HoopsHype.com Rumors

You're averaging 12.7 minutes per game. Another player who came to the NBA after playing in Spain, Serge Ibaka, played 18.1. Do you expect to play more after the All-Star break? Bismack Biyombo: Well, you know, when you arrive in the NBA, you expect to play a lot of minutes. I think I can help the team, but you can't control what the coach decides. He is the boss and he tells you when to play and when to stay in the bench. What I can control is improving my game every day. We can't be all day saying 'Well, the coach doesn't give me minutes,' things like that. That's an excuse. There's been some games when he had confidence in me, like the double-double I had against Orlando. I have a lot of confidence in me so good things will come. The little time that the coach gives me I have to work hard. HoopsHype

Charlotte Bobcats, Bismack Biyombo 

Do you expect to be a starting player in the near future? Bismack Biyombo: Yes, of course. I have that kind of goal to be a starting player in the near future, but in my opinion you have to work and deserve to be a starter. I will continue to work hard to achieve that goal, and I'm sure I will be a starter because I will work hard. HoopsHype

Charlotte Bobcats, Bismack Biyombo 

But lately the losing has become even more gruesome, with the worst loss in franchise history after getting destroyed by the Blazers in Portland. Are you guys behind coach Paul Silas? Bismack Biyombo: Yes, we believe in Silas. We have some injured players, although that is not a excuse. It's a very difficult situation. It's complicated to say that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow we will win. He always says that the most difficult thing is winning. He's been there, he knows how it is to be in a winning situation. Although we have injuries, we must stay optimistic, keep working. Yes, we have lost some games by a lot of points but it doesn't mean we don't care. We lose, we practice the next day and we do our best. Personally I'm impressed about how hard we're practicing. It's true that is frustrating that we're losing, but with our effort I'm sure we will win again. HoopsHype

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Paul Silas, Bismack Biyombo 

So the chemistry is good? It's not like what happened in Washington, where it seems the players had tuned out Flip Saunders? Bismack Biyombo: We don't have that problem. At the beginning of the season, we lost games but we were close to getting some wins. We competed against Miami, we won against Milwaukee at home... Then we had some injuries that killed us, but we know it's not an excuse. HoopsHype

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Paul Silas, Bismack Biyombo 

What can you tell us about the time you played in Yemen? Bismack Biyombo: I left my country and I got there and it was another world for me. It was my first time out of my country and I missed my family and friends. My father and my brothers, they gave me the strength to succeed there and then go to Spain. I had to fight a lot ever yday, facing difficult challenges there. Things that I haven't experienced in my life. It helped me a lot to grow as a person. What kind of challenges you had to face? Bismack Biyombo: You know, there were difficulties because of my religious beliefs. I'm a Christian, and sometimes Christians and Muslims don't get along... But at the end it was a great experience. HoopsHype

Charlotte Bobcats, Bismack Biyombo, Yemen 

The Wizards have been working hard to move disappointing forward Andray Blatche, but a calf injury expected to sideline the favorite target of D.C. boobirds for three to five weeks won't make it any easier. Sources close to the situation say that the Wizards had been trying to engage Charlotte on a Blatche-for-Tyrus Thomas swap. ESPN.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards, Trade, Tyrus Thomas, Andray Blatche 

Charlotte guard/forward Gerald Henderson will miss 2 to 4 weeks with a strained right hamstring, a source told the Associated Press. The Bobcats (3-20) have not announced the injury, sustained in Wednesday's loss to Portland. Henderson, from Episcopal Academy, could be replaced in the starting lineup by Matt Carroll, from Hatboro-Horsham High. Philadelphia Inquirer

Charlotte Bobcats, Injuries, Gerald Henderson 

A person familiar with the situation says Bobcats guard/forward Gerald Henderson will miss two-to-four weeks with a strained right hamstring. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Thursday because the team has not publicly announced the injury. It's the same injury that has sidelined Bobcats forward Corey Maggette for the last 15 games. TSN

Charlotte Bobcats, Injuries, Gerald Henderson 

Poor Silas was sullen, slumped on a chair looking like a man who knew he was about to be convicted for a crime he did not commit. "I would say this," Silas began, slowly embarking on the type of mental game that coaches of basement-dwelling teams must play in order to grind through the motions. "You take three top players off of anyone's team, and they're not going to do well. And that's the only way I look at it. I don't have a full squad. If I had a full squad and we were losing this way, it would be awful." Blazers Edge

Charlotte Bobcats, Portland Trail Blazers, Paul Silas, Gerald Wallace 

Wallace finished with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, three steals and one block, by far his best game against his former team. The Blazers split the two revenge match-ups with the Bobcats last season, and Wallace shot just 1-for-7 in Portland's March 3 win. Wallace came off the bench in both games. Wednesday's thumping, he said, provided satisfaction that those games did not. "Like I said last year, I felt like I was betrayed, I felt like I was stabbed in the back. It was my first opportunity to really play against them. You get that out of the way and you move forward... You put your past away and move forward... I'm over it now... Closure. Done. Over." Blazers Edge

Charlotte Bobcats, Portland Trail Blazers, Gerald Wallace 

With advice from various NBA college scouts and looking at the Bobcats' needs, here's an early view of what could be available in June. "With the first pick in the 2012 NBA draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select ... Kentucky's Anthony Davis (6-foot-10, 220 pounds; 13.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg): What does he do? He can be a Marcus Camby-type shot-blocker/rebounder at the NBA level. Camby averaged 10 points and 2.5 blocks in 16 seasons. Davis is interesting because he grew up as a guard, then had a sudden, dramatic growth spurt late in high school (somewhat like what happened to former Spurs star David Robinson). That means he didn't always rely upon height, and developed skills and coordination. The downside of a sudden growth spurt is he hasn't filled out. He sometimes gets pushed around like he's made of cotton balls. Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Draft, Anthony Davis 

With the second pick in the 2012 NBA draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select...Connecticut's Andre Drummond (6-10, 270; 10.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg): What does he do? He's potentially a big-time pick-and-roll center, a bigger, less mechanical version of what the Bobcats hoped they were getting in Emeka Okafor in 2004. Big men typically take years for their coordination and athleticism to catch up with their bodies. Not Drummond. He's ready to play and figures to have a huge upside going forward. Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Draft, Andre Drummond 

The Bobcats continue to say DJ Augustin is not going anywhere, but sources close to several teams say he is available. DJ is playing some solid basketball recently averaging close to 13 points and 6 assists per game. However it’s becoming clear that DJ could be sold off if it returns the right pieces in exchange. HoopsWorld

Charlotte Bobcats, Trade, DJ Augustin 

Charlotte Bobcats point guard D.J. Augustin played through three ankle sprains the first dozen games of this NBA season. He knows the difference between a little pain and a debilitating injury. The right big-toe injury Augustin has suffered is debilitating. So much so that Augustin likely won't play in any of the upcoming four road games that start Tuesday against the Lakers in Los Angeles. In an exclusive interview Sunday with the Observer, Augustin said sitting out now is necessary, not only to this season, but potentially to protecting his career. "If I try to come back and play on it too soon, I'll be right back where I was last week," said Augustin, who missed the last four games, all losses. "I don't want to play on it, make it worse, and maybe be out the rest of the year - hurt my career with something serious." Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, DJ Augustin, Injuries 

Cavs forward Antawn Jamison said he wouldn't mind playing for Charlotte next year. "I can't even think about that right now," he said. "(I was asked) about life after this year. It's always been a dream of mine to play in front of my family and friends night in and night out. We're just scratching the surface of this season. All my concentration is on that." News-Herald

Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers, Antawn Jamison 

He is the eldest of seven children and speaks longingly of his brothers and sisters -- he hasn't been back to Africa since before the June NBA draft. He is the rare NBA player who doesn't like video games because he believes he has outgrown them. "I cannot play video games anymore," Biyombo said. "I'd rather look something up on the Internet and learn something. Or read a book." Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Bismack Biyombo 

Biyombo said his father was hard on him as a youth, intent on his son forging a better life. He made him take extra English classes after school, for instance. "I cannot thank my parents enough for that now," Biyombo said. "But I did not like it at the time." Biyombo mostly was a good student, he said, but was once temporarily kicked out of school for concentrating too much on basketball and not enough on schoolwork. His father went to the school and worked out a deal where Biyombo would take a summer class and return to his studies. By the time he was 14, Biyombo was good enough at basketball to be playing not only for a school team but also for a semi-pro team in the area. He was the youngest player on the pro squad and some of the other players resented him. "Guys started fighting me," Biyombo said. "Guys got fined for that. Guys got suspended for that. And I never quit. I was like 'Man, you can kick me today. You can fight me today. And the next day I'm going to come back and you'll have to fight me again. I'm coming back unless you kill me.'" Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Bismack Biyombo 

Biyombo is something of a one-man Rosetta Stone. We conducted multiple interviews in English for this story -- he speaks it fluently, just like he speaks French, Spanish and an African dialect. He translated my interview with his father, who speaks French. He also speaks French with teammate Boris Diaw and Spanish with teammate Eduardo Najera. Biyombo is an admitted neat freak who tidies his own place every day. He said he loves Charlotte for one reason above all, which he remembers every day when he walks from his uptown apartment to Time Warner Cable Arena to go to work. "Charlotte is so clean!" Biyombo said. "I keep wondering, where is all the trash? It is beautiful." Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Bismack Biyombo 

An NBA executive I know says coaches in this league do their jobs at the players' permission. I think that's some of what Silas was feeling Thursday. Someone who's been through all he has is a great resource, but only to the extent players have the wisdom and drive to tap in. "You have to want to be the best possible player you can be, and you just don't see that a lot anymore," said Silas, describing the league, not just the Bobcats. "You ask guys sometimes, 'Do you want to be an All-Star?' And they say, 'Oh....maybe.' It's not ingrained in them. "When I played, being an All-Star was the best thing ever. If they'd concentrate on that, not only would they get better for themselves, but better for the team. And they don't understand that. " I've got to play better. I've got to think better. I've got to focus better, in order for the team to be better." Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Coaching, Paul Silas 

Sam Amick: Charlotte has exercised the 2012-13 option for swingman Gerald Henderson, who is averaging 15.4 points per game this season. Twitter

Charlotte Bobcats, Gerald Henderson