Charlotte Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff said Tuesday that veteran Brevin Knight will start at shooting guard ahead of Morrison, the No. 3 pick in the draft, in Wednesday's season opener against Indiana.

Morrison started four of the Bobcats' eight preseason games, averaging 11.6 points and 36-percent shooting. Bickerstaff said coming off the bench will help his transition to the NBA.

"He's done well, but he's still a rookie," Bickerstaff said. "This is a different level, but I think Adam will be just fine. He's a good basketball player, but he has to navigate his way through being an NBA player."

Kevin Burleson was cut by the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday, bringing their roster total down to 15 men.

His departure was not a surprise as he found himself behind Raymond Felton and Brevin Knight on the club's depth chart at point guard.

The Charlotte Bobcats reduced their roster to 16 by waiving Will Conroy and Donta Smith.

Both players averaged less than one point per game during their preseason play.

Bobcats forward Walter Herrmann will miss seven to 10 days because of a strained right foot, according to a report by Associated Press.

Known for his outside shooting when he played in Spain, Herrmann has missed all nine shots he has taken in Charlotte's first two exhibition games.

Coach Bernie Bickerstaff, speaking before Monday's exhibition game against Washington, called the injury a "good thing."

"It gives him the time off because he's been playing a lot of basketball," he said.

"The part that he is not doing is my least concern and that's shooting and missing," Bickerstaff said. "I have no concern about that at all because it's something I know the guy can do. We watched that consistently. We just got to embrace him, put our arm around him and tell him to keep firing it."

Herrmann could be fighting for a roster spot. Charlotte has 16 players with guaranteed contracts and only 15 roster spots.

Dwight Howard had 18 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday night to lead the Orlando Magic to a 107-90 preseason victory over Charlotte, offsetting an impressive pro debut by Adam Morrison of the Bobcats.

Morrison, who led the nation in scoring last season at Gonzaga with a 28.1 average and was the third overall pick in the NBA draft, had a game-high 19 points.

Sean May ended up being a landing pad for the high flying Gerald Wallace, who went soaring for a rebound landed on May's forehead.

"I'm suing him for ruining my modeling career," May joked after taking eight stitches above his left eye after the Bobcats' intrasquad scrimmage at UNC Wilmington's Trask Coliseum.

"He came down right on top of my head.''

Melvin Ely tried to pick up a loose ball in Charlotte Bobcats practice Wednesday, rather than hit the floor and smother it. That could have cost his season, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, as he stumbled and teammate Othella Harrington fell on his left leg. Ely's knee twisted and he had to wait in suspense Thursday while a magnetic resonance imaging test was analyzed.

Good news: Ely, a power forward/center, has a knee strain and the MRI indicated no torn ligaments that would require surgery. Ely will sit out Sunday's intra-squad scrimmage at UNC Wilmington's Trask Coliseum, but hopes to start practicing again Monday in Charlotte.

Not that knee surgery would ever be opportune, but Ely really couldn't afford to miss this season. He's on a one-year contract, becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season. He's already fighting for playing time among a crowd of seven big men on the Bobcats' roster.

Sean May barely got a chance to play for the Bobcats before a knee injury cut short his rookie season. By the time it was over, he was reduced to practices and a sideline seat during games.

"When you have a long injury, people move on and forget what you can do," May said. "But that's part of the reason I was so excited about coming to training camp and being able to showcase what I can do."

The Bobcats are counting on scoring from their first round pick, Adam Morrison.

"It's a good core group of guys around here and I'll get the opportunity to help this team out right away," Morrison said after Wednesday morning's workout at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. "My main goal is to do whatever it takes to get on the floor and let everything else take care of itself."

A basket collapsed during Charlotte Bobcats training camp Wednesday, leaving assistant coach Jeff Capel with a bruised right arm.

Capel said he was standing with Sean May when rookie Ryan Hollins dunked during a drill in Trask Coliseum at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The dunk caused the collapsable basket support to come down, interrupting practice for about five minutes.