Hornets owner Jordan says giving GM Cho more power led to Higgins' resignation

After the newly-renamed Charlotte Hornets announced that president of basketball operations Rod Higgins was stepping down early on Friday morning, a natural curiosity arose about what exactly had happened. 

Higgins and team owner Michael Jordan were old friends, after all, dating back to their playing days with the Chicago Bulls in the mid-80s. Higgins had worked with Jordan in the Washington Wizards front office, and had been with the Charlotte franchise since 2007. 

Looking to clear the air, Jordan spoke about the Higgins situation with the Charlotte Observer on Friday, claiming that Higgins decided to leave after Jordan decided to confer a number of his existing responsibilities on general manager Rich Cho. Jordan said he wanted Cho, who has a background as an attorney, dealing more with budgets and managing the salary cap.

"One of (Higgins’) strong points is not negotiating, leveraging teams," he said. "Sometimes when teams would call (proposing trades), they’d bypass Rod to get to Rich."

Speaking to Higgins' strengths, meanwhile, Jordan offered up what seems like a serious backhanded compliment, and doesn't exactly paint a picture of an irreplaceable employee:

"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."

When Jordan presented his plan for shifting responsibilities, Higgins reportedly considered it a demotion. Jordan said he then asked Higgins if they could wait until after the draft to make a change, but that Higgins "chose to leave now."

The Hornets, coming off just their second winning season (43-39) and second playoff appearance in franchise history, are heading into an offseason in which they have two frist-round draft picks - the ninth (via Detroit) and 24th - as well as a projected $13 million in cap space. 

Whether or not Higgins did in fact leave of his own volition, it's clear that Jordan saw this offseason as a crucial one, and wanted to maximize the value of his front office personnel before doing anything else. 

"I had to make a decision about a brother," Jordan said. "I hope he gets a soft landing and finds (the job) he wants."