Up to the task

Jordan says he's healthy, ready to return to Wizards

Michael Jordan may be used off the bench this coming season. Eliot Schechter/ Getty Images

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Michael Jordan, satisfied that his knees can take the punishment, announced Thursday that he will play another season with the Washington Wizards.

"My love for the game of basketball continues to drive my decision," Jordan said in a statement released by the Wizards. "Physically I am feeling very strong, and feel that the steps I took in the offseason have allowed me to return to the game in great condition."

The announcement lacked the drama and magnitude of Jordan's announcement a year ago, when he ended a 3 1/2-year retirement by resigning from the Wizards' front office so he could resume his playing career.

Although Jordan has come out of retirement twice before, he has indicated that this would be his last season. At the All-Star game in Philadelphia this year, he answered with a definite "no" when asked if would play more than two seasons with the Wizards.

Jordan is returning as a projected backup. Coach Doug Collins said he has spoke to Jordan about using him as a sixth man at shooting guard, and he's said he doesn't want to use Jordan at small forward because of the physical demands of playing against better defenders.

With Jordan, however, such plans are never a certainty. Last season, whenever Collins, trainers or even Jordan himself tried to put limits his playing time, his competitive juices would get the better of him. He exceeded his projected minutes almost every night.

However, the lineup and Jordan's age -- he'll turn 40 in February -- suggest the bench is where Jordan belongs at the start of the game. The Wizards have had a busy offseason, acquiring point guard Larry Hughes, shooting guard Jerry Stackhouse and small forward Bryon Russell to start on the perimeter.

"No decisions have been made as to my exact role on the team," Jordan said in the statement, "but I expect that coach Collins will make those assessments next week in training camp."

Jordan signed a two-year contract when he unretired for the second time a year ago, but he had worked so hard getting back in shape that his knees weren't ready for the rigors of a full NBA season. He played 60 of 82 games and started 53 while trying to hide the pain and discomfort he felt in both knees. His right knee that had to be drained of fluid several times, and he had surgery on the knee in February.

A month later, Jordan said he planned to play this season, but he set the stage for some mild summer suspense when by adding that he wouldn't play if he felt he would have the same problems with his knees. He said he might even have pre-emptive surgery on his left knee so he wouldn't need it during the season, but doctors later told him it wasn't necessary.

Meanwhile, the Wizards marketed season tickets as if Jordan would be playing again. Jordan's summer routine was less strenuous than last year's, but players who worked out with him said he looked as if he were getting ready to play another season.

Earlier this month, however, Jordan had to fitted with a shoe insert to help relieve a new pain he felt on the outside of the right knee joint, adding a little more suspense to Jordan's decision.

Jordan led the Wizards in scoring (22.9), assists (5.2), steals (1.4) last season, but he also led them in turnovers (2.7) and had his shooting percentage (41.6) was nearly nine percentage points off his career average.

The Jordan of old resurfaced occassionally, such as when he scored 51 and 45 points in back-to-back games in late December. But he also had five games in which he failed to score in double digits, something that had only happened once in 13 seasons with the Chicago Bulls. In his final game last season, he scored a career-low two points in 12 minutes in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on April 2.

The Wizards will again have to deal with Jordan's awkward dual role within the organization. His title was president of basketball operations when he joined the team in January 1999. He still ran the team -- without the title -- after coming back as a player, sometimes causing strained locker room dynamics as he tried to be a teammate to players he signed or drafted.

 

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