas, who stepped in again to coach the Bobcats for his father Paul, said he went through the entire playbook looking for something that would work.

“The only thing that seemed to work was handing the ball to Gerald Henderson to try to get in the paint,” Stephen Silas said.

The loss assured the Bobcats (7-53) of the worst record in the league, giving them a 25 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick in the NBA lottery on May 30. The Bobcats and the rest of the NBA will learn Tuesday if potential top pick Anthony Davis will enter the draft as a press conference in scheduled in Lexington, Ky.

If the Bobcats can land him it would be an immediate help to a team that has struggled both offensively and defensively this season.

The Hornets won despite playing without leading scorers Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman and shooting just 34 percent from the floor. Gordon was given the night off to rest, but no reason was given as to why Kaman was held out of action.

Greivis Vasquez picked up the slack scoring 20 points, while Carl Landry added 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for New Orleans.

It was the second-lowest scoring NBA game this season.

“It wasn’t pretty,” Hornets coach Monty Williams said.

For a while, the teams flirted with a different kind of NBA futility.

The league record for fewest points scored in a game was set on Feb. 27, 1955 when the Milwaukee Hawks and Boston Celtics combined for 119.

This game was tied at 47 after three quarters.

The Bobcats trailed by as many as eight in the second quarter but closed the half on an 18-6 run to take a 39-35 lead at the break as Kemba Walker provided a spark with seven points during the stretch. The teams combined to shoot 37 percent in the first half.

Things got progressively worst in the third quarter as they combined to score just 20 points — the lowest in the league in a quarter this season and the fewest since 2004- on 15 percent (6 for 40) shooting.

The Hornets put a run together to start the fourth quarter and built their lead to seven after Marco Belinelli knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The Bobcats would claw back to close the gap to two after Henderson got hot, but Vazquez hit a runner in the lane to make it a two-possession game.

The Bobcats couldn’t get any closer after that.

Williams was not thrilled with his team’s shot selection after the game.

“[We] missed some shots early but they have to keep taking them,” Williams said. “Guys have to play with confidence. We don’t want guys thinking about missing shots, especially when you don’t have to look over your shoulder. It’s not like I’m going to put somebody else in the game to take your spot.”

The Hornets only played nine guys.

Henderson said the goal from here on out for the Bobcats is to get a win and avoid setting the dubious NBA record.

“Absolutely,” Henderson said. “The Hornets are a good team, but we look at them as similar to us. This is a game we wanted to win. You look on the schedule and we felt like this was one we could really get. That’s why it’s even more frustrating.”

Notes

• NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin took in the game from courtside.
• The Bobcats’ 23 field goals and .303 shooting percentage was their worst this season.
• Belinelli scored in double figures for the 41st time this season.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The Charlotte Bobcats appear to be a collision course with NBA futility.

The Bobcats lost a franchise-record 17th straight game 75-67 to New Orleans Monday night and took a step closer to finishing the season with the worst winning percentage in league history.

If the Bobcats fail to win any of their remaining games they’ll finish with a .106 winning percentage, which would be worse than the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, who finished 9-73 for a winning percentage of .110.

It would seem Charlotte’s best shot at a win is next Monday at Washington, the second-worst team in the league. However, that same Wizards team just throttled the Bobcats by 28 points in Charlotte last week, so the reality is Monday night might have been their best chance to win a game.

”The whole year has been frustrating but this game was more frustrating because we really got ourselves up for this one,” said Gerald Henderson, who finished with a game-high 27 points. ”It was a close game the whole game but we couldn’t score. It was a struggle to score.”

Henderson seemed to be the only one who could score for the Bobcats, who shot 30 percent from the field.

Stephen Silas, who stepped in again to coach the Bobcats for his father Paul, said he went through the entire playbook looking for something that would work.

”The only thing that seemed to work was handing the ball to Gerald Henderson to try to get in the paint,” Stephen Silas said.

The loss assured the Bobcats (7-53) of the worst record in the league, giving them a 25 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick in the NBA lottery on May 30. The Bobcats and the rest of the NBA will learn Tuesday if potential top pick Anthony Davis will enter the draft as a press conference in scheduled in Lexington, Ky.

If the Bobcats can land him it would be an immediate help to a team that has struggled both offensively and defensively this season.

The Hornets won despite playing without leading scorers Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman and shooting just 34 percent from the floor. Gordon was given the night off to rest, but no reason was given as to why Kaman was held out of action.

Greivis Vasquez picked up the slack scoring 20 points, while Carl Landry added 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for New Orleans.

It was the second-lowest scoring NBA game this season.

”It wasn’t pretty,” Hornets coach Monty Williams said.

For a while, the teams flirted with a different kind of NBA futility.

The league record for fewest points scored in a game was set on Feb. 27, 1955 when the Milwaukee Hawks and Boston Celtics combined for 119.

This game was tied at 47 after three quarters.

The Bobcats trailed by as many as eight in the second quarter but closed the half on an 18-6 run to take a 39-35 lead at the break as Kemba Walker provided a spark with seven points during the stretch. The teams combined to shoot 37 percent in the first half.

Things got progressively worst in the third quarter as they combined to score just 20 points – the lowest in the league in a quarter this season and the fewest since 2004- on 15 percent (6 for 40) shooting.

The Hornets put a run together to start the fourth quarter and built their lead to seven after Marco Belinelli knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The Bobcats would claw back to close the gap to two after Henderson got hot, but Vazquez hit a runner in the lane to make it a two-possession game.

The Bobcats couldn’t get any closer after that.

Williams was not thrilled with his team’s shot selection after the game.

”(We) missed some shots early but they have to keep taking them,” Williams said. ”Guys have to play with confidence. We don’t want guys thinking about missing shots, especially when you don’t have to look over your shoulder. It’s not like I’m going to put somebody else in the game to take your spot.”

The Hornets only played nine guys.

Henderson said the goal from here on out for the Bobcats is to get a win and avoid setting the dubious NBA record.

”Absolutely,” Henderson said. ”The Hornets are a good team, but we look at them as similar to us. This is a game we wanted to win. You look on the schedule and we felt like this was one we could really get. That’s why it’s even more frustrating.”

NOTES: NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin took in the game from courtside. … The Bobcats’ 23 field goals and .303 shooting percentage was their worst this season. …Belinelli scored in double figures for the 41st time this season.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rajon Rondo had 20 points and 16 assists to help the Boston Celtics beat the Charlotte Bobcats 94-82 Sunday night despite playing without three of their star players.

Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were given the night off to rest and did not make the trip to Charlotte, N.C. to face the NBA-worst Bobcats. But the Celtics won anyway as Aaron Bradley and Brandon Bass each scored 22 points.

Greg Stiemsma started in place of Garnett and had six blocks, tying a career-high.

The loss was the Bobcats’ 16th straight, tying a dubious franchise record set earlier this season. Gerald Henderson had 22 points in a losing effort for the Bobcats (7-52). If the Bobcats lose their final seven games this season they will finish with the worst single-season winning percentage in NBA history.

April 15, 2012 – NBA Development League (D-League) Los Angeles D-Fenders
EL SEGUNDO – Jamario Moon has signed with the Charlotte Bobcats, it was announced today. Moon, the eighth GATORADE Call-Up for the Los Angeles D-Fenders this season alone and 11th in franchise history, is the 52nd player to be called up to the NBA from the NBA Development League this season.

Moon, a 6-8, 205-pound forward, appeared in 12 regular season games (10 starts) for the D-Fenders this year, averaging 17.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 37.7 minutes. Additionally, Moon, who was named NBA D-League Player of the Month for games played in March, totaled 25 points (7-11 FG, 5-7 3FG), five rebounds and one steal in the D-Fenders first game of the 2012 D-League Playoffs on April 11th.

A four-year NBA veteran, Moon originally joined the NBA after signing with Toronto in 2007 as an undrafted free agent. The Goodwater, Alabama native has appeared in 278 career games (157 starts) for the Raptors, Heat, Cavaliers and Clippers, averaging 6.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 22.8 minutes.

Moon’s call-up comes one day after the D-Fenders advanced to the second round of the 2012 D-League postseason.

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• Cleveland Cavaliers Re-Assign Harangody to NBA D-League Affiliate Canton Charge – D-League

• Los Angeles’ Jamario Moon Signs with Charlotte Bobcats – D-League

• D-Fenders Close Out Series Against Energy – Los Angeles D-Fenders

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April 15, 2012 – NBA Development League (D-League)
NEW YORK, April 15, 2012 – The Charlotte Bobcats today signed Los Angeles D-Fenders forward Jamario Moon for the record 52nd GATORADE Call-Up of the 2011-12 NBA Development League season. Moon joins more than 100 NBA players with NBA D-League experience currently on 2011-12 rosters.

Moon (6-8, 215, Meridian Community College) appeared in 12 games, 10 starts, for the D-Fenders during the regular season, averaging 17.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.3 blocks and 37.8 minutes. In one postseason game for Los Angeles, Moon scored 25 points and grabbed five rebounds in 39 minutes.

A four-year NBA veteran who last spent time with the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2009-10 season, Moon has played in 278 career NBA games, 157 as a starter. During his four-year NBA career, Moon averaged 6.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 22.8 minutes per game. In 19 career NBA playoff games, Moon averaged 4.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 13.5 minutes.

Moon is expected to join the Bobcats today and be available on Sunday when the team hosts the Boston Celtics.

• Discuss this story on the NBA Development League message board…

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• D-Fenders Jamario Moon Signs with Charlotte Bobcats – Los Angeles D-Fenders

• Cleveland Cavaliers Re-Assign Harangody to NBA D-League Affiliate Canton Charge – D-League

• Los Angeles’ Jamario Moon Signs with Charlotte Bobcats – D-League

• D-Fenders Close Out Series Against Energy – Los Angeles D-Fenders

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.