Fire Chris Paul Signing With Charlotte in 2012

If Paul signed with the Bobcats it would not get a thumbs up.

New Orleans guard Chris Paul said April 12 that he would consider signing with the Bobcats in 2012 because he would like to play for and learn from Michael Jordan. Why would he want to do that?

Paul said: "I think guys do and will want to play for MJ. Who better to learn from?"

Lots of people would be better to learn from, Chris. Everybody knows Jordan will be the standard against which every basketball player is measured until the end of time. Fine. But ever since the press stopped giving Jordan a free pass, we've learned the following: he cheated on his wife, which led to a divorce; he is an incredibly petty, vindictive and bitter person as evidenced by his Hall of Fame induction speech in 2009; and he is pretty darn awful at running a basketball team.

Jordan was a player/owner/president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards from 2000-2003. During his two full seasons with the team the Wizards missed the playoffs and had a combined record of 74-90. The Wizards also drafted a slew of first-round busts during those 3 years: Kwame Brown, Juan Dixon and Jarvis Hayes. Brown was the first overall pick in 2001, and Jordan didn't do much to help develop him as a player. Brown only started 23 games over his two seasons with MJ, so he never really got a chance, but he also didn't make much of his opportunities: He averaged 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in his "best" season with the team. He has yet to blossom in the NBA, and averages 6.8 points per game for his career. Jordan did so well in his time with the Wizards that when he retired as a player for the third and final time, he was fired from his front-office job.

Now Jordan owns the Bobcats, which he purchased in 2010. He has had a stake in the team since 2006, though, and in that time the Bobcats have yet to make the playoffs or get above .500 in a season. The team has also had 4 coaches during Jordan's tenure. The star of the current Bobcats team is, well, no one, and the roster includes Kwame Brown, a truly inexplicable move given his history of failure with MJ.

It's understandable that Paul would want to return to his native North Carolina, and it seems logical that playing for the best ever would be a great experience. But the fact that not one superstar has signed with the Bobcats is extremely telling, and Jordan's history of failure in management is the reason the stars don't shine in Charlotte unless they play for the other team. Paul isn't about to reverse a trend, so let's fire rumors about him going to Charlotte right now.