Michael Jordan’s responsibilities as
majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats will keep him from being an assistant
captain on the U.S. Presidents Cup team.

U.S. captain Fred Couples, who selected Jordan and Jay Haas to be assistants
for the second time, replaced the former NBA great with 11-time PGA Tour
winner John Cook.

Jordan is unable to attend the matches, scheduled for November 17-20 at Royal
Melbourne Golf Club in Australia, because of the ongoing NBA lockout.

He previously served as an honorary assistant captain to Couples at Harding
Park in 2009.

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Michael Jordan is amongst the most vocal of NBA owners when it’s come to initiating a better revenue-sharing system, as his Charlotte Bobcats struggle to compete financially with the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. In terms of stylish, personalized air travel, though, it’s safe to say that MJ has just about every owner beat. Even you, Mark Cuban.

This, via Yardbarker, is the guy’s plane. It features a North Carolina-blue tail fin, the “6″ and the “23″ in its tail number refer to the amount of NBA championships he won and Jordan’s number, and it has his own logo on it. Just in case MJ gets confused on the tarmac:

Perhaps those familiar with the wonderful world of aviation (especially as “PanAm Fever” grips the country) can help us identify the type of plane it is in the comments section. All we can tell is that having your initials worked into the plane’s identification (as you can see by the “N236MJ” on the plane’s left jet engine) is pretty dope.

(And, no, “PanAm Fever” is not a real thing.)

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Related: Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks

NEW YORK, Sept. 12 (UPI) — The NBA has fined Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan $100,000 for speaking out about the league’s lockout and a player, ESPN reported Monday.

The network attributed its report to sources it said had knowledge of the situation.

The Herald Sun newspaper in Australia had quoted Jordan last month as saying revenue-sharing was needed in the league. He also mentioned Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut, who is from Australia.

The comments violated the league’s gag rule on team owners and employees regarding discussion of the lockout or any players during the work stoppage, ESPN said. League officials had said in July violations of the ban could result in a fine of up to $1 million.

Injuries, though, made the large pre-draft workout less interesting and revealing.

Alec Burks of Colorado, a candidate for the ninth pick by the Jordan-owned Bobcats, and Marshon Brooks of Providence, a possibility for Charlotte at No. 19, couldn`t compete because of recent injuries. The Bobcats said Burks dislocated his shoulder working out for Milwaukee on Saturday and Brooks twisted an ankle Friday auditioning for New York.

“A couple guys stubbed their toes so we couldn`t go 3-on-3,” said coach Paul Silas, who was hopeful both players

U’s Alec Burks shoots over Rodriquez Sherman of Kent State.
Photo by Marty Caivano/March 22, 2011

(
MARTY CAIVANO
)

could return to audition before the June 23 draft.

Charlotte`s brass has seen plenty of Burks, an athletic 6-6 slasher. Higgins` son, Cory Higgins, was a teammate of Burks last season at Colorado.

The workouts wrapped up four days of sessions that saw 30 players come to Charlotte. More workouts are scheduled Tuesday and Thursday, before several members of the organization attend a European camp in Italy.

It`s doubtful, though, the Bobcats will have another workout with as much star power.

“This is good because you see them go against each other and how they compete,” Silas said. “At the pre-draft camp we didn`t see them compete. Now you see how they`re going to play, what kind of passion they have for the game, what kind of toughness, all those kinds of things that make a player.”

By MIKECRANSTON
The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE – Michael Jordan was up early Sunday in hopes of watching 12 players show why they should be one of the Charlotte Bobcats’ two first-round draft choices.

Injuries, though, made the large pre-draft workout less interesting and revealing.

Alec Burks of Colorado, a candidate for the ninth pick by the Jordan-owned Bobcats, and Marshon Brooks of Providence, a possibility for Charlotte at No. 19, couldn’t compete because of recent injuries. The Bobcats said Burks dislocated his shoulder working out for Milwaukee on Saturday and Brooks twisted an ankle Friday auditioning for New York.

“A couple guys stubbed their toes so we couldn’t go 3-on-3,” said coach Paul Silas, who was hopeful both players could return to audition before the June 23 draft.

Still, there was plenty for Silas, Jordan and general manager Rod Higgins to evaluate as they look to improve a roster that managed only 34 wins this season. Of particular interest was the second workout, which included likely first-round picks Kawhi Leonard of San Diego State, Jordan Hamilton of Texas, Tobias Harris of Tennessee, Tyler Honeycutt of UCLA and Florida State’s Chris Singleton.

“This is basically my class right here, my small forward class,” said Singleton, seen as possible replacement for the recently traded Gerald Wallace.

Added Hamilton, who could provide needed long-range shooting for the Bobcats: “This was definitely one of the best workouts I had. We all benefited from it.”

It included Jordan’s familiar needling of players. One of his top targets was the 6-foot-8 Honeycutt, who showed his athleticism with an impromptu, personal slam dunk contest at the end of the workout.

“He was talking smack,” Honeycutt said, smiling.

There was much less to see of the 6-8 Harris since the last time he was at Time Warner Cable Arena for Tennessee’s second-round NCAA tournament loss. Harris said he’s lost 15 pounds and is down to 220.

“It helped me a lot,” he said, “just moving faster and competing more. I’m more bouncy on the floor.”

Harris would like to shoot up draft boards like Leonard, whose large wing span and strong rebounding may allow him to play power forward, too

“People are starting to see how versatile I am,” he said.

The earlier session, with less star power after Burks and Brooks pulled out, was led by Washington State’s Klay Thompson. The 6-6 son of former NBA star Mychal Thompson shot nearly 40 percent from 3-point range last season.

“I know they lack some perimeter shooting and every team needs a shooter,” Thompson said.

Charlotte ranked 29th out of 30 teams from long range and Silas has been stressing the need for shooters. And Silas indicated they wouldn’t shy away from Thompson, a potential candidate at No. 19, despite being cited in March for suspicion of marijuana possession.

“He’s going to be one we will consider if he’s around,” Silas said.

The Bobcats still could take Burks and Brooks despite their absence Sunday.

Charlotte’s brass has seen plenty of Burks, an athletic 6-6 slasher. Higgins’ son, Cory Higgins, was a teammate of Burks last season at Colorado.

The 6-5 Brooks’ stock has risen since his impressive showing at the Chicago pre-draft camp.

The workouts wrapped up four days of sessions that saw 30 players come to Charlotte. More workouts are scheduled Tuesday and Thursday, before several members of the organization attend a European camp in Italy.

It’s doubtful, though, the Bobcats will have another workout with as much star power.

“This is good because you see them go against each other and how they compete,” Silas said. “At the pre-draft camp we didn’t see them compete. Now you see how they’re going to play, what kind of passion they have for the game, what kind of toughness, all those kinds of things that make a player.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Jordan was up early Sunday in hopes of watching 12 players show why they should be one of the Charlotte Bobcats’ two first-round draft choices.

Injuries, though, made the large pre-draft workout less interesting and revealing.

Alec Burks of Colorado, a candidate for the ninth pick by the Jordan-owned Bobcats, and Marshon Brooks of Providence, a possibility for Charlotte at No. 19, couldn’t compete because of recent injuries. The Bobcats said Burks dislocated his shoulder working out for Milwaukee on Saturday and Brooks twisted an ankle Friday auditioning for New York.

“A couple guys stubbed their toes so we couldn’t go 3-on-3,” said coach Paul Silas, who was hopeful both players could return to audition before the June 23 draft.

Still, there was plenty for Silas, Jordan and general manager Rod Higgins to evaluate as they look to improve a roster that managed only 34 wins this season. Of particular interest was the second workout, which included likely first-round picks Kawhi Leonard of San Diego State, Jordan Hamilton of Texas, Tobias Harris of Tennessee, Tyler Honeycutt of UCLA and Florida State’s Chris Singleton.

“This is basically my class right here, my small forward class,” said Singleton, seen as possible replacement for the recently traded Gerald Wallace.

Added Hamilton, who could provide needed long-range shooting for the Bobcats: “This was definitely one of the best workouts I had. We all benefited from it.”

It included Jordan’s familiar needling of players. One of his top targets was the 6-foot-8 Honeycutt, who showed his athleticism with an impromptu, personal slam dunk contest at the end of the workout.

“He was talking smack,” Honeycutt said, smiling.

There was much less to see of the 6-8 Harris since the last time he was at Time Warner Cable Arena for Tennessee’s second-round NCAA tournament loss. Harris said he’s lost 15 pounds and is down to 220.

“It helped me a lot,” he said, “just moving faster and competing more. I’m more bouncy on the floor.”

Harris would like to shoot up draft boards like Leonard, whose large wing span and strong rebounding may allow him to play power forward, too

“People are starting to see how versatile I am,” he said.

The earlier session, with less star power after Burks and Brooks pulled out, was led by Washington State’s Klay Thompson. The 6-6 son of former NBA star Mychal Thompson shot nearly 40 percent from 3-point range last season.

“I know they lack some perimeter shooting and every team needs a shooter,” Thompson said.

Charlotte ranked 29th out of 30 teams from long range and Silas has been stressing the need for shooters. And Silas indicated they wouldn’t shy away from Thompson, a potential candidate at No. 19, despite being cited in March for suspicion of marijuana possession.

“He’s going to be one we will consider if he’s around,” Silas said.

The Bobcats still could take Burks and Brooks despite their absence Sunday.

Charlotte’s brass has seen plenty of Burks, an athletic 6-6 slasher. Higgins’ son, Cory Higgins, was a teammate of Burks last season at Colorado.

The 6-5 Brooks’ stock has risen since his impressive showing at the Chicago pre-draft camp.

The workouts wrapped up four days of sessions that saw 30 players come to Charlotte. More workouts are scheduled Tuesday and Thursday, before several members of the organization attend a European camp in Italy.

It’s doubtful, though, the Bobcats will have another workout with as much star power.

“This is good because you see them go against each other and how they compete,” Silas said. “At the pre-draft camp we didn’t see them compete. Now you see how they’re going to play, what kind of passion they have for the game, what kind of toughness, all those kinds of things that make a player.”

Charlotte Bobcats coach Paul Silas is glad his front office is investigating ways to move up in the June 23 NBA draft.

Still, Silas has misgivings about converting picks Nos. 9 and 19 into one higher pick unless they’re sure that one player would have big impact.

“We’ve talked about moving up. My point is that if we do move up, that guy has to be a star kind of player,” Silas said following the Bobcats’ first pre-draft workout Thursday. “I think we’ll get two real quality players here, to build on what we’ve established already.”

Silas said he’d favor trading up “if the guy is someone we think can really help us. But he has to potentially be better than what we have now. And looking at this draft, I’m not quite sure that guy is there. If he is, then we’ll certainly look at it.”

The general consensus on this draft is it’s short on star power, but relatively deep. Duke guard Kyrie Irving and Arizona forward Derrick Williams are expected to be the top two picks. While both are projected as solid pros, neither is expected to have the impact of recent high picks Derrick Rose of Chicago or Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City.

Silas, in his first season as Bobcats coach, was asked how the team’s needs would blend with their draft decisions. For instance, this draft is strongest at power forward, and that’s a position where the Bobcats already have abundant players.

“Absolutely, we want to draft the best player available,” Silas described. “Now, if everything is equal, then certainly you wouldn’t draft a four. But if the guy clearly is better than the rest of the people in that draft spot, then you’d take him.

“We really want some 3-point shooters – that’s huge for us. If we had a backup point, as well as a great shooter, that’s one of our basic needs.”

The Bobcats contingent watching workouts Thursday included owner Michael Jordan. Silas was asked how hands-on Jordan is, in addressing draft decisions.

“Rod (Higgins, the general manager) and I will make the final decisions, I think, but he certainly has input,” Silas said of Jordan. “If we come up with somebody he doesn’t necessarily care for, he lets us know. But the (final) decision will be ours.”

Markieff Morris of Kansas insisted he knew Michael Jordan had arrived Thursday morning to watch his pre-draft workout before even seeing him.
“I just felt his greatness,” Morris said.
The presence of the Charlotte Bobcats owner made Kenneth Faried of Morehead State jittery.
“I was actually nervous, extremely nervous,” Faried said. “Michael Jordan — I have his sneakers on.”
The person feeling the most pressure in the gym, however, may have been the Hall of Famer himself.
After a bold and risky February trade that sent former All-Star Gerald Wallace to Portland, the Bobcats are sitting with the ninth and 19th picks in the June 23 draft. What they do with those selections and newfound salary-cap space will help determine if Jordan can finally turn his under-.500 team club into a winner.
“That is the single most important question this franchise faces today, and the short answer is we’re going to use all of our assets to build a team that competes for championships year-after-year,” Jordan wrote on the team website this week. “Making the playoffs (in 2010) for the first time as the 7 seed was great, but I want more than that, and our fans deserve more than that.”
Thursday’s workout, which also included Southern California’s Alex Stepheson, Southern Mississippi’s Gary Flowers, LaMarshall Corbett of Angelo State and Clemson’s Demontez Stitt, was the first of many over the next three weeks. And Jordan is taking an active role.
“If we come up with somebody that he doesn’t necessarily care for, he lets us know,” coach Paul Silas said.
Jordan also could be asked to approve a trade, a common occurrence since he took over the basketball operations in 2006. Jordan bought the team outright early last year.
General manager Rod Higgins has acknowledged he’s already received numerous calls and that “everybody’s throwing it against the wall right now.” The Bobcats will consider trading one of the first-round picks in a deal that would bring in a veteran, or packaging both picks to move up in the draft.
“Perfect scenario means you’re getting veteran help or you’re combining maybe two picks to get up to a spot that you like the player that you’re going to get,” Higgins said. “We’re going to exhaust every avenue.”
Silas was less enthusiastic of packaging both picks for a higher choice, saying “if we do move up that guy has to be a star kind of player.”
If they keep the two picks, especially No. 19, Morris and Faried are potential options. Both play power forward, however, the Bobcats’ deepest position with Boris Diaw and Tyrus Thomas already on the roster.
“If all things were equal, you certainly wouldn’t draft a 4,” Silas said. “But if the guy is clearly better than the rest of the people at your draft spot, you’re going to take him.”
Silas had high praise for the 6-foot-7 Morris, whose twin brother Marcus is also expected to be a first-round choice.
“Markieff is a very good shooter, Silas said. “He was tough, understands how to play the game. I think he has a chance to really be good in this league.”
Silas was less certain about the 6-6 Faried, who is even more undersized than Morris for an NBA power forward.
“It’s not going to be an easy thing,” Silas said of Faried. “Great rebounder. Not a great shooter, but a defender. We’ll just have to see. A guy like him, you would probably rather see him at the 3 than the 4.”
Silas said in a perfect scenario they could get a ballhandler who is also a good 3-point shooter, an area of need for a team that ranked 29th out of 30 clubs in long-range shooting this season. Charlotte also needs a center, but there are few quality big men in the draft.
It puts a little added pressure on Jordan, even as other still swoon in the presence of the six-time NBA champion.
“I just felt it the whole time,” Morris said of being around Jordan. “The light brightens and you just feel like, on your back, somebody is there.”
Notes: Connecticut’s Kemba Walker and Tristan Thompson of Texas are scheduled to work out for Charlotte on Friday. … Bobcats assistant coach Charles Oakley, still plagued by severe back pain, watched the workout but said he felt only so-so before walking gingerly down the steps to the locker room. Silas has said it’s uncertain if Oakley will return to the bench next season as he seeks treatment that could include surgery. … After the draft session was over, Thomas, D.J. Augustin, Kwame Brown, Matt Carroll, Dante Cunningham and Garrett Temple hit the floor for a workout supervised by Bobcats assistant Stephen Silas.
___
Mike Cranston can be reached at http://twitter.com/MikeCranston1.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Markieff Morris of Kansas insists he knew
Michael Jordan was there because he “felt his greatness.”

The presence of the Charlotte Bobcats owner at Tuesday’s
pre-draft workout made Kenneth Faried of Morehead State jittery
because, after all, “I have his sneakers on.”

The person in the gym feeling the most pressure, however, may
have been Jordan himself.

After the bold trade that sent former All-Star Gerald Wallace to
Portland, the Bobcats hold the ninth and 19th picks in the draft.
What they do with those selections will help determine if Jordan
can finally turn his club into a winner.

Southern California’s Alex Stepheson, Southern Mississippi’s
Gary Flowers, LaMarshall Corbett of Angelo State and Clemson’s
Demontez Stitt also worked out.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)