hard to believe the Wizards/Bullets were once a quality organization. I think they're approaching Clippers/Bengals/Orioles territory. Just start over...like an expansion team. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...ap/20030504/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bkn_jordan_wizards <b>Report: Jordan May Cut Ties With Wizards</b> NEW YORK - Michael Jordan's relationship with the Washington Wizards (news) has deteriorated to the point that he and the franchise might part ways, The New York Times reported Sunday. Citing two unidentified team executives, The Times said mounting player resentment toward Jordan, ownership's concerns about Jordan's work ethic as an executive, and Jordan's misgivings about the team's direction has left his future in doubt. Jordan, who gave up his position as president of basketball operations when he returned as a player two years ago, will meet with Wizards owner Abe Pollin next week. "All issues pertaining to the future direction of the franchise will be discussed later this week," Pollin said through a spokesman. A spokeswoman for Jordan told The Associated Press that she would not comment on the report. The Times also reported that an Eastern Conference official said Saturday that Jordan's advisers have been seeking to set up meetings about Jordan's potential ownership of other NBA teams. The 40-year-old Jordan often criticized his teammates — and several of them took shots at him in return — as the Wizards stumbled to a 37-45 finish and missed the playoffs for the second straight season with Jordan in the lineup. Before Jordan returned as a player, he attempted to run the team from his home in Chicago, leading to criticism that he was not sufficiently active in the day-to-day running of the franchise. On Friday, Wizards general manager Wes Unseld said he's taking a leave of absence to deal with health issues. The 57-year-old Unseld will leave the team following the NBA draft on June 26 for an undetermined amount of time.
This goes to show you that the Wizards will never contend for a title with their current role of players. Sometimes its not about talent but about attitude. Do you want to win or not? And how hard are you willing to work at it? To be the best requires excellence. The Wizards are far from ever reaching that level with their attitudes. You have to remember these guys are supposed to be professionals. We are not talking about highschool/college players who play simply for competition and fun. We are talking about guys who get paid in the millions to dribble the ball and execute the offense better then the other team. Jordan asked for excellence on the court. It's unfortunate that the Wizard players were not willing to match his intensity and love for the game. Wizard Players who highly underachieve 1. Kwame Brown <-- worst top pick in this history of the NBA. Trade him while his stock isn't too low. Could this guy be more lazy? 2. Jerry Stackhouse <-- no longer considered an all star 3. Charles Oakley <-- humm...but his mouth is bigger then his game Wizard Players to Keep 1. Tyronn Lue <-- can develop into a decent point guard 2. Bryon Russell <-- should limit himself to spot up jumper 3. Jared Jeffries <-- plays with more intensity then Kwame Brown 4. Christian Laettner <-- can play a decent backup/ never a starter 5. Juan Dixon <-- give him the rookie benifit of doubt... 6. Brendan Haywood <-- Because they only have 2 centers 7. White <-- gotta keep because he is a big body 8. Larry Hughes <-- humm..should have been more consistent
Congrats Jordon for putting together such a FINE basketball team in Washington! Great to see you developing those players. Your coming back for two years really seemed to help the team! It has grown and matured! Good to see you are STICKING AROUND to finish what you started! Glad you didn't just screw up the team and then leave if for dead! That would be horrible!
There was an article in the NY Times yesterday, very illuminating, about the tyrranical Michael Jordan. No one can deny he brought in dollars for the organization, and for the NBA. But, for example, last season (2001-02), Rip Hamilton got into a shouting match with Jordan, saying he was tired of being a Jordanaire. So look who got traded. They brought in Larry Hughes (hell, I'll take him, will they take Cat in exchange?) who also thought himself talented enough to play, rather than defer to King Jordan all the time. When he didn't put the ball in MJ's hands every time, Hughes was benched, and Tyronn Lue came in, who ALWAYS got the ball to MJ or always looked to the bench for MJ's directions (the guy was terrified). Players were mostly afraid to speak up after the season because they don't know in which office MJ will wind up; and the Wizards' office is still full of MJ-hired personnel. So, while Jordan brought great things to the league, he has managed to inflict his share of damage on two franchises. He steered free agents clear of Da Bulls; he didn't trade the #1 for Brand (taking Kwame Brown, thinking the Bulls wanted Kwame, but they probably fed Jordan misinformation about who they wanted---now the Wiz are stuck with Kwame until the kid grows up a bit). The Jordan Rules, I guess?
Jury is still out on MJ the GM. I doubt that MJ will return to Washington, the word is that he's ready to come back as part owner to Charlotte for the new team there. Jordan rules is probably true. I'm surprise Jerry STackhouse dare to speak to media against MJ. I'm waiting to see the consequences.
Jordan DOES wants part of the Charlotte expansion team... http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0504/1549213.html Source says Jordan wants stake in Charlotte -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Michael Jordan is interested in a possible role with the Charlotte expansion team and has talked recently with owner Robert Johnson about buying in as a partner, The Associated Press has learned. Johnson and Jordan have a publicly acknowledged friendship and have spoken frequently in recent years. But talks between the two men over the past three weeks have been different, including preliminary discussions over doing business together on the team Johnson bought last December for $300 million. "He and Bob have been talking,'' a source with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. "A deal isn't close. It's just the beginning of the discussion,'' said the source, who indicated that possible stumbling blocks could be the amount of control Jordan would want and the purchase price. "It isn't going to be a freebie,'' the source added. The as-yet-unnamed team will begin play in the 2004-05 season. The news of Jordan's possible involvement in Charlotte comes amid reports that his relationship with the Washington Wizards has deteriorated to the point where he and the franchise might part ways. Jordan is expected to meet with Wizards majority owner Abe Pollin this week to discuss his future role with the team. Jordan's talks with Johnson indicate that he is looking for alternative ventures that will keep him in the NBA -- even if it isn't in Washington. Jordan has ties to the area, having grown up in Wilmington, N.C., before playing for Dean Smith at North Carolina Johnson, the first black owner to hold a majority stake in a professional franchise, held discussions with Jordan in Washington, but Jordan was not initially interested, the source said. "Bob Johnson stayed after him. He thinks (Jordan) would be a great asset to the team and the community. He would help sell tickets,'' source said. Jordan retired as a player at the end of the regular season following a two-year comeback. Before returning as a player, he sold his shares in Lincoln Holdings, which owns the Washington Capitals and a minority stake in the Wizards. Jordan also resigned as Washington's president of basketball operations. It was widely expected that Jordan would repurchase his stake and take back his old front office job, but that may not happen. "I've urged everyone in our circle not to say anything,'' said Jordan's agent, David Falk. "At some point people will sit down together and see what makes sense.'' Messages left with spokesmen for the Wizards were not immediately returned. "I am not aware of any discussions between Bob or anyone else in our organization with Michael about possible involvement with the team,'' said Chris Weiller, a spokesman for the Charlotte team. "These talks have been rumored in the past because of Bob's friendship with Michael and the curiosity fueled by Michael's natural Carolina connection.'' During a visit to Charlotte last week, Johnson deflected all questions about Jordan's possible involvement with his expansion team. "Michael Jordan is under contract with the Washington Wizards until July 1,'' Johnson said Monday at a reception for the WNBA's Charlotte Sting. "Because he's under contract with another team, it is against league rules to discuss him.'' Jordan once tried to buy into the Charlotte Hornets. But when negotiations with owner George Shinn broke down in 1999 over issues of control, he instead made a deal with the Wizards. Since being awarded the NBA's 30th franchise, Johnson has said he was willing to sell shares in the team while holding onto the majority interest. There has been speculation since he applied for the new team that Johnson would try to involve Jordan in some capacity. Johnson's top hire has thus far been Ed Tapscott, who as executive vice president and chief operating officer is responsible for all basketball and business decisions and answers directly to Johnson. Tapscott said earlier this week that the team's general manager will be hired this summer and would be in charge of basketball operations. He said he was not interested in that role. "It's kind of hard to run the day-to-day operations as well as everything else,'' Tapscott said. "I think the team deserves someone with a certain focus on the day-to-day things.'' In his final season playing with Washington, the 40-year-old Jordan often criticized his teammates -- and some of them took shots at him in return -- as the Wizards stumbled to a 37-45 record and missed the playoffs for the second straight season. The New York Times reported Sunday that mounting player resentment toward Jordan, ownership's concerns about Jordan's work ethic as an executive and Jordan's misgivings about the team's direction has left his future in doubt. Also, The Washington Post quoted sources close to Jordan as saying that if Pollin attempts to curtail Jordan's influence during their upcoming meeting, or merely says something that unsettles him, Jordan could walk away. Before Jordan returned as a player and was still team president, he attempted to run the Wizards from his home in Chicago, leading to criticism that he was not sufficiently active in the day-to-day running of the franchise. The recent season ended in disarray for the Wizards, with coach Doug Collins complaining about players' lack of respect and with Jerry Stackhouse saying the team was looking forward to playing without Jordan. According to The Times, many of Jordan's teammates were asked if they wanted to contribute to a goodbye gift. The collective answer was: No.
Of course! It is MUCH easier to build a team with a clean salary cap slate than to clean up YOUR OWN MESS in Washington! Way to go Jordan! If Jordan wants part of the Charlotte franchise they should force him to fill his roster with the knuckleheads he had in Washington.
The worst part of this is that, when you look at what Jordan inherited, he actually did a good job when he first got to Washington. The Bullets traded Rasheed Wallace for Rod Strickland and traded and then traded Mitch Richmond for Christ Webber after they were renamed the Wizards, two of the worst trades in NBA history. He actually convinced Dallas to take on Juwan Howard's contract, a small miracle in itself. As for the Stackhouse/Hamilton deal, both teams finished with the exact same record as last year, so that deal seems to be a wash. His main problem is that his "motivational tactics" don't work very well with younger players like Brown, Dixon, and Jeffries. Personally, I think that Brown will perform much better once Jordan's out of town...
I especialy agree with your Brown take. I am sure some team in the NBA will try to fleece the Wizards of Brown this summer. The only really good thing Jordan did GM wise for the team is trading Howard's contract. I don't think they did any better with the Stackhouse/Hamilton trade. Jordan just stunted the growth of the team for two years. It seems to me that the players are HAPPY that he is gone. You would think if he made any good difference (work ethic, thurst for winning etc) for the team they would have been sad that he was gone. I don't think they learned anything while Jordan was there. And the blame falls on both the players and Jordan. Was anything accomplished other than Jordan scratching his itch to play ball for two more years? Is this franchise any better off? I am not convinced.
What did he say to Kwame Brown to make him cry? Also, from the Charolette Observer: ...Jordan hasn't been discarded by a basketball team since he was cut from the varsity as a high-school sophomore, a setback that help motivate him into becoming one of the best players ever. As if he were intent on making history repeat itself, Jordan quickly set in motion a possible plan to prove the Wizards wrong. It didn't take long before he was on the phone with good friend Robert Johnson, owner of the new Charlotte franchise. "He just called to say, 'Hey, I wanted to let you know what decision has been made. When you get a chance, let's talk,'" Johnson said. "We're friends. It won't take us very long to get together."... Good luck to MJ. Washington will continue to suck anyhow...
Well, that's his own damned fault for hand picking EACH and EVERY single one of those players except for Jahidi White.
And you guys wonder why I dislike Jordan so much. This kind of looking down on teammates and coaches isn't new.
