December 19, 2007

Michael Jordan Work Out, Talks Bobcats

It isn’t often that you get an opportunity to learn the game of basketball from one of the world’s best players. But that was the case at Charlotte Bobcats Arena this week as Managing Member of Basketball Operations Michael Jordan stopped by to watch film and participate in a practice with the team.

Jordan’s presence on the court seemed re-invigorate the Bobcats, who are working hard to take their game to the next level.

“He relaxed everybody a little bit,” remarked Jeff McInnis. “It brought life back to the team. Jordan coming through kind of energized everybody. I think we’re anxious to get on the court and try to get a win.

Jordan’s presence also seemed to bring out the competitive fire in the Bobcats.

“It was fun and competitive,” said Raymond Felton as he talked about playing one-on-one with Jordan. “I’m a competitive person and so is he, as you know, so it was fun with a lot of junk talking. It was hilarious.”

“It was awesome, a lot of fun seeing the greatest player of all-time out there,” added Matt Carroll. “He was doing our drills and yapping a lot. It was a lot of fun for me and the whole team.”

One of the highlights of the day came for Jason Richardson when he blocked Jordan’s shot.

“I will take that for a long time, blocking the shot of one of the greatest players ever,” he said.

He did bemoan the fact however that his block did not make it on ESPN.

“They didn’t put that on SportsCenter,” he said jokingly. “They wanted to make Michael look good on us. He’s an older guy (playing) with some younger ones so they didn’t put the block on there.”

While some of his teammates battled Jordan one-on-one, rookie Jermareo Davidson sat and watched, taking everything in.

“It was pretty cool,” he said. “I just wanted to check him out. There are not many times when you get to see him one-on-one, that close up.”

Seeing Jordan in the gym, wasn’t a new experience for the newest member of the Bobcats, center Nazr Mohammed. A nine-year veteran of the league, Mohammed has had the opportunity to face Jordan on the court on numerous occasions.

“I’ve seen him in the gym many times, but for me I still think that I have to go out there and do my job,” Mohammed explained. “I’m new so it’s a little bit different. The other guys said that it was his first time out there, but it was my second day, so it’s kind of like an everyday thing for me now. It was definitely nice seeing him in the gym. Everybody grew up watching him so it was definitely nice seeing him.”

Regardless if this was the first time they had the opportunity to face Jordan, or one of many, the Bobcats were able to take away some valuable knowledge.

“He has all the tricks of the trade both on the offensive and defensive end,” said Felton. “He knows how to make the game easy, no question.”

“(You learn) just how to play the game,” added Gerald Wallace. “He has so much knowledge. He has six championships, so he knows what it takes to be successful in this league. There’s not just one thing you can learn, there are a lot of things you can take away from him.”

The Bobcats also appreciate Jordan’s visit because it shows just how much he is behind this team.

“It’s nice to see him around,” remarked Emeka Okafor. “It just shows that he cares and that he’s into the team and wants to see us succeed.”

“He’s been helping us, he’s been watching film with us,” remarked Carroll. “The knowledge he has of the game, he’s putting it to use for us, showing us things we’re not seeing. It means a lot for us as players and as a team that he really cares.”