Michael Jordan is now the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats after spending $275 million (80% ownership) and being approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors on April 17th.  He is now the first former player to own an NBA franchise.  Jordan is the greatest player to ever play the game, winning six NBA Championships and five MVPs, while also spreading the popularity of the game across the globe.  Will Jordan’s basketball ability and knowledge correlate over to him being a good owner?  In my mind, I think it will.  Jordan was not only one of the greatest basketball talents to ever play, but also one of the fiercest competitors.  His drive to win will motivate him to put the time and money (which he has a lot of) into this club to try and make them the best they can be.  He is now the face of the franchise, and he has always been a winner, so I don’t see why he can’t continue to help improve the Bobcats’ franchise.  At the very least, Jordan is bringing some excitement to a club that is estimated to be losing $30 million this season.  With Jordan now owning the club, the NBA is hoping he can help boost ticket sales and TV ratings.  Once he starts doing that and getting more money back to the team, they can really start trying to improve on personnel.  I think this is a good thing for MJ, the Bobcats, and the NBA as a whole.

The Bobcats have signed 31-year old shooting guard Larry Hughes. Hughes played in 31 games (14 starts) for the Knicks this season and he averaged 26.5 minutes, 9.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game but he only shot 36.6% from the floor. Hughes has now played in 704 games (507 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 31.2 minutes, 14.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Hughes should fit right in on the Bobcats because he is a good defensive player.

25-year old starting point guard Raymond Felton will never be the kind of guy who can carry a team to the promised land. But, not being a pure pass-first point guard is a good fit for the Bobcats. Felton has played in 63 games (all starts) for the Bobcats this season and he is averaging 32.7 minutes, 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The Bobcats don’t have a lot of outstanding offensive players on the team so it doesn’t hurt that Felton wants to make sure that he gets his points every night.

The Charlotte Bobcats are 2-6 in their last eight games, including an embarrassing (2nd) loss to the 6-54 New Jersey Nets, and their recently stagnant offense is to blame.  In those six losses, they averaged only 88.8 points and their top players like Gerald Wallace, Stephen Jackson, Raymond Felton, and D.J. Augustin all shot the ball poorly.  Wallace is averaging just 9.7 points in his last three games, Jackson has been turning it over too much and is shooting 41% during this eight game span, Felton is shooting 29% from the field in his last six games, and Augustin has hit only 22% of his shots in the last eight games.  Those are all some pretty pathetic numbers and these guys are the Bobcats best offensive players.  If the Bobcats are going to get themselves out of this funk and get into a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, all of these players need to step up their game big time.

Tyrus Thomas has been playing well since joining the Charlotte Bobcats, but unfortunately for them it has not resulted in many wins.  The Bobcats are only 2-5 since Thomas joined the Bobcats, but you can’t put the blame on Thomas’ production on the court.  It may have to do with the Bobcats giving up a lot of depth at the guard position with Flip Murray and Acie Law gone.  Thomas has been more productive with the Bobcats than he was with the Bulls, and in 7 games with the Bobcats he is averaging 13.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 steals.  He is also shooting 52% from the field.  In 29 games with the Bulls this season he was only averaging 8.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 steals.  He came off the bench in Chicago, just like he has been here with the Bobcats, and he is getting similar minutes (23 mpg in Chicago, 27 mpg in Charlotte).  This is a good sign for the Bobcats, but they need their guards to step it up.