Should Michael Jordan Coach The Bobcats Himself?
By Matt Hamm
The Charlotte Bobcats just finished with the worst winning percentage in NBA history (.106). Coach Paul Silas is now out as head coach as the franchise led by the greatest player ever Michael Jordan wait to pray around a bunch of ping pong balls. Silas isn’t a great coach, but he’s not an awful coach either and he isn’t the reason this team was so bad. Could a legendary, hall of fame type of coach have got more out of this team? Maybe, but if so, not very much and all it would do is give Jordan and the Cats less of those ping pong balls.
Jordan has been getting beat up in the media lately. The story isn’t how bad the Bobcats are, the story is how bad the team MJ owns is. I’ve defended Michael recently, my belief is that though he isn’t a great owner/executive, he did what he had to do in this situation. The Bobcats were not a good team and they weren’t a team that was ever going to contend for a title. They also cost a lot of money and the stadium wasn’t full. In other words, Jordan had no reason other than a few more meaningless wins and the potential at a meaningless #8 seed. That’s not what Jordan wants, he wants a title. Seeing the writing on the wall, he dumped the team and started over. The results, an awful team on the floor with only a couple players worth moving forward with. What Jordan also has is a chance at prime lottery picks the next couple years and a ton of cap space.
Now he needs a coach. Who wants to coach this team? Nobody, that’s who. This is not a big market, and the talent level on the roster is the worst in the NBA. A lot of the criticism on Jordan’s ownership style is that he doesn’t work hard at being an owner and is often too distant from the team. What better way to show everyone how committed you are to the team than to put on a suit every game and coach the team? I don’t think Jordan could really come back and play in the NBA effectively at his age anymore. I’m still convinced he can put on a pair of shorts and school most of this roster whenever he wants on the practice floor still.
Jordan is and always will be unfairly criticized. He’s Michael Jordan, he can’t be like a lot of owners and not involve himself day to day all season long. His teams success, or lack thereof is a direct reflection on him, fair or not. In the NBA you must have a superstar before you can build anything. The Clippers were one of the worst franchises in sports, nobody wanted to play for, or coach them. Then Blake Griffin fell into their laps and suddenly Chris Paul is fine with playing for the other LA team. Anthony Davis might not be that player, assuming that’s who the Cats take with the #1 pick. The Bobcats will likely be bad next year also, the longer the team is bad, the more risk Jordan is taking that the fan base will turn.
Jordan was an awfully demanding teammate, he’s even admitted to fighting teammates in practice over not playing hard enough. He’s very detailed and he couldn’t accept failure as a player. No doubt Jordan is stubborn, which makes me believe he will stick to his plan and try to make it work. Don’t believe the hype, one thing MJ is not doing, is selling this team. He still makes more money in endorsements than any athlete. He has multiple business endeavors, he may be losing a little money, make no mistake, Jordan is fine financially. He’s in it for the long haul. Who knows if he would make a good coach. I think he would, even someone as stubborn as Michael matures. He could practice with them once or twice a week. Teach them the little things, and ensure his team plays hard no matter what the score is. At the same time, he would become the face of the franchise on a nightly basis. Taking pressure off his young roster and putting butts in the seats.