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.

By Sports Direct

The Associated Press has the report, with a tip of the hat to CBS’ Royce Young:

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — 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.

Even though Burks and Brooks weren’t able to make the Bobcats workout, Charlotte was still able to get a good look at players such as Kawhi Leonard, Tyler Honeycutt, and Klay Thompson, all of whom could help Charlotte improve its abysmal long-range shooting or fill the athleticism gap created when the team traded Gerald Wallace at the deadline.

And it does look like Charlotte will get a look at Burks before they have to make a draft selection — according to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports, an MRI on Burks’ left shoulder was negative, and he will work out for the Detroit Pistons against Kemba Walker on Wednesday.

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Charles Oakley, one of the NBA’s all-time tough guys, may not return to the Charlotte Bobcats’ bench next season because of a painful back condition he says was caused during an assault last year in Las Vegas.

Oakley, who was in his first season as an assistant coach, had to be carried from the bench before a game in San Antonio on March 19. He missed Charlotte’s final 13 games with a sciatic nerve problem.

The 47-year-old Oakley, still moving gingerly, attended Charlotte’s workout of draft prospects Saturday. As he contemplates surgery, Oakley said he told general manager Rod Higgins to consider replacing him on coach Paul Silas’ staff.

Silas said Saturday there’s no timetable for making a decision.

“I want to do what’s best for the team, always,” Oakley said. “We’ll have to see what happens and if I’m not back, they’ll have someone just as good as me or better.”

Oakley has sued the Aria hotel-casino, claiming he was beaten by security guards in May 2010. Oakley is convinced the incident led to his current condition.

“I wasn’t going to sue, but they just did too much damage to me,” said Oakley, who filed the suit last month. “It just handicapped me for a period of time and they think it was a joke. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I never tried to assault them. They tried to assault me.

“I’m not a troublemaker. People say, ‘You got into a lot of incidents.’ Yeah, but it was on the basketball floor.”

The complaint contends five officers wrestled the six-foot-nine Oakley to the ground and punched and handcuffed him after a verbal dispute over whether Oakley could return to a VIP pool area. It said Oakley was taken to the hospital with injuries to his neck, back, head and wrist. Oakley said Saturday two slipped disks suffered in the incident led to the sciatic nerve condition.

“It’s like having a nail in your tire. You can only go so far and then the nail keeps going in, going in,” Oakley said. “Once it reaches the peak, the hole gets bigger and all the air comes out of your tire. The damage to my disk — it just couldn’t take no more.”

The complaint alleges negligence, assault, assault with excessive force, battery, false imprisonment and defamation. It seeks unspecified general, special and punitive damages.

MGM Resorts International, which owns the resort, has declined to comment since the suit was filed.

Oakley, a former teammate of Bobcats owner Michael Jordan in Chicago, was known as a relentless rebounder and collector of hard fouls in his 18-year career. Oakley, who ranks 20th in NBA history with 12,205 boards, also played for New York, Toronto, Washington and Houston.

Oakley was proud to prove he could coach. He routinely worked out with players in practice and was credited with helping Bobcats centre Kwame Brown’s development late last season.

Then Oakley’s body gave out in a jarring scene in San Antonio.

“I hate to go out like that,” Oakley said. “It looks like somebody got knocked out of the ring and couldn’t get back on his feet. But I’m back walking and hopefully getting my back together and back to 100 per cent.”

Oakley said he’s moving better and recently started riding a bike. He hopes to avoid surgery.

“I just want to get back to normal,” Oakley said. “It’s draining sometimes, but you’ve got to stay strong. … Hopefully, I’ll be back coaching someday. If not, I’ve got to continue living.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charles Oakley, one of the NBA’s all-time tough guys, may not return to the Charlotte Bobcats’ bench next season because of a painful back condition he says was caused during an assault last year in Las Vegas.

Oakley, who was in his first season as an assistant coach, had to be carried from the bench before a game in San Antonio on March 19. He missed Charlotte’s final 13 games with a sciatic nerve problem.

The 47-year-old Oakley, still moving gingerly, attended Charlotte’s workout of draft prospects Saturday. As he contemplates surgery, Oakley said he told general manager Rod Higgins to consider replacing him on coach Paul Silas’ staff.

Silas said Saturday there’s no timetable for making a decision.

“I want to do what’s best for the team, always,” Oakley said. “We’ll have to see what happens and if I’m not back, they’ll have someone just as good as me or better.”

Oakley has sued the Aria hotel-casino, claiming he was beaten by security guards in May 2010. Oakley is convinced the incident led to his current condition.

“I wasn’t going to sue, but they just did too much damage to me,” said Oakley, who filed the suit last month. “It just handicapped me for a period of time and they think it was a joke. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I never tried to assault them. They tried to assault me.

“I’m not a troublemaker. People say, ‘You got into a lot of incidents.’ Yeah, but it was on the basketball floor.”

The complaint contends five officers wrestled the 6-foot-9 Oakley to the ground and punched and handcuffed him after a verbal dispute over whether Oakley could return to a VIP pool area. It said Oakley was taken to the hospital with injuries to his neck, back, head and wrist. Oakley said Saturday two slipped disks suffered in the incident led to the sciatic nerve condition.

“It’s like having a nail in your tire. You can only go so far and then the nail keeps going in, going in,” Oakley said. “Once it reaches the peak, the hole gets bigger and all the air comes out of your tire. The damage to my disk — it just couldn’t take no more.”

The complaint alleges negligence, assault, assault with excessive force, battery, false imprisonment and defamation. It seeks unspecified general, special and punitive damages.

MGM Resorts International, which owns the resort, has declined to comment since the suit was filed.

Oakley, a former teammate of Bobcats owner Michael Jordan in Chicago, was known as a relentless rebounder and collector of hard fouls in his 18-year career. Oakley, who ranks 20th in NBA history with 12,205 boards, also played for New York, Toronto, Washington and Houston.

Oakley was proud to prove he could coach. He routinely worked out with players in practice and was credited with helping Bobcats center Kwame Brown’s development late last season.

Then Oakley’s body gave out in a jarring scene in San Antonio.

“I hate to go out like that,” Oakley said. “It looks like somebody got knocked out of the ring and couldn’t get back on his feet. But I’m back walking and hopefully getting my back back together and back to 100 percent.”

Oakley said he’s moving better and recently started riding a bike. He hopes to avoid surgery.

“I just want to get back to normal,” Oakley said. “It’s draining sometimes, but you’ve got to stay strong. … Hopefully, I’ll be back coaching someday. If not, I’ve got to continue living.”

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – Charles Oakley, one of the NBA’s all-time tough guys, may not return to the Charlotte Bobcats’ bench next season because of a painful back condition he says was caused during an assault last year in Las Vegas.

Oakley, who was in his first season as an assistant coach, had to be carried from the bench before a game in San Antonio on March 19. He missed Charlotte’s final 13 games with a sciatic nerve problem.

The 47-year-old Oakley, still moving gingerly, attended Charlotte’s workout of draft prospects Saturday. As he contemplates surgery, Oakley said he told general manager Rod Higgins to consider replacing him on coach Paul Silas’ staff.

Silas said Saturday there’s no timetable for making a decision.

“I want to do what’s best for the team, always,” Oakley said. “We’ll have to see what happens and if I’m not back, they’ll have someone just as good as me or better.”

Oakley has sued the Aria hotel-casino, claiming he was beaten by security guards in May 2010. Oakley is convinced the incident led to his current condition.

“I wasn’t going to sue, but they just did too much damage to me,” said Oakley, who filed the suit last month. “It just handicapped me for a period of time and they think it was a joke. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I never tried to assault them. They tried to assault me.

“I’m not a troublemaker. People say, ‘You got into a lot of incidents.’ Yeah, but it was on the basketball floor.”

The complaint contends five officers wrestled the 6-foot-9 Oakley to the ground and punched and handcuffed him after a verbal dispute over whether Oakley could return to a VIP pool area. It said Oakley was taken to the hospital with injuries to his neck, back, head and wrist. Oakley said Saturday two slipped disks suffered in the incident led to the sciatic nerve condition.

“It’s like having a nail in your tire. You can only go so far and then the nail keeps going in, going in,” Oakley said. “Once it reaches the peak, the hole gets bigger and all the air comes out of your tire. The damage to my disk — it just couldn’t take no more.”

The complaint alleges negligence, assault, assault with excessive force, battery, false imprisonment and defamation. It seeks unspecified general, special and punitive damages.

MGM Resorts International, which owns the resort, has declined to comment since the suit was filed.

Oakley, a former teammate of Bobcats owner Michael Jordan in Chicago, was known as a relentless rebounder and collector of hard fouls in his 18-year career. Oakley, who ranks 20th in NBA history with 12,205 boards, also played for New York, Toronto, Washington and Houston.

Oakley was proud to prove he could coach. He routinely worked out with players in practice and was credited with helping Bobcats center Kwame Brown’s development late last season.

Then Oakley’s body gave out in a jarring scene in San Antonio.

“I hate to go out like that,” Oakley said. “It looks like somebody got knocked out of the ring and couldn’t get back on his feet. But I’m back walking and hopefully getting my back back together and back to 100 percent.”

Oakley said he’s moving better and recently started riding a bike. He hopes to avoid surgery.

“I just want to get back to normal,” Oakley said. “It’s draining sometimes, but you’ve got to stay strong. … Hopefully, I’ll be back coaching someday. If not, I’ve got to continue living.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charles Oakley, one of the NBA’s all-time tough guys, may not return to the Charlotte Bobcats’ bench next season because of a painful back condition he says was caused during an assault last year in Las Vegas.

Oakley, who was in his first season as an assistant coach, had to be carried from the bench before a game in San Antonio on March 19. He missed Charlotte’s final 13 games with a sciatic nerve problem.

The 47-year-old Oakley, still moving gingerly, attended Charlotte’s workout of draft prospects Saturday. As he contemplates surgery, Oakley said he told general manager Rod Higgins to consider replacing him on coach Paul Silas’ staff.

Silas said Saturday there’s no timetable for making a decision.

“I want to do what’s best for the team, always,” Oakley said. “We’ll have to see what happens and if I’m not back, they’ll have someone just as good as me or better.”

Oakley has sued the Aria hotel-casino, claiming he was beaten by security guards in May 2010. Oakley is convinced the incident led to his current condition.

“I wasn’t going to sue, but they just did too much damage to me,” said Oakley, who filed the suit last month. “It just handicapped me for a period of time and they think it was a joke. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I never tried to assault them. They tried to assault me.

“I’m not a troublemaker. People say, ‘You got into a lot of incidents.’ Yeah, but it was on the basketball floor.”

The complaint contends five officers wrestled the 6-foot-9 Oakley to the ground and punched and handcuffed him after a verbal dispute over whether Oakley could return to a VIP pool area. It said Oakley was taken to the hospital with injuries to his neck, back, head and wrist. Oakley said Saturday two slipped disks suffered in the incident led to the sciatic nerve condition.

“It’s like having a nail in your tire. You can only go so far and then the nail keeps going in, going in,” Oakley said. “Once it reaches the peak, the hole gets bigger and all the air comes out of your tire. The damage to my disk – it just couldn’t take no more.”

The complaint alleges negligence, assault, assault with excessive force, battery, false imprisonment and defamation. It seeks unspecified general, special and punitive damages.

MGM Resorts International, which owns the resort, has declined to comment since the suit was filed.

Oakley, a former teammate of Bobcats owner Michael Jordan in Chicago, was known as a relentless rebounder and collector of hard fouls in his 18-year career. Oakley, who ranks 20th in NBA history with 12,205 boards, also played for New York, Toronto, Washington and Houston.

Oakley was proud to prove he could coach. He routinely worked out with players in practice and was credited with helping Bobcats center Kwame Brown’s development late last season.

Then Oakley’s body gave out in a jarring scene in San Antonio.

“I hate to go out like that,” Oakley said. “It looks like somebody got knocked out of the ring and couldn’t get back on his feet. But I’m back walking and hopefully getting my back back together and back to 100 percent.”

Oakley said he’s moving better and recently started riding a bike. He hopes to avoid surgery.

“I just want to get back to normal,” Oakley said. “It’s draining sometimes, but you’ve got to stay strong. … Hopefully, I’ll be back coaching someday. If not, I’ve got to continue living.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Charles Oakley, one of the NBA’s all-time tough guys, may not return to the Charlotte Bobcats’ bench next season because of a painful back condition he says was caused during an assault last year in Las Vegas.
Oakley, who was in his first season as an assistant coach, had to be carried from the bench before a game in San Antonio on March 19. He missed Charlotte’s final 13 games with a sciatic nerve problem.
The 47-year-old Oakley, still moving gingerly, attended Charlotte’s workout of draft prospects Saturday. As he contemplates surgery, Oakley said he told general manager Rod Higgins to consider replacing him on coach Paul Silas’ staff.
Silas said Saturday there’s no timetable for making a decision.
“I want to do what’s best for the team, always,” Oakley said. “We’ll have to see what happens and if I’m not back, they’ll have someone just as good as me or better.”
Oakley has sued the Aria hotel-casino, claiming he was beaten by security guards in May 2010. Oakley is convinced the incident led to his current condition.
“I wasn’t going to sue, but they just did too much damage to me,” said Oakley, who filed the suit last month. “It just handicapped me for a period of time and they think it was a joke. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I never tried to assault them. They tried to assault me.
“I’m not a troublemaker. People say, ‘You got into a lot of incidents.’ Yeah, but it was on the basketball floor.”
The complaint contends five officers wrestled the 6-foot-9 Oakley to the ground and punched and handcuffed him after a verbal dispute over whether Oakley could return to a VIP pool area. It said Oakley was taken to the hospital with injuries to his neck, back, head and wrist. Oakley said Saturday two slipped disks suffered in the incident led to the sciatic nerve condition.
“It’s like having a nail in your tire. You can only go so far and then the nail keeps going in, going in,” Oakley said. “Once it reaches the peak, the hole gets bigger and all the air comes out of your tire. The damage to my disk — it just couldn’t take no more.”
The complaint alleges negligence, assault, assault with excessive force, battery, false imprisonment and defamation. It seeks unspecified general, special and punitive damages.
MGM Resorts International, which owns the resort, has declined to comment since the suit was filed.
Oakley, a former teammate of Bobcats owner Michael Jordan in Chicago, was known as a relentless rebounder and collector of hard fouls in his 18-year career. Oakley, who ranks 20th in NBA history with 12,205 boards, also played for New York, Toronto, Washington and Houston.
Oakley was proud to prove he could coach. He routinely worked out with players in practice and was credited with helping Bobcats center Kwame Brown’s development late last season.
Then Oakley’s body gave out in a jarring scene in San Antonio.
“I hate to go out like that,” Oakley said. “It looks like somebody got knocked out of the ring and couldn’t get back on his feet. But I’m back walking and hopefully getting my back back together and back to 100 percent.”
Oakley said he’s moving better and recently started riding a bike. He hopes to avoid surgery.
“I just want to get back to normal,” Oakley said. “It’s draining sometimes, but you’ve got to stay strong. … Hopefully, I’ll be back coaching someday. If not, I’ve got to continue living.”
___
Mike Cranston can be reached at http://twitter.com/MikeCranston1.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charles Oakley, one of the NBA’s all-time tough guys, may not return to the Charlotte Bobcats’ bench next season because of a painful back condition he says was caused during an assault last year in Las Vegas.

Oakley, who was in his first season as an assistant coach, had to be carried from the bench before a game in San Antonio on March 19. He missed Charlotte’s final 13 games with a sciatic nerve problem.

The 47-year-old Oakley, still moving gingerly, attended Charlotte’s workout of draft prospects Saturday. As he contemplates surgery, Oakley said he told general manager Rod Higgins to consider replacing him on coach Paul Silas’ staff.

Silas said Saturday there’s no timetable for making a decision.

“I want to do what’s best for the team, always,” Oakley said. “We’ll have to see what happens and if I’m not back, they’ll have someone just as good as me or better.”

Oakley has sued the Aria hotel-casino, claiming he was beaten by security guards in May 2010. Oakley is convinced the incident led to his current condition.

“I wasn’t going to sue, but they just did too much damage to me,” said Oakley, who filed the suit last month. “It just handicapped me for a period of time and they think it was a joke. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I never tried to assault them. They tried to assault me.

“I’m not a troublemaker. People say, ‘You got into a lot of incidents.’ Yeah, but it was on the basketball floor.”

The complaint contends five officers wrestled the 6-foot-9 Oakley to the ground and punched and handcuffed him after a verbal dispute over whether Oakley could return to a VIP pool area. It said Oakley was taken to the hospital with injuries to his neck, back, head and wrist. Oakley said Saturday two slipped disks suffered in the incident led to the sciatic nerve condition.

“It’s like having a nail in your tire. You can only go so far and then the nail keeps going in, going in,” Oakley said. “Once it reaches the peak, the hole gets bigger and all the air comes out of your tire. The damage to my disk — it just couldn’t take no more.”

The complaint alleges negligence, assault, assault with excessive force, battery, false imprisonment and defamation. It seeks unspecified general, special and punitive damages.

MGM Resorts International, which owns the resort, has declined to comment since the suit was filed.

Oakley, a former teammate of Bobcats owner Michael Jordan in Chicago, was known as a relentless rebounder and collector of hard fouls in his 18-year career. Oakley, who ranks 20th in NBA history with 12,205 boards, also played for New York, Toronto, Washington and Houston.

Oakley was proud to prove he could coach. He routinely worked out with players in practice and was credited with helping Bobcats center Kwame Brown’s development late last season.

Then Oakley’s body gave out in a jarring scene in San Antonio.

“I hate to go out like that,” Oakley said. “It looks like somebody got knocked out of the ring and couldn’t get back on his feet. But I’m back walking and hopefully getting my back back together and back to 100 percent.”

Oakley said he’s moving better and recently started riding a bike. He hopes to avoid surgery.

“I just want to get back to normal,” Oakley said. “It’s draining sometimes, but you’ve got to stay strong. … Hopefully, I’ll be back coaching someday. If not, I’ve got to continue living.”

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charles Oakley, one of the NBA’s all-time tough guys, may not return to the Charlotte Bobcats’ bench next season because of a painful back condition he says was caused during an assault last year in Las Vegas.

Oakley, who was in his first season as an assistant coach, had to be carried from the bench before a game in San Antonio on March 19. He missed Charlotte’s final 13 games with a sciatic nerve problem.

The 47-year-old Oakley, still moving gingerly, attended Charlotte’s workout of draft prospects Saturday. As he contemplates surgery, Oakley said he told general manager Rod Higgins to consider replacing him on coach Paul Silas’ staff.

Silas said Saturday there’s no timetable for making a decision.

“I want to do what’s best for the team, always,” Oakley said. “We’ll have to see what happens and if I’m not back, they’ll have someone just as good as me or better.”

Oakley has sued the Aria hotel-casino, claiming he was beaten by security guards in May 2010. Oakley is convinced the incident led to his current condition.

“I wasn’t going to sue, but they just did too much damage to me,” said Oakley, who filed the suit last month. “It just handicapped me for a period of time and they think it was a joke. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I never tried to assault them. They tried to assault me.

“I’m not a troublemaker. People say, ‘You got into a lot of incidents.’ Yeah, but it was on the basketball floor.”

The complaint contends five officers wrestled the 6-foot-9 Oakley to the ground and punched and handcuffed him after a verbal dispute over whether Oakley could return to a VIP pool area. It said Oakley was taken to the hospital with injuries to his neck, back, head and wrist. Oakley said Saturday two slipped disks suffered in the incident led to the sciatic nerve condition.

“It’s like having a nail in your tire. You can only go so far and then the nail keeps going in, going in,” Oakley said. “Once it reaches the peak, the hole gets bigger and all the air comes out of your tire. The damage to my disk — it just couldn’t take no more.”

The complaint alleges negligence, assault, assault with excessive force, battery, false imprisonment and defamation. It seeks unspecified general, special and punitive damages.

MGM Resorts International, which owns the resort, has declined to comment since the suit was filed.

Oakley, a former teammate of Bobcats owner Michael Jordan in Chicago, was known as a relentless rebounder and collector of hard fouls in his 18-year career. Oakley, who ranks 20th in NBA history with 12,205 boards, also played for New York, Toronto, Washington and Houston.

Oakley was proud to prove he could coach. He routinely worked out with players in practice and was credited with helping Bobcats center Kwame Brown’s development late last season.

Then Oakley’s body gave out in a jarring scene in San Antonio.

“I hate to go out like that,” Oakley said. “It looks like somebody got knocked out of the ring and couldn’t get back on his feet. But I’m back walking and hopefully getting my back back together and back to 100 percent.”

Oakley said he’s moving better and recently started riding a bike. He hopes to avoid surgery.

“I just want to get back to normal,” Oakley said. “It’s draining sometimes, but you’ve got to stay strong. … Hopefully, I’ll be back coaching someday. If not, I’ve got to continue living.”

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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.

RADNOR, Pa. (AP) — Charlotte Bobcats forward Dante Cunningham faces a drug-possession charge after police found a small amount of marijuana in his pickup during a traffic stop in suburban Philadelphia.

Radnor Township Police Superintendent William Colarulo says officers responding to a reckless driving complaint on Friday stopped the former Villanova star.

Colarulo says officers smelled marijuana and recovered a suspicious substance after Cunningham consented to a search. That search also turned up a pellet gun in violation of a local ordinance.

Cunningham was arraigned and released on bail.

The Bobcats released a brief statement Wednesday afternoon.

“We are aware of the unfortunate incident involving Dante Cunningham in Pennsylvania,” the team said. “We are in the process of gathering more information and will have no further comment until the legal process has run its course.”

Portland traded Cunningham to Charlotte in February in the deal that sent Gerald Wallace to the Trail Blazers.

The Bobcats moved Cunningham from power forward to small forward and were impressed with his mid-range jumper. He became a part of the rotation, averaging 9 points and 4 rebounds in 22 games with Charlotte.

Cunningham is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this summer. Before the arrest, Bobcats owner Michael Jordan said they wanted to re-sign him.

RADNOR, Pa. — Charlotte Bobcats forward Dante Cunningham faces a drug-possession charge after police found a small amount of marijuana in his pickup during a traffic stop in suburban Philadelphia.

Radnor Township Police Superintendent William Colarulo says officers responding to a reckless driving complaint on Friday stopped the former Villanova star.

Colarulo says officers smelled marijuana and recovered a suspicious substance after Cunningham consented to a search. That search also turned up a pellet gun in violation of a local ordinance.

Cunningham was arraigned and released on bail.

The Bobcats released a brief statement Wednesday afternoon.

“We are aware of the unfortunate incident involving Dante Cunningham in Pennsylvania,” the team said. “We are in the process of gathering more information and will have no further comment until the legal process has run its course.”

Portland traded Cunningham to Charlotte in February in the deal that sent Gerald Wallace to the Trail Blazers.

The Bobcats moved Cunningham from power forward to small forward and were impressed with his mid-range jumper. He became a part of the rotation, averaging 9 points and 4 rebounds in 22 games with Charlotte.

Cunningham is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this summer. Before the arrest, Bobcats owner Michael Jordan said they wanted to re-sign him.