Jordan acknowledges mistakes, confident in future

AP

Charlotte Bobcats managing partner Michael Jordan reacts from the sidelines during a Jan. 3 game against the Milwaukee Bucks in Charlotte, N.C. Jordan insists his decisions will result in growth for the team. Chuck Burton, The Associated Press

By Mike Cranston

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Michael Jordan’s resume as an executive has long been tarnished by the name Kwame Brown, his much-maligned choice with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft when he ran the Washington Wizards.

Seven years later, he lives with another failed decision: Adam Morrison, Jordan’s first draft pick with the Charlotte Bobcats. After not living up to expectations, Jordan traded the No. 3 overall selection in 2006 to the Los Angeles Lakers over the weekend.

In a rare conference call with reporters Tuesday, Jordan owned up to the mistakes, but insisted other moves he’s made as managing partner have positioned the Bobcats to compete long-term.

“I think we’ve grown from it. I’ve grown from it and hopefully down the road when you make a choice, you try to make a better choice,” Jordan said from Chicago, where he still lives after winning six NBA titles as a player with the Bulls. “People are going to point out the mistakes. Very rarely do they point out the successes. I understand that. It’s part of the game.”

Jordan’s Bobcats have been the NBA’s most active team this season. After luring Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown out of his two-year exile following a bungled season in New York, Jordan has teamed with his tinkering coach to pull off three trades and use a league-high 23 players.

Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!

  • Catch the latest on University of Illinois news, sports, and more. Delivered every weekday.
  • Stay up to date on all things Illini sports. Delivered every Monday.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Thank you for subscribing!

While Morrison joins Kwame Brown as the picks that critics point to and suggest Jordan’s a failure as a talent evaluator, Jordan chuckles that little is said about taking point guard D.J. Augustin with the ninth pick in last year’s draft. Augustin is having an impressive rookie season.

“It’s a gamble,” Jordan said. “Even with Kwame Brown. If we don’t take Kwame Brown at No. 1, he’s going at 2. No matter how you look at it, everybody had him on their radar as being the top pick. We just so happened to be the top pick and we chose him. It didn’t pan out and we take the brunt of that. We understand that. It’s the risk that you take.”