Michael Jordan is among the top 2 most significant players in NBA history. Whether it be the accolades he amassed during his career with the Bulls or his impact on the sneaker game with the Jordan brand, MJ will forever be cemented in the history books of the younger generation who may have never seen him play a minute of basketball. It’s always fun to see players transition into management or ownership. You’d look at it from the surface and say that’s a smart hire. This guy played the game at a high level, so he should know precisely the player(s) needed to win.
In 2010, Jordan bought the then Charlotte Bobcats for 210 million. With that acquisition, The Bobcats went from the NBA purgatory to a team that the city of Charlotte could be proud of. Remember, There was a time when Charlotte had one of the most exciting teams in the NBA. It was Larry “Grandmama” Johnson dunking all night, Alonzo Mourning sending shots into the 4th row, or even Mugsy getting people the hope that no matter what you’re physical stature was, as long as you had heart, you could succeed in whatever it is you set your heart to do, You could make an argument that Charlotte was one of “America’s Team’s” back in the early 90’s.
Let’s first talk about the draft picks he’s made as the majority owner of the Hornets/Bobcats. Was Kwame Brown & Adam Morrison a fluke?
- Drafted Kemba Walker with the 9th overall pick in the 2011 draft
- Drafted Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft (Over Bradley Beal & Damian Lillard)
- Drafted Cody Zeller with the 4th pick of the 2013 NBA draft (Over CJ McCollum, Giannis Antetokunmpo & Rudy Gobert)
- Drafted Noah Vonleah with the 9th pick of the 2014 NBA draft (Over Zach Lavine & Nikola Jokic).
- Drafted Frank Kaminsky with the 9th pick of the 2015 NBA draft (Over Myles Turner & Devin Booker)
- Drafted Malik Mond with the 11th pick in the 2017 NBA draft (Over Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo & Jarrett Allen)
- Drafted Miles Bridges with the 12th pick in the 2018 NBA draft (Over Michael Porter Jr., Jalen Brunson & Mitchell Robinson).
- Drafted PJ Washington with the 12th pick on the 2019 NBA draft (Over Tyler Herro & Jordan Poole)
- Drafted Lamelo Ball with the 3rd pick in the 2020 NBA draft (Success)
- Drafted James Bouknight with the 11th pick in the 2021 NBA draft (Over Alperen Sengun & Cam Thomas) while trading for the draft rights to Kai Jones (Out of the league).
- Drafted Mark Williams with the 15th pick in the 2022 NBA draft.
What about some notable signings and trades? Remember, This is the greatest player of all time who wants you to be a part of what he’s building.
- Nicolas Batum 5yrs/120 Million in 2016
- Marvin Williams 4yrs/54.5 Million in 2016
- Terry Rozier 3yrs/56.7 Million in 2019
- Gordon Hayward 4yrs/120 Million in 2020
- Kelly Oubre Jr. 2yrs/25 Million in 2021
Now, some of those players had some signature moments as a Hornet. Two players (Hayward & Rozier) are still team members today, but NONE of those players have impacted winning for the Hornets. But let’s go deeper!
- Traded the draft rights to Tobias Harris (2011).
- Sign and trade deal for Lance Stephenson back in 2014.
- Traded the draft rights to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018).
- Traded the draft rights to Jalen Duren (2022).
So Jordan hasn’t had an excellent eye for bringing players in to change the narrative, But what about coaches?
- Larry Brown (9-19)
- Paul Silas (32-88)
- Mike Dunlap (21-61)
- Steve Clifford (153-175) First stint in Charlotte
- James Borrego (138-163)
- Steve Clifford (27-55) Second stint in Charlotte
Ehh.
So, as you can see, Nothing compared to his playing days. Despite all of that, there were some good things.
- Making the playoffs in 13-14 (eliminated 1st round).
- Changing the name from the Bobcats to the Hornets after the 14 season.
- Signing Al Jefferson.
- Making the playoffs in 15-16 (lost in the 1st round).
Umm, What else?
- Hosting the 2019 NBA All-Star game (after the NBA moved it in 2017).
- Millions of dollars to the community.
And perhaps the best thing he’s done
- Selling majority ownership for 3 billion dollars.
This is the Hornet’s first season without Jordan as the head man in charge, and I genuinely believe they can relax a bit. Playing for an all-time great is always tricky, no matter the sport. You are expected to come in and be great, even if you don’t have the proper system, coaching, or teammates. For the first time in 13 years, The Hornets can be okay with being a lousy team with expectations for the future. There’s a lot to be excited about in Charlotte now that they don’t have Jordan over them.
- Lamelo Ball & Brandon Miller are your building blocks.
- PJ Washington’s emergence in his 5th season
- Mark Williams is emerging as a defensive stalwart.
- Future assets if you decide to trade Gordon Hayward & Terry Rozier.
Things looked bleak at first, and rightfully so. But now, Charlotte can finally be evil in peace.
West Coast Hoops 