Monday, July 12, 2004

Its Official: Sam Smith has lost his mind.

Apparently not heeding any warnings from Mark Cuban, My Man Sam(tm) is again spreading rumors about his favorite subject, Michael Jordan. This time , now that Shaq has reportedly moved on to Miami, Sam speculates Jordan buying a stake in the Heat (or have it given to him, more likely), and being a drawing card to add to the new Shaq-Wade core:

The team would have a good chance to win a championship and Jordan would be in position to use what many say could be his greatest strength as an owner: Attracting top talent to join him.
 

Like I says every time, THAT REALLY WORKED WELL IN WASHINGTON. There, maybe if I scream it someone will hear me.

But Sam's column gets even better. Did you know this new organizational juggernaut can now successfully move to Las Vegas?

With the lure of Las Vegas, O'Neal and Dwyane Wade in Heat uniforms, and Jordan in an ownership position, it would be no problem for him to put together a major ownership group. Jordan would have a chance to run the first major-league sports franchise in Las Vegas. And what a draw that would be for players.
 

Jordan owning a team in Vegas? I don't see a potential conflict of interest there, do you?

So, to recap: Jordan will get ownership without actually paying for it. Jordan will attract free agents somehow. And even though David Stern has claimed multiple times that he doesn't want a team in Vegas, the lure of having Jordan in ownership is just too much to ignore.

Does any of this remotely make sense? And what's worse, ESPN.com is picking up this story.

Sam, you're still my man, but when will you be receiving those Cuban-sponsored "Sports Gossip Columnist" business cards?