THE NBA / MARK HEISLER : Jordan Is Still Playing by His Rules

Michael, an appreciation: Somewhere between truth and consequences dangles Michael Jordan, wondering how the world turned so unfriendly.

How does a nice, gifted man attract so much controversy?

Hint: It ain’t the shoes.

Wondrous he may be, the greatest player ever to lace ‘em up, beautiful to behold and a gentleman to boot. He also has other attributes that aren’t as marketable.

In that, he has much in common with many NBA stars. However gracious these men are, they aren’t the boy next door. Madison Avenue suggestions to the contrary, they don’t bob for apples in their free time.

An elite class, the few atop the pyramid after a competition that began before puberty, they’re action junkies, men in need of a game. When teams flew commercially, players used to bet on whose luggage came off the carousel first.

Agent David Falk, opening the stand for business, once advertised Jordan’s homespun qualities: sewing his own clothes, taking home-ec courses. Michael, however, is not simply a beaming face on a cereal box.

A reporter close to him, Mark Vancil, then of the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote of Jordan’s inviting him along on a postgame expedition to an Atlantic City casino after a 1990 playoff defeat at Philadelphia.

Jordan, his North Carolina entourage and Vancil gambled until 6 a.m., ate breakfast and drove back to the Bulls’ hotel, where Michael, walking in, met Coach Phil Jackson, walking out.

Said Jordan: “Hi, Coach.”

Said Jackson: “Hello, Michael. See you at practice.”

Jordan got a couple of hours’ sleep, went to practice, considered playing an afternoon round of golf but decided not to.

The next night he scored 45 points and led a rally from 18 down that beat the 76ers.

Night-tripping doesn’t make Jordan a bad person, nor do his other sins. At worst, they speak of youthful exuberance, bad judgment or both on the part of a young man whose agent is saturating the planet with pictures of Mike in his Boy Scout uniform.

Here are things for Jordan to remember, if they ever come up again:

--You can’t stiff the President of the United States.

It may be only a photo-op, but he’s still the President.

--It isn’t surprising if a great man has some prima donna in him. If it’s true, however, it isn’t anything but a service if someone writes a book about it.

--He can’t run with a convicted drug dealer.

Whether Jordan’s $57,000 check was a loan so a friend could buy a driving range, or was paying a golf bet as the U.S. attorney’s office alleges, Michael is too close for comfort. In this case, “Just say no” applies.

ANGEL FLYING TOO CLOSE TO THE GROUND

In case punctuation was required, Jordan missed his last 10 shots against the Lakers last week, including a breakaway dunk.

It were as if Zeus had fallen off Olympus, rolled down the mountain and come to rest at our feet.

How bad was it?

Magic Johnson, his career ended when he tested HIV-positive, spent the night trying to cheer up Michael.

Johnson suggested his retirement has left Jordan alone.

“Now it’s like Michael has to shoulder it all,” Johnson said.

Johnson has done a thing or two, himself, that weren’t universally approved, but he remains indestructible, a beloved figure. He has a genius for celebrity, balancing privacy and public demands.

It may be an unfair comparison because, 1) there’s only one Magic, and 2), there are even greater demands on Jordan.

Last week in Washington, Jordan turned down a request to meet the crown princess of Saudi Arabia.

Said Bull publicist Tim Hallam: “There’s a crown princess in every city he goes to.”

BRAIN TRUST

Julius Erving, Bernard King, Buck Williams, Derrick Coleman, Otis Birdsong, Darryl Dawkins, Micheal Ray Richardson.

It hasn’t been bad talent that doomed the New Jersey, nee New York, Nets as much as bad management.

In the ‘70s, owner Roy Boe sold Erving for $3 million. In the ‘80s, Rollie Massimino walked away from the podium at what was to be his introductory news conference.

Misplacing the lessons of history, present ownership, known as the Secaucus Seven, now ponders changing coaches.

Last week, minority partner Joe Taub struck a deal with Jim Valvano.

The next night, majority partner owner Alfred Autzien came to the press room with General Manager Willis Reed, disavowed Taub and gave Coach Bill Fitch a vote of confidence.

Autzien said he was being guided by Reed.

Within a week, Autzien, Reed and Taub reportedly had agreed among themselves to hire Valvano--after Christmas.

Meanwhile Fitch, a man who knows a joke when he sees one, rediscovered his sense of humor.

“You look in the papers and they say Valvano’s coming in next week,” he said. “I’m looking at New York, Cleveland, Chicago and Indiana this week. I’m saying, ‘What’s wrong with this week?’ ”

FACES AND FIGURES

Who you calling compulsive? Knick Coach Pat Riley still keeps his watch on West Coast time. “I’ve had it that way for 20 years,” he told the Chicago Tribune’s Sam Smith. “I haven’t changed it no matter where I’ve gone. Why should I?” Hint: Because you don’t live here anymore?

Charles Barkley Section: Said Charles of Karl Malone’s mauling of Isiah Thomas: “Nobody wants to put 40 stitches in a guy’s head--not even Isiah’s. I tell you what, if Isiah gets on the Olympic team, there’s going to be a lot of trouble. . . . There would be at least three guys he wouldn’t be roommates with. Michael (Jordan) and Scottie (Pippen) don’t want to and I guess Karl’s out of the picture now. I’ll wind up rooming with him by default.” . . . 76er teammate Armon Gilliam, rapped in Barkley’s book, on Charles: “He is a great talent, but I don’t think he is a great leader. I hope the (young) players are smart enough to realize that.” . . . Would Barkley respond? Is the world round? “This is a free country,” he said. “He’s entitled to his opinion. I know that a team’s leader is its best player. I’m just a hard-working leader.” . . . Barkley now says his autobiography misquoted him only in a few places--perhaps the ones where he criticized all his teammates.

Thomas, upset that Malone was suspended for only one game, is not only in pain but a deep funk. Piston physician Benjamin Paolucci told the Flint (Mich.) Journal that he wouldn’t be surprised if Thomas sat out the rest of the season. . . . You think you’ve got problems: Bull guard Craig Hodges, dropping his kids off at school in suburban Chicago, was doused with gas by estranged wife, Carlita, who then threw two lighted matches at him, according to police. The matches went out. Carlita was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. . . . Detroit’s Dennis Rodman missed a shootaround, spending 2 1/2 hours in a barber’s chair, getting “Cha-Ching” carved into his hair. Said Coach Chuck Daly, loath to mess with one of his last productive players: “Very impressive. I’m thinking about it too.” Suggestion for Daly’s message: “Help!”

Golden State Coach Don Nelson and 280-pound rookie Victor Alexander attended the Pritikin center together--but Nelson lost more weight. Last week he benched Alexander. “We like him,” Nelson said. “We just think we’d like him more if he weighed 265 pounds.” . . . New Nugget promotion whiz, Tim Leiweke, strapped with the league’s second-lowest attendance at 10,800 a game, announced that they had better get 14,000 for the last four games this month. If not, “You’ll hear me come out publicly and say I don’t know if we’re meant to be here.” Comment: Oh no, Mr. Leiweke, anything but that! . . . Payton Place: Seattle Coach K.C. Jones, defending Gary Payton’s up-and-down numbers: “That statistic has nothing to do with it. Gary is playing the same ball. It all comes down to, the writers don’t like him.” Said an unidentified Sonic to the Tacoma News Tribune: “We all know deep in our hearts that the offense runs better with Nate (McMillan). We also understand K.C.’s under pressure to play Payton. That doesn’t make it work.”

Forever Red, or my cigar, please: Celtic President Red Auerbach, presenting Dennis Johnson a watch on the night his number was retired: “We had two of them made. One of them, we sent to Phoenix for letting us have Dennis.” . . . Cleveland led Miami by 73 points before setting the NBA record for winning margin with a 148-80 victory. Said Steve Kerr, the last Cavalier off the bench: “I was thinking, ‘Hey, Coach, I think it’s safe now.’ ” . . . Heat Coach Kevin Loughery the next night when the Cavaliers lost at New Jersey: “We wore them out.”