bobcats GM: Owners ready to spend

[ducks]

Friday, Jun 1, 2007
Posted on Fri, Jun. 01, 2007
GM: Owners ready to spend
RICK BONNELL
New Charlotte Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins said he has the resources and mandate to pursue whatever would help the team.
Including a trade for Kobe Bryant.

"In this business, you go down every road, every dark alley. You shake every bush you can," Higgins said Thursday, when asked about investigating Bryant's availability.

"I don't know what's going on there, obviously," he said of the rift between Bryant and the Lakers, "(But) we're not afraid to go down that road."

He believes Bobcats ownership is prepared to spend for a star, and Bryant is all that with a star's salary: $88.6 million over the next four seasons. Bryant keeps changing signals, but late Wednesday he told the Los Angeles Times he still wants to be traded by the Lakers.

Higgins arrives from the Golden State Warriors, where he had the same le and similar responsibilities. He'll report to managing partner Michael Jordan and executive vice president Bernie Bickerstaff. Higgins said if a transaction -- a trade or a free-agent signing -- can get the Bobcats to the next level, then he's "been assured by ownership we can do that."

Higgins is seemingly making a lateral move -- he was No. 2 behind executive vice president Chris Mullin at Golden State -- but he said he's attracted to the Bobcats' salary-cap flexibility and young roster.

Also, he'll be working for one of his best friends; he and Jordan played together several years with the Chicago Bulls. Higgins befriended him when Jordan was a rookie and the two stayed close.

"He was almost like a roommate," Higgins said. "I owned a townhome, and he bought a townhome about 50 yards away."

He worked for Jordan as assistant general manager, when Jordan ran player-personnel for the Washington Wizards.

Higgins addressed other topics during a teleconference with Charlotte media:

• He thinks the team needs more big men, particularly with the experience to play right away.

• He's reluctant to deal any of the team's young core.

• He acknowledged the Bobcats are talking employment with Coastal Carolina coach (and longtime friend of Jordan) Buzz Peterson. "We look forward to having something done real soon," Higgins said.

Notes

• Projected lottery picks who expect to work out for the Bobcats include Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah of Florida, Al Thornton of Florida State and Jeff Green of Georgetown. Charlotte has the No. 8 overall pick, and the 22nd pick, from Toronto.

• Surprisingly, Texas A&M point guard Acie Law and Washington center Spencer Hawes don't expect to audition for Charlotte. They indicated the Bobcats were already deep at point guard and center, which isn't necessarily true.

[B and P Cats]

This is going to be a team of Jordan and his friends running it. It BETTER work, but I am somewhat doubtful. I think I would be more impressed if all these people in charge were not necessarily Jordan's friends.

Bring Kobe here? In a word... "NO"! Dirk yes, Kobe, no! Bobcats have been a team so far, not a one man show, and I don't think it is a good idea to change that.