An informative interview about the Bobcats

[King Taharqa]

I jacked this from the BCP blog. Michael Thompson is Director of Corporate Communications for the Bobcats. He's the man you need to talk to if your TV is blacked out when Bobcats games come on in your area. He's also got some good insight into the direction of the organization now that Mike is in charge. This is kinda like a "State Of The Bobcats" interview that I thought would be a great read for Bobcats Nation over here on the Huddle. Big props to Teej who conducted the interview and all our brethren over there at BCP.

Thanks a million to Bobcats Director of Corporate Communications Michael Thompson for taking the time to answer our questions!

From JamieMcNeill on the forums: What types of changes can we anticipate being made once Michael Jordan becomes majority owner? Is it mostly staying status quo or does Mr. Jordan have many changes he would like to make?

MT: I think you're going to see Mr. Jordan put his touch on every facet of this organization. Obviously the basketball team is already a product of his work and vision, but you'll see changes in everything from our game presentation to the overall experience at the arena. Some changes will happen right away and some will take a little longer to implement. But this franchise will definitely be a reflection of him and what he's about.

Teej: With the change in ownership, it's been reported Bob Johnson is staying on as a minority partner. What does this entail for Mr. Johnson, both business wise and as a member of the Charlotte community?

MT: It means he wants to continue to invest in the team that he founded. Let's not forget the substantial financial commitment he has already made to this city and this business. None of what we're enjoying this season - the wins, the playoff push, the All-Star appearance, the 20+ franchise records – would have been possible without his support. Now he's in a position to provide support to Mr. Jordan as this franchise takes the next step.

From Polarcat on the forums: Is there any chance of the marketing and promotions becoming a bigger focus moving forward to help spread the Bobcats throughout the Carolinas and regain that buzz that Charlotte was known for? For example -- Improved TV coverage, re-energizing Charlotte with murals on buildings (ala the Hornets in the late '80's), etc.

MT: Mr. Jordan has said that he wants to make the Bobcats a regional draw, but the television situation is not something we control. FSN South owns our broadcast rights, and they are working with every cable and satellite provider in North and South Carolina to carry our games. Unfortunately, not every cable and satellite provider is willing to carry our games, and that is a source of frustration for all of us.

It's virtually impossible to replicate what Charlotte did for its very first professional sports team. The city has matured since then and the kind of blindly loyal support that team enjoyed simply by virtue of being first is not something we'll ever experience - or want to experience. Mr. Jordan has said repeatedly that he wants to earn our way in this community. He doesn't want it to be handed to us and he doesn't want it just because he's the owner. He's focused - and he has every person in the organization focused - on earning the support of this community. When that happens then maybe you'll start to see that outpouring of support from local businesses who want to do things like put giant murals of our players on the sides of their buildings. But we want to earn it first.

Teej: In the press conference today, Mr. Jordan said establishing a consistent winner was his goal, yet he's also said multiple times that at the moment, going into the luxury tax is not viable for this team. With the current salary system, that would appear to tell fans one of either Tyrus Thomas or Raymond Felton will not be re-signed, and the team highly likely will not have any draft picks. How should fans expect the team to be a winner next year?

MT: Your question assumes there's a correlation between paying the luxury tax and winning. Over the years a number of teams have done a remarkable job of managing the cap and putting a championship contender on the floor, and a few others have spent well past the tax only to end up in the lottery repeatedly. We've made huge strides as a basketball team over the past 2 seasons without exceeding the tax, and I think that trend will continue. If there's one thing Mr. Jordan demonstrated as the Managing Member of Basketball Operations, it's that he was open to any and all ideas that would make us better on the court. Look for that to continue as he relies on his senior management team and head coach to make recommendations before he makes the final decision.

Teej: Mr. Jordan said he was planning on being active in the Charlotte community, yet he also appears to want to stay away from the local and national media. Should fans expect to hear from Mr. Jordan often, or will he keep a behind the scenes role?

MT: Mr. Jordan said those words during a press conference carried live on 4 local TV stations, FOX Sports, NBATV and SportsCenter. That day alone he did individual interviews with FOX Sports Carolinas, ESPN and CNBC before sitting down with 2 reporters from the Observer, 1 from the Gaston Gazette, 1 from the Charlotte Business Journal and 1 from Associated Press. He did a question and answer with bobcats.com. He reached out directly to Season Ticket Holders through voicemail blasts and email, and appealed directly to this community through an open letter to Charlotte. Next up is the New York Times. I'm not sure that qualifies as staying away from the local and national media. And it's worth noting that we're only 12 days (as I write this) into his tenure as owner. You're going to see him. You're going to hear from him. He wants to hear from you. So when we reach out with surveys and questions of our own, it's because he's engaged and wants to know what you think.

Teej: Larry Brown has been rumored to both the 76ers and Clippers as a coach next season, yet MJ says he'd like Larry to stay. Is Larry in the franchise's long term plan, and is the franchise in Larry's?

MT: Mr. Jordan has said that Larry Brown is our coach for “as long as he wants to stay here”.

Teej: With the recent change in uniforms, would the team be allowed to change the name in the near future, and if so, how quickly would this happen if Mr. Jordan decides it's worth doing?

MT: Mr. Jordan has said that he's open to anything, and he is looking for feedback from fans on what they think about a wide range of issues including the team name. But it's worth noting here that changing a team name is an extraordinary step that would take significant time and money, so it’s not something that can happen overnight.

NOTE: I asked Michael about the Bobcats use of analytics and on James Worthy, but as he is not a member of basketball operations he could not answer these for us.

http://bobcatsplanet.com/wp/michaels-minute-3-ownership-edition

[Liminy]

Nice interview, I am really enjoying the direction that the Cats are going. I see great things for us in the future.

[necroplasm]

I feel really good about this team's future. Great post, King.

[mj4life]

great interview, I hope that people read this and start to become more informed on issues like our tv contract and things like this, it appears that MJ has alot of ideas that he and his staff want to implement. also like the comment about the hornets, i feel that no sports team will ever capture the community wide attention they did unless they win big and finally THE NAME CHANGE, i hope the HATERS get over it and jump on board cause it's just not worth the time and expense needed to make it happen, we have more pressing issues

[pantherfan49]

With the current salary system, that would appear to tell fans one of either Tyrus Thomas or Raymond Felton will not be re-signed, and the team highly likely will not have any draft picks.

Wrong- assuming Felton doesn't want outlandish money (he did turn down a reportedly very lucrative contract last year), then the Bobs will sign both players. They only have to be below the luxury tax at season's end. i.e. Tyson Chandler gets dealt sometime around the trade deadline.

[mj4life]

Wrong- assuming Felton doesn't want outlandish money (he did turn down a reportedly very lucrative contract last year), then the Bobs will sign both players. They only have to be below the luxury tax at season's end. i.e. Tyson Chandler gets dealt sometime around the trade deadline.

i don't think the amount was the issue it had more to do how many years on the contract either way if i were ray i would sign a 4 year contract which would put him back on the market in his prime with a much better body of work for team's to consider(we hope). it gets overlooked but the new cba talks are also a factor, lebron, d wade, bosh are going to get paid but players like ray won't get mega offers like some think .add in the fact that point guards with talent are in abundance in the league right now(minnesota has atleast 3) many teams can go the inexpensive route to fill this need. ray just doesn't have the FLASH in his game or offensive numbers that would make somebody overpay him, it's more about fit for him and this probably is his best option

[pantherfan49]

i don't think the amount was the issue it had more to do how many years on the contract either way if i were ray i would sign a 4 year contract which would put him back on the market in his prime with a much better body of work for team's to consider(we hope). it gets overlooked but the new cba talks are also a factor, lebron, d wade, bosh are going to get paid but players like ray won't get mega offers like some think .add in the fact that point guards with talent are in abundance in the league right now(minnesota has atleast 3) many teams can go the inexpensive route to fill this need. ray just doesn't have the FLASH in his game or offensive numbers that would make somebody overpay him, it's more about fit for him and this probably is his best option

If I remember correctly, it was in the range of 5 years 8 million dollars. I could be totally wrong on that though.

[mj4life]

If I remember correctly, it was in the range of 5 years 8 million dollars. I could be totally wrong on that though.

i think it was closer to 7 million but if ray turned that much down he is going to kick himself cause i don't see him getting over that amount. Jameer Nelson's contract is a good barometer(5 yrs 30 million) didn't get that much plus he has atleast made one all star team

[pantherfan49]

i think it was closer to 7 million but if ray turned that much down he is going to kick himself cause i don't see him getting over that amount. Jameer Nelson's contract is a good barometer(5 yrs 30 million) didn't get that much plus he has atleast made one all star team

Just remember, everyone called EO50 a fool for turning down the Bobs first contract offer and then the Bobs turned around and made an even bigger (dumber) offer.

[pantherfan49]

The rumored deal was 5 year, 37.5 million.

[mj4life]

Just remember, everyone called EO50 a fool for turning down the Bobs first contract offer and then the Bobs turned around and made an even bigger (dumber) offer.

TRUE! just think the players in free agency this year limit his options, unless he wants to play for a scrubb team. most contenders either have to resign their own free agents or can only offer the mid-level exception. a team like miami can only sign two impact fa's, so they can only sign wade and someone else to big contract and chicago already has rose so where would he go unless he wants to play in la with kobe or something like that

[Porn Shop Clerk]

Michael Jordan had a sweater vest on last night.

WTF.

I think I'm going to quit supporting the Bobcats over this shame.

[Hotsauce]

Good post KT, sounds like there are some changes coming in the off season

[Kakarot]

Great read! Made the decision earlier in the year I was going to support the home team, and after reading this, I'm real excited about where this franchise is going.