Michael Jordan’s majority ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats was announced just over a week ago, but his approach is already drastically different. Namely, it seems like he actually cares. I’m not necessarily sold that he does, but for once, post-retirement Jordan is trying to sell us on himself the way he’s always tried to sell us on his shoes, on Hanes, and on Gatorade.
Head of basketball operations Jordan didn’t even bother to be in the city for home games, much less care what anyone had to say. Part-owner Jordan didn’t often go to watch his team in person, much less care what anyone had to say. And now, after the announcement that Jordan will be the official owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, he’s suddenly sitting right there at the end of the bench, posturing like all hell for the cameras, and still doesn’t much care what anyone has to say.
He still wants to be visible because he’s still Michael Jordan. And though he’s enjoyed his stint away from the constant bright lights, let’s not for a minute pretend that he doesn’t like the attention. Jordan’s afforded the opportunity to be callous because he knows that no matter what he does, the lights will find him. The cameras will find him. And before it may have taken a glance around the luxury boxes to see him glad-handing a potential sponsor, but now with his name in the headlines once again, Jordan is making himself completely visible yet again.
Take this quick hit from Ira Winderman in his recap of last night’s Heat-Bobcats game:
Michael Jordan, Charlotte’s impending majority owner, not only is
becoming more of a fixture at Bobcats games, but now sits at the end of
the team’s bench. Somehow, we couldn’t envision Pat Riley sharing fist
pumps with Yakhouba Diawara.
I know that’s Mark Cuban’s shtick, but here’s the difference: in all of Cuban’s years as Owner of the Dallas Mavericks, I’ve never once questioned his commitment or sincerity. He lives and dies with that team. It’s why he’s outspoken, it’s why he sends in tapes that showcase bad refereeing, it’s why David Stern takes a long sigh before answering a phone with Mark on the other end. The Mavs were his team long before they were his team, and for an owner of that mentality, sitting on the bench and being more involved makes sense.
But for Jordan? Grow up, man. We’ve seen you try to run the show before, and I don’t expect to see you jumping up and down after a Raymond Felton three-pointer. Hell, I didn’t even really expect for you to show up for the games at all. But here you are, gracing the Bobcats’ bench with your presence, and making everything considerably more difficult and awkward in the process.
As Kelly Dwyer notes in the link above, it doesn’t have to be this way. Michael doesn’t have to be part of the reason why Larry Brown will leave the Bobcats this summer, and he doesn’t have to be the reason why the players in Charlotte grow increasingly agitated with the act. It could all end here and MJ could do a fine job of not only running the team, but conducting himself in an appropriate manner that isn’t a complete betrayal of everything we’ve known about Jordan since his playings days came to a close.
If he wasn’t already a parody of himself before, Jordan certainly is now. I just wish he wouldn’t do it at the expense of a franchise that’s always been dangerously close to ruin, but has seen their first flash of hope in the team’s young history.
