Let's say you're Jerry Richardson or Michael Jordan pitching Charlotte to a superstar

[Sam Mills Fan]

Le Bron James isn't going to Miami because it is Miami, he is going there to play with Wade and Bosh to win championships. It doesn't hurt that it is a warm big city with lots going on, but it isn't why he is going. If the same situation was happening in Cleveland or Charlotte he would be there. Players at this level do so for the money and for championships.

So the answer is simple, if you assemble the talent already to the point that he feels that he is the missing piece to a Championship, then he is very likely to play there. If you are not a contender which the Bobcats aren't, then it wouldn't matter where you are located.

As for the Panthers, players like the organization and the FO. The problem hasn't been that we can't land free agents, it is that lately we won't pay them what they can get elsewhere. And we are not enough of a force like New England has been where players will give you a discount.

Wrong. Bosh took $30 million less to play in Miami rather than Cleveland and LeBron is also taking a huge paycut to go play there. Why didn't the guys just decide to play in Cleveland rather than Miami?

And have you ever stopped to think about when the last time a small-market had any success whatsoever in the NBA? In the past 30 years, the "smallest" market to win a title are the Spurs and San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the country with something like 1.5 million people living there. Not exactly "small".

Small markets don't have as much of a disadvantage in the NFL because of the MUCH better way the cap system is set up and because one superstar signee joining your team won't make as much of a difference as it will on a team that only has 5 players on the court, but you would be foolish to think it doesn't play a role in why a team like the Bills can't get anyone to play for them.

[Sam Mills Fan]

why bother?

no point to it all because no charlotte (carolina team at all) will ever amount to anything.

it's all just a waste of money.

burn it all down.

SMF wins.

now he can go find a real team with a real chance of winning a championship instead of those posers we have here.

The PANTHERS still have a chance of succeeding in the future because they happen to play in the NFL. It's tougher, but it can obviously be done.

The BOBCATS on the other hand have no chance. A Charlotte NBA team can't win a title. I finally came to that realization this offseason. Bobcats fans (like I still am) can have fun trying to pretend like maybe the team will win a playoff series or two one year, but it's naive to think they'll ever compete for a title.

[rayzor]

you should tell MJ he's wasting his money then. it might save him some headaches.

be sure and write a piece for the charlotte observer. i'm sure all the "fans" and ticket holders will appreciate the heads up. they will probably give you the same due respect you are getting here.

[Baschski]

Panthers: Have you ever stopped to wonder if whether the "oh, we don't want to sign top free agents, we prefer to build through the draft" is just an excuse because they can't get people to come play here if they have the option to go play for a team like Dallas or New England instead?

And didn't the Panthers have their own LeBron situation earlier this offseason? Peppers, one of the greatest Panthers ever, a guy born and raised in NC, played ball at UNC, refused to communicate with the ownership/management here and left for the big market city of Chicago. It's a wonder that our only superstar we have on the team in 89 has stayed as long as he has. Although he has a young family he's raising and he's definitely put down roots in the community so that has to be a huge factor.

There were literally no reports at all that we were interested in Boldin, Marshall, V. Jackson or even Ginn this off season, despite the fact that WR was our biggest and most glaring weakness. If we were actually trying to get star players here don't you think there would be at least SOME indication of it? There hasn't been any recently. Also, the Peppers comparison is a stupid example. Do you HONESTLY believe that Peppers, the quiet guy who has always been known to shy away from the spotlight, left Carolina because he wanted to be in a big-market city under a huge spotlight?

[Sam Mills Fan]

Wait, I never said they were pretending to be interested. They gave up a long time ago because they know they can't get these guys to play here.

I mean, the Bobcats never made a serious attempt to sign LeBron either. Do you think that means that they wouldn't have tried if they thought they had a chance in hell of him coming here?

[Argus Plexus]

Loving the optimism. If that's really what you think of the Panthers then get out of my fanbase and go to hell.

[Sam Mills Fan]

As for Peppers, what more do you want? Brentson Buckner said all along that Peppers was just tired of Charlotte and North Carolina in general and wanted out. If that's not an endorsement about what this thread is all about, I don't know what is.

[Sam Mills Fan]

Loving the optimism. If that's really what you think of the Panthers then get out of my fanbase and go to hell.

Oh I forgot, this is the Huddle. Let me put my Huddle microchip back in my brain.

the panthers are going 13-3 this year at worst and armanti edwards will be rookie of the year oh and john fox will be coach of the year so suck on that all you haters this team is going to the super bowl and if you say different then you can go to hell derp derp

[Sam Mills Fan]

So let's seriously make a list of Charlotte's greatest attributes if this thread can be salvaged. From the 2 people that took it seriously we can offer:

- Nice weather

- No sports history

- Passionate ownership

- Bojangles

What else?

[cdandi1]

I think your question has flaws. Many carolina panther players have said they love living and playing in charlotte. Players like Thomas Davis, when healthy is one of the best LB in the NFC if not he NFL and Chris Gamble, who is vasly underrated..both said they want to be panther lifers. Its a young city with new history which offers great places to live and grow. If you a mature individual with sights of playing basketball or football and having a family charlotte is not abad place. Free agent signings are overrated. If charlotte had zero to offer, most of the panthers big name players would have left already, and jordan wouldn't have invested his life and brand into the bobcats. remember the small market teams out number the big ones roughly 4-1. so not everyone can play in HUGE markets. fwiw.

[Cat'sGrowl]

Wait, I never said they were pretending to be interested. They gave up a long time ago because they know they can't get these guys to play here.

I mean, the Bobcats never made a serious attempt to sign LeBron either. Do you think that means that they wouldn't have tried if they thought they had a chance in hell of him coming here?

The biggest problem with your "theory" (I put it in parenthesis because, in all reality, a theory has to have evidence supporting it to be considered a true theory, and your argument has none) is that half of of these things your spouting-aren't true. Players across the league have been VERY openly verbal about wanting to sign here, big-name players included.

I don't know why you continue to ignore that fact..

Oh wait...I do...because it blows your whole argument to hell..

[Sam Mills Fan]

I like TD and Gamble, but they're not even close to being stars. There is a big difference between star players and good players.

[Sam Mills Fan]

The biggest problem with your "theory" (I put it in parenthesis because, in all reality, a theory has to have evidence supporting it to be considered a true theory, and your argument has none) is that half of of these things your spouting-aren't true. Players across the league have been VERY openly verbal about wanting to sign here, big-name players included.

I don't know why you continue to ignore that fact..

Oh wait...I do...because it blows your whole argument to hell..

Like who? Michael Vick? Vick was a 3rd string QB last year. He's an anti-star. He's a black hole. He was just kidding anyway.

Someone else mentioned Ochocinco, he said that he would like playing for the Panthers when he was asked about it on the spot by Mark Packer. That was it. LOL if you think there was anything to that on his end.

[cdandi1]

You could argue there are many "good" players who are better than the "stars." just becuase your a star doesn't make you necessarily good, just more popular. The media follows who it choses to, and makes individuals stars. You are proving my point that both gamble and td are underrated. Put gamble in NY or TD in NE and you have tons of media outlets talking about them.