Updates
Mon, Jul 14th 2008, 15:57
Bobcats grooving to young DJ
The superlatives kept streaming out of Larry Brown’s mouth: Terrific. Attentive. Real good. Great kid.
Despite his well-earned reputation of being brutally tough on rookies and point guards, the new Charlotte Bobcats coach couldn’t stop saying nice things about D.J. Augustin – his rookie point guard.
“He just does what you ask him to do, without exception,” Brown said after a minicamp practice this week. “I knew he was a good player but he’s far exceeded my expectations.”
The Bobcats surprised many when they took the Texas sophomore with the ninth pick in last month’s draft. While the Bobcats needed another point guard, they had used the fifth pick in 2005 on starter Raymond Felton.
Managing partner Michael Jordan makes the final call on the Bobcats’ basketball decisions, but it’s clear Brown held a lot of clout in the war room. And coming back from a two-year hiatus from coaching, Brown wanted a pure point guard.
He wanted Augustin. And after seven practices over four days, Brown thinks Augustin has grasped the fast-moving, quick-passing offense he wants.