[SI]Bobcats' shuffle hints at NBA return for Jordan

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/ian_thomsen/05/25/jordan.bobcats/index.html

M.J. goin' to Carolina?

Rival teams were shocked by the news Wednesday that the well-regarded Ed Tapscott had been forced out as president of the Charlotte Bobcats. Does this surprising move mean that bigger changes are on the way?

Adding to the intrigue is the sighting about three weeks ago of Charlotte owner Robert Johnson and Michael Jordan dining together in the Washington, D.C., restaurant Café Milano.

I'm told that the Bobcats lost money this season in spite of having the league's smallest player payroll ($33 million) and newest arena. As a result, people around the league who study such things say they would not be surprised if Johnson sold the franchise, especially after the collapse of his original plan to build the regional sports network C-SET around the Bobcats. C-SET died in its first year.

Jordan has been looking to buy an NBA team since he was fired as president of the Wizards three years ago. Not only could he take over the struggling Bobcats at a relatively cheap price, but Jordan's good name and his roots in North Carolina -- he helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1982 NCAA title -- could give the franchise a realistic shot at succeeding at the cash register. When Jordan was running the Wizards, he moved their training camp to his hometown of Wilmington, N.C., so there is no doubt that he would feel comfortable about returning home to Carolina.

Do I know for a fact that Jordan is negotiating to buy the Bobcats? No. And I'll be the first to point out that it was not unusual for Johnson and Jordan to be seen together in that particular restaurant.

The key question is whether the team is for sale.

There has to be something afoot to explain the mysterious departure of Tapscott, who had been running the Bobcats since their inception. With a month left on his contract, he was suddenly asked to accept a demotion -- even though his work had been applauded both inside and outside the organization. It's hard to believe that a frugal owner like Johnson would actually be planning to increase the size of his front office, as a team source suggested to the Charlotte Observer while explaining that Tapscott had been overworked.

Is Johnson now head-hunting for several managers to take over Tapscott's vacant headquarters, or is the owner making room for a certain someone to take the franchise off his hands entirely? If it's true that Johnson is looking to sell, it's obvious that the first potential buyer on his list would be Jordan.