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'Still got the same game' Jordan suits up, takes part in Wizards' practice
Posted: Monday January 24, 2000 11:26 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Michael Jordan was the first to arrive. He put on a No. 23 Washington Wizards jersey, ragged on Rod Strickland for being less than punctual, then took to the court as a dunking, trash-talking, coaching part-owner. More than anything, MJ was in charge. "Not yet! Press out!" Jordan barked when reporters entered at their usual time to watch the final few minutes of practice. It was Jordan's order and Jordan's alone, even with majority owner Abe Pollin, general manager Wes Unseld and coach Gar Heard in the gym. Reporters were allowed in at the end of practice, Jordan's first as an active, playing participant since he joined the Wizards last week as part owner and president of basketball operations. "I could go for a beer right now," said Jordan, smiling and looking slightly winded as he made his way up the stairs. By all accounts, it was some practice. "He's definitely moving the same way," said forward Tracy Murray, who guarded Jordan during some of the drills and the two scrimmages. "Dunking the ball, shooting a jump shot, fadeaway. Still got the same game, hasn't gone anywhere. "And as soon as he sets foot in that gym, he starts talking trash, so of course the intensity is going to pick up." Good thing there are some large dumpsters underneath the MCI Center. The trash talk made a huge impression with every single player, and some of them returned it. "He's not 25 anymore," rookie Laron Profit said. "I try to remind him of that every time we matched up together. I'm the 22-year-old now. I've never been known as a shy one. He talked. I talked. He talked a little more. And I talked a little more, and he talked some more. I left him alone after that. "Mike is Mike. He could still come back and lead the league in scoring. He was having fun, but I'm sure he was evaluating. He was competing, and he was going to see who was going to compete with him." That's exactly what Jordan was doing. By being himself, he turned a Wizards practice into something it hasn't been in a while -- energetic and fun. "Which is what we should expect every day," Jordan said. "Actually, I told them they shouldn't have to wait for me to come out to show the energy that they had today. I just tried to keep them focused, challenge them, say whatever I have to say. If they can play hard against me, they can play hard against anybody. It was fun." Since Jordan became part of the operation, the Wizards(13-29) have been their usual frustratingly inconsistent selves. They lost bad at home to Dallas, beat Indiana at home impressively, then got buried by Atlanta on the road. Jordan, who says he'll be a commuter-president, watched the Indiana and Atlanta games on TV at home in Chicago. He reached the same two conclusions everyone else has:
"You've got three solid players, Mitch Richmond, Rod Strickland and Juwan Howard," Jordan said. "The point is getting them to play with the continuity and the chemistry it takes to play basketball. All three of the base guys have played effectively in the years past, and it shouldn't be any reason why they can't do that now." Jordan's biggest challenge could be Strickland. Heard, an old-school coach, has clashed with Strickland in an effort to get the point guard to show up on time and become a team leader - to no avail. "You try to be an example in that sense," Jordan said. "You're going to work a little harder. If that means I have to come in and chastise and make people get up and get here early ... Rod got here 15 minute before practice, so I made sure I told him if I have to come by and pick him up tomorrow, he'd better be here a little bit earlier." Jordan will be in the owner's box -- not on the court, Heard pointed out wistfully -- for Tuesday's home game against the New York Knicks. "I'm learning. It's a challenge," Jordan said. "People have low expectations about what can happen here. It's all fine and good. I've been in worse scenarios, but the good thing about it is we have only one way we can go. That's up. We can't go any further down."
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