Greg Bailey NewsChannel 36 Sports Director

We got it all on Bobcats media day: New coach Larry Brown frankly discussing his team's shortcomings. Sean May promising his surgically repaired knee (again) really is better this time. Gerald Wallace promising that his feelings aren't hurt after Charlotte tried to trade him in the off-season. And Adam Morrison at his long haired, quiet best. All before training camp even starts.

Add those delicious pieces up and I'm crazy enough to like this basketball team for one reason: they have hope and they're happy for the first time in a long time. The Bobcats have a coach they believe in, and they didn't have that last year with Sam Vincent. NBA players don't gush about anything, but one by one they gushed about playing for Larry Brown. They delighted in talking about playing for a coach who constantly breaks them down and lets them get away with nothing. And the veterans quietly admit this is a team that needed a strong leader.

It all sounds great but how long will it last? I'm guessing that the answer is long enough. The Bobcats are still one big scorer and a defender away from making any kind of a serious run. But they also have players who are smart enough to understand that they need one another to succeed. And they have good people. Good people are in short supply in the NBA, a.k.a. the most selfish culture in all of professional sports. Charlotte's players promise they're willing to break that mode. Willing to work and willing to listen. If they do that, this will be a fun season. This franchise needs that.

If you really want to dream, I'll leave you with this from Clippers guard Baron Davis. After working out in Charlotte this summer, Davis told Charlotte's Jason Richardson that the Bobcats are dangerous and ready to turn the corner. Here's hoping the Bobcats are willing to work and listen, before they forget some of what Larry Brown is hounding them about. It's a delicate balance, but at least the players are happy a day before training camp starts.

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