Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, broke the news of the rumor that the Miami Heat are interested in moving NBA All-Star power forward Chris Bosh to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for the number four overall pick in the upcoming 2013 NBA Draft.

If this rumor is true, Charlotte should make the move official for a few reasons:

-With the city being excited about the name change, and an excellent hire at head coach in Steve Clifford, bringing in Bosh would bring some excitement about the 2013-2014 season.

-Bosh would immediately make the Bobcats a better team.

-Charlotte is in need of a star, with Bosh being an all-star that could improve the attendance for a team that ranks 24^th of the 30 NBA teams.

-Bringing in Bosh would secure Gerald Henderson for the upcoming season, with a starting five of Kemba Walker, Gerald Henderson Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Chris Bosh and either Bryon Mullens or Josh McRoberts, along with a solid bench of Ramon Sessions, Ben Gordon and Bismack Biyombo, the Bobcats would be a legitimate contender for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

There will be some people that aren’t in favor of the move being of Bosh’s salary of around $79 million over the next four seasons as part of his six-year, $109.8-million deal, with an early termination option in 2014 and a player option for the 2015-16 season.

The argument of why not to bring in Bosh when you have the possibly of three lottery picks in the 2014 NBA Draft with the big names of Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Marcus Smart is stout. The 2014 draft is suppose to be the best draft class since 2003, a draft that included Bosh going fourth overall to the Toronto Raptors.

The fans in the city of Charlotte have suffered enough, the Bobcats have a one playoff appearance in the team’s nine seasons of existence, that’s not good enough for a city who led the NBA in attendance for eight consecutive seasons, once a winning product is placed on the hardwood the support from the city will come.

If this rumor is legitimate, the Bobcats should make it official, the argument for the 2014 draft is strong, but in the sports world the saying is “What have you done for me lately?” and the Bobcats have done nothing but lose consistently, Michael Jordan can’t afford to wait any longer.

If in favor of this trade, then you should root for Bosh to continue to struggle throughout the Finals, if not then keep your fingers crossed that Bosh snaps out of this shooting slump he currently is in.

Justin Tyree

ESPN 730 Charlotte Bobcats Insider and Blogger

Twitter:  @JTyree704

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SportsFromMyEyes

    According to what a source told CBSSports.com’s Will Brinson, the Charlotte Bobcats are out, and the Hornets will be back.

    As of May 15, 2013 NBAHornets.com was created and registered on WhoIs.net by NBA Media Ventures, LLC.

    In February, Michael Jordan did confirm that the team did conduct some research on how fans would take the changing on the name, with the results coming back “very mixed”.

    This is a move that Jordan had to make, once New Orleans owner Tom Benson made it clear that the organization would be changing the name from the New Orleans Hornets to the New Orleans Pelicans, it was only right that Jordan made a move to bring the Hornets name back to Charlotte.

    Fans clamored for it, and they got their wish, the city will embrace the name change with tremendous support.

    There has been a solid push for the name change, from a group via Twitter that goes by “Bring Back The Buzz” that has gone as far as making t-shirts and rally chants  of “Charlotte Hornets” following Bobcats games.

    The city of Charlotte has been waiting for this for some time now.

    Adam Silver the NBA’s soon to be commissioner told Charlotte Bobcats ticketholders in April that the name change if purchased would take at least 18 months.

Justin Tyree

ESPN 730 Charlotte Bobcats Insider and Blogger

Twitter:  @JTyree704

Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/SportsFromMyEyes

    The Charlotte Bobcats finished the year off strong winning their final three home games ending the season with a record of 21-61.

    That’s a good sign, anytime you triple your win total, you have a reason to smile.

    The next step is having a good off-season.

    The biggest question the Bobcats will have to answer this offseason, will be if they resign Gerald Henderson.

    I do believe the Bobcats should make an attempt to resign Gerald Henderson, without overpaying him, meaning they match his $4.26 million qualifying offer.

    Anything over eight million per year, I believe is too much.

    But, there’s also the question of does Gerald Henderson want to resign with the Charlotte Bobcats.

    That’s where it gets interesting.

    Gerald Henderson over the course of his four seasons in Charlotte averaged 11.3 points per game, with a field goal percentage of .448 percent. This past season Henderson had his best of the four years averaging 15.5 points per game on .447 percent shooting.

    Henderson and Kemba Walker played well the final half of the season, which will have many fans pushing for Henderson to be resigned.

    With that being said I believe it’s a 50/50 chance Henderson stays put or goes. There is a strong possibility that a team will reach and overpay for Henderson, if that happens Henderson will take it.

    Just think for a minute.

    Henderson knows the Bobcats have the money to pay him, but does he want to continue to lose?

    Henderson can be a nice addition for a team needing production off the bench, I’m sure as you read this you can think of some teams that could use Henderson.

    The Bobcats will have a top five pick in the draft this June, with Ben McLemore being on the board.

    I’ll leave you with this question.

    Do you keep Gerald Henderson a solid 15 point per game player? Or do you take a chance and draft Ben McLemore?

Justin Tyree

ESPN 730 Charlotte Bobcats Insider and Blogger

Twitter:  @JTyree704

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SportsFromMyEyes

    UNC, Duke, nor NC State are popular picks to win the 2013 NCAA Tournament, but one thing their fan bases can hang their heads on is that each team has the potential to make a run deep into the field of 64.

    The Tar Heels have had a solid season, in which many saw as a “down” year for a team who lost four of their starting five players being top 14 picks in the 2012 NBA Draft. Credit Roy Williams, with making the switch from going being to small. The small lineup gives the Heels favorable match-ups, being able to space the floor giving their shooters PJ Hairston and Reggie Bullock opportunities to connect from behind the arch. The Heels will face a stiff opponent in Kansas in the second round, that’s where it could get interesting. Many don’t have the Heels beating Kansas, and rightfully so, but when the Heels are shooting the ball well they can play with the best the nation has to offer. Prime example look at the two match-ups during conference play when the Heels played Miami, the Heels lost both games, not shooting the ball well. Sunday afternoon in the ACC Championship the Heels gave Miami everything they could handle and then some. Though they were unsuccessful in earning the victory, they showed the country what can happen when they shoot the ball well. Ultimately Hairston, Bullock and James Michael McAdoo have to score 18 points at least, along with Marcus Paige, Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald bringing something to the table along the lines of eight points apiece for the Heels to make any sort of noise in the tournament.

    The Duke Blue Devils can beat anyone on any giving floor with their three main contributors Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly, and Mason Plumlee. The Blue Devils are one of the best teams in the country, only when they are shooting the ball extremely well. This means Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly must play well, along with Mason Plumlee, who has been missing in action after a hot start to the season. The Blue Devils will advance out of the second round, but they’ll run into some trouble in the form of the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Blue Devils are in the same boat as the Tar Heels, despite sweeping the Heels in the season series. Both ball clubs when “hot” can make a run, but if “cold” will struggle, and exit the tournament earlier than expected. Cincinnati is a ball club that is a physical defensive ball club, Duke struggles against teams who get physical with them, Miami and Maryland both defeated the Blue Devils off of playing a physical style of play. I expect the Blue Devils to pull it out, but honestly it can go either way. Basketball is a game of match-ups and playing styles, the Devils are clearly the more skilled team, but Cincinnati is the more physical of the two. If Duke gets hot, it can get ugly in a hurry. It will be interesting to see who will be able to impose their will, but that’s why we play the game.

    The NC State Wolfpack had have a disappointing season after being ranked sixth in the preseason rankings, last year the Pack got hot around this same time last year can it happen again? With the talent on this ball club anything is possible. The Wolfpack have enough talent to compete with the best the nation has to offer, but that’s not their problem. The Wolfpack struggle when it comes to consistency, which landed them out of the top 25. Its tournament time, and I know Mark Gottfried will have his team ready and prepare to make a run, seeing they advance to the second round, they should see Indiana. Yes, Indiana is a better team, but that does not mean they can’t shock the country. If Scott Wood keeps shooting the ball like the way he has as of late, and CJ Leslie come to play with Howell on the boards, having Lorenzo Brown at the point, the Wolfpack can pose a treat. It is not a matter of if they have the talent, but will they be able to put it all together is the question? We’ll have to wait and see, but don’t be shocked if the Wolfpack of NC State make a run.

Justin Tyree

ESPN 730 Charlotte Bobcats Insider and Blogger

Twitter:  @JTyree704

Facebook:  http://.www.Facebook.com/SportsFromMyEyes

    If I were to tell you the Charlotte Bobcats would outscore the Boston Celtics in three of the four quarters would you believe me?

    Well believe it.

    The Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Boston Celtics 100-76 Tuesday night inside Time Warner Cable Arena, behind Gerald Henderson who had his career high of 35 points.

    The victory puts an end to the 10-game losing skid, marking the Cats second victory over the Celtics on the season.

    The Cats must like playing the Celtics, the Cats have put two losing streaks to end against the Celtics one seven game and one 10 game losing streak.

    The Cats played a good game of basketball, I’m not going to ignore the fact that Paul Pierce did not play, but a win is a win.

    Gerald Henderson played lights out, scoring 21 points in the first half most of any Bobcat on the season, finishing with his career-high of 35 points.

    “We got in a good groove in the first quarter, and kept it going,” said Henderson.

    Once Henderson got going it opened the door for Ben Gordon, and when Gordon can give you a solid 17 points off bench in 22 minutes, that’s usually a positive sign.

    Josh McRoberts came in and played well for the injured Byron Mullens who suffered a lower back strain in the first half. McRoberts finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

“    It’s my first when since I got here, feels good to be on the right side of things,” said McRoberts.

    Byron Mullens did not return, let’s hope this lower back strain will not sideline Mullens for too long.

    The Cats took another step closer to 20 wins, with 14 on the season. The Cats have a good chance to get a victory in Toronto Friday night. The Raptors will be without starting center Andrea Bargnani, who is out for the year with an elbow injury.

Justin Tyree

ESPN 730 Charlotte Bobcats Insider and Blogger

Twitter:  @JTyree704

Facebook:  https://.www.Facebook.com/SportsFromMyEyes

    On the eve of the 2013 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, many are placing bets on their favorite school or alma mater. There will be many who bet with their heart, some with their wallet, and the select few that bet with logic.

    This years’ tournament should be one that displays some good basketball as play progresses into the quarterfinal round. You could get possible matchups like NC State versus Virginia, and a rematch of Duke versus Maryland, along with getting UNC and Miami in action.

    I do believe the winner will come from one of the top four seeds in Miami, Duke, UNC and Virginia.

    The only team I could see making a run outside of the top four seeds would be NC State, who plays Virginia Tech in the first round. NC State, who received so much publicity going into the season being preseason ranked sixth, along with being the favorites to win the conference. If there is one team that can make some noise and really scare some teams it’s the Wolfpack, it all started this time last year will it happen again?

    Miami has a manageable run to the championship game with their toughest opponent being Virginia seeing the Hurricanes defeat Georgia Tech or Boston College but, the team who should be the favorite to win the tournament isn’t.

    Any fan of the ACC tournament should know one thing and one thing only.

    The Duke Blue Devils own the ACC tournament, leading the conference with 19 tournament wins, claiming three of the last four conference titles.

    That’s where Tobacco Road rival comes into play in the form of the North Carolina, who should take of Clemson or FSU to advance to meet Duke in the semifinals, if Duke takes care of business.

    The thing with Duke and UNC is that they’re one dimensional, both teams when connecting from downtown can play with any team in the country, but when they’re cold, they struggle big time. You either hit or miss with either ball club. With that being said, Miami has the size and physical style of play to throw off a jump shooting team like Duke or UNC.

    Nothing is written in stone come March, any team can get beat on any given day, they call it March Madness.

Justin Tyree

ESPN 730 Charlotte Bobcats Insider and Blogger

Twitter:  @JTyree704

Facebook.com:  https://www.Facebook.com/SportsFromMyEyes