Bobcats Experiment With Hollins As Starter

WILMINGTON --Keep it simple, listen to your elders and don't try what you can't do.

That's Ryan Hollins' to-do list as a Charlotte Bobcats starter.
A week ago it was questionable whether he was in the rotation. Eleven months ago the Bobcats shipped him to the minor-league Fort Worth Flyers to learn how to be a pro center.
Now, with experienced alternatives dwindling, the 22-year-old 7-footer is penciled in as a starter. The coaches tell him relax, play to your strengths (length, athleticism) and understand your limitations.

"With Raymond (Felton), Emeka (Okafor), Jason (Richardson) and Gerald (Wallace) around, my job is simple," Hollins said Saturday. "Those guys take so much attention, all I have to do is rebound, block shots and play a role."

Circumstance has expanded Hollins' role dramatically. With Sean May (knee) out for the season, Othella Harrington (knee) out for the preseason and Primoz Brezec missing training camp because of a family matter, the Bobcats have few experienced big men.

Coach Sam Vincent hopes to avoid using 6-9 Okafor primarily at center this season. That means the Hollins-as-starter experiment is on fast-forward.

A former track athlete (high jump and triple-jump for UCLA), Hollins added about 10 pounds of muscle over the summer, but he's still slim at 240 pounds.

The coaches' message: Understand you're a runner, not a banger, so learn to avoid unnecessary collisions.

"Coach has helped out, reminding me I'm faster than guys," Ryan said. "Just because I've gotten stronger doesn't mean I have to fight with them. That's their (preferred) battle.

"So me moving around, running after rebounds, and not just banging into guys but playing good defense with my hands up, that's going to make me more valuable to the team."

source : charlotte.com