I would love to tell you what the Charlotte Bobcats will do with Emeka Okafor. But based on the major decisions they've made since their inception, I have no idea. Based on those decisions, I'm not sure they do.

This one is essential. And it can't be predicated on money. If the Bobcats are willing to throw some around, we will know that Michael Jordan and new coach Larry Brown are in charge. If they aren't, we will know owner Bob Johnson is.

To attract fans, the Bobcats have to make a run at the playoffs next season. They can't do that unless they run. They can't run unless they start the fast break with a rebound. If Okafor leaves, who will start the fast break?

I'd love to see Sean May do it. I like May. He has superior basketball instincts and he returns telephone calls. But the Bobcats can't rely on May any more than the Carolina Panthers could rely on linebacker Dan Morgan. Some players are hurt most of the time.

Okafor, a restricted free agent, did not miss a game last season. He turned down a contract worth about $60million from the Bobcats nine months ago. That was superstar money, NBA All-Star money. Okafor is neither.

The Bobcats have two options. They can sign him and trade him, or they can sign him and play him. If they choose the latter, they have to hope he decides he wants to remain part of the organization or that a contender makes an offer before the trade deadline.

Otherwise, Okafor can walk. Elton Brand did. He left the Los Angeles Clippers to sign with Philadelphia. All the Clippers got was a goodbye.

If the Bobcats are able to trade Okafor for a comparable talent, do it. If Brown prefers long and lean athletes who can range far from the basket to guard an opponent, get one. If Brown has concluded his is not a playoff team, use Okafor as a tool to make it a team that is.

Okafor does not sell tickets. Nobody has ever become so mesmerized by one of his moves that they spilled a beer. He is a bright man, a reader and a traveler, and he is analytical. The N.C. motto is to be, rather than to seem. Okafor's is to think, rather than to react.

He reacted quickly enough to average 10.7 rebounds a game last season, however. That was sixth-best in the NBA. Twenty teams didn't have a player who averaged 10 or more rebounds.

Okafor had the misfortune to come into the league with Dwight Howard and the two forever will be linked. Howard is the dominant big man of his time.

Okafor is solid. I can't remember a single move he has put on during his four seasons in Charlotte. I also can't remember a single game in which he failed to go hard. He is there every night, and he brings his 10 rebounds with him.

Brown's first test as Charlotte coach was the NBA draft, and he nailed it. Be interesting to see if he gets to ace his second.