Higgins speaks

[King Taharqa]

GM: Owners ready to spend
Higgins says he has mandate, resources
RICK BONNELL

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. --
New Charlotte Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins said he has the resources and mandate to pursue whatever would help the team.

Including a trade for Kobe Bryant.

"In this business, you go down every road, every dark alley. You shake every bush you can," Higgins said Thursday, when asked about investigating Bryant's availability.

"I don't know what's going on there, obviously," he said of the rift between Bryant and the Lakers, "(But) we're not afraid to go down that road."

He believes Bobcats ownership is prepared to spend for a star, and Bryant is all that with a star's salary: $88.6 million over the next four seasons. Bryant keeps changing signals, but late Wednesday he told the Los Angeles Times he still wants to be traded by the Lakers.

Higgins arrives from the Golden State Warriors, where he had the same title and similar responsibilities. He'll report to managing partner Michael Jordan and executive vice president Bernie Bickerstaff. Higgins said if a transaction -- a trade or a free-agent signing -- can get the Bobcats to the next level, then he's "been assured by ownership we can do that."

Higgins is seemingly making a lateral move -- he was No. 2 behind executive vice president Chris Mullin at Golden State -- but he said he's attracted to the Bobcats' salary-cap flexibility and young roster.

Also, he'll be working for one of his best friends; he and Jordan played together several years with the Chicago Bulls. Higgins befriended him when Jordan was a rookie and the two stayed close.

"He was almost like a roommate," Higgins said. "I owned a townhome, and he bought a townhome about 50 yards away."

He worked for Jordan as assistant general manager, when Jordan ran player-personnel for the Washington Wizards.

Higgins addressed other topics during a teleconference with Charlotte media:

• He thinks the team needs more big men, particularly with the experience to play right away.

• He's reluctant to deal any of the team's young core.

• He acknowledged the Bobcats are talking employment with Coastal Carolina coach (and longtime friend of Jordan) Buzz Peterson. "We look forward to having something done real soon," Higgins said.

Notes

• Projected lottery picks who expect to work out for the Bobcats include Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah of Florida, Al Thornton of Florida State and Jeff Green of Georgetown. Charlotte has the No. 8 overall pick, and the 22nd pick, from Toronto.

• Surprisingly, Texas A&M point guard Acie Law and Washington center Spencer Hawes don't expect to audition for Charlotte. They indicated the Bobcats were already deep at point guard and center, which isn't necessarily true.

http://www.charlotte.com/bobcats/story/143248.html

[murphman13]

It is exciting all of the changes going on but many of the names mentioned both above and in that other post of the person overhearing that meeting of the big wigs, make me nervous. Kobie? Garnett? Joakim Noah? Possibly not retaining Oakfor and losing G-Force? Point Guard and Center being deep?

Change is good but I hope there are a lot of smokscreens in all of this.

[Proudiddy]

Sure, there's a lot of hype... But, I like it. Although, it is weird for you to say "we'll look into acquiring Kobe" and then "we're not going to trade away any young core players." Well, how else would you get somebody like Kobe, KG, Jermaine O'neal or anyone else?

Either way, I said I liked bringing Higgins in b/c he makes moves to better his team. He's gonna go after guys that we know and like. That's what's exciting.

[JKidd]

Bringing Buzz aboard??? Let's keep this UNC train moving!

[love to hate roy]

Originally Posted by JKidd

Bringing Buzz aboard??? Let's keep this UNC train moving!