"But if you are going to do something like that ... to someone who may be sitting across the table at a Board of Governor's meeting, class and style dictate you don't handle it that way.''
A Wizards source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AP that Pollin's decision was based on three factors: player dissension, a franchise faltering after the years of Jordan in charge, and deteriorating relationships throughout the organization.
Johnson would not assess what kind of job he thought Jordan did during his time in Washington.
"I wasn't there," he said. "But he knows more about basketball than I can learn in 100 lifetimes."
Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles in the 1990s, but never came close to duplicating that success in Washington.
No bird
Now, he could come aboard an expansion team that will have to be built from the ground up. It's a job Larry Bird really wanted, but lost out when the NBA awarded the Charlotte franchise to Johnson instead of Bird's group. Johnson has ruled out hiring Bird.
So far, Johnson has made just one significant hire in Ed Tapscott, who was hired in January as executive vice president.
Tapscott came highly recommended by Jordan, Johnson said.
Like his relationship with Jordan, Johnson has a longtime friendship with Tapscott. The two met nearly two decades ago when Tapscott's wife worked at BET.
Tapscott was expected to be the architect of the franchise, but Jordan could now take over that role if he wants it. Johnson said he was confident Jordan and Tapscott could work together should Jordan want to run basketball operations.
"When I started looking for someone to build this organization, I turned to Michael as a friend and he had Eddie at the top of a very short list," Johnson said. "They can work together like a hand and a glove."
RSS