Can Cho Make It Thunder For Charlotte Fans?

[spectre]

SportsTribune

During Cho's first season as general manager, the Bobcats went 7-59, losing their last 23 games in a row -- three shy of the NBA's worst losing streak ever.
"I didn't think we were going to set the record for the poorest win percentage in history," says Cho, 46. "I take full responsibility for that."
Cho doesn't deserve the blame for Charlotte's unprecedented futility. He came onto the scene in May 2011, weeks after being fired as general manager of the Trail Blazers. The Bobcats were well on their way to being a mess.
But last season's eyesore record leaves Cho, along with majority owner Michael Jordan and President/Basketball Operations Rod Higgins, thirsting for a turnaround.

The Charlotte front office is an interesting dynamic. The elephant in the room is Jordan. You may remember him as a player. As an executive, he has been somewhat less successful.
Jordan became minority owner of the Bobcats in 2006 and ran the club's basketball operations through 2010, when he became majority owner. Since then, he turned basketball ops over to Higgins, who had served as GM since 2007.
Higgins and Cho share front-office duties. Though he is too modest to admit it, Cho is the point man on virtually everything, including the draft, free agency, putting together a summer-league team and the hiring of a coach.
"Rod has been wonderful to work with," Cho says. "We complement each other really well. He has a smart basketball mind."
Cho is mindful of not trying to take credit for Charlotte's front-office decisions. He wants everyone working toward a common goal.
"It was a team effort in OKC," he says. "One of the things Sam always preached -- and I really believe in, too -- is teamwork. That's something I've instilled here with the Bobcats."
Jordan has backed away from day-to-day responsibilities, and gives Cho autonomy to make decisions.
"It's been terrific to work with Michael," he says. "He is very supportive. He has taken a step back, but we always keep him informed. When he is in town, we always talk."

"I was disappointed, just like other (12) teams that didn't get the No. 1 pick," he says. "But that's the way it goes. We had no control over it. The No. 2 pick is better than No. 3 or 4."
The first item of business is hiring a coach "before the draft," Cho says. "We're getting there."
Cho has interviewed 10 candidates, including Jerry Sloan, Nate McMillan and Michael Malone. During the next two weeks, he'll pare the list to "a few, then bring them back and have them talk to Michael."
I think the man hired will be one of the aforementioned three, though I have no clue which one.
"One thing that's going to be important for our growth is player development," Cho says. "The coach we hire will have to have a strong emphasis there."
The Bobcats will likely take either Kansas power forward Thomas Robinson or Kentucky forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with the No. 2 pick in the draft. I don't see them trading the selection. They are in reconstruction mode.

Cho has revamped Charlotte's scouting system, putting together "the most advanced database I've seen," he says. "It's an eyes, ears and numbers approach. It was something we were going to do in Portland, but didn't have enough time."

Cho is a competitor. He wants to show what happened in Portland was an anomaly. In Charlotte, he wants to emulate the blueprint of Oklahoma City on the way to an appearance in the NBA finals.

[dnbman]

SportsTribune

Bobcats: Our database could kick your database's ass.

[Pepperz]

I have always been intrigued by this database they always bring up. He mentioned it last year and how he was creating it.

[dnbman]

This was a Tweeted pic of Cho's office:

[The Milk]

Haha nice pic

[Pepperz]

HAHA, I wondered if he ever played chess on that bad as computer.

[-Ian-]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...t.2/index.html

I reserve the right to flip-flop on this pick all the way to the end, mainly because the Bobcats themselves will likely be doing the same thing. So it is, then, that Kentucky small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist loses his Mock 1.0 spot here to the feisty and ferocious Robinson. Beyond the notion that Charlotte might trade its pick, the buzz about the Bobcats is that, despite general manager Rich Cho's considerable influence, it still comes down to which player Michael Jordan falls in love during this process. And while Kidd-Gilchrist is best known for his motor (something Jordan would surely love), the truth is Robinson has quite a motor himself while looking more like a franchise centerpiece-type player. They couldn't be any more different when it comes to bravado, either. Robinson let it be known at the combine that he thinks he should be the No. 1 pick. Kidd-Gilchrist took the aw-shucks approach while saying he simply hopes he gets picked.

I don't know which one is true about the clout of Cho.

I really, really hope that what Sam Amick wrote isn't true and the Portland Tribune is.

[Chef]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...t.2/index.html

Beyond the notion that Charlotte might trade its pick, the buzz about the Bobcats is that, despite general manager Rich Cho's considerable influence, it still comes down to which player Michael Jordan falls in love during this process.

i don't know, to me this seems like total BS. why would jordan pay cho the extra money when he knows from the portland situation that if he isn't calling the shots he is more than happy to walk? jordan could have just paid some 2nd rate rookie gm to be his yes man but he went out of his way to spend extra money to get cho. i think cho is 100% calling the shots on this and jordan is quite ok with what he decides. the only thing i could see them debating is a rebuild vs. trading the picks etc to get better immediately.

to me this smells like the media narrative that jordan just isn't a good executive and a control freak.

[dnbman]

i don't know, to me this seems like total BS. why would jordan pay cho the extra money when he knows from the portland situation that if he isn't calling the shots he is more than happy to walk? jordan could have just paid some 2nd rate rookie gm to be his yes man but he went out of his way to spend extra money to get cho. i think cho is 100% calling the shots on this and jordan is quite ok with what he decides. the only thing i could see them debating is a rebuild vs. trading the picks etc to get better immediately.

to me this smells like the media narrative that jordan just isn't a good executive and a control freak.

Agree with the last part.

HOWEVER, I think it's easy enough to imagine that Jordan consciously gives Cho the decision making power while at the end of the process swelling with that gambling pride that makes him think he's going to win with his actions. In other words, rationally, he may be doing just as you say. Irrationally, he may try to veto Cho's decision.

[Pepperz]

Something in side of me tells me that Cho is in charge. He will have the final decision on the whole process. Jordan might have input on what he thinks and feels but in the end, its Cho who decides.