2011 NBA Draft Grades: Michael Jordan Scores on Draft Day
After dominating so thoroughly on the court, Michael Jordan's business venture with the Charlotte Bobcats hasn't gone as smoothly since he joined the Bobcats front office in 2006 and became majority owner in 2010.
Numerous players he's had a hand in selecting have been disappointments. The lone successes have been point guard D.J. Augustin and the jury's still out on shooting guard Gerald Henderson.
In his first season as majority owner of the Bobcats, Jordan pulled off a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers that netted the Bobcats the ninth and 19th selections in this year's draft.
The only problem was, he gave up the multifaceted Gerald Wallace, which caused some unrest in Charlotte.
On draft day, everything came full circle, and if Bobcats fans are on Jordan's back after Thursday, they're always going to be.
Because the fact of the matter is, Jordan stole draft day in the 2011 NBA Draft.
When the first round came around on Thursday, Jordan could have been happy with two first-round selections.
But he wasn't, and he took a huge gamble that rests solely on a Congolese forward's broad shoulders.
Jordan traded leading scorer Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston and the No. 19 pick in the draft for the Sacramento Kings' No. 7 pick. With that, he grabbed Congo forward Bismack Biyombo, who some have compared to a young Ben Wallace.
With the Bobcats' next pick, Jordan selected Connecticut guard Kemba Walker, who led his team to a national title last season.
Both selections will tell you something right off the bat about what Jordan will do as majority owner that we should have already known—that he's going to take risks and that he wants winners.
It wasn't a surprise Jordan selected Walker, despite concerns about his height at 5-foot-10, because Walker played bigger than he was last season with the Huskies. Jordan, in his playing days, could have been virtually a giant and he still would have played bigger than he was.
Jordan saw something in Walker—a burning desire.
As for Biyombo, an unfinished product at (allegedly) 18 years old, Jordan must have seen the same thing.
In my opinion, Jordan just walked away with two eventual stars in the NBA.
