Michael Jordan met with Hornets Owner George Shinn on
Sunday at an undisclosed location, according to Leonard Laye
of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Though Jordan and Shinn "plan to
continue their talks," no additional details were available
from the meeting, and so far, "no one outside small groups
of people working with Jordan and Shinn know where the
negotiations stand." One of the "major issues" is who would
have the most input in basketball and some business
decisions, which sources say that Jordan "will insist on
having" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 4/13). Hornets VP/Media
Relations Harold Kaufman: "They met over the weekend, and
they have agreed to have a continuing dialogue. That's been
the idea all along" (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 4/13).
MJ HAS JUICE: In the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, Bryan
Burwell writes on Shinn's desire to retain control over some
hiring and business decisions: "What kind of sucker does
Shinn take Jordan for? ... Remember, MJ's the one with all
the juice, not Shinn. ... Even if Shinn's offer improved,
I'd much rather see Jordan explore the possibilities of
buying a majority share of the Washington Wizards or the
Clippers, two teams that, if they aren't up for sale, ought
to be" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/12 issue).
