| | WASHINGTON -- Michael Jordan still has plenty to learn about running an NBA team.
Jordan's first big management move with the Washington Wizards
turned out to be a confusing and bitter change of coaches. As a
result, Darrell Walker, who has been coaching a last-place team in
the CBA, was hired as interim coach Monday for the rest of the
season.
|  | | Darrell Walker, followed by Michael Jordan, walks to a news conference Monday. |
Walker expected to become an assistant, but he suddenly moved up the ladder when Jordan's first choice, Golden State assistant Rod
Higgins, fell through because the Wizards couldn't agree on a
compensation plan with the Warriors. Players and staff were told
Higgins would be the new coach Saturday night, only to learn Sunday
the deal was never completed.
"That was an unfortunate situation in that things did not work
out properly with Golden State," Jordan said. "Rod was just one
of our candidates for the job. Darrell was another."
Walker was 41-90 over 1½ seasons with the Toronto Raptors before
quitting in 1998, and he's leaving a Rockford Lightning team that
is 13-17 and in last place in the CBA's Atlantic Conference.
Thrilled to be out of the minors, Walker used the word "fun" at
least a dozen times at his introductory news conference.
"I'm just happy to be here," said Walker, who also played four
years as a guard with the then-Washington Bullets from 1987-91.
"It's a dream come true. Hopefully, I can be the guy who can turn
this team around back in the right direction. It's not like we're
going to jump up and run off 20 or 30 in a row, I just want us to
go out, be competitive, get after people, play defense and have
some fun."
Walker's first game is Tuesday night in Cleveland, but he was
almost the bit player Monday as some tough parting shots were
exchanged among the players, Jordan and fired coach Gar Heard.
Jordan had to defend the timing and manner of Heard's dismissal,
and Jordan, Rod Strickland and Juwan Howard shot back at Heard's
allegation that his dismissal was due in part to the "David Falk
factor."
Jordan was in Atlanta for the Super Bowl when Heard was fired
Saturday night, immediately after the Wizards (14-30) beat
Cleveland. Jordan said he was deferring to the wishes of general
manager Wes Unseld.
"I actually offered to do that because that's my responsibility
as president," Jordan said. "And Wes took the approach that 'I
hired the guy, I'll fire the guy.' My response to Wes was that this
is the only time that you're going to be able to do this. From this
time forward, I'm going to do the hiring, and I'm going to do all
the firing."
From the first day he was named part-owner and president of
basketball operations, Jordan gave Heard the cold shoulder. Heard
said he wished Jordan had fired him immediately, and suggested to
several newspapers that Falk, the agent who represents Jordan as
well as Strickland and Howard, was an intermediary to his demise.
"I didn't expect to be one of (Michael's) guys, especially with
the David Falk factor." Heard told The Washington Post. "Rod and
Juwan, I'm sure they didn't have anything good to say."
Strickland and Howard, both of whom clashed openly with Heard's
old-school coaching style, reacted with anger.
"I wanted to be very diplomatic about this," Strickland said.
"But instead he's taking his little shots. The bottom (line) is, maybe he
just couldn't coach. ... He came in with a bulldozer mentality. He
was like that every day, balking, cursing, screaming every day.
After a while, that gets old. We're grown men."
Said Howard: "I think that's disrespecting Michael when he says
something like that because Michael's a very intelligent, respectable guy. He's his own man. ... David Falk don't control me. He works for me."
Jordan was more diplomatic, saying he fired Heard because the
coach had lost the players' respect.
"When you're disappointed, quite naturally you start reaching
out for different types of straws," Jordan said. "He felt like
David Falk changed my mind or initiated the firing, but I think
that's totally incorrect.
"He had some great knowledge about the game, but the thing that
was very obvious -- and unfortunately it happened before I got here
-- is he lost respect for the players."
The players, meanwhile, were hard pressed to keep up with the
dizzying pace of events.
"It's a lot of change," said guard Mitch Richmond, who is
getting his fourth head coach in 10 months. "You never know what's
going to happen next. It's a lot of drama in D.C." | |
ALSO SEE
 Lawrence: Heard had no chance
Wizards send Heard out a winner
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Michael Jordan talks about Darrell Walkers' leadership skills.
wav: 101 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Darrell Walker says it's not always the coach's fault.
wav: 73 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Rod Strickland talks about Darrell Walker's new position.
wav: 112 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Juwan Howard talks about the Wizard's losing record.
wav: 90 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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