Bobcats' Mohammed is happy to roll with his role

Published Nov. 14, 2009 at 6:19 a.m.
Any good coach has a knack for anticipating the next move. So when Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown heard a question Friday, implying Nazr Mohammed deserved a larger role, he extinguished any debate.

"At the end of the day, Tyson (Chandler) is our starting center," Brown declared, "and that's not going to change."

Mohammed, Chandler's backup, has no problem with that. He said in the preseason he's better off, as a 12-year veteran, playing 20 minutes as a reserve than 35 as a starter.

Still, it's hard to miss that Mohammed is playing well when almost every teammate is playing poorly. Over the past two games he's averaging 12 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 16 minutes. In those same two games, Chandler averaged 4.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 22 minutes.

This is more complicated than those numbers: Chandler is recovering from ankle surgery and the Bobcats are committed to paying him more than $25 million between this season and next. Chandler is five years younger than Mohammed and, when healthy, possesses athletic grace and jumping explosion Mohammed can't match.

But the Bobcats are on a three-game losing streak and face an imposing front line tonight. The Portland Trail Blazers start center Greg Oden and power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and bring 7-1 Joel Przybilla off the bench. So Mohammed will get his chances.

He was a bit rattled Friday when reminded he's made 10 of his last 13 shots.

"Please don't even tell me," Mohammed said with a don't-kill-my-karma grin. "I'm getting an opportunity to get out there, and prove to Coach what I can bring the team. I know he's still in an evaluation period."

Mohammed is an expensive backup (about $6.5 million this season and $6.9 million next season) who hardly played last season. He took that personally, in part because of the presumption by some fans he couldn't play.

So he got on an intense off-season workout schedule intended to give Brown no choice but to play him. It worked; Brown now describes Mohammed as this team's second-best post-up scorer behind small forward Gerald Wallace.

But all the conditioning in the world doesn't negate certain flaws, such as limited quickness and anticipation.

"Nazr's earned the right to play," Brown said. "But again, you've got to understand: You play a team like Detroit, who is going to put us in 100 high pick-and-rolls, and it's a little more difficult for him."

Mohammed understands. He said he doesn't consider scoring in self-evaluation: He's only as good as he guards.

"My whole mind-set is defensive," Mohammed said, "trying to be in the right spot...trying to get better at pick-and-rolls...''

Trying to stay off that bench.

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