5:03pm: Bobcats coach Steve Clifford says that he’s OK with the players the team has until Kidd-Gilchrist returns, Bonnell tweets, so it doesn’t sound like he’s pushing for a roster move.
3:04pm: Another Bobcats small forward is hitting the shelf, as Jeff Taylor will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon last night against the Pistons, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Taylor had taken over as the starter at that position when Michael Kidd-Gilchrist went down earlier this month with a broken hand. Kidd-Gilchrist likely won’t be back until sometime next month.
Taylor, the first pick of the second round in 2012, wasn’t having much of a positive impact offensively, averaging just 8.0 points on 37.6% shooting in 24.2 minutes per contest. The Bobcats are also statistically a better team defensively when Taylor isn’t playing, giving up 5.7 fewer points per 100 possessions when Taylor sits, per NBA.com. Anthony Tolliver, Gerald Henderson and the newly signed Chris Douglas-Roberts are other options for the team at small forward, as Bonnell points out.
The Bobcats, in the mix for a playoff spot with a 13-14 record, wouldn’t gain much flexibility if they applied for a disabled player exception, since Taylor is making only the minimum salary for a one-year veteran. Charlotte is carrying a full 15-man roster, so the team would have to release someone to make room for a replacement.