Jordan ready for new chance as owner

When the Hornets buzzed out of town to New Orleans before the 2002-2003 season, it deprived the city of Charlotte of a professional basketball team.

Charlotte was granted an expansion team before the 2004-2005 season, the Bobcats, which have had minimal success since their NBA existence.

That could be about to change.

Upon its re-entry to the NBA, Charlotte acquired players such as young forward Gerald Wallace, an All-Star this season, from the Kings and drafted center Emeka Okafor out of the University of Connecticut. Okafor was an instant success and won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2005 but ironically was traded to New Orleans for Tyson Chandler earlier this season.

The Bobcats struggled immensely in their first year as a team, however, finishing the season with an overall record of just 18-64. Definitely nothing to get excited about if you had once been a die-hard Hornets fan and were used to watching Baron Davis lead your favorite team to the playoffs while dropping 18 points and adding 8.5 assists per game.

Now, after a long period of struggling, things are looking up.

Last season the team finished with a 35-47 record. This year, with 16 games left in the regular season, Charlotte is only one game away from matching that total. Also, the Bobcats are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and are eyeing their first playoff berth.

Also, the NBA's Board of Governors approved NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan's $257 million bid to buy the Bobcats, which definitely couldn't hurt.

Jordan, who was a star at the University of North Carolina, grew up in Wilmington, N.C., which is just 197 miles from Charlotte.

Jordan tried his hand at owning a professional basketball team but was fired from his management role at the Washington Wizards after returning as a player. Washington seemed to be an experimental process for Jordan, who hopefully has it right this time around. The Associated Press reported that Jordan will assume about $150 million in debt and that the 6-year-old team is on pace to lose about $30 million this season because of slow sponsorship and ticket sales.

Here's why I think this works.

First of all, the team is young and skillful.

Former UNC point guard and Marion, S.C., native, Raymond Felton is just 25 years old and runs the point effectively with 11.7 points and 5.4 assists per game. I believe he is underrated and too often overlooked. Other players such as Wallace, Chandler, Boris Diaw and Tyrus Thomas are also under 30.

Secondly, who wouldn't want an NBA icon running their team, especially one who has proven successful one?

Over the years, Jordan has established himself as one of the most successful professional athletes to remain successful after their playing career. Heard of brand Jordan? Yeah.

Plus, who better for the young players to look up to than a six-time NBA champion? You can bet every one of these guys will be playing their butts off to impress His Airness.
  

This should also bring more people out to the arena if they know they have a chance to witness Air Jordan's presence and, in turn, help the team climb out of debt and into the hole that was left in fans' hearts when the Hornets skipped town.
  

Jonas Swecker can be contacted at swecker@marshall.edu.