FanHouse Charlotte Bobcats

If you believe the latest scuttlebutt being bandied about by reporters these days, Raptors coach Sam Mitchell will be in demand if the Raptors opt not to renew his contract at the end of the season. Many of these rumors suggest the Charlotte Bobcats will be first in line if he's available. From the Gaston Gazette:

The New York Post did so last Sunday and were followed the next day by a pair of Toronto newspapers, the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. It's a move that would be welcomed by Bobcats players, even as they wonder if Mitchell would be available or even interested. ...

Added guard Brevin Knight: "I think Sam is happy where he is. If Toronto didn't want to keep him, I'm sure a lot of teams would be interested. I think he's a good coach."

Four months ago, a player calling Mitchell "a good coach" and suggesting there would be competition for his services would be crazy talk. Mitchell posted a .366 winning percentage in his first two seasons in Toronto, but he's helped turn things around this year, with the Raps not just clinching a playoff spot but emerging as the far and away best team in the Atlantic Division and the current third seed in the East.

So far, Michael Jordan's tenure with the Bobcats has been a disappointment. His role has never been clear. He's been fined for commenting on Durant, criticized for his exclusive access to high school stars, and attempted to whitewash the job he did in the Wizards' front office. But at least you couldn't say he's actively gotten in the way.

Until now, that is. With Vince Carter likely to opt out of his contract this summer, and Bobcats in desperate need of a scorer, Charlotte should be a likely destination. Factor in his affinity for the state of North Carolina and the franchise's ample cap space, and this might as well be a done deal.

There's one problem, though: bad blood between Jordan and Vince. From Rick Bonnell's Inside the NBA:

Vince Carter was pretty chilly Saturday night, when I asked him how he'd react if Michael Jordan recruits him in free agency this summer.

"I doubt that he would," Carter replied, and you could almost see his breath for the frigid tone.

In case you've forgotten, once upon a time Jordan criticized Carter's lack of defense. MJ is notoriously frank, and Vince incredibly sensitive. With Bonnell claiming that "it was clear from his remark Saturday that Carter is still wounded by Jordan's shot," we'll see if Jordan actually ends up hurting the Bobcats with his presence.

I'm assuming I'm not the only avowed NBA fan who just watched Durant. I'm also guessing many of you watched him during the Big 12 Tournament, when a certain red-headed gentleman was seated next to Mr. and Mrs. Durant.

Apparently, the league was watching, too. And they didn't approve. From Sports Illustrated:

The Boston Celtics were fined $30,000 as a result of contact that took place between executive director Danny Ainge and Durant's family members at a Big 12 tournament game on March 10...

Ainge was seen sitting with Durant's mother at the Big 12 tournament. He was later quoted as saying that he was seated next to her by accident and that he had no control over his ticket location.

But that argument holds no water with the NBA.

In case you're worried that the Celtics are getting discriminated against, know that the Bobcats and Warriors also felt the sting. Apparently, Jordan said a few things about the Texas phenom in a Charlotte Observer interview, and Don Nelson touched on Durant and Greg Oden in an SI piece. Nelson also mentioned the two in this New York Times piece.

Ainge, whatever. He should've sensed that wasn't a kosher situation. With Nelson and MJ, though, you've got to wonder: is there any conversation about basketball this season that doesn't lead back to Oden/Durant?

It's one thing for a man to lose his jumpshot ... quite another to lose his ability to pull spring break tail. From the NY Daily News' Rush & Molloy:

Michael Jordan threw up an air ball with the ladies last week at the ME Hotel in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The retired all-star and his entourage spent three hours chatting up a gaggle of spring-break babes, ordering a constant stream of mojitos, tequila shots and sushi, but Jordan ended the night without even a phone number in his pocket.

I'd hate to think Michael took this slight out on Bernie Bickerstaff.

It's just kind of sad. The man has three passions: basketball, no-strings-attached booty, and gambling. Basketball has long since been taken from him. As far as the ladies are concerned ... maybe it's time for Michael to downshift from spring break coeds to Charlotte housewives. Sort of the equivalent of going from winning championships with the Bulls to playing 24 minutes a night with the Wizards.

So that's what Michael Jordan does for the Bobcats ... he writes letters. Michael spent his entire day today hammering away on his Smith-Corona, and I bet he's going to be spending all day tomorrow stuffing envelopes.

MJ composed a letter that will be sent to Bobcats season ticket holders sometime this week, explaining why the Bobcats still suck, and what he plans to do about it.

"As excited as I am about the future, if you know anything about me, you know how much I hate to lose -- and I speak for all the owners in that regard," wrote Jordan, the team's managing member of basketball operations. "But we are able to temper this disappointment with thoughts of our youth and inexperience, and the idea that we will continue to improve -- hopefully, more quickly than even we expect.

"With that said, we remain committed to our plan to grow the franchise through the draft and the addition of key free agents."

Two ways to look at this. The optimistic way is that it means the Bobcats have targeted this summer as the one where they feel they have a solid enough foundation built that it makes sense to go spend some money (hello, Vince Carter). The pessimistic view is that it's purely a PR move, hoping to give season ticket holders a reason to hang around for another year.

In other MJ news, there were reports in Vegas this weekend that Michael is considering buying a house in Charlotte. He must have a job there or something.