Brown says Jordan is determined to buy Bobcats

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina // Michael Jordan could soon own an NBA team. Larry Brown, the Charlotte Bobcats coach, said the former basketball great, a part-owner of the club, is doing everything he can to become the majority stakeholder. "He said he's doing his best to put himself in a position to get the team," Brown said. "He wants it badly." Robert Johnson, the team owner, wants to unload the unprofitable club, and while David Stern, the NBA commissioner, has said Jordan owning the team "would be a good thing", but he may have competition.

George Postolos, the former Houston Rockets executive, has made inquiries, and if Postolos were to take control, Jordan, who has the say on all basketball decisions with the Bobcats, would no longer have a role with the team. Jordan would have to put an ownership group together and agree on a price with Johnson. "I'm trying my hardest to get this thing done," said Brown. "I'm hopeful Michael will be running the Bobcats."

Jordan has a unique role in Charlotte. While he runs the basketball operations, he is not officially a team employee and rarely attends practices or games. But he was able to lure Brown, a fellow NBA Hall of Famer, to coach the Bobcats and Charlotte (26-25) are in a position to make their first play-off appearance this season. "Any time I read a possibility that Michael is not going to be involved it impacts on my family and me because I came here because of him," said Brown.

* AP