Michael Jordan's status as a player remains; he is a legend, one of the NBA's all-time greats.
But as an executive, Jordan is proving to be mediocre at best.
During his first exec stint, he drafted Kwame Brown with the first overall pick in the 2001 draft. That’s the same Kwame Brown who currently sits third on the LA Lakers depth chart. The 2001 class happened to include All-Stars Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Tony Parker, current Wizard Gilbert Arenas and Mehmet Okur, not to mention Richard Jefferson and Jason Richardson.
Now in his second stint as an NBA executive (Jordan joined the Bobcats in June 2006) the results of his decisions remain mixed.
Picking Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison third overall isn't looking like a brilliant selection, especially considering the play of Portland's Brandon Roy. Morrison's numbers weren't terrible for a rookie averaging over 11 points a game, but his 37 percent shooting was heinous.
Jordan gave up UNC star Brandan Wright to Golden State during the '07 draft for a veteran in Jason Richardson. A move widely criticized by ESPN's Stephen A. Smith; however Richardson is proving his worth and helped get the Bobcats off to the best start in their brief history.
However, Jordan’s most recent move is another questionable one.
Jordan traded Primoz Brezec and Walter Herrmann to the Detroit Pistons for center Nazr Mohammed, adding about $19.6 million to their payroll over the next three years. Mohammed is less than stellar averaging just 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.7 blocks for his career and played his best NBA season nearly five years ago.
SI.com’s Marty Burns wrote the move seemed reasonable, but the Bobcats are truly hoping Nazr can provide an inside presence. Dumping Brezec who’s imploded this year is fine, but letting Herrmann was stupid. Herrmann looks like a solid role player and consistent bench scorer for the future, which Jordan and Bobcats should start planning for.
The NBA legend who rewrote the league’s record book, is forging a new legacy that depends on winning games. Unfortunately for Jordan, he can’t take the shots.
2 comments:
Jordan proving that he is still more valuable on the court than off it as he practiced with the team last week and they went out and won the next night.
Let me just defend my boy Adam Morrison real quick. Give him more than one year. It kind of makes me had when people write off someone after their rookie season in any sport. In high school, Adam averaged about 12 ppg his freshman year, despite being one of the two "go-to" guys. His sophomore year it went up to around 19, then his junior year is was around 24 ppg. His senior year it was a state-leading 29 ppg. Then at Gonzaga he averaged 11.4 his freshman year, 19 ppg his sophomore year, then a nation-leading 28 ppg his junior season.
So if there's one thing to learn from Morrison's past, it's that he is like a wine: he gets better with age. Let's not write him off yet.
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