Jordan's Return Great For The Wiz...And the NBA

[CeltsSteve@xxxxxxx]

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Jordan's Return Great For The Wiz...And the NBA     
FULL COURT PRESS

Joe Aquilar, NBA Editor 
 

Washington, D.C. (Sports Network) - Typically, the return of an aging athlete 
is not cause for celebration. Patrick Ewing's last season in Orlando was 
tough to watch, as were Cal Ripken Jr.'s last few seasons with the Orioles. 
Boxers often think they have one more fight left in them, then find out it 
was one fight too many. One need look no further than Muhammad Ali for an 
example of an athlete who didn't know when to call it quits. 

While the cause of Ali's current condition, Parkinson's disease, is not 
always attributable to head trauma, there's little doubt the root cause of 
his condition stems from taking too many punches in the ring. This is not the 
case with Michael Jordan, who announced last week that he will return to 
honor the final year of his two-year deal with the Washington Wizards. 

Last season, Jordan, 39, averaged 22.9 points per game and was able to 
compete in 60 games at an average of 34.9 minutes per contest. Certainly his 
scoring is down from his career average of 31 points per game, but with 
Jordan, it's simply not about numbers -- or on second thought -- maybe it's 
all about numbers. The numbers by which Jordan impacts the game of basketball 
are different numerals than those that apply to other NBA players. Jordan 
generates interest -- and subsequent revenue -- for the NBA like no player 
ever has. 

"You simply can't pay him enough," said Orlando Magic Senior Vice President 
Pat Williams. "Talent aside, his unique characteristics just make him 
special, and we can all learn and benefit from that. It's amazing -- but I 
think he's actually underrated. I don't think any of us realized the way he 
carried the NBA around the world to the level that he has."

    
It was not until three weeks ago, when the pain in his surgically-repaired 
right knee subsided, that Jordan decided he would play a second season for 
the Wizards. With training camp finally getting underway, Jordan, as one 
might expect, is putting no limits on himself. 

"My main objective is to fulfill my contract," said Jordan. "After this year 
will be after this year. I never want to say never again. When I do say it, 
it will be 100 percent, not 99.9 percent. I'm focusing on this year at the 
end of the season. Leave it at that." 

In order to save his legs for the grind of an 82-game regular season, Jordan 
said he does not plan on playing in any of the team's eight preseason games, 
the first being October 10 at MCI Center. The pain in his knee lingered 
longer into the summer than Jordan anticipated, thus delaying his 
announcement. 

"I did contemplate not playing," said Jordan, who turns 40 in February. "[The 
knee] didn't respond like I thought it would. It responded like the doctors 
told me it would...When I did start back playing I had a problem with [a 
support band of muscles], which obviously worried me. It wasn't anything 
wrong with the structure of my knee. 

"At that time it was determined that I should get some orthotics to get the 
structure of my foot, knee and hip in line. Once I went through that process 
and started wearing orthotics it seemed that my knee started to respond. I 
could see it in the way I played and my recovery every day, on back-to-back 
days and that was the basis of my decision." 

He is expected to take part in one of the team's two workouts on a daily 
basis during camp. Jordan's announcement that he will sit during the 
preseason gave ticket buyers and the NBA sufficient warning of his impending 
absences. Unlike last year's training camp, he won't be trying to shake off 
three years of rust created by inactivity. 

"Michael's going to need the training camp to get himself prepared to play," 
coach Doug Collins said. "Last year he played so much in the summertime 
trying to get off three years of inactivity, he went through the broken ribs 
then went through the [knee] tendinitis. In our discussions, he felt he left 
a lot on the court last summer. 

"The big thing is we have to keep his minutes down. That's going to be 
critical. Last year, especially early in the season, we were struggling. His 
minutes started out in the mid-thirties and pretty soon they were up to 40 
and that just can't happen this year. We hope we've added enough help for him 
that he can play when the game counts. Last year we asked him to do so much." 


And this was Jordan's second return from retirement. 

"Based on me coming out of retirement in '95, it was a tough year for me 
because I was re-adjusting back to the game," Jordan said about his return to 
the Chicago Bulls after a nearly two-year stint playing minor league 
baseball. "Ninety-six was a better year because I knew what to expect. After 
being back for one season, hopefully things will be better for me this year." 


Keeping Jordan's minutes down shouldn't be a problem for this season's 
Wizards. Given his Airness' ability to play either the one, two or three, 
Washington can come at opponents with a world of scoring ability in a variety 
of ways. Jerry Stackhouse and Larry Hughes are both Wizards now, making life 
infinitely easier for Jordan. All three of these scorers can be on the floor 
at once, or Stackhouse and Hughes could fill it up while Jordan rests. While 
Washington still has some questions in need of answers at the power forward 
and center positions, it's certainly as loaded with twos and threes as any 
team in the NBA.    

CeltsSteve