Bogues: This divorce is final
Tearful former Hornets guard says he has severed all ties with organization
Muggsy Bogues broke into tears Saturday morning, relaying how his daughter took the news he was leaving Charlotte.
``She said, `Daddy, I'm happy for you. I know you'll be happy again,' '' Bogues recalled by phone from an Oakland hotel room. ``Here's a 10-year-old kid saying this. I was trying to keep her spirits up, and she kept mine up.''
Bogues said he will be happy again, separated from the Hornets after 10 years with that team. The Hornets traded Bogues and Tony Delk to the Golden State Warriors Friday for point guard B.J. Armstrong.
Bogues said Charlotte will always be his home, but he's severed all ties with the Hornets. He doesn't want his jersey retired, an honor that looked automatic over the past few years.
``I can't be part of it. I don't think I can,'' Bogues said of retiring No. 1 at Charlotte Coliseum.
But couldn't that change with time?
``What can change? It's over. Nothing can change,'' Bogues said. ``I don't have any bad feelings toward the organization, I just don't have a relationship anymore.''
Bogues' ties to the Hornets unraveled the past six months, after coach Dave Cowens suggested publicly Bogues retire to avoid further damage to his left knee. Cowens says he meant nothing offensive toward Bogues. But the situation deteriorated to a point that Bogues felt certain he was being pressured to retire.
Bogues said he could have been content as a backup to David Wesley, signed over the summer to play point guard. But Bogues believes the Hornets front office saw him as a threat to Wesley settling in long-term.
``They had a plan. I guess they saw me as a distraction to that plan,'' Bogues said. ``They never really gave me a chance (this season), even in practice.''
A starter most of his career in Charlotte, Bogues said in the preseason he wasn't getting enough activity in practices or exhibitions to get into shape. He played a total of four minutes his last two games as a Hornet, falling behind Wesley and free agent Corey Beck on the depth chart.
Bogues said he holds no grudge against Cowens or team vice president Bob Bass. He said those two, relatively new to the organization, had no history with him to serve as an obligation.
But Bogues said he was surprised how his relationship with team owner George Shinn eroded. Bogues said he last spoke with Shinn Aug. 20, at a meeting where he thought the conflicts between himself and the front office were resolved. Bogues declined to discuss specifics of that meeting.
``It starts at the top. That's what it really came down to -- George and me,'' Bogues said. ``I never envisioned George would let something like this happen.''
On the advice of attorney Bill Diehl, Shinn has not made any public comments while he is under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct in South Carolina. Bogues said he was amazed by how coldly co-workers throughout the franchise treated him the past few months:
``It just awakened me -- to see people I've known for years turn their backs on you. Like you're a different person or something. . .
``This is a business, and there's some cruelty that goes on with it. But Muggsy's going to be fine. I'll be positive. I wasn't going to let this break me. I know they thought they could break me, but I'm too strong for that.''
Bogues expected to play in Saturday night's home game against Minnesota. He said a weak team like the Warriors (0-4) ``is not my first preference,'' but he's excited about playing again for a franchise that wants him. His former coach at Wake Forest, Bob Staak, is a Warriors assistant. Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo unsuccessfully recruited Bogues to Seton Hall 15 years ago.
Bogues expects to play backup to Warriors point guard Bimbo Coles.
``I know that I can give this organization a lot of leadership -- some things I guess the Hornets just didn't appreciate,'' Bogues said.
Bogues said he doesn't know how long he'll keep playing: ``Maybe in a couple of months I'll say, `This is not right,'' and I'll hang it up. But I had to find out'' whether he can still play effectively.
Regardless of how things work out, Bogues plans to maintain Charlotte as his home. He said it meant much to him that fans chanted his name when he didn't play in the season-opener against the Knicks.
``I just want to thank the fans for really standing behind me -- not seeing me as the bad guy,'' Bogues concluded. ``Even though I'm (in Oakland), my heart is still there. I'll still be part of the community.''