At Carolina we had a rule: If you made a basket, on the way back down the court you pointed to the teammate who passed you the ball. That was our way of acknowledging the contribution of the passer. That was our way of saying thank you to each other for making the basket possible.
On behalf of the entire Bobcats Sports & Entertainment family, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the city of Charlotte, our fans from across the Carolinas and our partners from around the country for helping us make this season the best in franchise history. Our players, coaches and basketball operations staff deserve credit for setting team records in virtually every category and getting us to the playoffs for the first time. By making a commitment to Coach Larry Brown's system and playing the right way, this group won more games than any Bobcats team before it, led the league in defense and earned the respect of basketball people and fans everywhere for playing hard and playing together.
None of this would have been possible without the support and contributions of the Charlotte community. Like pointing to a teammate who threw a great pass, we thank all of you for your kind words of encouragement this season, for your remarkable energy at home games and for helping us create one of the best playoff atmospheres in the league. For the first time since I've been involved with the Bobcats, you could feel a sense of pride among our fans and momentum in the city as buildings lit up orange and blue and signs wished us luck against the Magic. As an organization our only regret is that we couldn't give you more postseason games to get excited about, but we're already focused on next year and doing everything we can to make it even better than the one just completed.
Last month I wrote that owning this team is my number one priority and that I'm here to listen. This is your team too and you have a stake in what happens with it. In a short amount of time I received a lot of feedback from fans, season ticket holders, corporate partners and leaders in this community, and I want you to know that I value all of it. Some of your suggestions have already led to changes in specific areas, like our game presentation. Some have led us to consider bigger changes in the way we conduct business by focusing more on relationship-building around town and touching as many partners and fans in our community as possible. Your feedback will continue to be invaluable as we look for more ways to improve.
It's good to be home in the Carolinas. It's good to be part of something that has a chance to become really special. Thank you for all you've done, and for being there as we take the next steps together. I look forward to next season.
http://www.charlotte...r-the-best.html
