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MJ shakes up Wizards' front office
Posted: Tuesday May 16, 2000 06:56 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- At least we know who the Washington Wizards coach isn't going to be. Michael Jordan, the team's president of basketball operations, eliminated two candidates from contention Tuesday by appointing them to front-office positions. Darrell Walker, the interim coach for the last 38 games of the season, was made director of player personnel, and Golden State assistant Rod Higgins was appointed assistant general manager. In a related move, Wes Unseld relinquished his position as general manger of the WNBA's Washington Mystics, handing the job to Mystics assistant coach Melissa McFerrin. Unseld will remain general manger of the Wizards. The moves fulfill Jordan's promise to upgrade the Wizards front office, which has been essentially a shoestring operation for many years. Unseld has been almost a one-man management firm, doing numerous jobs that are usually held by several people in other NBA and WNBA organizations. "I believe I've assembled a very astute group of personnel to help me accomplish great things for this basketball franchise," Jordan said. "This group possesses a great deal of NBA experience, energy and enthusiasm." Still to come is Jordan's selection of a coach, with Lenny Wilkens apparently the only remaining candidate among those who have been mentioned publicly. John Paxson, Jordan's former Chicago Bulls teammate, declined an offer to join the Wizards organization, and St. John's university officials have maintained that Red Storm coach Mike Jarvis has not been interviewed by Jordan. Wilkens, the NBA's career leader in coaching victories, indicated last week that Jordan had offered him the job, but later clarified his position and said simply that his interview with Jordan had gone well. He did not immediately return phone calls Tuesday. Jordan has said he would like to have a coach in place by Sunday's draft lottery. Higgins, who has been with Golden State for six seasons, was Jordan's first choice to be interim coach when Gar Heard was fired in midseason. But the Warriors wanted compensation, so Jordan hired Walker instead. Higgins' contract with Golden State expired at the end of the season. The Wizards also appointed Fred Whitfield as assistant for basketball operations and assistant general counsel. Whitfield spent the past four years with Nike, most recently as director of player development in basketball sports marketing. For the Mystics, replacing McFerrin as assistant coach will be Stephanie Rivera, a former assistant with the Chicago Condors of the American Basketball League. Unseld also announced that Mystics coach Nancy Darsch's contract has been extended through the 2001 season.
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