Bobcats lineup still up in air

Larry Brown is still trying to figure out not just what he has as the Charlotte Bobcats approach the start of the regular season next Wednesday but who he has.

Brown and the Bobcats are still waiting to find out whether shooting guard Raja Bell will require surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist suffered Sunday in a loss to the Utah Jazz.

Bell plans to seek a second opinion to determine whether he needs surgery, which could sideline him for four months. It's possible Bell can avoid surgery and be available for the Bobcats, who were counting on him in the relatively near future.

"We still don't know what the right course of action is," Brown said after practice Wednesday. "Kobe (Bryant) played with a similar situation all of last year. We're going to get a second opinion.

"My thing is I asked the doctors if he keeps playing will he get worse and they told me, basically, no. But it's got to be his decision."

Brown said he hopes to have a determination from Bell and doctors later this week.

"At the end of the day, you have to do what's best for Raja," Brown said.

With Bell hurt, scorer Flip Murray idle through the preseason nursing a stress reaction in his left shin, and no wiggle room under the salary cap, Brown and the Bobcats aren't left with many options.

Veteran Stephen Graham and rookie Gerald Henderson are likely to see significantly larger roles until Bell and Murray return. Brown said Murray is feeling better but he doesn't know when he'll be cleared to return.

"We need Gerald Henderson to go seven for eight every night,' Brown said, referencing the rookie's 14-point performance off the bench Tuesday night.

Henderson's performance was among the bright spots in the exhibition game. He has been pushed by the coaches to be more aggressive taking the ball to the basket while refining his shot selection.

"I'm willing to do whatever the team needs me to do," Henderson said. "Depending on what Raja does, I'm going to prepare every day and try to be ready for whatever coach wants me to do."

Brown liked what he saw beyond Henderson's scoring against Milwaukee.

"He made shots last (Tuesday) night. Everybody gets carried away when somebody makes shots. I like to look at other areas to see if he can help us," Brown said.

"He's gotten better defensively. He's trying to do all the things we ask him to do. I think he has a really bright future."

Graham, meanwhile, offers a slightly different skill set. A muscular 6-foot-6, Graham can give the Bobcats a physical defender on the wing.

"It's a good window for me," Graham said. "I need to focus on the things I need to do. Lock up on defense. Be an offensive threat at the same time.

"That's one of my fortes, locking down guards, trying to match up on some of the better players on other teams."

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