5 Washington Wizards

Jerry Stackhouse, late of the Central Division-champion Pistons, has a theory about the psychological effects of a team's sudden improvement. "When something comes together like it did last year in Detroit," he says, "the coach and all 12 guys on the team think they did it. The general manager thought he pushed all the right buttons. The secretary who poured his coffee thinks she put just the right amount of sugar in it."

He laughs at the thought that maybe it was the Java and not the Jerry that made the difference last season, when the Pistons went from missing the playoffs in 2000-01 to a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals. But just ask Stack-house about his new home in Washington, where he landed in a deal that sent guard Richard Hamilton to Detroit, and you'll find out who he thought was the key to the Pistons' turnaround. "Just like I did in Detroit," he says, "I think I can help a team that wasn't a playoff team become one."

Stackhouse may have a point. After spending the first seven years of his career as a one-trick pony—launching shots from anywhere inside half-court—he matured as a player last season, sharing the rock, playing team defense and shelving his ego for the good of the team. His reward? He failed to make the All-Star team, received little MVP consideration and says the Pistons balked at a new contract that would pay him the maximum he can earn under NBA rules. "People here really appreciate my value and what I bring to the team," Stackhouse says of his new home, "more so than they did in Detroit."

Foremost among the appreciative new teammates is Michael Jordan, 39, who's expected to log fewer minutes per game than the 34.9 he played last season, when wear and tear forced him to miss the final 22 games. (He had knee surgery in February and has chosen to sit out the preseason.) The addition of Stackhouse and free-agent guards Bryon Russell and Larry Hughes should allow coach Doug Collins to stick to his plan of playing Jordan about 30 minutes a game. Whether Jordan sticks to his own stated intention of being a sixth man is a different matter. "He's talked about it," says Stackhouse, "but I know when he starts smelling that popcorn, he's going to want to be out there from the start."

Which raises the question of how two guys so accustomed to being the focal point of an offense will mesh. Collins says he sees no problem in the pairing and professes a love for Stackhouse's "passion and toughness," while Jordan notes that his new running mate is physical and "challenges the bigger guys." Translation: Stackhouse will be attacking the rim so Jordan doesn't have to. "Mike's talked to me about getting us some free throw attempts, getting us into the bonus," says Stackhouse. "Either way, we look at it like it's going to be us and three other guys out there."

In a weak Eastern Conference, the Big Two plus the Other Three should be enough to confirm Stackhouse's Theory of Me.

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