The debut was spectacular: Shifting to a D.J. Augustin-Kemba Walker backcourt and moving forward Boris Diaw to the bench resulted in a 112-100 victory Saturday over the Golden State Warriors.

Just don't think this is a panacea to the Charlotte Bobcats' struggles, and that there's nothing more to adjust.

The Bobcats are quicker, faster, more attacking and more energetic, based on Saturday's performance. They scored 48 points in the lane and shot 50 percent from the field. Walker scored a career-high 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting.

But they're distinctly smaller now. One of those guards must defend a bigger shooting guard most every night. Gerald Henderson must guard small forwards for the first time in his NBA career. And Tyrus Thomas is back at power forward, where coach Paul Silas feels he needs more strength and bulk to excel.

"Defense can be an issue. We'll be dealing with larger" shooting guards, Silas said of his new lineup, which faces the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday in a 2 p.m. Martin Luther King Day matinee at Time Warner Cable Arena. "But Kemba is tough-minded; he's not going to back down. I thought he did a great job on Monta Ellis."

No doubt of that, based on Ellis' abysmal 6-of-26 shooting Saturday. But Ellis has similar dimensions to Walker, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 184 pounds. The next four opponents - Cleveland, Orlando, Chicago and New Jersey - all start shooting guards 6-5 or taller.

Regarding Walker's true size, Bobcats owner Michael Jordan jokingly referred to him as "my 5-11 guy" in the preseason.

Still, this was the right call in the face of a six-game losing streak and what Silas called a "lackadaisical" atmosphere. Walker is young and hungry, and led Connecticut to the national championship. While he must become a better shooter (40 percent from the field so far), there's a frenetic energy about the guy that needed to be tapped.

Silas called the difference in performance "unbelievable."

"We weren't just standing around with no energy level," Silas described. "(Saturday) we weren't just settling for jump shots. We were really passing it inside."

Augustin and Walker believe there are workarounds that can make this backcourt effective. Obviously, the Bobcats will play more zone defense as a way of keeping bigs closer to the rim to offer help against penetration.

"I like how we played fast. Kemba and I can really move the ball," said Augustin, who finished with 16 points and seven assists against the Warriors. "Defensively we can help each other."

Added Walker, "It's going to be tough, but the whole team can make it work."

Certainly the other way wasn't working. As Augustin concluded, "When we play sluggish, we can't beat anybody."

Irving impact: Former Duke star Kyrie Irving, the No. 1 overall pick by the Cavaliers, plays his first game as a pro in Charlotte Monday. Irving's change-of-direction with the dribble is an exceptional weapon when the NBA so closely enforces no hand-checking on dribblers.

Irving is averaging 17 points, 5.1 assists and shooting 47 percent from the field. Henderson, another former Blue Devil, played with him frequently in pick-up games in Durham.

"He's got some things he can do with the ball I've just never seen anyone else do. He's got that ball on a string," Henderson said.

"He's special, and that's why he was the No. 1 pick. His agility is unique, for sure."