If North Carolina fans are ready for next season to begin on the hardwoods, they are not alone. (On a side note: I can not wait to see how the basketball team will do next year, with or without Harrison Barnes, but I am truly ready to see what the new look football team will be like as well) From what James McAdoo said after his stellar performance at the Jordan Brand Classic, played last night in Charlotte in front of a crowd that included Michael Jordan and Harrison Barnes, he can not wait for the next step in his career, which will be to attend the University of North Carolina. The 6’8″ McAdoo told the following to the media, as reported in this article on ESPN, after the game…

“High school kind of got boring. After a while it’s just the same thing over and over,” the 6-foot-8 Norfolk, Va., native said. “So just getting on campus there and kind of being put back at the bottom of the totem pole is just going to be get me to work harder and proving myself once again.”

If last night was any hint the young man will be proving himself quite often, as he had a big time double double with 26 points and 14 rebounds, to lead the East over the West in this edition of the JBC and getting him co-MVP at the event. Maybe even more impressive was that with less than 2 seconds to go in the game the power forward walked up to the free throw line and sank both of his shots to give the East a 113-109 victory. The young man also said that…

“I see myself fitting in very well,”

Somehow I think he is going to do just that, and with the opposing defenses focusing on the two bigs (Tyler Zeller and John Henson) coming back, McAdoo might just get a lot more possibilities than people think. Add to that the fact that he is a good free throw shooter, and he might be the big man next to Zeller when the game is coming to an end. This is definitely baseball time, but I can hardly wait for the pre-season football camps to open and then Late Night with Roy to get here!

Larry Brown

Head coach Larry Brown, who took the Charlotte Bobcats to their first ever playoff run (losing to Orlando in four games) after going 44-38 in the regular season, is now going to ponder what is next move is. In a small article by the Winston-Salem Journal it says that the Tar Heel was at a crossroad, loving where he is at in coaching, but hating that his family (wife and 2 teenage kids) were in Philadelphia. With the coach getting close to 70 years of age there are many paths that you could see him take. Brown could stay with the Bobcats, look at other offers (some say the 76′ers want him) even though her said he didn’t want to coach for anyone but another Tar Heel, Michael Jordan, or retire for good. From what coach Brown said in the article he is going to go home and talked about it all with his wife. He also said that the decision will come soon…

“I don’t want this to drag on,” Brown said. “But I think the worst thing you can do is make a decision right after the playoffs. But I still want to coach, and I told that to Michael, that I don’t want to coach for anyone else.”

Asked about all of this, the majority owner said…

“I’m not going to let him go so easily,” Jordan said.

I have to say that while I am not an NBA fan, just follow it because of fourteen Heels that play in it, I would like to see what another couple of years under coach Brown would do for the Bobcats. However, with this having been the tenth stop in the coach’s career, I would not be surprised if Jordan is going to be looking for a new coach for the upcoming season. As usual, as I do for all the Heels, let me wish the best to both Larry Brown and Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan (GoogleSearch)

I found this nice little video from NBA.com of the new Charlotte Bobcats’ owner, Michael Jordan. In it he talks about how the way he works within the team is going to change now that he is the majority owner of the franchise. And while we are talking about the ex Tar Heel, I found a small article from Charlotte Observer talking about Jordan and another Tar Heel in the Bobcats, head coach Larry Brown, talking about bringing in Allen Iverson. From the sounds of it coach Brown was in favorite it while MJ was not, they discussed it once, and that was the end of that. Between the video I saw and the way Jordan put to rest Iverson coming to Charlotte I have to say I am pretty impressed how he is handling things in his new role. Let’s not forget that it was Jordan that brought the coach to Charlotte and it was the two of them that have the Bobcats in their first playoff appearance ever.

Michael Jordan (GoogleSearch)

Maybe the biggest thing that a lot of people were wondering about the Michael Jordan acquisition of the Charlotte Bobcats was “would he be more visible and at the games”. From an article from the New York Times it seems that the new majority owner is going to do just that. Jordan has also gone on record as saying that he would turn to the commissioner of the league, the owner of the Chicago Bulls, Jerry Reinsdorf, as well as others for advice in rebuilding the Charlotte franchise. Overall, from what I have read around the net, Jordan seems totally ready for this challenge, and I think that is a great, since someone like MJ could surely turn things around wherever he went.

“I just want the city to experience what winning is all about.”

And if there is someone that can tell people/fans/a city what winning is all about it would definitely be Michael Jordan, who has been a winner at all levels of basketball (college, pro, olympics). But the quote that I truly liked from the articles was:

“If you had asked me 5, 10 years ago if I would be here with the opportunity to own a basketball team, I would have never believed it,” Jordan said at Time Warner Cable Arena. “Yet it’s a dream come true for me.”

That to me shows that this is about doing something good for the squad and not just a toy that he wanted to have. I truly believe that Jordan, who right now is the sole investor, is out to make the Bobcats a franchise that can be used as an example of how things should be done. Is it going to take time? Of course, everything that is done well takes time. With his leadership and the right people behind him I truly think that in a few years Charlotte could be one of those teams that not only puts a good product on the court but does it well when it comes to the “behind the scenes” and the front offices. This is not just a chance for just MJ but for all the talented players that have played in the NBA that could “get back into the game” in more ways than just coaches and player development.

As I always do, let me wish all the best to Michael Jordan on this venture of his.

What we all knew would be is now approved and final, Michael Jordan’s bid to own controlling interest in the Charlotte Bobcats was unanimously approved by NBA Board of Governors. The one thing I did learn, and find really interesting, is that of right now Jordan is the only investor in the ownership group. And while most people people believe the ex NBA superstar will find local investors. David Stern said that he was pleased that the purchase was “closed in such a smooth and expeditious fashion”. Now we will wait for MJ to talk about all of this since he had said he would not be speaking on the transaction until it was approved. All I can say is that I wish the best of luck to the Tar Heel that once said to me “move out of the way frosh”.

Michael Jordan

From what I have gathered by reading this small online article by the Gaston Gazzette reports are that the National Basketball Association should be approving the purchase of the Charlotte Bobcats by Michael Jordan by the end of next week. David Stern, who told the AP about the timeline of the approval, has never made a secret that he hoped that MJ would become the first former player to be a majority owner of a franchise. A week from today all of that should be a reality. Several people close to all of this say that Jordan is going to have a news conference once the approval goes through, and that plans are being made for this presser to be done on Thursday. Commissioner Stern told the media this of Jordan and the purchase of the Bobcats:

“He considers himself a North Carolina native and he’s quite anxious to make this team into an important part of the community,” Stern told AP. “I think he has the capacity and the will to do that. I think he’s the right majority owner at the right time.”

Jordan, whos has been a minority owner of the franchise as well as the managing member of basketball operation, has declined interviews since February 27 (when the deal went down), explaining that he would answer questions about the sale after his approval by the league. Hopefully the article is correct and we will learn a lot more by the end of next week. As I do with all the Heels let me wish Michael Jordan all the best as he heads into this new chapter of his life.

From the sounds of an online article in the Gaston Gazette it sounds that the new owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, is looking to bring another Tar Heel to the franchise. No, it’s not free agent Rashad McCants, no, it’s not any of the fourteen NBA’ers that come from Chapel Hill, it’s one of MJ’s team mates from when they both played for Dean Smith, James Worthy. It’s unsure what Worthy would do, but he says in the article that he has spoken with Jordan about it and when he is ready to hire he has his number. I have to say I would love to see James Worthy working hand in hand with Jordan on this. Will it happen? Only time will tell, but if I had to guess, my gut feeling would tell me “yes”, which would mean a Heel as a player (Raymond Felton), as a coach (Larry Brown), in the offices (James Worth) and as an owner (Michael Jordan). As I do with all the Tar Heels, best of luck to James Worthy on coming back to the East coast and to MJ to make the best moves for his team.

Michael Jordan (GoogleSearch)

(Thanks to @InTheBleachers for the head’s up on this). And it’s official, it seems, from a small blur by the AP that Michael Jordan will now be the controlling owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. A spokesperson for owner Bob Johnson told the Associated Press that Jordan, or better said “MJ Basketball Holdings, LLC”, had been able to get an ownership group and buy the team. No news yet on how much money it took for this transaction to happen, and of course this needs to be approved by the NBA’s owners. It should be an interesting time for the Bobcats as Michael Jordan will go from running the basketball side of the team to running the whole franchise. I will also love to find out how much of the Bobcats Jordan’s partnership bought overall.

Let me congratulate Michael Jordan on this great new venture he is going to embark in. Hopefully one day he will have done as much for that franchise as he did for North Carolina and Chicago.

Michael Jordan (GoogleSearch)

To keep an eye on what is going on with the Charlotte Bobcats and Michael Jordan the last article I found about it is from TrueHoop from ESPN. And the online post starts off by asking: “Is Michael Jordan, at long last, about to have his own NBA team?” And answers it by saying: “Likely“. That should give a pretty good hint that Jordan should going to get his way and something the commissioner of the league has made no bones about liking, as Stern told reporters the following at the NBA All Star weekend “if Michael were to be a buyer that would be a good thing.” But what does owning the Bobcats that truly mean? The NBA likes any team’s “controlling owner” to own at least 15% of the team. And of that, how much would it be Jordan’s and how much would it be by his partners? That I have no clue about, but I know one thing, it should be interesting to see how MJ would run this franchise. Two sources close to the story, which a lot of people think should be resolved pretty quickly, believe that Jordan & Company have the inside track on the deal. So, hold on as this ride should be coming to an end, and we should know more within days (if not hours).

I would have to say this, a team owned/runned by Michael Jordan would have to be well connected to any and all sponsorships possible, and that, in the Y2K mentality can only be a positive, no? The key to me is pretty simple, will the Bobcats become Jordan’s number one priority, being there all the time, working for their best interest 100%, or is he still going to stay “away” (living in Chicago) and not being there on a day in day out situation.

As I do with all Tar Heels, let me wish all the best to Michael Jordan as he tries to get controlling powers of the Charlotte Bobcats.

Michael Jordan

Is Michael Jordan going to be the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats? Not sure, but we might know the answer pretty quickly as The Charlotte Observer believes that this could all be resolved by today even. As we all know by now the two contenders for this are ex Heel Michael Jordan and ex Houston Rockets president George Postolos. Both men have denied interviews/comments on their position in this whole situation is. In all there is a value of $ 260 million that either have to come in with in order to purchase the NBA franchise. From what I have read/heard it seems that Jordan was still looking for partners to get into this venture. With time winding down, or so it seems by the story, and MJ still looking for help I have to say that if I was guessing it might be Postolos in the better situation to become the majority owner of this team. But, as the old saying goes, only time will tell, and so we will all wait to see what happens with the ownership of the Bobcats.

As I do with all Tar Heels let me wish the best to Michael Jordan as he tries to make this deal work. As soon as more news comes out I will make sure to put it up here on “The Fifth Corner”.