Random Thoughts after Bobcats Game

I attended my first game of the season on Saturday night. I purchased the 12 game weekend season ticket plan for the second year in a row, and wanted to give some random observations. Maybe this doesn't deserve its own thread, but whatever. I am sure none of this is earth shattering, and some has been discussed before, but here we go.

The Team:

- It is pretty obvious that Davis has taken a major step forward this season. He looks more comfortable and aggressive, and has already taken a leadership role on the team.

- More plays and sets on offense need to be designed to go through Davis. I imagine Monty didn't expect Davis to progress this quickly, and will adjust the offense accordingly. There were too many sets in the third quarter especially where Davis didn't even touch the ball. I would like to see more sets where we get Davis the ball at the elbow and let him look to drive to the goal and look to score or kick it out to shooters (Chris Webber Style.)

- Pels did a really good job of deflecting balls and forcing turnovers on defense. They were very aggressive when going for blocks and steals. This led to some easy transition buckets which we will need against quality opponents.

- It's going to take a while for Holiday and Evans to adjust to the new team. Both seemed uncomfortable at times, but would have moments when they looked to attack. Hopefully Monty can figure out rotations pretty quickly, and these guys can gel early enough for us to stay in the playoff hunt.

- Stiesma looked more uncoordinated than I expected. We will struggle against teams with a quality center. Luckily, there aren't too many teams in the league with a quality center.

- I look forward to the second unit with Ryan Anderson back. The spacing with him and Roberts on the floor at the same time, and Evans penetrating should create a ton of bench points.

The Arena/Fans/Random:

- I was surprised by the lack of branding in a way with the new name. No name for the arena yet? Pier, Dock, Nest, all seem like solid options. No name for the dance team yet? I saw some people on here suggest Flappers and Tail Feathers? No chants or cheers yet? Not even a "Let's Go Pels." Shouldn't they have had people in a room coming up with this stuff ever since the new name was announced?

- They made the club level area less inviting. They removed some tv's, and added more table top stool seating and removed most of the comfortable couches and low chairs. It was easier to get a drink, and the food options were really good. My guess is that they want people hanging out in there less and sitting out in their seats more. The beaded private areas were kind of odd.

- Pierre the Pelican is awesome. I wanted to see more of him.