Hornets Owner Michael Jordan's "decision to give more power" to GM Rich Cho led to former President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins leaving the team last week, according to Rick Bonnell of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Jordan on Friday said that he "recently offered Higgins a new contract and that they had agreed on financial terms." But "about a week ago, Jordan told Higgins he wanted to rearrange some job responsibilities to better fit Higgins’ and Cho’s skill sets." Jordan said, “Rod’s strong points are working with the coaches and the trainers, traveling with the team. He was my buffer zone with the coaches. I didn’t want to overwhelm them with ideas, so I’d work with Rod on that.” Jordan added that he wants Cho "dealing more with budgets and managing the salary cap." Jordan: “One of (Higgins’) strong points is not negotiating, leveraging teams. Sometimes when teams would call (proposing trades), they’d bypass Rod to get to Rich.” Higgins for the last three years had "teamed with Cho." But Jordan said the front office structure led to some “confusion over who reported to whom." Jordan: "It created a contentious environment where I had to step in.” Bonnell noted Jordan then "proposed these shifts in responsibilities, which Higgins considered a demotion." Jordan said that he "asked Higgins if they could wait until after the draft to make a change." Jordan: “He chose to leave now. ... I had to make a decision about a brother. I hope he gets a soft landing and finds (the job) he wants." Cho will now "run the basketball operation," reporting to Jordan and Vice Chair Curtis Polk. Jordan said that they will "look to hire an assistant general manager so that Cho isn’t spread too thin" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 6/14).
