ROOKIE JORDAN vs. LARRY BIRD, FEBRUARY 22nd, 1985..
The G.M. Rules
His stature as the sport's forever transcendent star – never mind his flawed history as a basketball executive –easily transformed Michael Jordan into the sport's most crudely judged executive. Around the league, people get a perverse pleasure when his decisions go awry, when he's humbled in a suit the way he never was in shorts.
Now, Jordan, the Charlotte Bobcats' part-owner and full emperor, has his executive legacy on the line. As it turned out, he was afforded the ability to trade the Bobcats' lottery pick for Golden State's Jason Richardson on draft day and, on Wednesday, re-sign burgeoning star Gerald Wallace.
As much as anything, this had hinged on owner Robert Johnson's willingness to stop treating Charlotte like a D-League franchise. He has had the league's lowest payroll and gutted the administrative staff and, ultimately, this summer promised to be an acid test for tenure.
Whatever minimal interest there's been in the NBA's return to Charlotte, staying on the cheap would've been a doomsday scenario for the franchise's future. Still, Jordan made a terrific draft-day deal for Richardson, because keeping North Carolina's Brandan Wright, or taking another teeny bopper, would've been crippling to the organization's credibility.
"In 10 years, maybe that's the wrong move," one Eastern Conference executive said, "but that's absolutely the right thing for Charlotte now. They couldn't add another young piece there, especially with a young coach (Sam Vincent) coming in."
Together, Wallace ($57 million) and Richardson ($51 million) give the Bobcats reason to believe that they're now playoff contenders in the East. They had to keep Matt Carroll, a shooter they developed, and did so for six years at $27 million. Bernie Bickerstaff did an underrated job constructing a formidable core through the expansion years, and now, Jordan gets the chance to make pro basketball relevant again in Charlotte.
MICHAEL JORDAN vs. LARRY BIRD 1988: 1988 was an incredible year for Michael Jordan. He won his first MVP, Defensive Player of the year, All Star MVP, the Slam Dunk Contest, his second straight scoring title and led the Bulls to 50 wins. But at that time the best team in the East was still Larry Bird's Boston Celtics. I've done something a little different this time. Instead of just showing Jordan's highlights, I've shown Birds as well because this was a classic shoot out.
"I thought we could've been a playoff team last year," Emeka Okafor told me recently from the NBA Players Association high school basketball camp. Now, management wants to talk to Okafor about a contract extension and the prospects of a trio with Wallace and Richardson has staying power. They're all in their mid-20's, all developing players.
They'd better hope that Jordan is still a developing executive, too. Drafting Kwame Brown with Washington's No. 1 pick six years ago, one of the worst picks ever, deserves to stain him forever. For Jordan, it was a window into how little preparation, how little research, went into his work. Drafting Adam Morrison was a lousy start to his ownership tenure a year ago (How in the world is he still on the Team USA trials roster?), but it's too early to declare him a bust.
Nevertheless, it appears Jordan's presence has, if nothing else, pressured Johnson into spending on his team. Jordan didn't want the embarrassment. Vincent could turn out to be the next Red Auerbach, but it was lost on no one that the Bobcats made him the lowest-paid coach in the league this summer. To be fair, Vincent has paid his dues what with several seasons in South Africa and Nigeria before returning to the States in the D-League and on Avery Johnson's Mavericks staff. Still, he was the kind of hire the Charlotte budget demanded the team make, a faceless assistant so thrilled to get the offer that he wouldn't haggle over his salary.
MICHAEL JORDAN 1988: 50 PTS vs. BOSTON CELTICS..
Jordan has surrounded himself with his usual cast of cronies, including Rod Higgins and Buzz Peterson. As much as competency, Jordan values loyalty around him. That's true with most league executives, but it wouldn't hurt him to have some original thinkers surrounding him. Nevertheless, Jordan was smart enough to keep Bickerstaff in the front office, even if he didn't want him as coach anymore.
For now, Michael Jordan has survived the scrutiny of the summer with something the Bobcats didn't have prior to his arrival: a playoff team. For Jordan's tattered front office legacy, it's a start.
Adrian Wojnarowski
Yahoo! Sports
Post je objavljen 10.07.2007. u 07:53 sati.