MJ introduced as the Bobcats owner...by Bob
Posted by Brett on 03/18/2010"I can tell you it was like a courtship. I wooed, he refused. I begged, he refused. I cajoled, he demurred. Finally, I said, Michael, you gotta come down to Charlotte." That was Bob Johnson talking today about bringing Michael Jordan in as a minority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats on the day Jordan held his first press conference as the new majority owner of the franchise. I started listening to an audio file of today's press conference, and this quote just grabbed me immediately: It seemed so...odd. Bob Johnson talking about courting Michael Jordan - I do not know quite what to make of it. I assume Michael represented to Bob a way to validate his franchise and to breathe life into it - and now MJ has managed to give a pulse to the team, just in time for the losses associated with the first few years to drive Bob into selling the team to him. Courtship, partnership, and now - not quite a divorce, but an unusual change in relationship and property ownership. From the outside, it would seem like a strange relationship now between the two men - one that I would not have given much thought to, had this not been how Mr. Johnson introduced his successor today.
Which brings me to this: Less than 6 years into the life of the new organization, Bob Johnson has been forced into stepping aside from the team he brought to life - forced through a confluence of circumstance, some issues of his own creation and some beyond his control. Despite my criticism of some of Johnson's decisions previously and my optimism about the new beginning Jordan represents, it is still sad to see someone forced to give up a goal after so much work and dedication to the pursuit of that achievement. When Jordan says that Bob Johnson is still a minority owner and will be a welcome voice, it is good to hear - and I hope that Mr. Johnson is able to enjoy the future success of the Bobcats and remember the major role he played in getting this all started without bitterness. I may not have agreed with every decision made, but Bob Johnson brought basketball back to Charlotte and I greatly appreciate that.
The future of basketball in Charlotte becomes more interesting again now, doesn't it? With questions about who is going to own the team (and what moves will be made to help make it more attractive to buyers) gone, the focus can return to the court (and the people who figure out who to put out there). And Michael discussed that today too:
Rick Bonnell put together a big post of quotes from MJ - "This will be a very interesting end of the season for us as far as letting us know whether we should maintain the course we are on – keeping Stephen Jackson, Gerald Wallace, all these guys intact. And if we can sign Raymond (Felton) without going over the luxury tax, if we can keep Tyrus Thomas, barring any kind of movement of other personnel to free up (cap) space."Video of the event from the Charlotte Observer
An AP recap of the press conference at ESPN.com
Check out those links - and there are bound to be more. I will update as I come across interesting content (I think James will have something up over at ProBasketballNews.com soon).
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