The Bobcats confirmed that Rich Cho has been named their new general manager.

Former GM Rod Higgins was promoted to president of basketball operations. Cho faces an uphill battle in Charlotte as the team is bleeding money and was forced to give away Gerald Wallace in a salary dump last season. Ironically, it was Cho that poached Wallace as GM of the Blazers. His first order of business will be the Bobcats' draft, in which they hold two first-round picks.

The Charlotte Observer is reporting that Rich Cho has been hired as the Bobcats' general manager.

Cho was fired by Portland last month and will replace Rod Higgins, who will take over as president of basketball operations for Michael Jordan. Why Cho, who was instrumental in acquiring Gerald Wallace from the Bobcats last season, was fired by the Blazers remains a bit of a mystery and we're guessing he'll do a good job in Charlotte.

Bobcats coach Paul Silas said that for his team to trade up in the draft, "That guy [drafted] has to be a star kind of player."

Silas isn't sure that such a player could be had in this draft, and is content using the #9 and #19 picks to add two "real quality players" to his club. He identified needs at backup PG and perimeter shooting, but also espoused the "best player available" philosophy. Silas and GM Rod Higgins will make the final decisions on who to draft, with input from owner Michael Jordan.

Stephen Jackson's hamstring has healed, according to coach Paul Silas.

A severe hamstring pull crippled Jackson's season, causing him to hobble through some games and sit out others down the stretch. Now that he's lost 20 pounds and is already back working out, we'd expect a bounce-back year from Captain Jack. We know he'll give owners an elite combination of steals, treys and points.

General manager Rod Higgins said Tuesday that he didn't recognize guard Stephen Jackson, as he has lost weight and apparently hits the scales at a svelte 225 pounds.

That's a 20 pound decrease according to Higgins, and in most cases a weight loss can be considered a good thing for a player of his age and body type. The best part of this news is that it didn't come attached to a puff piece, which often times don't play out when the season rolls around.

Stephen Jackson said that he lost respect for former coach Larry Brown after Brown dismissed the Bobcats' playoff chances before the season even began.

"I'm not going to accept that from anyone," said Jackson. "He lost me there." On a more positive note, Jackson said that he wants to play out the final two years of his contract in Charlotte and sounded optimistic about Charlotte's outlook and young core.

Stephen Jackson will not return for Wednesday's finale, as expected.

Jackson ends up missing 15 games this year and was hobbled in a bunch more. The result was a down season of 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Now entering his age-33 season, the injury concerns will only get worse. Jackson is signed with the Bobcats through the 2012-13 season.

Bobcats coach Paul Silas does not expect Stephen Jackson, Tyrus Thomas, or Shaun Livingston to play again this season.

Jax had been gamely playing through a hamstring injury, but he was ineffective and eventually started racking up DNPs. The Bobcats shed salary this season, and they already have some young talent, so maybe next year they'll make the leap into the playoffs.

Stephen Jackson (hamstring) missed practice Thursday and is not expected to play Friday's against the Heat.

Coach Paul Silas said that the decision on whether to shut down will be left up to Jackson. But now that Bobcats have officially been eliminated from the playoffs, even the notoriously tough Jackson figures to give it up. He has been in pain for weeks now. Look for Dante Cunningham to start the rest of the way.

Updating an earlier item, Stephen Jackson (hamstring) will not play in Wednesday's game.

S-Jax attempted to give it a go during warmups, but couldn't get his hamstring feeling good enough. It's positive that he tried to play, but whether he attempts to suit up again may depend on whether or not the Bobcats get eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday night. Dante Cunningham should get another start in Jackson's place, with Gerald Henderson continuing to see increased value.

Stephen Jackson (hamstring) will attempt to play in Wednesday night's game, according to Paul Silas.

This comes just two days after a report that Jackson could be shut down for the season, but it sounds like he's got a shot to suit up at least one more time. Fantasy owners in daily leagues should check back prior to tipoff before making any final lineup decisions.

According to Bobcats' beat writer Mike Cranston, Stephen Jackson (hamstring) said that he won't play in Tuesday night's contest and i appears that he may be shutting it down for the season.

We've been warning owners about the looming possibility of Jax shutting it down for quite some time now and it appears as if it may have finally come to fruition. If he is indeed done for the year, it'd be a monstrous blow to both the Bobcats and his owners.

Bobcats coach Paul Silas reports that Stephen Jackson might play on Tuesday.

Dante Cunningham started on Friday and will do so again Sunday, but won't be a good option after Jackson returns.

Stephen Jackson won't play vs. the Wizards on Sunday due to his nagging hamstring injury.

Jax has been gamely trying to play through the injury but he hasn't had much success -- he averaged 13.4 points on 36% shooting in March, adding 2.8 assists, 0.4 steals, with 3.3 turnovers. Those are not pretty numbers, and hopefully you've moved on.

As expected, Stephen Jackson (hamstring) will not play vs. the Magic on Friday.

The Bobcats are in the playoff hunt but Captain Jack, thanks to injuries, has not been helping his team lately. Guys like Dante Cunningham and Gerald Henderson will have to step up in his absence.

Stephen Jackson (hamstring) is not expected to play in Friday's game against the Magic.

Although the Bobcats are just one game behind the Pacers for the final playoff spot in the East, Jackson is in no condition to play. He made it through just one ineffective half last night and is hurting more than he helping by trying to tough it out. Captain Jack isn't done for the season just yet, but that could be coming. Look for Dante Cunningham to start tomorrow night.

Beat writer Rick Bonnell says that no one knows how long Stephen Jackson (hamstring) will be out.

As Bonnell points out, it's all about pain threshold and effectiveness. Jackson is one of the game's ultimate tough guys, but he was so ineffective in the first half last night that he shut it down. Even if S-Jax does somehow get back in the lineup for Friday's game against the Magic, the threat of in-game injury is high. Note that the Bobcats are just one game behind the Pacers for the eighth spot in the East.

Stephen Jackson scored just three points before leaving Wednesday's game at halftime after aggravating his hamstring injury.

In reality, Jackson never should have been playing on it over the past week, but he is a warrior and wanted to do everything he could to get Charlotte to the playoffs. It was an admirable effort, and while it's possible he could play again this season, we're guessing this was his last hurrah. Dante Cunningham started for him in the second half.

Stephen Jackson tweaked his injured hamstring in the first quarter of Wednesday's game and was last seen receiving treatment on the bench.

The injury was already a huge concern, but he is set to re-enter the game. He's clearly not healthy and if the Bobcats lose this game, it could be his last hurrah.

Stephen Jackson played on Monday despite his hamstring and flu issues, scoring 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting (including two threes) with five rebounds and one assist in the Bobcats' 87-86 win over the Bucks.

He lasted 34 minutes, but more importantly the Bobcats won to stay within one game of the Pacers, who upset the Celtics tonight, too. As long as the playoff race is close, Jackson's owners have a bit of hope that he won't get shutdown, but without a close race he is almost certainly going to sit.