NBA Daily Dribbles: What Comes Next for Michael Jordan and the Bobcats?

What I’m Reading

• So what if the Bobcats were on clearance? Onward and upward for Charlotte, no?

• On the bright side, the Celtics’ Celtics-reach-agreement-with-Finley=1&blockID=191104&feedID=3945">signing of Michael Finley means less playing time for Tony Allen.

• In the biggest “Duh” of the season, Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ agent has announced that his client plans to return to the Cavs.

• After the season, Amar’e Stoudemire will have a player option which will allow him to either return to the Suns or test free agency. They’d like to sign him to an extension. He doesn’t want to talk about it until the season has concluded. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that they incessantly shopped him at the trade deadline?

What I Think About It

Bobcats

• So seven years ago, Robert L. Johnson staked claim in an NBA franchise and named it the Charlotte Bobcats. It was, of course, more complicated than that but I will spare the details.

He paid a sprite $300 million for it.

Fast-forward to 2010: Michael Jordan’s bargain basement price for the team? A discounted (estimated) $175 million.

Is this bad news for the NBA? Not necessarily. Embarrassing? Not so much that, either.

It is no secret that Charlotte has struggled to get off the ground since its inception. The franchise is still looking for an identity, not to mention its first playoff appearance.

Tickets sell as well as they would for a Creed reunion tour in 2018 and there has yet to be one significant instantly recognizable, respected, and polarizing face of the franchise.

But regardless of the price he paid, the sale of the Bobcats to the most universally known alumni of the league should be a celebrated event.

I’m expecting big things from MJ in his tenure as owner. He got the team at a discounted price, and thus, by my minimal financial logic will have more funding to put into rebuilding a franchise that has yet to be built in the first place.

Plus with the CBA set to be restructured after next season to favor front offices more than the players, he’ll have more flexibility to expand the way he’d like.

Better days are coming. Be patient, Charlotte.

Michael Finley

• I suppose it’s almost a partial “What the heck, why not?” move, so we have to look at the acquisition of Michael Finley as one that can only improve a team struggling to find its place in the NBA’s current hierarchy.

Albeit relatively minor ones when it comes down to it, there are more positives about this signing than there are negatives.

Finley is a proven winner and strong locker room leader, two key elements that seems to be missing in Boston right now.

His three-point shot is also going to be key down the stretch, assuming he’s able to rebound from his current 31.7 %, the lowest of his career. But if he proves to be an effective shooter, it makes the C’s bench all the more versatile.

But the thing is, he’s old.

His legs are spent – he’s ranked no. 34 on the NBA’s all-time minutes played list.

He’ll be in Boston on Saturday and is expected to see game action on Sunday against Washington.

When all is said and done, Michael Finley isn’t going to hurt the Celtics, but how much will he help them?

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

• "It is Zydrunas' desire to return to the Cavaliers if a suitable contract can be agreed upon," Ilgauskas’ agent Herb Rudoy said, according to NBA.com.

Ha!

I apologize, but I literally laughed when I read that and decided that I needed to share that fact with you fine people.

Look, I am not against Z returning to Cleveland at all. There was most likely even a pre-arranged agreement between the Cavs and the Wizards regarding his buyout with the assumption that he’d be returning to Cleveland that I’m OK with too.

The ridiculousness of the second half of that quote amuses me, though. “If a suitable contract can be agreed upon.”

You mean the one that has been in place since the Feb. 18 trade deadline?

The first day that he can legally begin talks with the Cavs is March 22. Expect him to be signed either that day or the next, especially because of the large hole left by Shaq’s injury.

Amar’e Stoudemire

• For Amar’e, I can’t blame him for not wanting to talk about the slim chance of a contract extension right now.

"I just don't want the distraction," Stoudemire said, according to the Arizona Republic. "I don't want to distract the team right now. We're playing well. So in the off-season, we can talk about extensions.

Yes, that’s a good reason Amar’e, but you can’t sit there and try to pull one over on us and act like it has nothing to do with your desire to test free agency to see if you can get more than the $17.7 million you would be owed if you opt in on your deal.

Or the fact that the team you’d be opting in to is the same one that desperately tried to ship you out on or around Feb 18.

Or the fact that this Phoenix Suns team has consistently failed to live up to vast expectations placed on it in every pre-season.

Or the fact that..nevermind. You get the idea.

In short, we know you won’t be signing an extension. We know you’ll be opting out. And we all but know that you won’t be returning to Phoenix in 2010-2011.

It’s only a façade to make other teams pay more for your services to “pry you away from Phoenix”.

But they won’t exactly have to pry, now, will they?

Barkley Quote Friday

Charles on his life aspirations:

"My goals are to play the piano and get really, really, really fat."

Hey, me too.

What To Watch This Weekend

Friday: Los Angeles Lakers at Charlotte Bobcats

Saturday: Atlanta Hawks at Miami Heat

Sunday: Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic

PD

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