Jordan's words

Key quotes from Michael Jordan during a half-hour interview following his Thursday press conference:

ON THE TEAM ALREADY BEING CLOSE TO NEXT SEASON’S PROJECTED LUXURY-TAX THRESHOLD:

 

“In all honesty, I have very little wiggle room right now. If we make the playoffs, our (first round) pick is gone. I think our (payroll obligation for next season is somewhere around $59 million. Depending on what the gap is – everyone is projecting it right around $61 million.

 

“I don’t see a need to go over the luxury tax unless we go deep (in the playoffs) and feel we’re a player away. If we were that close, I’d entertain that. But if we got into the playoffs and we got swept or eliminated in the first round, I’d have to reevaluate that thinking.

 

“I’d like to give my team another year to bond, to blend together, and then find something else that could get us over the hump. The thing people tend to forget about this team is we haven’t been together a year yet.’’

 

“This will be a very interesting end of the season for us as far as letting us know whether we should maintain the course we are on – keeping Stephen Jackson, Gerald Wallace, all these guys intact. And if we can sign Raymond (Felton) without going over the luxury tax, if we can keep Tyrus Thomas, barring any kind of movement of other personnel to free up (cap) space.

 

“If not, then I think we need to explore a lot of different situations that, not just from a financial standpoint or to throw money away, but things that would create some options, a little bit of flexibility, going into next season.

 

ON WORKING WITH LARRY BROWN:

 

“He’s a Hall of Fame coach, and a great evaluator of talent, and as far as his coaching style, you have to give some adherence to. I’m listening, trying to plug in veteran players. Very few young players come in and (play big minutes) in his style of coaching. He doesn’t want to leave them out there until he feels they’re ready to handle the situation. That means going to (Stephen) Graham before he goes to (Gerald) Henderson, Tyrus Thomas before he goes to (Derrick) Brown.

 

 

ON CHANGING THE NICKNAME:

 “I’m open. We’d have to go through a league process. And it’s a financial commitment. But if I get the signal from the public that we need it to signify change? Yeah, I would do that.’’

 

ON WHETHER HE’D HOLD LARRY BROWN TO HIS CONTRACT IF BROWN WANTED TO COACH ELSEWHERE:

 

“I don’t expect Larry is going anywhere. In all honesty I think when he (reportedly contacted the Los Angeles Clippers) there were so many articles being written about George Postolos getting the team and they’re clearing house. I can imagine Larry thinking about other options. But everything I read and everything that I understood from Larry – his reason for coming here was because I’m here.

“So in that sense I like to think he’s going to maintain being here.

I don’t see us not extending our contract with Larry, or (not) keeping him here. I can’t see myself not doing that. I want to keep Larry here. He’s got two more years on his contract. I envision him coaching us as long as he wants to stay here. But I can understand why he’d consider that or ponder about that because of the uncertainty of me being involved with the team.

 

BUT WHAT IF HE ASKED OUT, PERHAPS TO ADDRESS HIM LIVING IN CHARLOTTE AND HIS FAMILY STILL LIVING IN PHILADEPHIA?

 

“I don’t want larry to leave. I’d like to keep Larry here. But I totally understand his relationship, with what he feels from a husband-wife scenario… I’d do everything I can to keep him here. I want him here. But if for family reasons or (wife) Shelly’s reasons he feels like he’s got to do something else, what else can I do? I’m going to stay away from that one.

 

(so you wouldn’t stand in way for something like that?)

 I have no choice. I don’t see how I could stand in the way of that. I view Larry as a friend, and for me to hold a friend to a contract knowing that his spouse or his family scenario supersedes that, that’s not who I am. I’d walk away from that.’’