Not that this should surprise you, but we live in a very cynical world. We easily turn on people, especially those in the public eye.
Except in the case of one man: Michael Jordan.
Why has no one really – and I mean really, truly – taken Jordan to task for his lack of prowess in owning and guiding the Charlotte Bobcats?
Simple.
It’s Michael Jordan. His Airness. The true G.O.A.T. And attacking “The Man” isn’t fun or easy. But he’s making it easy.
The Charlotte Bobcats, shortened 66-game season or not, are one loss away from becoming the worst team in the history of the NBA. The Bobcats sit at a measly 7-58 – a .108 winning percentage. The Bobcats have lost 22 straight games.
This cannot be qualified as tanking – you have to have tried at some point during the season to actually notice a drop in productivity to qualify as tanking. These guys just plain stink.
They aren’t even close to the vicinity of competitive, with an average margin of loss is 13.9 points per game. The next closest team isn’t even half that number – the Cleveland Cavaliers lose by an average of 6.8 points. They’ve tied a record for most consecutive home losses by at least 20 points with three. The Chicago Bulls beat the Bobcats about a week ago by the ridiculous score of 100-68 – and the Bulls were without reigning MVP Derrick Rose.
If I wanted to write 2,000 words on their level of sucktitude, I could. Easily. But I’d rather question the motives and the heart of their owner. Actually, to be honest, I’d rather not.
This is Michael Jordan. And I’ll always remember Jordan as Air Jordan.
I owned countless posters. I wore out the tape of “Come Fly With Me.” I had the shoes, the shorts, the t-shirts. Like pretty much every American kid, I idolized and adored Jordan from 1990-1998.
And all I want to do is channel my inner Apollo Creed and give him the speech from “Rocky III”: What the hell is the matter with you?
He is Michael Jordan. What is he doing? I could care less about his legacy. As a player, it’s complete and cannot be touched.
I just want to know what he is thinking. Why buy the team? Is he bored of smoking cigars, gambling and playing golf? Apparently not – because he’s still doing these things while owning the Bobcats.
He hired and fired Larry Brown, but hey, who hasn’t, right? But to replace Brown with Paul Silas, who should have been put out to coaching pasture years ago, begs the question: are you trying to lose? I mean, who better to coach a team of young players than a coach who has trouble relating to young players and the current generation. And the only proof I need of that is the fight he had with Tyrus Thomas less than 10 days ago.
We’ve metaphorically killed nearly everyone else during or after their playing careers, but we’re afraid to touch on how inept Jordan is as an owner. And perhaps it’s because of the reverence we treated him with – both as young fans and the media. For so long, he could do no wrong.
He punched teammates in the face – well, he’s just trying to lead and motivate! They should raise their game!
He has a huge gambling problem – well, even the best need to blow off some steam; besides, it’s his money.
He cheated on his wife, perhaps multiple times – no one understands the pressure of being Jordan, so who am I to judge?
Well, we should judge him. And we should have shamed him a little more. Perhaps that would have balanced out the massive ego – the same one that ran amuck in 2008 at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where in his speech he came off as selfish, bitter and hostile.
Jordan only pays attention when the media does, or when he feels like it or when it’s raining and he can’t play 36 holes. For all the game has given to Jordan, what has he given back to it? Fantasy camps where he charges thousands of dollars just to get a glimpse of him?
Look at his peers. Magic and Bird are uber-ambassadors for the game. Bird coached and is now a GM. Magic coached, owned and mentors players. Even Isiah has tried; he may have been terrible and put the New York Knicks back a decade, but he did try – he was just bad at his job.
Jordan just doesn’t even seem to be trying. He complains about costs of being an NBA owner and staunchly sided with the owners (somewhat expected, but highly ironic) during labor negotiations last year. It’s tough to take him seriously as an owner who complains about player greed when Jordan made $36 million for the Bulls in 1997-98.
Perhaps that’s his problem – he’ll never think of any player as highly as he thinks of himself. And while this is probably true – it also has a damning effect on his ownership abilities and personnel evaluations.
Some people point to his involvement with the players – like practicing with them. But Jordan doesn’t practice to mentor – he does it for himself. To prove that he’s still got it, to prove to everyone else he’s still got it. He’s still that guy who uses every slight to prove something, except he’s searching for it in ways that won’t lead to good things in this stage of his life.
He drafted Kwame Brown in 2001, then unretired, then rode the 18-year-old’s ass for two years telling him how bad he was. Doug Collins idly sat by and watched. The same Doug Collins who’s done amazing things with the young Philadelphia 76ers in a tough Eastern Conference the past two years. Collins is the same coach, except in Washington, he was the No. 2 guy to Jordan. And he wanted Michael’s approval.
Everyone wants Michael’s approval. Even his friends. I’ve always wondered why Charles Barkley was friends with Jordan, with all the smack talk Jordan peppered in Barkley’s direction. Chuck doesn’t take crap from anyone, except Jordan. Everyone else ends up verbally abused or thrown through a plate-glass window by Chuck. But not Jordan.
Jordan loves all of this. He loves being the ultimate alpha-dog. It’s another ego boost. Which is why it seems like Jordan refuses to surround himself with good basketball minds that might disagree which his choices of roster moves. He doesn’t want to be told he’s wrong.
Jordan recently disputed this notion. He said he has people who tell him no and who challenge him. Funny thing is, you never hear about it. All you see are the results piling up. A horrible team ran by a cheap boss who’s employing a coach who picks fights with his players.
He better be careful. Charlotte had problems holding on to a team once before, with the Hornets. And fans don’t come out in droves for years on end to watch disinterested and terrible basketball teams. If he thinks the money and cash flow are tough now, wait until next season’s ticket sales come in.
I guess I just remain shocked. When he took over as an owner, I imagined he’d have problems with the players by demanding too much from them and expecting the same extraordinary effort he put forth. I figured he’d try to buy and lure some of the best players, especially the ones wearing his brand. And I assumed he’d become one of those guys out in front of the media, demanding better effort, posturing as always. But the thing is, he’s the complete opposite of that: absent, buying cheap players, a quiet and aloof owner.
Are these the new Jordan Rules? A massive, out-of-control ego that passively engages in business affairs?
To give him the benefit of the doubt any longer is to give him too much credit now. If you think this season is an aberration and has been an angle to get Kentucky phenom Anthony Davis, I’d counter with that I’m starting to wonder if he has paid enough attention to know who Anthony Davis is.
Michael Jordan always was groundbreaking.
But this…thisis truly rare air.
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