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The 'new' Jordan M.J. more textbook than highlight in Wizards debut
Updated: Friday October 12, 2001 2:31 PM
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- He wore a goatee, a strange blue uniform and Air Jordan sneakers with gold trim. Otherwise, Michael Jordan looked pretty much like the same player who left the NBA in ’98 when he took the floor at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Thursday night for his first appearance as a member of the Washington Wizards. Same glistening bald head. Same baggy shorts. Same diverse all-around game, albeit one more textbook than highlight reel. Playing both small forward and point guard, Jordan tallied eight points (on 4-of-8 shooting), three rebounds, a steal and a block in 17 minutes. Though clearly rusty after three years off, he showed a little bit of everything. He battled in the post, he stuck a fadeaway, he hit another jumper off a shake-and-bake, he swooped over to block a shot from the weakside. "I kind of surprised myself . My energy level was pretty good," Jordan said. Jordan also seemed to enjoy himself. He joked with the Palace crowd. He encouraged rookie Kwame Brown. He playfully cuffed Pistons guard Jon Barry after Barry had run him off a screen en route to a reverse layup. He didn’t even get upset when referee Steve Javie called him for a palming violation. "A rookie call," Jordan joked. "But I am a rookie right now." Wizards assistant coach John Bach, a former Chicago assistant during the first championship run, says Jordan might be a slightly different player this time around but his passion is as strong as ever. His competitive fire, he says, has already raised the intensity level of the Wizards team. "At practice, he blows up every drill," Bach says. "He’s still got the same fury." Unlike the younger brasher Jordan, however, Bach says the new Mike is more patient. Once quick to get in a teammate’s face after a bonehead play, he’s now more likely to put an arm around his shoulder. "He’s not a Bin Laden anymore," says Bach. Whether MJ can keep his frustrations inside during the long season ahead remains to be seen. At one point during Thursday’s contest, he streaked down court on a 3-on-1 fast break only to watch Hubert Davis throw the ball away, leading to a two-handed monster slam at the other by platinum-haired Pistons center Zelijko Rebraca. For a moment, His Airness looked like he was wondering what he had gotten himself into. The other big question surrounding Jordan is whether he can stay healthy. Already he is being pushed by the NBA and his own conscience to play in meaningless exhibitions. Unwilling to disappoint the fans who buy tickets to see him, Jordan will test the limits of his 38-year-old body. Meanwhile, he is sticking to his own workout regimen with personal trainer, Tim Grover, who is traveling with the team. Even after deciding to play in Thursday’s exhibition, Jordan still put in a regularly-scheduled two-hour session before the game. "Michael’s fine," Wizards coach Doug Collins says. "I know what he can do, and we’ll continue to communicate." In addition to being the greatest player ever to lace up the sneakers, the old Jordan hardly ever missed a game. It’s one area in which the new guy with the goatee in the blue uniform just might not be able to match. So far, though, he’s off to a good start. Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.
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